Drama of Team Selections
This past Copa America was quite entertaining. I had the privilege of being in Colombia (yes the country) for the tournament’s final stages. Watching the games at local bars was quite enjoyable and the lifestyle is one that somebody could easily get used to. The Copa America always stirs up emotions, and I suppose it is fitting as these are the people who are all about telenovelas (it is I, Rodrygo[not Goes, he didn’t make the Brazilian national team]).
When I saw the team selection for Colombia, there were two glaring omissions. Radamel Falcao (the aging tiger) and James Rodriguez (perpetually injured world class talent). Both were omitted and the decision was chalked up to injury issues for the both of them, though Falcao’s situation was reportedly mutual in understanding; James Rodriguez’s circumstance was far more controversial and clearly the man was not happy about being left out.
Apparently information was released from the backroom medical staff saying that the “fitness tests” undergone by James Rodriguez proved he was not fit for the tournament to play in “these sort of games” (physical South American blood baths), and James in return claimed he was ‘disrespected” by not being added and that “he could have played”. The chances of James getting reinjured are always sky high, but something tells me they could have made room for him on the bench to potentially play partial games. The dude could have done things other people cannot, and potentially inspired the team to a higher than respectable third place finish (though given the competition that is probably the best they could have done either way).
As International tournaments of years past tend to do, they set the stage for emerging talent to blossom, and careers to be forged. Enter Luiz Diaz. The young 24 year old Colombian winger finished joint top scorer with none other than Lionel Messi and was named “Revelation of the Copa America” (fake award?) The dude was fun to watch and a smooth finisher that inspired Colombia to a thrilling last minute win over Peru in the third place match.
Messi the Brat Getting his Win
Alright – although Messi has pulled some fair weather national team stunts aka him retiring/threatening to retire multiple times in the past when Argentina have come up short in tournaments, he has secured his major international trophy and cemented his legacy as a winner at all levels of the game. And let’s be honest, the man deserves it after everything he has done for the sport and the inspiration he transmits to people coming from all walks of life. I only really started watching soccer consistently in 2012 and this man looked like a cheat code in a video game for Barcelona. It was honestly almost impossible to believe what I was watching, this 5’7 unathletic looking person breezing past top class defenders like traffic cones and scoring goals at will.
But hey – this dude went ape shit per usual and this one visual above pretty much sums up what he pulled off…wow..but at the end of the day, this really is just typical Messi, and the fake news soccer media over the past decade for the sake of competition (and ratings) inflated others to create a false narrative that there was actually a competition going on at an individual level. Although he has come up short with titles over the years at club and country, take all team accomplishments aside and he seems to always be the most dominant player.
Although Neymar and co sambaed their way to another final, they fell short at the last dance. And I’m blaming it on the awful haircuts donned by the players on the team.
Looks like Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima left a legacy of sporting beauty and terrible hair styling.
I wish I could say this man Vini Jr. was benched for a majority of the tournament simply because of his hair. The man looks like a fucking dinosaur. Honestly, that would have been a better reason than his playing style which is electric and ambitious (analysts need to be more sophisticated than just looking at statistics). The Viniciadon’s all around play is far more inspiring than the sloppy Richarlison who barrels down the field hoping the ball remains under his control! Let’s be honest here, as awful as Vinicius Jr’s haircut was/is/forever will be, at least it was somewhat…original? Richarlison is clearly a Neymar fanboy/groupie copying his hairstyle (if only he could copy his talent).
This man Richarlison has got to gain some of his own swag! But anyways, when Brazil last won the Copa America in 2019, Neymar wasn’t even in the team due to injury! Will he be chasing an international trophy for years to come like his good friend Messi had to? Either way, unless Richarlison cleans up his act and gets his own sense of style (be yourself people) Neymar may be searching for a legit international trophy forever (Does the now defunct Confederations Cup count as one?! The debates rage on!).
Recent Comments