Opinion – Sandro Macedo: World Cup Album increasingly lacking

Velodrome Stadium, Marseille. On the field, Olympique hosted Tottenham, from England, in a Champions League game. In the 23rd minute of the first half, forward Son disputed the ball with the intrepid Mbemba, hit his face on his little friend’s shoulder and fell on the lawn, dizzy.

He was replaced, and it looked like he would only get a black eye. However, it has been reported that Son will need surgery to stabilize a fracture around his left eye. Thus, the South Korean fans live moments of anguish with the possibility of losing their main player for the World Cup, or, as the Korean Galvão would say, “the South Korean fans live a k-drrrrama”.

If the great striker doesn’t recover in time, the Copa album will have another absence, KOR 19.

According to a non-research by DataMacedo, this must be the Cup with the highest number of embezzlement due to injury — margin of error close to 100%.

In other times considered one of the main candidates for the title, the French team arrives under suspicion precisely because of the embezzlement. Pogba is out, as is Kante. Both underwent surgeries and won’t be back until 2023.

It was recently the turn of defender Varane to leave the pitch crying after a thigh injury in a Manchester United game. The English team said he is no longer playing for the club this year, and now the player is trying to convince Didier Deschamps that he can recover and be called up. In common, Pogba, Kanté and Varane were holders of the 2018 final — and they are also side by side on the album, FRA 10, FRA 11 and FRA 12… You can throw that page away.

And there’s more: Wijnaldum, NED 15, Roma’s Dutch midfielder, had a fractured tibia and won’t be back until next year; Liverpool’s Portuguese striker Diogo Jota (POR 19) has a serious muscle injury and has also been ruled out for the tournament in Qatar; the English from Manchester City, and normally starting the selection, Kyle Walker (ENG 10) and Kalvin Phillips (ENG 15) are in the final stages of recovery, but would arrive out of rhythm for a very short shooting championship. Not to mention the great full-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell… What? James and Chilwell not on the Cup album? Well, miss the Cup album.

In the “running against time” group, the list includes the Argentinians Di Maria (ARG 11) and Dybala… Is Dybala also not on the album? Who chose these figurines? My God.

In Brazil, our share of drama happened with Richarlison, the esteemed BRA 19, who plays on the same team as South Korean Son — it seems to me to be a bit of a cold-blooded team in this pre-Cup period. But the striker’s muscle injury was grade 1 (we like grade 1, mild). And he should get back in shape on the eve of the Worlds.

In front of the picture, this humble scribe would like to offer two pieces of advice: 1) for the people of Panini: include in the album two pages for stickers of players who were injured and left out of the World Cup; and 2) for anyone taking the field this weekend and next: take it easy!

Congratulations

Congratulations to the most recent champions of Brazil. To Flamengo, champion of the Copa do Brasil Premium, also called Libertadores; and to Palmeiras, who taught everyone a new word and gave us the opportunity to write “Endrick é hendeca”.

Lamentation

What would be worse: the director of social responsibility (oi?) Angela Machado (bolsonarista) posted the xenophobic statement “we win where it is produced, we lose where vacations are spent, let’s go to work because if the cattle dies, the tick goes hungry”, after the Bolsonaro’s crushing defeat in the Northeast… ooouuuu, the president of Flamengo, Rodolfo Landim (husband of that director, but that’s just coincidence) say that “it’s not my problem, it’s my wife’s, she’s a natural person and has the right to take a stand”?