#brazil number one champion of the world

[dynamicrattus]

Eu amo ser brasileiro

IT'S A RAPPER WHO IS BEING MISTREATED IN A REALITY SHOW !!!!!!!!

[lorarri]

★ . . . 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐄𝐒 , 𝐅𝟏 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐃

summary , a series where the readers are the drivers and these handsome gentlemen are the wags

collab , @solaireverie

status , ongoing

main masterlist | f1 masterlist | f1 grid masterlist | sol's masterlist

A DRINK OR TWO , after a nasty breakup you get black out at a bar and end up meeting someone who change your world

BEST HE'LL EVER WRITE , being the partner and muse of a celebrated author means that fans start connecting the dots sooner rather than later

CANDID PHOTOS , everybodies fav driver decides to spend off season down under and runs into someone who changes her life for the better

DADDY BOUGHT HIM A GIRLFRIEND , ferrari's team owners son is exposed for having a fan account for there number one driver and some how they end up fake dating for six months

ELECTRIC LOVE , people seem to be under the impression that you and your good friend sebastian are dating but little do they know kimi is way more your type

FASHION DISASTERS , a collaboration leads to fights disses and eventually blossoms into a whirlwind romance that no one saw coming

THAT LAVENDER HAZE , your florist husband spoils you with his creations

LET HIM COOK , he cooks in the kitchen while she cooks on track

MADRID PROPAGANDA , your brother is desperate for you to like real madrid and is willing to do whatever it takes to get there

ONE CHANCE BABY , a song on a collab album starts sparks on social media and reveles a long time crush that a rapper has on a certain ferrari driver

OWNER OF MY HEART , tension between teammates spirals out of control and people think new owner ship will help? well it did - but only for one of them

PAGES OF VOUGE , a fashion icon is drawn out of writing retirement by an equally iconic 8 time world champion which leads to love blossoming rather quickly

PAINTING PERFECTION ,a quick look around your house would tell anyone that you are a massive fan of a certain artist and with the help of the internet you become so much more than just a fan

PUT IT INTO SPEED DRIVE , alex is contracted to help you get out of trouble after you land in hot water

RIDE THE NEW WAVE , after a nasty break up you and lewis hamilton take a trip australia and you meet someone that makes you forget all about that loser of an ex

RULES OF BEING A BODYGUARD , after thing get a little tense between you and george after the brazil gp mark has his work cut out for him but remember rule number one - don't fall in love

esteban version ,

fernando version ,

george version ,

lando norris ,

logan version ,

max version ,

pierre version ,

[julianalvarez9]

(1) Zona de promesas, song by Mercedes Sosa. (trans: "mom knows well, i've lost a battle) / (2) Copa América Final: Lionel Messi Tries to Slay His Ghosts - The New York Times / (3) Clarice Lispector, from the complete stories: 'one day less' / (4) Lionel Messi of Argentina closes his eyes during the national anthem prior to a match between Argentina and Paraguay as part of South American Qualifiers for Qatar 2022 at Estadio Alberto J. Armando on November 12, 2020 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Photo by Juan I. Roncoroni) / (5) Against Silence, Frank Bidart / (6) Lionel Messi of Argentina lifts the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner's Trophy during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Julian Finney) / (7) Zona de promesas, song by Mercedes Sosa. (trans: it takes time to arrive and in the end, in the end there is a reward) / (8) Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner's Trophy after the team's victory during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Lars Baron) / (9) Lionel Messi speech after winning the 2023 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year. / (10) Lionel Messi of Argentina kisses the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner's Trophy while holding the adidas Golden Boot award after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Julian Finney) / (11) Tumblr textpost. / (12) Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates with teammates after their fourth and winning penalty by Gonzalo Montiel in the penalty shootout during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Maddie Meyer) / (13) Lionel Messi speech after winning the 2023 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year. / (14) Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona celebrates with his teammates after scoring his team's fourth goal during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC at Camp Nou on November 22, 2014 in Barcelona, Spain. Lionel Messi beat the number of goal in the Spanish La Liga of Telmo Zarra scoring his 252nd goal. (Photo by David Ramos) / (15) Lionel Messi is offered a hand by teammate Ezequiel Lavezzi of Argentina after the finial whistle and defeat at the World Cup Final match between Germany (1) and Argentina (0) at the Maracana Stadium on July 13, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Photo by Simon Bruty) / (16) Lionel Messi speech after winning the 2023 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year. / (17) Lionel Messi greet fans during a victory parade of the Argentina men's national football team after winning the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on December 20, 2022 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Photo by Gustavo Pagano) / (18) Lionel Messi of Argentina holds the FIFA World Cup trophy during World Champions' celebrations after an international friendly between Argentina and Panama at Estadio Mas Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti on March 23, 2023 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Photo by Marcelo Endelli) / (19) Zona de promesas, song by Mercedes Sosa. (trans: in the zone of promises) / (20)  Lionel Messi of Argentina shoots the ball during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match between Argentina and Mexico at Lusail Stadium on November 26, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Fu Tian).

[dizzyduck44]

Time to start unpacking my thoughts following Brazil. Let’s start with Charles.

Seeing Red 🏎

Let me start this by saying since 2020/2021 I have been a firm believer there were 4 World Champions on the grid, Lewis, Seb, Fernando and Kimi and 4 future World Champions in Max, Charles, George and Lando.

I can vividly remember watching Max in those first couple of seasons. Impulsive, reckless, but quick and flashes of the amazing talent that was to come. I can remember telling people Max was a future World Champion in the making and getting laughed at.

Similarly with Charles. That first half of his season was standard rookie fare, accidents, mistakes and almosts. The second half, oh wow! The talent was clear for everyone to see. By summer we were debating which former World Champion was being ousted from Ferrari as there was no way he wasn’t driving for them next season.

As all this was going down George and Lando were around the paddock. Already familiar faces at Mercedes and McLaren. They burst into F1 in 2019 and I still remember the first time Lando caught my attention. Qualifying 8th in his first race in a car I had been likening to a milk float for the last 4 seasons.

All 4 had arrived to their F1 seat with a tide behind them. The whisperings from a young age “this one is special”. They arrived with 4 of the biggest teams in the paddock backing them. This was the future of F1. Bring it on!!

Fast forward to 2023. Max is a three time World Champion. The man looks the finished article.

Lando has slowly but steadily embedding himself into the top 5 drivers of the season year in year out, his faith in McLaren is coming good and he is one of the most exciting drivers to watch of a weekend.

George learnt his trade at Williams, gained the respect of the grid so much they made him GPDA rep and got his much deserved move to Mercedes. It’s not been the easiest time and he has annoyed a lot of fans along the way but he still finds himself towards the front of the grid most weekends in a team of champions. Maybe he overthinks his races, but he never stops trying.

Then there is Charles. I think Charles is the most natural god given talent of the 4. Where the others have had to learn, it seems as natural as breathing to him. In equal machinery, he is the fastest, there is no doubt in my mind. 21 poles say it all. Over one lap, he is a demon.

Yes Charles is all emotion and sometimes his desire to succeed hinders him, sometimes it gives him the edge. He is the driver that I have been least shocked to see him bin it and the one who has gobsmacked me most often with his talent.

That aside, realistically Charles should be knocking on the door of that World Championship by now. As much as I’m loving seeing Lando be Max’s shadow, I can’t be alone in my shock it’s not Charles?

For all his faults, how many points have Ferrari and their incompetence taken from him? I’ve lost track of the awful strategy calls, the bad pit stops, the car taking itself to the shadow realm when we least expect it.

I’m a McLaren girly but I know I’m not alone in the heartbreak of watching Charles hit the barrier on the formation lap. He doesn’t deserve this!

Charles has the talent no question. It’s being wasted at Ferrari, by Ferrari themselves. It’s maddening because I want what’s best for this sport and Charles able to drive to his natural talent and ability is what is best for the sport. This is the first season I’ve questioned is he one of the best 5 drivers on the grid.

The troubling thing for Charles now is the numbers are 3 World Champions on the grid Lewis, Fernando and Max and still 4 World Champions in the making, as hello Oscar 👋. Oscar is showing that same natural talent Charles did in his rookie season. Even more troubling, Lando looks to be the one banging on the door of a Championship. The last 6 races have shown he’s ready but more importantly, so are McLaren.

I’m not sure what will happen if Lando, George or god forbid Oscar get there first. The pain for Charles will be unbearable and too cruel.

It’s that bad already a McLaren fan is writing essays about Charles.

[beardedmrbean]

A Polish tech entrepreneur's global project, aimed at getting more children into computer programming, has been endorsed by Pope Francis.

Miron Mironiuk, founder of artificial intelligence company Cosmose AI, is drawing on his own experience of coding transforming his life.

He said the "Code with Pope" initiative would bridge "the glaring disparities in education" across the globe.

It is hoped the Pope's involvement will attract Catholic countries.

"We believe that the involvement of the Pope will help to convince them to spend some time and use this opportunity to learn programming for free," Mr Mironiuk told the BBC.

The initiative will champion access to coding education through a free online learning platform for students aged 11-15 across Europe, Africa and Latin America.

After 60 hours of dedicated learning, children will be equipped with the basics of Python, one of the world's most popular coding languages.

In the digital age, programming skills have become as fundamental as reading and writing.

World Economic Forum data released in 2023 revealed that "the majority of the fastest growing roles are technology-related roles".

However, a severe global shortage of tech skills threatens to leave 85 million job positions unfilled by 2030.

As a result, increasing access to high-quality programming education has become a necessity, particularly in low and middle-income countries - many of which are Catholic.

A large percentage of the Polish population identifies as Catholic.

The 33-year-old millionaire Mr Mironiuk told the BBC that he was proud of his Polish heritage and to be part of a crop of successful Polish people working in technology.

The country is making significant strides in the tech scene, particularly in AI, with companies like Google Brain, Cosmose AI and Open AI having significant numbers of Polish employees.

But Mr Mironiuk is also aware that many countries are not as fortunate, and hopes this educational programme could help change that.

The programme will be available in Spanish, English, Italian and Polish. It is expected to reach children all over South America except Brazil, and in English speaking nations in Africa and South East Asia.

This is not the first time the Pope has encouraged young people to get into coding, having helped write a line of code for a UN initiative in 2019.

Mr Mironiuk will meet the Pope at the Vatican. But he admits he's not anticipating the pontiff to emulate his students in acquiring new skills.

"I don't expect him to know Python very well, at least," he said. "But he will get a certificate for his efforts in helping start the programme."

[elisysd]

37. Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements?

Masterlist - Previously -Next

Chapter soundtrack: Chasing Pavements - Adele

He had begged Christian with all he had to not say anything, to make him think he had misunderstood what Ethan had unintentionally revealed. He would have groveled at his feet if needed but he managed to persuade Christian to keep it to himself.

“I don’t like that, Ethan.”

“It won’t change anything, Christian! Unless something big happens, Kyle will be world champion and Ludwig P2. You won, so what does it change if Julia works or not with her dad? Actually, think of how it could benefit you! Now you know that whatever upgrades Ferrari is bringing, Julia worked on them. You can see by yourself how an amazing asset she will be to the team!”

“You’re a clever man, Ethan. Really clever. I like how you think. And you have a deal. Give me her phone number, I’ll give her a call tomorrow but in the meanwhile, I’ll have our team in the factory drafting her proposal.”

“Thank you Christian. For everything.”

“She hasn’t accepted, yet. I’ll try my best to have her but nothing is signed.”

“So you really want her?”

“I want to win. She is talented. I want to only work with the best so I’m going to do my best to have her and I won’t settle for a no.”

Julia was about to sleep when her phone rang. She expected to see Ethan’s name show up but was thrown aback when she saw an unknown number on the screen. She let it ring. She was a bit mad to not have been able to reach Ethan despite trying multiple times. She had sent him a text as soon as the race was over but barely got a thank you back. He had ended up, three hours after the end of the race, telling her that he was busy and would call her on his way to Brazil the next day. It was not helping Julia as she was supposed to meet with the woman in charge of decorating the vineyard for the wedding with her mom but she would try to fit the call in her hectic schedule. But when her phone rang a second time with the same number, she got curious and picked it up.

“Hello? Julia Leclerc here, who is it?”

“Julia, hello, Christian Horner here.”

“Chris… Christian? To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I know that you are looking for a new job in F1 and I have an opening in the team, I was wondering if it is something that would interest you.”

She didn’t know what to say, it was probably the last thing she expected to hear.

“I… I mean, it’s very nice but I’m still contractually attached to Skoda…”

“2 millions.”

“Two what?” she couldn’t help but gasp. It was more than ten times what she was worth to Skoda.

“You would work in a direct relationship with our factory. Not only working on the development of the car but also on the conceptualisation of the next one. You would have a whole team under you. How does that sound.”

“I… I mean… why? I’m really flattered but… I don’t have experience….”

“Because Skoda never gave it to you but I know how to recognise talent and potential when I see it, and you miss Leclerc you are a diamond that needs to be polished.”

“I… I don't know what to say…”

“You would have your own car, we will take care of the accommodation, of course you would be needed on the tracks during race weekends. You would be closely working with Maserati as well. It’s going to be a lot of work, I won’t lie. A lot of hours but it’s also a professional challenge that I wouldn’t offer to anyone. You would be dedicating your life to the team.”

“I’m flattered to be considered, don’t get me wrong but… gosh it’s a lot. I don’t know if I’m up to the task.”

“I understand. I don’t need an answer straight away. I’ll give you the summer break but I’ll need to know by September.”

When she hung up, she let out a huge sigh that she was not aware she was holding back. Ferrari was her dream, her dad, the ultimate goal, all that she had ever done in her life was to end up at Ferrari. In her head it was out of the question to go anywhere else. She had always made decisions with her heart. Like her dad. Sure it cost her to miss some nice opportunities in the past but she had never regretted them, because she knew why and where they came from. But her own team, building her own car or at least participating in it? That was another dream of her, one she always thought she would achieve at Ferrari once she would have proven herself. But now Christian was offering everything she was dreaming of on a silver plate. But it wasn’t for Ferrari. That night she didn’t sleep very well.

It was the first thing she told her mom when she woke up the next day and if Lyanna was not already sitting, she would have fallen on the floor.

“Julia… That’s…”

“Unexpected? Incredible? Frightening? Exciting? Weird? Yeah, I know. I’m freaking out.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“But you are considering it, right?” Lyanna asked.

“I mean… I have to. It’s probably an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime. For someone like me, I mean.”

“You deserve it, Ju’. It’s just weird… Christian never does things out of kindness; he always has a hidden agenda. I don’t say that he doesn’t think you are the right choice and you wouldn’t be able to do it. But you barely have experience, you never proved what you could do with a car that he would be aware of…”

“That’s what I don’t understand. Why me?”

“Don’t you think Ethan could have pleaded your case?”

Julia would be lying if the thought didn’t cross her mind. After all, Ethan once promised to help her get out of her situation in Skoda back then but as he had never really talked about it with her, she thought he had moved on. But maybe she was wrong after all. She hoped he had not intervened. It was bad enough that she was thinking she would get in Ferrari because of her dad. If she were to accept the job in Lamborghini it would be because of her boyfriend. When would she finally have something that she deserves?

“I hope he didn’t…” she confessed.

“I hope so too.” her mom replied.

She would have liked to ask him if only she could get a hold of him. She really had, once again, the feeling he was ignoring her. No matter her texts or calls, they were left unanswered. And she knew he was not very busy, he was laughing in Ludwig's stories. She ended up giving up. She was tired of going after him and to answer him in seconds when he was calling her. It was about time he put on some work in their communications attempts.

It took days before he finally texted her, being unusually elusive when she told him she had something to announce. When she finally was able to reach out to him, it was only for him to tell her that he would probably need to cut short the call as he had a dinner to attend to with Chloe.

“I won’t be long then. I received a weird phone call a few days ago. You wouldn’t happen to know what it was about, right?”

“Why would I?” he replied, defensively.

“I don’t know? Maybe because he's Christian and that he offered me a job in Lamborghini. And not just any job. It’s big, Ethan.”

When she heard the long silence on the other side of the line, she knew he was already aware. She clenched her jaw and tried to contain a sigh.

“I’m going to ask you an answer and I want the truth. Did you or did you not ask Christian to offer me a position?”

“Julia…”

“It’s yes or no.”

“Yes, but…”

“How could you?” she said in a laconic voice. She was not mad at him, in a way she expected it and she didn’t know if it was something good or bad.

“I just wanted to help. I meant it when I said that you were talented and that you were wasting it away back then. I just talked to Christian, asked him to offer you something. I didn’t know it was going to be that type of position, I swear. It’s all you.”

“So you do know everything…Was it the reason why you avoided me lately?”

Another pause but if she closed her eyes it’s almost as if she could picture him trying to find a way out of the situation.

“Partly. I didn’t want to have to lie to you or I didn’t want you to get mad at me if I was telling you that I knew about the proposal. I needed time to think about the situation. And…”

“I’m not mad, Ethan. I just wish you would have told me. I wish you would talk to me more often… I feel you are distancing yourself from me and I don’t know why. What did I do?”

“It’s not you. It’s all me.” he tried to reassure her.

“That’s a very cliche line to use…”

“I heard you on the phone in Buenos Aires. Congratulations Martin. I was on my way to say congrats to your dad and I heard you…”he finally confessed.

“Ethan…. not again.”

“I know! Believe me, I know. It’s just… I can’t help it, okay? He makes you laugh, he makes you smile, he would be the perfect son-in-law. He is every moms’ dream. And me? I ignore you, I know I make you cry, I can be an ass when I want. I’m not perfect and I try to be the best for you because you deserve it, but… no matter how hard I try to change, the old me always comes back. I just want to make you happy but sometimes I wonder if you wouldn’t be happier without me.”

It was her turn now to be completely speechless. She had guessed that sometimes Ethan was doubting himself, that under that pile of arrogance there was an insecure guy that was trying to hide it by showing that he was better than everyone. But by now, she knew him better than that. She knew how hard it was for him to always get compared to his dad, she knew the pressure he was under. Pressured by the media, his team and most of all, himself. He wanted to be remembered for who he was not for who his dad was.

“You make me happy. But lately, I felt so alone in this relationship. I want to be there for you and I want us to talk about these things and find solutions together. But I can’t do that if you don’t talk to me and if you shut me out. I’m trying to work on myself to be more open to you, I know I’m not perfect either, but if I do something that hurts you, I need you to tell me.”

“I’m trying, Julia. I swear I do.”

But he didn’t tell her that he was not trying too hard because deep down, a part of him believed that this relationship wouldn’t work out, no matter how much they would try. And he was fighting this little voice every day. He loved her, why wasn’t it enough. He wanted the first part of the season to be over. He wanted to go home to her, to have her in his arms so he could control the situation. Not having her near was driving him crazy. He hoped that all his doubts and interrogations would be cleared once home. And he hoped that confessing to her would make their relationship stronger.

He ended up hanging up and Julia couldn’t help but have a bitter feeling about the conversation. She could see how the lack of communication was starting to be a major problem but despite how much she wanted it to work, she was starting to get tired of it. How could she feel so close to someone and at the same time so far away? She needed to see him, she needed to feel him. So, in a desperate attempt to try to find a solution she booked an impromptu flight to Canada. She wanted to surprise him and maybe they could have a real and deep talk about the situation.

Her eyes wandered on her desk to find Ethan’s flat keys. She played with them for a while, contemplating the idea of going there to work a little. She needed a little space to think. Think about Christian’s offer, think about her future at Ferrari, think about her relationship, think about herself for once. She packed a bag with a few things and told her mom she would be away for a few days. Seeing how her daughter was conflicted, Lyanna didn’t try to reason with her.

When she arrived, it was cold and dark. She started with opening the shutters and the window and unpacked the groceries she had picked up on the way. She rummaged a little through his cupboards to find them mostly empty. She knew he was barely there and didn’t see the point of making the flat feel homely. She went to his bedroom and went through his drawers. She didn’t know what she was searching for, even if she was searching for something. She just wanted to feel him, somehow. As if his place would give her an indication of what he wanted from her. She went to his bedside and opened the drawer to find a frame. Turning it she almost dropped it. It was a bigger picture and with a higher quality of the picture of her and Louis in the karting competition they had gone to, the very first time they went out with both families.

Looking at it she knew she had made the right decision to follow her heart and to give them a chance. Something beautiful between them was there, under the surface, if they managed to break it she knew deep down that it would become the greatest thing in her life. But they still had a long way to go.

She stayed at his place until the Sunday race, comfortably sitting on the sofa. But unfortunately the race went short for Ethan that had to DNF during the formation lap after his team detected a failure on his engine. Julia didn’t even watch the race, spending the two hours on the phone with him, trying to find the words to console him.

“I want the summer break to be there already. I’m tired, I’m sick of hearing what people are saying. I’m not dumb, I see the look on their faces. They don’t have to say anything, I know they are thinking about my dad. Do you know what I heard a journalist telling someone in the paddock? That Maserati was thinking of not renewing my contract. That’s bullshit but I’m tired of the false rumors and I’m tired of feeling alone. I want someone to have my back for once.”

“I have your back.” she said.

“No offense Julia, but I meant someone that matters.” hearing her silence he was quick to add, “Someone that matters in the sport, I meant. You matter but it’s different.”

“In every season there are ups and downs. You hit a down after a few races but I’m sure you’ll come back stronger after the break.”

“Only two races and then it’s your parents' wedding. I thought about something…”

“Dangerous.”

“Shut up. Kyle is taking Romy to the Maldives, it’s a surprise don’t say anything, that means I don’t have any other plans. Would you like to go somewhere? Anywhere, I don’t care as long as it’s with you.”

“Ethan Verstappen, is that an attempt at romanticism?” she joked.

“Haha. Very funny. What do you think?”

“I think it would do me some good. I think I need it, too.” she confessed.

“Did you think about Lamborghini’s proposal?”

“I did, yes. And I'm just as lost and confused. I don’t know what to do… This job is my dream, this is everything I worked so hard for, all my life. But it’s not for the team I want. It would be like betraying my dad if I was accepting.”

“I’m going to play the devil’s advocate here. Do you think your dad would give you such a position in the next three to five years if you were working there?”

Julia knew the answer. Her dad had always been a firm believer of ‘if you work and prove yourself hard enough, things will go your way’. She knew that she would eventually have the same kind of position in the team, but not as fast as what she could have if she was saying yes to Lamborghini.

“I’m not stupid, I know that I can’t dream of something better than what Christian is offering. I’m not naive.”

“I know your love for Ferrari and I respect it but… close your eyes and imagine that: you, building the fastest car of the grid and me in that car. We could be world champions, Julia. Together. I don’t think Ferrari has what it takes to fight for the title. Not next year and probably not the year after. So yeah, sure you get to work with your dad, but in Lamborghini you would work with the best of the best. You would fit so well. And you would be working on both Maserati and Lambo cars.”

“Sounds like a very good dream.”

“With a very nice paycheck as well.”

“You are messing with my head.”

“At the end of the day, I want you to be somewhere where you feel like your skills are valued. I want to see you thrive. If you think you’ll fit better at Ferrari, I’ll support you. But blue would be a very nice color on you.”

“So, you won’t get mad if I end up choosing my dad. “

“I won’t.”

“Even if it means I’ll get to work closely with Martin?”

“Don’t push it.”

“I’m serious though. If I end up choosing Ferrari, I need to know that you’ll still trust me and that you won’t throw a tantrum every time I’ll be near him. Because it will inevitably happen.”

“Do I hate the idea? Absolutely. Do I trust you with him? I do. But don’t ask me to trust him, I won’t.”

“I can survive knowing you trust me.”

The next week was spent in a blur for Julia. Her mom had to fly to Los Angeles for a few meetings, leaving her in charge of the house, her brother, working on what areas they could try to improve on with her dad and still making arrangements for the wedding. She had so much things going on that she didn’t have time to call Ethan. She was running on her third coffee of the morning after spending a night dreaming on what it would be like to move to England and work in the Lamborghini’s factory with the team, maybe even crossing paths with Kyle or Ludwig at the coffee machine. It had been a really sweet dream, when her dad rang her for their weekly meeting about the car.

They spent the hour talking about the data until Charles caught Julia daydreaming.

“Ju’, are you still with me?”

“Uh? Yeah… Sorry, I was elsewhere. I’m listening.”

Charles stopped sharing his screen and stared at her.

“Did your mom finish driving you crazy with the wedding?”

“Actually, it’s almost done. Most of the things are booked. The venue, the hotel, the orchestra and the catering. Now it’s just details but mom handles most of them. I’ll have the bridesmaids fitting the day after tomorrow.  I can’t wait.”

“So, if it’s not that, what’s wrong?”

Julia bit down on her pencil, trying to find the right way to tell her dad about the opportunity from Lamborghini.

“I… I’ve been approached by a team to work with them.”

“You wouldn’t tell me if you were not seriously considering it.” he said after a pause.

“It’s Lamborghini. And it’s a pretty big contract.”

“Of course it is… Christian when I’ll catch you…” Charles mumbled.

“I didn’t want to hide it from you and risk him saying anything to you and learning it that way.”

“I want you to work with me, Julia. That’s always all I’ve ever wanted. Not only because you are my daughter but because you have the mindset to work for Ferrari. You know the history, you know the challenges, you know the teamspirit. You fit there. I’ve always imagined you next to me on the pitwall.”

“You want me to be a race engineer?” she asked, surprised. She had never thought that it would be something that she could be qualified for.

“I wanted you to work in the engineering department first but always thought that you would be much more useful on that wall. The way you see the races and analyze them… you have what it takes. I wanted you to work on the next car and his upgrades as a junior engineer. For two or three years, just so you can still learn how the factory works and our process. I thought you could participate in the after races debriefs and the setups meetings. And then, when you would be comfortable with all of that, I would have asked you to move to the pitwall. As race engineers. I thought Martin could use your patience and calm, he is a little reckless sometimes. I was going to give you a contract by the end of october, so you could officially start straight away. I’m already negotiating with Skoda to buy back your contract with them. So, now you know. The question is, did Christian offer you better than that?”

It confused Julia even more than she already was. Her, being a race engineer in the future? That was totally different from what she had always imagined. It was a challenge, it would force her to come out of her shell, she would get the attention for sure. She could recognise her dad in this. How he always pushed her hard to go beyond her limits. Christian was offering her stability, something she knew she would thrive in. Her dad was offering her a challenge, something out of her comfort zone. And she didn’t know what to choose.

“Would you hate me, if I wasn’t choosing Ferrari?”

“Of course not. I would be disappointed, of course. But I want you to be happy. I don’t want you to make a decision based on how I would react, Ju’. I want you to think of you. Choose what will make you the happiest. Don’t worry about me.”

She nodded before changing the subject.

“Could you maybe arrange me a paddock pass for Montreal? I want to surprise Ethan… I miss him.”

“You don’t even have to ask. You know I always have one ready for you.”

It’s with a smile that she ended the call, her heart and her mind less heavy. She couldn’t wait to go to Canada even more after the Mexican GP results that had once again been an occasion to celebrate for Ferrari after a beautiful podium for Elijah. Ethan had a nice race managing a nice P6 that gave him a little smile after the last few ones that had taken a toll on him. And Julia couldn’t wait to go to Canada to surprise him. She hoped that they would finally be able to talk things through and to spend some quality time together. That’s all she wanted and all she needed.

Author's note: So Julia decided to go to Canada! How do you think it will go? Will Ethan be happy to see her or mad? And she has a pretty big dilemma ahead... What would you do if you were in her shoes? What do you think will happen next? Let me know your theories, I love to read them.

Don't hesitate to leave a comment or an ask, as well as reblogging and leaving a like. Besides the fact that I absolutely love to read you, it helps a lot for the story to find its audience. I also have a taglist for this story, so if you want to be added so you never miss a chapter, let me know.

Taglist:

@herondalism @aundercover @musingsbyshreya @karmabyfernando @reengard @mycenterfold @smoooothoperator

[millythegoat]

For the football get to know me asks:

3. when did you start watching football? 7. what is your favourite football chant? 19. what is your favourite football competition? 30. have you ever fallen out with someone over football?

3. my earliest memory that i can remember is when i was little, sat on the lap of my father with our family watching Brazil in the final of the World Cup in '98 (i must be 3 yo back then) 🥹

7. Oh Campione. Allez Allez Allez is up there but my favourite is Oh Campione.

"Oh campione..The one and only, we're Liverpool They say our days are numbered - we're not famous anymore But Scousers rule the country like we've always done before... Oh campione"

19. Champions League WITHOUT Real Madrid or Man City..please...no more of them, especially in the final.

30. Yup...with my boss who happens to be my friend 🙈

[f1]

IN NUMBERS: The amazing stats behind Red Bulls century of F1 wins

Red Bull made history at the Canadian Grand Prix as Max Verstappen’s dominant win gave the team their 100th victory in the sport. To mark the occasion, we put together a list of the standout numbers from their impressive run, covering drivers, circuits and other eye-catching statistics… -- 19 -- Red Bull’s 100 race wins to date have been achieved across 19 seasons, with the Milton Keynes team making their F1 debut back in 2005. After several podium finishes, they won for the first time at the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix. READ MORE: Verstappen wins Canadian GP to claim Red Bull’s 100th victory and equal Senna’s tally -- 30 -- From that aforementioned first win to their most recent in Canada last weekend, Red Bull have triumphed at 30 different circuits over the years – spanning five continents (Asia, North America, South America, Europe and Oceania). -- 7 -- Monaco is Red Bull’s most successful circuit thanks to a tally of seven victories, while Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina (six) and Japan’s Suzuka, Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps, Malaysia’s Sepang, Brazil’s Interlagos and Spain’s Barcelona (all five) are also particularly profitable venues for the outfit. This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences Red Bull celebrate 100th F1 win with Verstappen victory in Canada -- 41 -- Of Red Bull’s victories so far, 41 of them have been achieved by reigning double world champion Verstappen. He started that list by winning on his debut for the team at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. -- 38 -- Next in the table is Sebastian Vettel, who claimed 38 race wins – and four world titles – during his stint at Red Bull from 2009 through 2014, before leaving for Ferrari and later joining Aston Martin. READ MORE: Verstappen hails ‘incredible’ milestone as he helps Red Bull hit a century of F1 wins -- 5 -- Overall, five drivers have won races with Red Bull since their debut: the aforementioned Verstappen and Vettel, along with Mark Webber (nine wins) Daniel Ricciardo (seven) and current driver Sergio Perez (five). -- 52 -- More than half of Red Bull’s victories – more specifically, 52 – have come from pole position. However, the squad have won a race from as low as 14th on the grid – Verstappen turning this spot into the top step of the podium in Belgium in 2022. It was a momentous day for Verstappen and Red Bull in Canada -- 26 -- Meanwhile, more than a quarter of Red Bull’s victories have spearheaded a one-two finish. The first of these 26 perfect results came in China in 2009 via Vettel and Webber, with the most recent coming in Miami in 2023 via Verstappen and Perez. -- 17 -- Red Bull’s most successful season in terms of race wins was the 2022 campaign, in which they triumphed 17 times. Verstappen took 15 of those victories, while Perez contributed two. FACTS AND STATS: Red Bull match Mercedes’ best-ever season start as Hamilton takes 10th Montreal podium -- 4 -- Only four other teams have secured more than 100 wins in the history of F1. This group comprises Williams (114), Mercedes (125), McLaren (183) and Ferrari (242). -- 9 -- If Red Bull win again at the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix, the team would take 10 victories in a row for the first time. They previously won nine on the bounce with Vettel during the second half of his final title-winning season in 2013. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[liamhaydn-blog]

Lionel Messi at the 2022 World Cup

The first ever winter World Cup appeared perfectly timed for Lionel Messi. The previous season, his first in the colours of Paris Saint-Germain, had been the toughest of his career to date. The flawless finishing we had witnessed for well over a dozen years momentarily deserted him and was replaced with efforts suddenly being denied by posts, crossbars and goalkeepers, more often than they were finding the net. For the first time since his teenage years, Messi failed to reach double figures in the league, scoring just six goals in 26 appearances, and 11 in all competitions. Those who saw this and declared Messi’s glory years over would quickly be proven wrong however as just a few months into his second campaign with PSG and his difficulties in the previous season were already nothing but a rapidly fading memory. 

By the time club football took a winter break for the mid-season World Cup, Messi had already outperformed last season’s goal haul, with 7 in the league and 12 in all competitions. On top of this he also added 14 assists in the 19 games he featured. The numbers and performances showed us Messi was coming into the World Cup bang on form, and given his age of 35, playing this tournament mid-season rather than at the end of another long 50+ game season, was likely to be more of a help than a hindrance. 

The Argentina side he would be captaining at the finals were unbeaten since they suffered a loss to Brazil at the 2019 Copa America, their 5th tournament in 6 years where they had been unable to end a trophy drought which stretched back to 1993. Messi may have dragged his nation to three major finals in as many years but falling short in all of them led him to announce a short-lived retirement. He was back playing for the Albiceleste shortly after but the 2018 World Cup in Russia looked like something akin to torture for him. Rarely if ever did he seem to exhibit the same joy and freedom in Argentina’s colours as when playing for Barcelona. 

That was until the 2021 Copa America in Brazil, when at his 10th major tournament, Argentina finally assembled the right supporting cast around Messi, and with it Leo dazzled scoring 4 and assisting 5 as he led Argentina to the final. In the final he wasn’t at his best, a result of an extremely physical semi-final against Colombia, but for this new Argentina they could find a way to win without relying solely on their talismanic captain. Di Maria scored the goal which won them the cup at the Maracanã against hosts Brazil and suddenly Argentina who had been so poor at the 2018 World Cup were now one of the top favourites for the next World Cup which would take place the following year in Qatar. 

Argentina only strengthened their credentials with a run of 36 games unbeaten going into the World Cup. This run took in their Copa America triumph and aswell included a 3-0 win over European Champions Italy and on the very eve of the tournament a 5-0 win over UAE. In that game Messi notched his 18th goal for Argentina in his last 22 appearances, it was with real belief he and his teammates would begin Group C. Assigned to a favourable looking group alongside Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland, it would be the Saudis first up for Argentina.

v.s Saudi Arabia 1:2- Group C

Saudi Arabia are regular World Cup qualifiers, Brazil in 2014 being the only finals they haven’t reached since first qualifying in 1994. They are not however regular World Cup winners, having won just one game since they reached the knockout stages for the one and only time at their first World Cup. They appear to be the perfect opponent for Argentina to lay down a statement of intent with an emphatic victory.

 It takes just 94 seconds for Messi to have his first shot on target, forcing Al Owais into an early save. A few minutes later and holding in the box as Saudi Arabia attempted to defend a corner drew the attention of VAR, who alerted the referee to have a look at a possible penalty. The referee decided it went beyond the acceptable level of grappling and pointed to the spot, giving Messi and Argentina the chance to make the perfect start. The chance was taken as Argentina’s number 10 calmly rolled the ball into the net for 1-0. 

Messi appeared to have his and Argentina’s second in the 22nd minute when a long ball over the top left him baring down on goal and he calmly slotted home. However the linesman’s flag was then immediately raised. Five minutes later there was an even tighter call after Lautaro Martinez had gone clear and lifted the ball over the onrushing Al Owais. This time it was VAR who intervened to rule it out, judging Lautaro’s shoulder to be offside. Remarkably 7 minutes later Argentina had the ball in the net for a fourth time, and for the third time it was disallowed for offside. This was the clearest offside of the lot, though Lautaro’s composed step-over and finish after Messi had put him through displayed Argentina’s supreme confidence and the control in which they exerted over the match. 

Despite Argentina’s dominance in the first half, they had just one goal to show for it. And the frailty of that lead was exposed just three minutes into the second half when Alshehri expertly shot through the legs of a sliding Christian Romero and from a tight angle the ball bobbled into the bottom corner past Emiliano Martinez. The goal had come from a simple ball straight down the middle after Messi had been dispossessed in midfield. Just 5 minutes later, things went from bad to worse for Argentina as Nicolas Otamendi’s failure to get distance on a clearance eventually led to the ball finding Aldawsari who made room for the shot by cutting inside and then let fly from just inside the area. Martinez got a hand to the ball, but the power beat him and suddenly Argentina were behind against Saudi Arabia. 

Argentina almost respond immediately when Messi is found in the box, but just as he is about to shoot a potentially goal-saving tackle flies in on him from Abdulhamid, who celebrates this tackle like a goal, and he isn’t the last Saudi player to do so. The Albiceleste come closer still when Lisandro Martinez’s close-range shot deflects off the knee of Tagliafico from even closer, but Al Owais’ reflexes are up to the task.  

Following these chances, you could see the panic start to set in for Argentina as the reality of what defeat here could mean began to dawn on them. They began to fall back into their old habits of relying on Messi to rescue them. Since the last World Cup, Argentina had ended their long wait for silverware and were on the verge of equalling Italy’s world-record of 37 matches unbeaten. However as the clock ran down on them here, they could have been mistaken for the Argentina of 4 years ago who had toiled against Iceland and Nigeria. 

For a period in the second half Saudi Arabia correctly identified that if they could stop Messi, they could stop Argentina as the nerves and pressure began to get to his teammates. With 10 minutes of normal time left, Messi won a free kick in a promising position for a strike at goal, but his shot sailed harmlessly over the bar. He was closer a few minutes later when he was found in the box by Di Maria, but the floated ball didn’t allow Messi to generate enough power on his header to seriously trouble the keeper. 

As they neared closer to a historic victory, the Saudi’s gave full commitment to every sprint and tackle, it was going to take something special to snatch victory from them. They time-wasted, they took yellow cards and did everything they could to see the game out. Due to the timewasting, there was in the end an extra 13 minutes of additional time played for them to defend for their lives. But it seemed not to matter if the board had showed 30 minutes, Saudi Arabia were not going to be denied 3 points on this day. 

Having turned the game completely on its head in 5 mad minutes, they refused to squander their new-found lead through any fault of their own. There would be no shortage of desire, nor intense concentration in order to maintain their advantage and in the end it was enough to ensure one of the World Cups big upsets. And we were left wondering whether Argentina were just cursed in World Cups, having reached the Semi-Finals just once since 1990. But after this result the immediate worry was now just to ensure they got out of the groups. 

v.s. Mexico 2:0- Group C

In the lead-up to what was now a do-or-die game against Mexico, Messi spoke to the media: “In five minutes of mistakes that we made, we went 2-1 down and then it was really tough, we lost organisation and started punting the ball. It's up to us to fix what we did wrong and get back to the basics of who we are. We're OK, obviously hurt by the result, very bitter. But people must trust that this team will not let them down and we are going to go for it in the next two games.” It was strong words from the skipper and Argentina were also aided by results going their way in the other group games. First Mexico and Poland played out a 0-0 draw with Robert Lewandowski missing a penalty, then Poland beat Saudi Arabia 2-0. These results helped ensure Argentina’s destiny remained in their own hands. 

However as the game began it was clear these results had done little to settle Argentina’s nerves, nor had the 5 changes Lionel Scaloni made to the starting 11, including 3 in the defence. Though you regularly see both Argentina and Mexico in the knockout stages of the World Cup, the first-half here was more befitting of a League 2 match. The match was scrappy and extremely low on quality, littered with fouls which forced the game into a stop, start nature. The first sight of goal for either team didn’t arrive until the 40th minute when Lautaro’s header cleared the crossbar after being found by Angel Di Maria. Mexico’s one moment came in the 45th minute when a Vega free-kick forced Martinez into action. 

The most concerning sight in the first half for Messi and Argentina fans had been where the number 10 constantly received the ball and the movement, rather the lack of it around him. Argentina’s forward movement was very static, the player in possession left short on options so even Messi with having difficulty in progressing his team up the pitch when receiving it around the half-way line, where nearly all of his touches were. The first half had been in many ways, even more troubling than the second half against Saudi.  

At half-time in the ITV studio, Gary Neville said: “Players aren’t fearful of Lionel Messi anymore. They are taking the ball off him easily.” Joe Cole bizarrely put Messi’s struggles in the first-half down to the fact that “It's tough to get out of bed and get your roadwork done at 5am when you're sleeping in silk pyjamas." Neville and fellow pundit Roy Keane then found time to criticise Di Maria, with Neville saying “He’s got no heart.” to which Keane responded: “He’d break your heart, I’m not sure he’s got one.” Based on these words, Argentina may aswell not have bothered coming out for the second half. 

They did, but nothing appeared to have changed from the first. 5 minutes into the half and Messi won a free-kick in a dangerous position. Due to the lack of clear-cut chances this presented as good a chance as any for him to find the target. But his effort never threatened to harm the Mexico goal, flying high over the bar. It just about summed the game up so far for him and Argentina. 

Messi disappeared from the game once more, Argentina now had less than half an hour to find a goal that was looking increasingly unlikely. They were on the verge of having just one point from their opening two games, when Messi picked the ball up in the same kind of unthreatening position he had all game. He played a simple pass forward then continued his move toward the penalty area. Mexico’s midfield all then turned their attention to the ball and ignored Messi’s positioning. Di Maria however noticed exactly where he was and found Messi in a pocket of space. With one touch he set it out his feet and with the second he arrowed the ball into the bottom corner. 

Afrer scoring the vital opener, Messi shouted to the players: "Come on, look at the scoreboard. Now that's in front of you, look at it. 88,000 spectators are looking at you and 45 million Argentines are behind us watching. We won't let them down today, guys. Defend it like savage hyenas. Focus and never miss a ball." De Paul who had been struggling in the game conceding the ball cheaply was told in no uncertain terms by Messi that if he lost another ball, he didn’t want to see his face after the match. The midfielder responded to this by playing a lot better for the remainder. 

Mexico never looked like possessing the quality to equalise but the 3 points weren’t secure until the 87th minute when Enzo Fernandez doubled Argentina’s lead. With a step-over he bought room for the shot, and he didn’t waste it by bending it in past Ochoa. Messi played the pass for the goal to become the first man to register an assist at 5 World Cups. With the full-time whistle Argentina could breathe a huge sigh of relief. They were off the mark at the 2022 World Cup, thanks in large part to their captain whose wonderful goal came at a time when he and Argentina were clinging on to their dreams of glory. 

“Well they haven’t got much, but they have got him!”- Sam Matterface as Lionel Messi opens the scoring against Mexico

“One more Messi moment and Argentina are alive!”- Peter Drury

v.s Poland 2:0- Group C

Going into the final matchday Argentina knew that a win over Poland would near certainly be enough to see them secure top spot in the group. This was due to them having a positive Goal Difference, and Saudi Arabia having a negative one. Poland though would be mathematically certain of topping the group if they beat Argentina. Finishing 1st was vitally important as 2nd place in the group would meet France. Having faced France at the same stage 4 years ago, Argentina would be keen to avoid a repeat, with memories of an 18-year old Kylian Mbappe sprinting through the middle of their defence still raw enough to know if you get the chance to avoid him, you should take it. 

However from the offset Poland had only the draw they needed for qualification in mind. They lacked the belief to try and obtain the win to ensure they topped the group and instead sat back, inviting Argentina (wearing their purple away jersey for the one and only time in the tournament) to dominate possession which they duly did. Unsurprisingly it was Messi who had the best chances of the first half. Running into the box he was faced with a tight angle, but the power generated in the shot forced Szczesny into a smart save down low at his near-post. 

A golden opportunity would arrive in the 36th minute when a cross from Julian Alvarez was missed by the Polish keeper and reached by Messi though his header ended high over the bar. However, Szczesny caught Messi in the face when attempting to reach the ball, and as it was Messi who made contact with the ball, the Polish number 1 was judged to have committed a foul after the referee watched the incident back on VAR. Though Szczesny was to redeem himself with an outstanding penalty save, guessing the right way and getting a strong hand to Messi’s kick. The penalty was struck with power, but Szczesny’s hand remained firm and palmed it to safety. 

It seemed like nothing could go straightforward for Messi and Argentina at the World Cup. Given the chance to turn all their pressure and domination into a goal from the spot, they’d been unable to convert it. Was it going to be another one of those awful days for them? Such fears were quickly dismissed as they broke the deadlock in the very first minute of the second half. Molina’s cross into the box was fired into the feet of Alexis Mac Allister who opted against needing a touch and instead just stroked it into the bottom corner, hitting the inside of the post on the way in. 

Despite now trailing, Poland were unwilling to alter their game plan and it was Argentina doing all the searching for the game’s second goal. Messi took the ball from well inside his own half and dribbled it all the way into the Poland box before scuffing the shot well wide. In the 67th minute the Albiceleste made sure of top spot, after Enzo Fernandez had threaded the ball into Julian Alvarez who took two exquisite touches to make room for a shot that flew into the back of the Polish net.    

With Mexico leading Saudi Arabia 2-0, Poland were currently only progressing through by virtue of having fewer yellow cards than the Mexicans. Rather than pushing for a goal themselves, they seemed to be relying on Argentina not getting another. This plan appeared flawed however, as Messi looked like he was starting to enjoy the World Cup stage, spraying passes with ease and dribbling past bodies at will. The pick of the passes came in the 74th minute when from the half-way line he instantly spotted the run of Alvarez, and weighted it perfectly into his path. Mercifully for Poland, he could only find the side-netting. The match finished as one of the most one-sided of the tournament with Argentina managing 12 shots on target to Poland’s 0. 

It would however, be Poland joining Argentina in the last 16, a 95th minute goal for Saudi Arabia confirming it beyond doubt. After the game Rio Ferdinand said: “he wasn’t even at his best today but the best 3 or 4 dribbles in the game was Messi, the best 3 or 4 passes in the game was Messi and the best player on the pitch was Messi.” Poland were poor opposition and therefore did not provide much of a test, but Argentina were growing in confidence. For the first time in the tournament they started the midfield three of Enzo Fernandez, De Paul and Mac Allister. Julian Alvarez also made his first start after Lautaro had struggled against Mexico, and he had not wasted his chance. This was a significant game for Argentina as from this point on those four players would start every game together.

They had lost the first game but still topped the group just like Spain did before going onto win it in 2010. There was also the curious statistic that Mario Kempes missed a penalty in Argentina’s third World Cup game in 1978 as did Maradona in game three of 1986. On those occasions, Argentina went on to lift the World Cup, with Messi missing on matchday three this time, would history repeat?

v.s Australia 2:1- Round of 16

Australia would be Argentina’s Round of 16 opponents, and also the opposition for Lionel Messi’s 1,000th official senior game. It would also be Messi’s 100th match as captain of Argentina, so the stage was set for something special and expectation was high. Australia like Argentina had lost their opening game and then won their next two. They had recovered impressively from a 4-1 loss to France by notching back-to-back 1-0 wins over Tunisia and Denmark. 

For 34 minutes, not a lot happened. Argentina controlled the ball but they struggled to find space in dangerous areas against a well-drilled Aussie side full of tall, strong players keen to impose their impressive physicality on the contest. It would be who else but the smallest player on the pitch to spring the game into life. Messi whipped in a free-kick from the right-hand side which was headed out by Souttar only as far as Papu Gomez who recycled the ball back to Messi for him to lay into Mac Allister before moving inside, Mac Allister’s pass found Otamendi who played it back to Messi now inside the penalty area. Messi took a touch then stroked it firmly into the net, through the legs of the stretching Australian defenders and past the outstretched glove of Matt Ryan. 1,000 games, 100 as Argentina captain and a very 1st goal in the knockout rounds of a World Cup. 

“He’s only gone and done it again! A Thousand games and still he excels! They’ll never be another like him! Enjoy him while he’s here.”- Peter Drury

Argentina doubled their advantage 12 minutes into the second half as the result of an excellent press from Rodrigo De Paul, who sprinted at the Australian defence forcing them to play it back to keeper Matt Ryan. De Paul didn’t stop there and chased all the way back to the keeper who tried to take the ball past him with his second touch and tempt him into a foul. This proved a costly error as De Paul didn’t take the bait and instead let him past, as Alvarez was also on the hunt for the ball and picked the keepers pocket, before simply rolling it into the empty net.

For the rest of the second half it was absolutely vintage Messi. Receiving the ball inside his own half, he turned away from one Australian midfielder, then dribbled through a gap of another three, leaving them trailing in his wake and looking statuesque, with seemingly none of them willing to be the one to draw the short straw and attempt to tackle him. Before they could make up their mind what to do, the 35-year old had left them in the dust. Advancing onto the defence, the ball ricocheted to Alvarez who played it back to Messi who beat one challenge in the penalty area before finally being stopped by a second defender who gratefully conceded the corner.  

There is a sting in the tail however when an only half-cleared cross lands at the feet of substitute Craig Goodwin, whose powerful but wayward first-time shot changes direction in the air after cannoning off Enzo Fernandez and leaves Emiliano Martinez flat-footed and rooted to the spot as the ball diverts into the back of his net. A few minutes later and Australia almost completed the comeback, their full-back Behich embarked on an incredible driving run which saw him beat 4 Argentine shirts before finally being denied by Lisandro Martinez just as he prepared to take his short, it was a vital intervention. 

Though right back in the game, Australia could do nothing to disrupt Lionel Messi’s rhythm. He wasn’t feeling the pressure, he was playing the match as though a testimonial. He controlled the tempo and pace of Argentina’s play, if he wanted to slow things down the Australians could not find a way to rush him, if he wanted to speed things up he would subtly switch the gears and drive Argentina forward. Which ever one he opted for, the ball was always safe in his possession, and thankfully for Argentina he was seeing plenty of it. There was a chance to make the game completely safe in the 89th minute when a run from Messi enabled him to occupy all 4 Australian defenders and drag them away from Lautaro Martinez who was left in acres of room, at the perfect time Messi rolled it across to him but now lacking confidence he got under the ball and lifted a horrible shot well away from goal. 

Moments later Messi found Martinez for a second time, this time the striker was able to hit the target but Ryan was equal to it. The number 10 is doing everything to put the game to bed, beating another 2 men he finds himself in the box, faced with 3 opposition players he is still able to get a good shot away, he looks for the top corner and the keeper is well beaten, but it’s a fraction too high. As the 7 minutes of injury time run down, it’s Argentina and Messi who are pushing for the game’s 4th goal. He finds Martinez for his third shot on goal, but his deflected shot is saved by Ryan and Messi is not ready when the save rebounds at his feet, dragging his shot wide. 

Then suddenly with 30 seconds left on the clock, Goodwin’s cross finds Kuol who is able to spin his marker, luckily for Argentina Emiliano Martinez was ready and immediately sprinted off his goalline, narrowing the angle and the shot was blocked by his left arm which took the sting from the shot and allowed him to collect the ball and collapse onto it in relief. He was joined on the floor by a couple of his teammates, no doubt thanking him for getting them out of trouble. 

It had been an interesting night for all 3 of Argentina’s Martinez’s, Emiliano and Lisandro had made fantastic blocks to deny equalisers, whereas it had been a bad night for Lautaro, wasting opportunities that would have made the win certain. But overall, the game was the story of Messi. In his 1,000th game, he had produced his greatest World Cup performance to date, a performance described by Rio Ferdinand as “the best individual performance we’ve seen at this World Cup so far, by a mile.”   

v.s Netherlands 2:2 (4-3 on penalties)- Quarter-Finals 

Argentina vs The Netherlands was to be the mouth-watering Quarter-Final clash. To the surprise of everyone, the winner would not go on to face tournament favourites Brazil as earlier that day they had been dumped out on penalties by plucky Croatia. Given the history of this fixture which had been the final of the 1978 edition, the semi-final when Messi reached his first World Cup final in 2014 and produced one of the most memorable Quarter-Finals ever the last time they met at this stage in 1998, it was a game that scarcely needed spicing up. But it seemingly got it anyway, with comments made by Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal that “you would see his plan to stop Lionel Messi on Friday night” taken to be disrespectful and arrogant by the Argentine side. 

Scaloni decided to match up with Netherlands’ 3-5-2 by playing the same formation, dropping a forward out for defender Lisandro Martinez. This decision was made easier by an injury to Angel Di Maria who was only fit enough for the bench.

After a tight opening which was just about shaded by Argentina, Messi was the orchestrator of the game’s first goal in the 35th minute, the exact same minute he’d scored the games opener in the previous match against Australia. This time he was to be the provider however, with a body swerve and a drop of the shoulder Messi found the angle he wanted to thread a through ball between the legs of Nathan Ake and into the path of Molina, the weight of the pass was too perfect for Daley Blind to intercept, he was taken out of the game and Molina was left with just the keeper to beat which he duly did.

With a couple of minutes left in the half we were given a sign of what was to come as Lahoz’s fussy style of refereeing began to lose control of the match. The Spanish ref flashed 4 yellow cards in moments to Argentina coach Walter Sammuel, aswell as Dutch substitute Wout Weghorst who was yet to enter the game. More significant was the yellow card shown to Acuna, which would rule him out of the semi-final. In the second half Messi went close with a free-kick which was just too high and found only the side-netting, before an even better dead-ball opportunity presented itself when Dumfries brought down Acuna in the box giving the referee little alternative but to point to the spot.  

Faced with the 6 foot 6 inch goalkeeper Noppert, Messi stroked the penalty home with Noppert choosing to stay down the middle. With his celebration, Messi paid tribute to Juan Roman Riquelme’s trademark goal celebration, Riquelme whom it was noted famously clashed with Van Gaal when the two were together at Barcelona. Also noted was the fact Messi did the celebration with his eyes firmly set on the Dutch bench. 

The Netherlands had barely threatened all game, so the two-goal cushion was thought to have killed the contest and put Argentina safely through to the final 4. However with time running out and nothing left to lose, Van Gaal decided to throw the kitchen sink at it by taking off his more technical forwards and bringing on less gifted players who would be more of a threat in the air where they could use their height advantage. This strategy quickly paid dividends as the Dutch pulled one back with 7 minutes of normal time remaining, Weghorst directing his header past Martinez.  

With a minute of normal time left, the bad tempered game which had been simmering along finally reached its boiling point when Parades clattered into Nathan Ake and then blasted the ball into the Dutch bench. Luckily it didn’t hit anyone, if it did he may not have escaped with just a yellow card. The melee that followed saw all of the Dutch substitutes storm onto the pitch in fury, though it was Van Dijk who got to Paredes first and bumped him to the ground, for which he avoided punishment. 

The referee had frustrated both teams with his fussiness, which saw him constantly blowing his whistle to signal free-kicks for every minor and sometimes non-existent infringement. This led to 11 minutes of stoppage time being awarded and it was in the final of those added minutes when the Dutch equalised. From a free-kick, Koopmeiners, instead of shooting, worked a routine straight off the training ground by instead passing it past the wall and through to Weghorst who managed to hold off his marker and fire it past Martinez. It was the substitutes second of the game and the assist came from a fellow substitute, it had proved a tactical masterclass from Van Gaal. 

The first half of extra-time passed without notable incident, both teams looking to catch their breath. Netherlands seemed relieved to just still be in the competition, Argentina concentrated on re-composing themselves and looking to regain control of a game that had momentarily got away from them. 

All the big second half chances went Argentina’s way, they continued to probe for a winner, coming closest in added time at the end of extra-time when Fernandez let fly from outside the box and beat the goalkeeper only to be denied by the post. Like their encounter 8 years previously, the two sides would be separated by a penalty shoot-out when the referee finally called time on a game which had included 48 fouls, with 30 from the Netherlands. 

As in their 2014 World Cup shootout, the Dutch were first up. Again it would be a centre-back, then it was Ron Vlaar, now Van Dijk. Different names but the outcome remained the same, the player missed. Although more accurately, Martinez saved by diving correctly to his right and getting both hands to the ball. Next Messi faced Noppert from the spot for a second time, and the result was the same. He waited for the keeper to commit to his dive then just rolled it the other side. 

Berghuis then stepped up for the Netherlands, and he was also denied by Martinez who again guessed right, this time going left and making another outstanding penalty save. Noppert then guessed right for Parades’ kick but still couldn’t get anywhere near it due to perfect placement. Martinez stays in the middle for Netherlands third penalty and Koopmeiners blasts it into the far corner. Next up goes Montiel and he makes it 3 from 3 for Argentina sending the keeper the wrong way. 

Weghorst keeps the Dutch alive in the shootout but if Fernandez scores its all over. As he makes his way towards the spot, Dumfries is booked for gamesmanship as he goes with Fernandez, attempting to break his concentration. It seems to work as the midfielder fired wide, keeping alive slim Dutch hopes. De Jong then levels the shootout but Argentina have one kick remaining. It’s Lautaro Martinez who steps up, who had been enduring a difficult World Cup. Noppert hands him the ball and begins talking to him, begins the mind games. Martinez appears completely unruffled and he demonstrates this by sending the keeper the wrong way and his team through to the semi-finals. 

The drama still wasn’t over as quickly Argentina’s joyful celebrations were replaced with players and coaches from opposing sides coming face-to-face once more in angry confrontations. Messi became embroiled in a heating conversation with both Louis Van Gaal and assistant coach Edgar Davids. Messi’s hand gesture making plain what his issue with them was, the talking the Dutch camp had done in the build-up to the match. 

As Messi then gave a post-match interview to Argentine broadcasters he was distracted by Weghorst who was stood close by looking at him and apparently waiting for him. With the microphone still in front of his face, Messi snapped at Weghorst: “Qué mirás, bobo? Qué mirás, bobo? Andá para allá.” which translates roughly to “What are you looking at you fool? Go away.” When giving an interview to FIFA, Messi again didn’t hold back saying “It’s very frustrating. We were scared before the game because we knew what this was. I think FIFA must think about it, they cannot put a referee like that for these important games, for such a pivotal game — a referee who isn’t up to the task.” The Argentine public loved seeing this side of Messi, usually so shy and reserved. He seemed to be channelling his inner Diego Maradona as he angrily went at the Dutch coaches, Weghorst and the referee. This side of him showed just how much this World Cup meant to him and his desperation to win.

v.s Croatia 3:0- Semi-Finals

4 years prior when Argentina met Croatia in the World Cup group stages, during the national anthem, Messi had anxiously rubbed his forehead, looking like the loneliest man in the world, carrying a load too heavy for his weary shoulders, they went on to lose the game 3-0. Now as he prepared to face Croatia in the World Cup semi-finals, as the national anthem played, he stood with his chest puffed out singing from the top of his lungs. Just as much as the match to follow, this emphasised the transformation that had taken place within Messi and in the national side he represents. 

For the Semi-Final, Scaloni made another tactical adjustment. Seeing how strong Croatia were in possession and how their centre midfielders could dictate a game, Scaloni started four centre-midfielders against the Croatian three of Kovacic, Brozovic and Modric. Particular importance would be put on limiting the latter’s time on the ball, such was his role in the Croatian side. Despite this Croatia were still able to shade the opening half an hour, showcasing their impressive ability to keep the ball. The game changed in the 31st minute when a scooped through ball from Fernandez put Alvarez in on goal, his contact on the ball was not enough to find the net however goalkeeper Livakovic had taken him out and the referee pointed to the spot.  

Croatia had reached the semis by virtue of winning 2 shootouts, Livakovic had thus far faced 8 penalties, and had only been beaten by 3. However he was given no chance by Messi, his emphatic penalty was absolutely unsavable blasted right into the top corner. This goal made Messi Argentina’s all-time top goal scorer at World Cups, his 11th moving him ahead of Gabriel Batistuta. 

Argentina who had struggled to get into the game now had all the confidence and momentum. 5 minutes after Messi had given them the lead they doubled it. Messi was able to launch a counter attack by just about getting his foot to the ball after Argentina had cleared it from their area and this touch allowed them to spring an attack with Julian Alvarez driving forward with the ball at his feet. He met little resistance until reaching the box when the attempt to tackle him only ricocheted back to him, another failed Croatian clearance allowed the ball to set up nicely for him to strike after bouncing off his chest. The Croatian defenders had not covered themselves in glory but Alvarez had brilliantly profited with his perseverance.

Just shy of the hour mark, Messi gave us a little pre-cursor of what was to come when he received the ball around 40 yards from goal and dribbled to the edge of the box, all the while escaping the attentions of Josko Gvrdiol by holding him off and then playing a one-two with Fernandez to get into the box. Once there he made room for the shot but saw it saved by Livakovic from a narrow angle. 

A little over 10 minutes later and Messi was beating Gvrdiol again, only this time in even more astonishing fashion. Leo takes possession after a throw-in is touched into his path off the thigh of Alvarez, Messi is tight to the touchline but with two touches is away from Gvrdiol and driving into open space in the direction of the penalty area. Messi then slows down allowing the defender to catch up, accelerates again before checking back, all the while always keeping his body between Gvrdiol and the ball. He fakes to turn back inside with a body-swerve which sells the defender and Messi then sets off in the opposite direction towards the byline, he gets there and plays a pass into the unmarked Alvarez for a simple tap-in. 

The 20-year old Gvrdiol had been one of the standout performers of the tournament, but the man 15 years his senior had toyed with him. Messi had taken the ball in a harmless position, just inside the Croatian half and next to the touchline and had laid on a certain goal using just 15 touches of the ball. It was a masterclass in making every single touch count and placing the ball exactly where you needed it to set up your next move, no touch was wasted or less than perfect. 

It made certain Argentina’s progression into Sunday’s final and they saw out the remaining 20-plus minutes in comfort. They allowed Croatia plenty of possession but they could not land a meaningful glove on Argentina, whose attack of Messi and Alvarez had delivered a devastating one-two combination to knock them out. In the end it had been as straightforward as you could ever hope a World Cup Semi-Final to be and Messi was going to get one more chance to lift the trophy he had always dreamed about. 

v.s France 3:3 (4:2 on penalties)- Final

The final was almost certainly going to be less straightforward. Argentina would be facing France after they had defeated Africa’s first ever World Cup Semi-Finalists in Morocco. France would be looking to become the first side to retain the World Cup since Brazil exactly 60 years before and just like Argentina were looking to lift the trophy for a third time. Aswell as the World Cup, the smaller matter of the Golden Boot would be decided with Messi and Mbappe currently tied for 1st with 5 each, and their team’s strikers Alvarez and Giroud also tied on 4. Messi and Mbappe had been the two best players of the World Cup and the question was would Messi show the young pretender to his crown that he was not yet ready to exit his throne, or would Mbappe signal the start of a new era, his era.

Scaloni brought Di Maria back into the starting line-up which raised some eyebrows given the winger had not started since the group stages and had only featured in one knockout game. This decision quickly proved to be an inspired one as Di Maria and co started the game very much on the front foot, playing with an intensity and hunger France simply could not match. They constantly hounded France out of possession, swarming them, first to every ball. 

However they could not transmit their superiority onto the scoreboard in the opening 20 minutes, but the chance came in the 21st minute when trickery from Di Maria took him past Dembele and into the box, whilst assessing his options he felt the slightest of touches from behind and hit the floor. There seemed to be relatively little in it, but the referee felt he’d seen enough contact to award the penalty and VAR did not flag it as a clear or obvious error. It was soft and contentious, but the little flick of Dembele’s foot into the back of Di Maria was judged to be enough. Up stepped Lionel Messi for the most important kick of a football in his entire career. He coolly sent Lloris in the wrong direction and gave his nation the start they desperately wanted. 

The goal did little to wake France from there stupor, instead it was Argentina who played all the football, and their finest bit of football came 13 minutes after taking the lead when Mac Allister flicked the ball into Messi’s path. Just inside his own half with two touches he knocked it around the corner into Alvarez who played it first time for Mac Allister who had continued his run forward, the midfielder knew he had Di Maria for company and picked out an inch perfect pass for the winger to strike first time past Lloris. The counter-attack was the best team goal of the whole tournament, and one of the more memorable World Cup final goals with quick, incisive passing and movement that brutally exposed the disorganisation in the French team with defenders way out of position. 

The 2-0 lead was richly deserved and forced Deschamps into making 2 substitutions before half-time had even been reached, sacrificing Giroud and Dembele. The second half continued in the same vein, Argentina making all the chances, simply battering France and comfortably outplaying them. Things began to subtly shift when Di Maria who had been the man of the match up to that point, a constant thorn in the French side was taken off for full-back Acuna. This seemed to signify to Argentina’s players that they should start to be contented with the lead they already had and begin slowing the game down and trying to see it out. Rather than hungrily going for the third as they had in the opening 18 minutes of the half with Di Maria on the pitch, they now looked to just pass the ball around. This subtle change of tact appeared unlikely to be taken advantage of by France, emphasised by Varane who under no pressure passed the ball straight into touch, nowhere near any teammate. It was a pass that just about epitomised the French performance. 

Their way back into the game appeared out of the blue. A heavy touch forward from Mbappe seemed to allow Otamendi time to clear his lines but he paused for too long and substitute Kolo Muani stole in to get goal-side of him. Otamendi panicked and brought him down once the forward had already strode into the box and from nowhere France had been gifted the chance to half their deficit. Kylian Mbappe gratefully took that chance, despite Martinez guessing the right way the power was too much. 

This gave France 10 more minutes of normal time to force an equaliser, in actuality they needed just 1. Messi was caught in possession by substitute Coman who then picked out Rabiot. His flighted ball to Mbappe was headed to Thuram who returned it instantly for the forward to strike on the volley, and strike it he did, hard and low past Martinez. After being outplayed for 79 minutes, in 2 minutes France had wiped away Argentina’s 2-goal cushion and made it all square. 

From that point, it was Argentina hanging in and France the ones searching for the winner, until the 7th added minute of a scheduled 8 when Messi let fly from outside the box with what may have gone down as the most iconic goal in football history, but Lloris was able to palm it up and over the bar. Messi was going to have to go at least another 30 minutes to secure a World Cup title.

The first big chance of extra-time came in the 15th minute and it went Argentina’s way, when Messi found substitute Lautaro Martinez in the box after interchanging with Mac Allister in a brilliant one-two. Martinez wanted time to take a first touch, but he didn’t have it and after taking the touch his shot was charged down. That wasn’t even to be his last chance of the half, Acuna put him through on goal but under the joint pressure of being closed down by Upamecano and Lloris he shot wide of the target. 

3 minutes into the second half of extra-time and a ball from Montiel was controlled into Messi’s path by Lautaro Martinez, the number 10 found Fernandez with one touch who with a single touch of his own gave it back to Lautaro who touched and shot, Lloris got one big, strong hand on it but the ball fell at the feet of Messi mere yards from the goal line, he bundled it over the line and chaos ensued. Argentina’s substitutes swarmed across the pitch to celebrate with Messi and co. right on the other touchline. But with the referee giving the goal, the linesman’s flag shot up for offside seconds after the ball was in. Messi celebrated with jubilant teammates, but concern was still visible on his face, is it definitely a goal? VAR put an end to his uncertainty by confirming Lautaro was onside and the goal stood, and then and only then did Messi fully give way to full delight.

His and Argentina’s joy would still be cut short however when Mbappe’s shot from just outside the box was charged down by the arm of Montiel, very much inside it. The referee pointed to the spot for a third time in the game, and mere minutes away from victory Argentina threatened to be denied again. Mbappe kept his considerable cool and sent Martinez the wrong way, he and France were level once more as the Frenchman became the first man to score a World Cup final hattrick since Geoff Hurst in 1966.

In the 120th minute, a near inch-perfect cross from Mbappe had Kolo Muani straining his neck muscles, given the pace on the ball any contact on it may have been enough to leave Martinez with no chance but he was just short of reaching the ball with his attempted header and Argentina could breathe a big sigh of relief. Not for long. With less than 20 seconds left of the final 3 minutes added on to the end of Extra-Time, a forward ball from Konate was missed by Otamendi as he failed to make any connection with his attempted slide clearance, this miss put Kolo Muani through clear of the defence with just the keeper to beat, the ball set up perfectly to smash on the half-volley and the strike was a good one, but Martinez pulled out perhaps the save of the tournament right when he and his nation needed it most. 

In one of the most exciting minutes in World Cup history, Argentina went right back up the other end and attempted to steal the game for themselves. The head of Lautaro Martinez was picked out from a cross, he had a free header but got it all wrong. Right in front of goal he only needed to hit the target, but he mis-directed his attempt and got it horribly wrong sending it way wide. And that was that, the final chance of an enthralling game. And for just the third time the destination of the World Cup trophy would be decided by a penalty shoot-out. 

France were to go first and Mbappe stepped up for his 3rd penalty in little more than an hour. Remarkably, for a third time he was able to beat Martinez, for the second time Martinez guessed right but the power and placement was too good. After France’s talisman number 10 came Argentina’s to take his second penalty of the night. Messi passed the ball into the net, with the kind of ease that felt out of place in a World Cup final penalty shootout. It shouldn’t be that simple. Coman took France’s second penalty, his kick was missed by the gloves of Martinez, but the ball went between his gloves and firmly into his chest. He had guessed right and kept it out with a tremendous save. Dybala had been brought on for the sole purpose of taking a penalty, and that proved a good decision from Scaloni as his firmly struck penalty went straight down the middle in the space the diving Lloris had vacated. 

Tchouameni took and subsequently missed France’s third penalty, shooting wide of the post. Martinez celebratory shimmy demonstrated the confidence Argentina now felt, they were close. Parades took them yet closer when he made it 3-1. Kolo Muani had to score to keep France in it and he did, blasting it home. This meant the chance fell to Gonzalo Montiel. The substitute could have been the villain of the piece after his handball with minutes of injury time to play saw Argentina lose their lead for a second time. Now he had the chance to be the hero. He sent Lloris the wrong way and Lionel Messi and Argentina were Champions of the World.

Argentina Campeones Del Mundo

Argentina were finally ‘Campeones del Mundo’ for the first time in 36 long years and Messi had equalled the achievements of Mario Kempes and Diego Maradona. Like Kempes he scored two in the final, and like Maradona he had captained his side to glory. Mbappe’s hattrick may have meant that Leo missed out on the Golden Boot, but he did win the Golden Ball for the tournament’s best player, in doing so becoming the first player to win the award twice. 

In 4 glorious weeks Messi had answered any criticisms that could ever be levelled at him. He struggled at World Cup’s under the intense pressure and scrutiny they said, referencing him only having 6 World Cup goals in his first 4 tournaments, and being without a goal in the knockout stage. After this World Cup he had 13, more than the great Pele and the joint 4th most in history. He had become the first player ever to score in all 4 knockout stage rounds at the same World Cup, netting 5 times in 4 games. They said he wasn’t a great leader and captain, now he had led his nation to the greatest prize on earth. Even the claim that he wasn’t a great penalty taker was answered, in 3 matches he scored 5 penalties including the shoot-outs, with the highest pressure and on the grandest stage imaginable, he kept his cool 5 times with unflappable penalty kicks.   

Though this wasn’t just the triumph of one man, this was the triumph of a whole team. Scaloni had been the best manager of the World Cup, his tactical tweaks against Netherlands, Croatia and France had all worked brilliantly. Bringing Di Maria back into the side when he had rather struggled in the group stage and the team had played better in the knockout rounds without him was a big call, but this allowed Argentina to stretch the pitch wide and gave Messi more room to operate in the middle, France couldn’t crowd him as they now had another dribbling creator on the flanks. 

Argentina hadn’t started the World Cup with a team good enough to win it, but Scaloni found it. An injury on the eve of the tournament to the important Lo Celso left him trying to find the best way to plug that gap. 19 different players started for Argentina at the finals, and only three outfield players in Otamendi, De Paul and Messi started every game. The turning point came in game three against Poland when the midfield of Fernandez, Mac Allister and De Paul proved Argentina’s most effective combination to date and they got better and better as the tournament progressed, peaking in the final where all three were absolutely outstanding. Also in that Poland game came the decision to drop the mis-firing Lautaro for the young, hungry Julian Alvarez who performed exemplary adding 4 goals to Argentina’s tally.  

Not to be forgotten for their role in Argentina’s success were the fans who covered each stadium with a sea of blue and white jerseys and were the wonderful soundtrack to Albiceleste glory. Less demand for tickets at this Qatar World Cup saw more tickets than usual land in the hands of regular supporters, the real hardcore and this was one of the best things about a controversial World Cup which came with many downsides. Also not to be forgotten were the heroics of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, he provided the platform in the shootouts for Argentina to go and get the victories with his psychological warfare against opposition takers forcing 4 misses. Argentina scored 7 of the 8 shootout penalties they took, emphasising how every player including the sparingly used Dybala played their part in achieving the ultimate glory.

Rating the 16 Argentina players who started at least 2 games: 

Emiliano Martinez- 10

Made vital late saves against Australia and France, the latter being maybe the most iconic ever World Cup final save. Was the difference maker in Argentina’s two shoot-outs, dominating them with early saves to give his team the momentum.

Nicolas Molina- 7

Started all but the Mexico game and performed solidly, Argentina were rarely troubled down the flanks. Going forward he took his goal against Netherlands with great composure.  

Christian Romero- 8

Like Molina, Romero started every match bar Mexico and for the majority of the tournament he looked extremely solid. 

Nicolas Otamendi- 6

Performed well at times, and did momentarily silenced his critics and doubters. However, it always felt like he had a mistake in him, and if a costly error was going to come from the Argentina defence, he always seemed most likely to be the culprit. This was proven when he foolishly conceded a penalty in the final which made lifting the trophy much harder work for his team.

Lisandro Martinez- 8

Started against Mexico and was then brought back in for the Quarter-Final against Netherlands. Hardly put a foot wrong and made a crucial intervention off the bench against Australia to keep his side in front. A surprise he wasn’t given more minutes as when he did play he looked more solid than the calamity-prone Otamendi.

Marcos Acuña- 7

Like Molina wasn’t troubled often defensively and got into good attacking positions regularly. His end product could be somewhat disappointing, but he always proved a useful foil. 

Nicolás Tagliafico- 7

Started the opening game and was broke back into the side for the semi-final when filling in for the suspended Acuna, he did a solid job and kept his place for the final. 

Rodrigo De Paul- 9

Struggled against Saudi Arabia and especially in the first half vs Mexico, but Scaloni kept faith in him and De Paul rewarded that faith, he got better and better as the tournament progressed. His tireless running was essential to the success of Argentina’s campaign.

Enzo Fernandez- 9

Wasn’t chosen to start until the final group game. However once in the team, Enzo made the position his. He was involved in most things good in Argentina’s play, always neat and tidy but never overly cautious in possession. Deserved winner of the tournament’s best young player award. 

Alexis Mac Allister- 9

Going into the tournament we knew the Brighton midfielder was good, I’m not sure we knew he was this good. Scored the vital goal against Poland to break the deadlock, but his finest moment came in the final where he was one of the best players on the pitch, France just could not get to grips with him.

Leandro Paredes- 7

He started the opening defeat to Saudi Arabia and didn’t start again until the semi-finals against Croatia, where he came in and did a solid job. Converted both his shoot-out penalties including one in the final shootout to give Argentina a commanding 3-1 lead.

Angel Di Maria- 8

Wasn’t at his best in the group stages, however he more than made up for it with his final performance. He deserved his goal which gave Argentina a 2-0 lead, he terrorised Kounde and had the beating of him time and time again.

Papu Gomez- 5

Started the opener against Saudi Arabia and was brought back in for the round of 16 game against Australia. However he was largely anonymous in both games. 

Lionel Messi- 10

Scored one of the best and most important goals when his country needed him most as they toiled vs Mexico. He and his teammates never looked back from there. He was sensational against Australia and inspirational in the final against France. Between that he produced the two best assists of the tournament against Netherlands and Croatia. 7 goals, 3 assists, 5 converted penalties in a row, the 35-year old really could not have done much more.

Julian Alvarez- 9

Got his chance to start against Poland and was never in danger of losing his starting place. His energy, intelligence and lethal finishing were key components in the success of his nation. He led Argentina’s attack at the World Cup in ways much more experienced forwards such as Higuain, Aguero and Lautaro Martinez had been unable to do.

Lautaro Martinez- 5

His bad luck began when he had two goals ruled out for offside in the opener with Saudi Arabia. How different his tournament may have gone if one of them had counted as he finished both brilliantly. After that though, he couldn’t get into the game vs Mexico and lost his place to Alvarez. His one great moment came when he converted the winning penalty in the shoot-out v Netherlands. However he was very wasteful against Australia and again in the final, missing 3 good chances which could have proven costly. 

The Greatest of All Time

With 7 goals and 3 assists, Messi had matched the exact number of goal contributions Pele and Maradona had when they were victorious in 1970 and 1986 respectively. This brought Messi’s total to 21 goal contributions at the World Cup, which is the most of any player since the record books began counting assists in 1966. It took Messi’s goal tally in major international tournaments to 26, which is more than any other player in South American football history, and his 7 here helped win him his second major trophy with Argentina after the Copa America the previous year. 

Messi had long since surpassed Pele and Maradona at club level with an unquestionable collection of goals and honours, both team and individual. His lack of international success was always levelled at him when debating his position among the all-time greats, but now having peaked at international level in his mid-30′s, scoring more in tournaments than he ever has before, Messi has put that argument to bed. Never before had so many people around the world wanted one man to lift one trophy, Messi’s immense contribution to football had many feeling he deserved to win its showpiece event after a magnificent career spanning 17 years. People got their wish and at the 5th time of asking, Lionel Messi achieved a life-long dream formed in boyhood, he had lifted the World Cup for his beloved Argentina.

“Unparalleled. There will of course always be those who argue, always be those who debate. And the debate can rage on, if you like. But as he falls in love with the object in the world that his heart most desired, it is hard to escape the supposition that he has rendered himself today, The Greatest of All Time.”- Peter Drury

[force-majuere]

PH TEAMS CONQUERING OTHER STRONG TEAMS WORLDWIDE IN MOBILE LEGENDS BANG BANG

E-Sports in the Philippines is not quite popular back then but when mobile legends came into the Philippines, E-Sports is likely becoming popular. Many people tried to look for their teams and Moonton created a MPL(Mobile Legends Professional League) that's the time where everything started. Moonton also created different tournaments these are MDL, MSC, M3 and etc. Also mobile legends is also being part of SEA(Southeast Asia) games. PH Teams dominated the Mobile Legends Bang Bang internationally since MSC 2018, after that in M1 World Championship, Indonesian got their first and last championship. After the Indonesian got their championship the filipinos started to dominate the entire international tournaments. PH won in the M2-BREN ESPORT, MSC 2021-EXECRATION, M3 WORLDS CHAMPIONSHIP-BLACKLIST INTERNATIONAL, MSC 2022-RSG PH, SEA(SOUTH-EAST ASIA) GAMES-BLACKLIST INTERNATIONAL. In the current tournament BLACKLIST INTERNATIONAL and ECHO PH destroying the teams in the M4. Blacklist pillars are Ohmyveenus the captain and (ROAMER) of blacklist, Wise the (JUNGLER), Edward the (EXP LANER), Oheb the (GOLDLANER), Hadji the (MIDLANER), under the coaching staff of coach Bon Chan and Master the Basics the analyst of the team. The group stage of blacklist in M4 world championship is 2-1 they won 2 times against INC(Incendio Supremacy) of Turkey in best of 1 and RRQ akira of Brazil in best of 1, they lost against Falcon e-sports of Myanmar of best of 1 in the knockout stage Blacklist destroyed RRQ Hoshi of Indonesia, one of the strongest team in Indonesia, the kings of kings of in Indonesia in the score of 3-1. So the Blacklist is seating on the upper bracket and waiting for the upcoming result of the game of ECHO PH against ONIC ID. On the other hand there is ECHO PH the second team that represent Philippines in the M4 championship the pillars of ECHO PH are Yawi the (ROAMER) of the team, Karltzy the (JUNGLER), Sanji (MID LANER), Bennyqt (GOLDLANER), Sanford (XP LANER), and Jaypee (ROAM) extra player. The group stage of ECHO PH is 3-0, they won the 3 games in their bracket. They defeated RSG Singapore in best of 1, occupied thrones of Mena in best of 1 and the last team they defeated is RRQ hoshi of Indonesia in best of 1. In the knockout stage they are on the upper bracket and they destroyed THQ of Malaysia, the champion in the MPL Malaysia and they advances on the upper bracket and they faced ONIC ID the team that won MPL Indonesia, the number 1 team in Indonesia that expecting to dominate in the M4 Championship but ECHO PH proved that Philippines is the strongest country in terms of mobile legends bang bang #pinoylangmalakas, ECHO PH defeated ONIC ID in the score of 3 - 1 in favor of ECHO. So far our representatives in the M4 is in the good place in the upper bracket. Still filipino teams are dominating in the international tournament M4 Worlds Championship.

[thewinchestah]

I'm not a football fan actually but i really do wanna watch it?How do I get started with football?Like how do I select the team?what are the rules?

hi!! very happy that you wanna get into football! World Cup is an amazing time to start things!

So, there aren’t many rules, (with selecting the team) with World Cup you usually support your national team (short nt or seleção in Portuguese) but that can change sometimes.

With a football club (ex: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Flamengo, River Plate, FC Milan, Bayern Munchen) is usually a very emotional identification/vibes thing. I don’t know where you live or how or your local league works, but if you can’t find a club that you wanna support and be a fan of some ppl choose to support an international football club.

Check the major national leagues (Brasileirão, La Liga, Ligue 1, Primera División, Premier League, Bundesliga, Campeonato Nacional AFP PlanVital) and the continental cups (Champions League, Copa Libertadores da América, Europa League, Copa Sulamericana) current and past editions to get to know the teams, their history and vibes

World Cup normally happens during the global north summer, in July, but FIFA made this awful decision of hosting it in Qatar so we having it in November, which fucked up the entire football season around the world.

In the north, a new season starts in the end of summer, has a winter break and ends at the begging of the next summer. Here in the south it works with our seasons, so it begins around the middle of our summer: February, march, and it ends in November, our winter.

Of course it’s easier to support a local/national football club, but it’s not impossible to support an international one. My team Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, has the largest amount of fans in Brazil and in the world, so we are everywhere.

When it comes to learning about the sport itself, the rules, how it works practically and so on, like I said, watching the World Cup is an amazing time to see the the best of the what sport has to offer! The narrators and commentators know that the general public is watching so they always explain the rules, and you can check wikis and stuff for the the proper written stuff while you check how it translates in the field. It’s also great to get to know the players, which club they play for and potential clubs to check when the football season begins again. We are currently in the group fase of the World Cup and have up to 4 matches a day!

Teams play one match against the other teams in their group and the top two teams with the most points from each group advance to the knockout stage.

A victory equals three points.

A draw equals one point.

A loss equals no points.

If the top two teams are tied in points, the first place team is the team with a higher goal differential (the difference between how many goals a team conceded and scored in its games) or whichever team won the head-to-head matchup. 

The first place team of a group goes on to play the second place team of another group (and vice versa) in the first knockout stage, also known as the round of 16. Then the number of teams gets cut to eight, then four in the next stage, then to two, who will play in the final on Sunday Dec. 18. A third place match between the losers of the semi-final games will be played the day before.

I think I wrote a lot already, I’m sorry about the rambling, I’m gonna end on a very clubista (biased) note and attach a video of one of the most emotional matches of my team, the libertadores final of 2019

If you have any more questions or need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask!

*edited this and fixed the typos, And grammar issues, I’m sorry about them, wrote this on a hurry before therapy!

[choosing-a-url-is-hard]

Listen. I support trans athletes, I really do. But we can’t just make stuff up here.

“if we could abolish sport division by sex, Ledecky would kick his ass” - in every single swimming category they share, Phelps has a by-far better personal best record than Ledecky. by FAR.

If we look at some of Katie’s best work - for example, Rio 2016 400m freestyle - she timed 3:56.46, a world record for women and a truly incredible performance [x].

In that same year, 3:56 would not even qualify for the men’s race. Not even close. Ladecky would be #43 out of 50 on the men's list [x].

And this is not all height and weight. In 2016 Katie was around 5'10'' feet (178 cm) tall and weighed around 143 lbs (65 kg) [x]. That same year, Luiz-Altamir Melo from Brazil measured 5'9'' and 152 lbs [x], swam a full 6 seconds faster than her, and finished 32nd.

I'm sure A LOT of it is access. Far fewer women go into professional sports, and the average female athlete gets far fewer resources along the way. This makes the pool of potential champions smaller, which makes the statistics skew far in favor of men on a global scale. Just like the most successful scientists are mostly male, and that is not because of biology - it's just men (on average) having more access and women being pushed away from STEM. But whatever the reason for these differences may be, the fact is the differences exist and they are stark.

Even if we don't like it, abolishing division by sex at this moment in time means that for a huge number of sport fields, not one cis woman would qualify. not one. not even close. it would mean entirely denying access to 100% of cis woman from most major sporting event.

when we support potential policies, we need to look them in the eye and understand their real world repercussions. maybe in future we can create enough equity in sports to allow female athletes to rise to similar performance levels. part of it might be in eliminating division by sex in some sports, or in regional tournaments, and certainly in funding. but eliminating it now would be a disaster.

Fuck terfs. but denying reality when trying to make decisions is not the way to go.

"Should trans women be allowed to compete in women's sports" I don't think there should be women's sports. I think it's a silly artificial construction that only upholds the gender binary while it's benefits are incidental and would be better addressed directly.

Care about giving people with different body types and muscle mass a shot? Split your league by weight categories like boxing, or some other direct physical measurement. Gender is at best a poor proxy for these and we only do it because we still treat women are a different species. "But that still wouldn't be fully fair to everyone?" Sport isn't fully fair, it's about rewarding people with the most biological advantage. That's the whole point of it.

You want to give more sporting opportunity to women and minorities specifically? Okay then do that. Create your own opportunities league, but if we're giving up the pretense that it's about essential biological advantage then you better let trans women in.

What's that, the extra league would be treated as a novelty afterthought and would lack the prestige of the real main event? You mean like how women's events were treated when they were introduced? True! In fact women's leagues are still largely treated as secondary now, and you know how we can fix it? Make the main leagues open to everyone with weight, height or muscle mass categories so that people with different body types can excel. Like I suggested before. Problem solved.

Women's sport is bad actually.

[marketingcirclehub1]

Celebrating Classic Football Moments with Retro Jerseys

Football, the lovely amusement, is not fair wear but a social marvel that has captivated millions around the globe for over a century. The history of football is filled with notorious minutes, incredible players, and exceptional matches that have cleared a permanent check on the hearts of fans. One of the best ways to celebrate these classic football minutes is through retro shirts. These vintage shirts are more than fair pieces of clothing; they are images of the sport's wealthy legacy and serve as a nostalgic update of its wonderful past.

A Glimpse into Football’s Glorious Past

Retro shirts have a substantial association with the history of football. They offer fans a chance to remember the enchantment of yesteryears, bringing back recollections of exciting matches, unimaginable objectives, and gallant exhibitions. Each shirt tells a story, speaking to a particular period, group, or player that has contributed to the sport's legacy.

The Allure of Retro Jerseys

Nostalgia: Retro shirts are soaks in sentimentality, taking fans back to the days when they to begin with fell in adore with the diversion. The plans, colors, and logos of these shirts inspire recollections of a less difficult time when football was played with unadulterated enthusiasm and enthusiasm.

Unique Plans: Not at all like cutting-edge shirts, which regularly take after current design patterns and branding rules, retro shirts brag interesting and unmistakable plans? From the basic and rich shirts of the 1960s to the striking and colorful designs of the 1990s, these shirts stand out for their distinction and creativity.

Tribute to Legends: Retro shirts are a tribute to the legends that have graced the football field. Wearing a vintage shirt with the title and number of an incredible player is a way for fans to honor their heroes and celebrate their commitments to the sport.

Wearing Retro Jerseys Today

Retro shirts are not fair for show; they can be worn with pride and fashion in different settings. Here are a few ways to consolidate retro shirts into your wardrobe:

Casual Wear: Combine a retro shirt with pants or shorts for a casual and energetic see. Whether you're heading to a coordinate, observing the diversion with companions, or fair-going approximately your day, a vintage shirt includes a touch of football sentimentality to your outfit.

Match Day: Appear your back for your favorite group by wearing a retro shirt on coordinate days. It's an extraordinary way to stand out from the swarm and show your dependability to the club.

Collectible Show: For ardent collectors, retro shirts can be surrounded and shown as memorabilia. They serve as a confirmation of the sport's history and your energy for the game.

Special Occasions: Retro shirts can also be worn to uncommon occasions, such as football reunions, fan social occasions, or themed parties. They are beyond any doubt to start discussions and bring back fond memories among fellow fans. Check out myretrosports, a reputable source for vintage football apparel.

Iconic Retro Jerseys and Their Stories

Brazil 1970 World Container Shirt: The yellow and green shirt worn by the Brazilian national group amid the 1970 World Container is one of the most notorious shirts in football history. It speaks to Brazil's wonderful fashion of play, driven by the incredible Pelé, who guided his group to a third World Container victory.

Manchester Joined Together 1999 Treble-Winning Shirt: The ruddy shirt with white and dark trim worn by Manchester Joined Together during the 1998-1999 seasons is synonymous with the club's noteworthy treble-winning campaign. Beneath the administration of Sir Alex Ferguson, Joined together clinched the Chief Association, FA Glass, and Champions Alliance titles in a single season.

AC Milan 1988-1990 Domestic Shirt: The ruddy and dark stripes of AC Milan's domestic shirt from the late 1980s are an image of the club's dominance amid that period. With a squad highlighting legends like Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Straight to the point Rijkaard, Milan won sequential European Mugs and set up themselves as one of the most prominent groups in football history.

Argentina 1986 World Container Shirt: The blue and white striped shirt worn by Argentina amid the 1986 World Container is until the end of time related to Diego Maradona's brilliance. Maradona's exhibitions, counting the notorious "Hand of God" objective and the staggering solo exertion against Britain, drove Argentina to their moment World Glass triumph.

The Immortal Offer of Retro Jerseys

Retro shirts have an ageless request that rises above eras. They are cherished by more seasoned fans that experienced the minutes firsthand and more youthful fans who appreciate the history and convention of the wear. Wearing a retro shirt is a way to interface with football's past and celebrate the minutes that have molded its present.

Conclusion

Celebrating classic football minutes with retro shirts is a brilliant way to honor the sport's wealthy legacy and keep the recollections of incredible matches and players lively. These vintage shirts are more than fair attire; they are images of the enthusiasm, convention, and history that make football a lovely amusement. Whether you're a long-lasting fan or an unused devotee, retro shirts offer an interesting and important way to interface with the past and celebrate the minutes that have characterized football's bequest. So, wear a retro shirt, remember the wonderful days, and wear your adore for the amusement with pride.

[belalhossainseo]

When Was the First World Cup?

The FIFA World Cup g2gmajor, the pinnacle of international football, has captured the hearts and imaginations of billions of fans worldwide. But have you ever wondered when this prestigious tournament had its humble beginnings? In this article, we will delve into the history of the World Cup, exploring its inception, evolution, and its enduring impact on the beautiful game.

Introduction

Football, or soccer as it is known in some parts of the world, has been played for centuries. However, the concept of international football and a global tournament to determine the best team on the planet took time to materialize. It was not until the early 20th century that the groundwork for such an event was laid.

The Birth of International Football

In 1904, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, commonly known as FIFA, was established. This global governing body for football was created to regulate the sport and promote its development worldwide. As international matches became more frequent, the need for a global tournament to showcase the best teams became evident.

The Genesis of the World Cup

The vision for the World Cup can be attributed to Jules Rimet, the third President of FIFA. Rimet believed that a tournament of this magnitude would strengthen the bonds between nations and promote peace through sport. His unwavering dedication led to the birth of the World Cup.

In 1930, Uruguay was chosen as the host nation for the inaugural World Cup. The tournament witnessed the participation of 13 teams, including seven from South America, four from Europe, and two from North America. Uruguay emerged victorious, etching their name in history as the first-ever World Cup champions.

The Early Years of the World Cup

Following the success of the inaugural tournament, the World Cup began to evolve. The format changed over the years, with the number of participating teams increasing and the introduction of knockout stages. Italy hosted the event in 1934, amidst the rise of fascism, while France welcomed the footballing world in 1938 amidst political tensions.

World Cups during World War II

The outbreak of World War II had a significant impact on the World Cup. The tournaments scheduled for 1942 and 1946 were canceled due to the global conflict. However, football prevailed, and the World Cup returned in 1950, hosted by Brazil. The final match of that tournament, known as the "Maracanazo," saw Uruguay shock Brazil in front of a record crowd.

The Post-War Era and Global Expansion

In the post-war era, the World Cup continued to grow in popularity and global reach. The 1954 tournament held in Switzerland witnessed the "Miracle of Bern," with West Germany clinching their first title. In 1966, England hosted the World Cup and provided the stage for one of the most iconic moments in football history when they lifted the trophy on home soil.

Evolution and Modernization of the World Cup

As the years passed, the World Cup evolved both on and off the field. Mexico hosted the tournament in 1970, showcasing the beauty and flair of the "beautiful game." Innovations in the tournament structure, including group stages and penalty shootouts, added excitement and drama to the competition. In recent years, technology such as VAR (Video Assistant Referee) has been introduced to ensure fair play.

Impact and Legacy of the World Cup

The World Cup has transcended the realm of sport to become a cultural phenomenon. It has given birth to countless memorable moments, from Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal in 1986 to Zinedine Zidane's headbutt in 2006. Legendary players like Pelé, Maradona, and Messi have etched their names in World Cup history, elevating their status to footballing immortality.

The tournament has also had a profound impact on the host nations, leaving a lasting legacy. It has provided opportunities for economic growth, infrastructural development, and increased tourism. The World Cup has brought people from diverse backgrounds together, fostering a sense of unity and shared passion for the game.

Conclusion

The first World Cup in 1930 marked the beginning of a remarkable journey that has continued to captivate football fans for decades. From its humble origins in Uruguay to the grand stages of modern-day tournaments, the World Cup has become a celebration of skill, passion, and camaraderie. As we eagerly await the next edition, let us cherish the rich history and the indelible impact that the World Cup has had on the world of football.

[vishwa-22]

FIFA

The Federation Internationale de Football Association is the governing body of international football. It is responsible for organising major tournaments mainly the FIFA WORLD CUP which is hosted by different countries every 4 years under supervision of FIFA. It sets the rules of the game and oversees its development worldwide.

FIFA hosts several tournaments for both men and women. Some of the major tournaments are :-

1. FIFA WORLD CUP

2. FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP

3. FIFA CONFEDERATIONS CUP

4. FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP

5. FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP

6. FIFA U-20 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP

7. FIFA U-17 WORLD CUP

8. FIFA U-17 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP

The Biggest tournament - FIFA WORLD CUP is one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world which is held every four years. National teams around the globe is brought together to compete for the title of World Champions in football. 32 teams who qualified through the FIFA qualifiers takes part in the tournament. The first FIFA WORLD CUP was hosted by Uruguay in 1930. A total of 22 final tournaments have been held since its first edition in 1930. Spain (2010) and England (1966) have won one FIFA WORLD CUP each. France (1998,2018) and Uruguay (1930,1950) have won two FIFA WORLD CUP each. Argentina have won thrice in 1978,1986 and lately 2022. Italy (1934,1938,1982,2006) and Germany (1954,1974,1990,2014) each have a four-fold . And being the best footballing nation, The Brazillian National Team have the most FIFA CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES in the years 1958,1962,1970,1994 and 2002.

The highest goal scorer in the history of FIFA WORLD CUP is Miroslav Klose, the German striker with a number of 16 goals followed by Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima , the R9 of Brazil with 15 goals. Gerd Müller, a prolific striker of West Germany hold the 3rd position with 14 goals . Lionel Messi, the Argentine forward and Just Fontaine, French striker shares the 4th position with 13 goals each.

[equestrianempire]

Saut Hermès: 14th Edition Welcomes the Elite of Showjumping &amp, their Flying Beasts to the Grand Palais!

<img decoding="async" width="1000" height="666" data-attachment-id="170710" data-permalink="https://jumpernews.com/2024/03/14/saut-hermes-14th-edition-welcomes-the-elite-of-showjumping-their-flying-beasts-to-the-grand-palais/hermes-2023-35/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/jumpernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024.03.14.99.99-Saut-Hermes-CSI-5-Preview.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1000,666" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta=""aperture":"3.5","credit":"@Ctanierephotographie pour Herm","camera":"ILCE-1","caption":"Hermes 2023 -","created_timestamp":"1647677127","copyright":"Christophe Taniu00e8re pour Hermu00e8s","focal_length":"200","iso":"3200","shutter_speed":"0.001","title":"Hermes 2023 -","orientation":"1"" data-image-title="Hermes 2023 –" data-image-description data-image-caption="

Hermes 2023 –

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Paris, France – March 14, 2024 –&nbsp, On March 15, 16 and 17, the Hermès house did welcome sixty of the world’s best users and their horses to the Grand Palais Éphémère for three days of opposition labeled 5*, the highest level of international events. Twenty-five global çandidates under the age of 25 may also take part in the Hermès ability tests. A few days before ƫheir entry onto the trail, we take a look at the people competing in the Saut Hermès at thȩ Grand Palais Éphémère, 2024 model.

The lineup for this thirtȩenth edition of the Saut Hermès at the Grand Palais, which was co-ordinated by GL Occasions, promises intense spσrts and tension. Both Hermès partner riders Ben Maher ( GBR ) and Steve Guerdat ( SUI), who have been the world number one for more than a year, have confirmed their presence. The top three riders in the world will face serious competition, including Hermès partner riders Simon Delestre and Julien Épaillard ( 4th ) and Simon Épaillard (7th ), two of whom are also French riders. Max Khüner ( AUT), who is currently eįghth in the world rankings, adds to the group of six top tȩn alumni on the Parisian track. Numerous other champions reacted to the sports concern that the Spanish program manager Santiago Varela Ullastres had suggested. In fact, there will be no fewer than 20 countries competing in this one.

Marlón Módolo Zanotelli ( BRA ), the team bronze medalist from the last year’s Pan American Games, and Santiago Lambre ( BRA ), the recent 5* Grand Prix winner in Doha ( Qatar ), will be able to count on Brazil. The Belgian Pieter Devos, who won the FEI World Cup Grand Prix in Basel ( SUI) in February last year, will also be on the track, along with his fellow riders Gudrun Patteet ( BEL), Rik Hemeryck ( BEL), Wil Vermeir ( BEL), and Jérôme Guéry ( BEL), who has been Hermès ‘ rider partner since 2017, along with a sizable delegation made up of regulars from the Paris Only Marcus Ehning ( GER ) and Simon Delestre ( GER ) have succeeded in achieving the double that Victor Bettendorf ( LUX), who won his first 5* grand prix at Saut Hermès last year, will be present.

In addition to the experienced Roger- Yves Bost ( FRA ), the reigning French Pro Elite champion Edward Levy ( FRA ), Kevin Staut ( FRA ), who has won three CSI 5* titles since the start of the year, and Olivier Perreau ( FRA ), partner rider of GL events, who was the author of a double clear round in the Abu Dhabi Nations League in January, France will have 16 representatives from this year. The younger generation will also be well represented, particularly Julien Anquetin, who has seven victories and three podium finishes in 4* and 5* competitions since December, or even Jeanne Sadran ( FRA ), who is gearing up to compete in her first FEI World Cup Final after taking second place in the FEI World Cup Grand Prix in Bordeaux in February.

In the Hermès skills events, Germany, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Switzerland and Sweden will provide two cαndidates under 25 years σld. Among them, the medalists of the last European Young Riders team championships, the Belgian Jules van Hoydonck ( 21 years old – silver medalist ) and the British Claudia Moore ( 19 years old – bronze medalist ), or the Irishman Coen Williams ( 18 years old ), reigning European Junior team champion. France, which placed third in the most important event last year, will rely on Jules Orsolini ( FRA ) and Wiliam Ligier de la Prade ( FRA ), who compete regularly side-by-side during the Young Riders Nations Cups. Hermès’s skill tests frequently provide an opportunity to realize fantastic family adventures. This year, Mathieu Guéry ( BEL), 19 years old, and Matias Larocca ( ARG ), 25 years old, will also be present to defend the colors of their countries, while their fathers will appear at the start of the CSI 5*.

Source: Press Release ( translated &amp, edited ) from Saut Hermès

Photo: © Saut Hermès / Christophe Tanière

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Identified as: Chevaux, CSI 5*, Equestrian, Events, Fédération Française d’Equitation, FFE, Grand Palais, Hermès, Horses, Jumper News, Jumper News France, Saut Hermès, Saut Hermès des Grand Palais, Showjumping