Opinion – PVC: The World Cup of our lives

Neymar can match Pelé as the record goalscorer for the Brazilian national team if he scores once against Croatia. Harry Kane will equal Rooney and be England’s all-time leading goalscorer if he scores against France, who had Giroud surpassing Henry’s record, against Poland.

The World Cup still has Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suárez, all with the highest number of goals for their national teams.

Statistics lies, but it also helps you think.

Why are there so many record holders these days? In part, the reason is that there are more national team games than in the past. Platini, France’s fourth top scorer, scored 41 goals in 72 games. Giroud has fielded bleu-blanc-rouge 117 times, making it 52. Harry Kane is different. He scored 52 in 79 games. He entered the field 41 times less than Wayne Rooney, who has a measly goal more.

The case of Pelé and Neymar is the easiest to solve. Being King means spending 75 years of your life hearing that Maradona could have been better, Cristiano Ronaldo more goalscoring, Di Stéfano faster, Cruyff more intelligent… The comparison is always with Pelé.

That, quite simply, already makes it the best of all time. Put Pelé on a pedestal and discuss what comes next.

In other sports, the evolution of athletes is obvious. Jesse Owens ran 100 meters in 10.2 seconds in 1936. Usain Bolt has held the record for 13 years, running 9.58 seconds.

The progress of the brands makes the greater exuberance of the current champions in athletics, cycling, motor racing and swimming almost indisputable.

The adverb is almost used here because it is possible to discuss the improvement of uniforms, lanes, equipment and swimming pools.

In basketball, it wasn’t hard to find Michael Jordan better than Wilt Chamberlain.

Football is the most beloved sport on the planet, and this makes the affective memory always present, in any fan, in any country in love with a ball.

Portugal took a while to admit Cristiano Ronaldo better than Eusebio. Messi has scored 94 goals for Argentina in 169 games. Maradona scored 60 less in 91 games. On average, no one has any doubt who is better: Messi!

Messi?

Maradona won the Cup and no one can take that away from him – or anyone who saw it. Messi is the greatest player I have seen in a stadium, and I have seen Diego face to face, but not at the top. In 1996, Boca x River at Bombonera, Caniggia scored three goals and Maradona kissed him on the mouth. The star of the match was Caniggia, not Diego.

It’s hard not to be Peter Pan when it comes to football. We never want to grow up, because what a 12-year-old boy has seen, he has never seen anything like it.

And what a 53-year-old man watched, ah… so many times was so similar.

What is the Cup of your life?

It’s normal to say you’ve never forgotten the one you had between 8 and 13 years old. Mine is from 1982, Maurício Stycer’s will probably be from 1970 (or 1974), Juca’s from 1958 and 1962, which he heard on the radio. You don’t even have to ask about Tostão, because he helped make it unforgettable.

Giroud will never forget the match against Poland in the 2022 World Cup, the one in which he became the top scorer for the French national team. Win or lose, Neymar and Harry Kane will always remember the quarterfinals in Qatar.

For victory, defeat or record.