Check out the Cup selection of each Folha columnist

On the eve of the 2022 World Cup final, the Sheet invited sports columnists to analyze the main players and events of the tournament. Each one put together their selection and highlighted the disappointment and surprise of this edition, in addition to remarkable facts of the event hosted in Qatar.

Read below the opinion of Sandro Macedo, Marina Izidro, Casagrande, Renata Mendonça, Juca Kfouri, Luís Curro, Marcelo Damato, Tayguara Ribeiro, Tostão and PVC.

the selections

Three players were unanimously selected: Messi, Mbappé and Theo Hernández. See the Cup selection of each columnist.

PSG’s teammates and top scorers in the Cup, with five goals each, are predictable names among the best in the competition.

But the presence of the French left-back can be considered a surprise: Theo had a great season for Milan, but he is little known when compared to the two stars.

Until the semifinals, he provided two assists and scored a goal – his first against Morocco, on Wednesday (14). Revealed by Atletico Madrid, he was one of the highlights of Milan’s campaign for the Italian Serie A title last season. He is a fast attacking full-back.

Among the chosen goalkeepers, the dispute was tied between Bono, from Morocco, and Livakovic, from Croatia: both were selected by four out of ten columnists. They defended the goal from the main surprises of the Cup.

Bono was Morocco’s goalkeeper during the team’s historic campaign, which finished fourth, the best record for an African team in Cups. Bono contributed by taking two decisive penalties in the dispute against Spain, in addition to the great saves he made during the games. The performance of the Moroccan team was highlighted by most columnists as the surprise of the Cup.

Livakovic was essential in the Croatian knockout stage: he saved two penalties in a dispute against Japan, in the round of 16, and grabbed Rodrygo’s kick in the dispute that eliminated Brazil, in the quarterfinals.

In the defense, the chosen one by the majority was Gvardiol. The 20-year-old Croatian defender is considered one of the revelations of the tournament. He performed well in the Cup and was responsible for disarming Fred in the game of the equalizing goal against Brazil. He was chosen by six out of ten columnists.

Who completes the defense duo in the columnists’ selection is the Argentine Otamendi, who is no longer at the peak of his career, but had a great performance in the World Cup. He was chosen by three out of ten columnists.

Theo, already mentioned, was unanimity on the left side.

In between, the most quoted was the Frenchman Griezmann. Despite playing as a striker for Atletico Madrid, he is positioned as a central midfielder for the France national team. He provided three assists in six Cup games. In addition to fulfilling his offensive duties, he made important tackles and is a strong marker of opposing teams’ ball output.

Because of this, he is seen as the engine of France in the World Cup.

In the selection of analysts, his midfield partners are Modric, chosen six times, and Enzo Fernández or Amrabat – the two tied with four lineups.

The Croatian led the checkered midfield in the classification over Brazil in a mix of technique and rush, even at the age of 37.

Enzo is a 21-year-old Argentine prospect who started on the bench and earned his title with passes and decisive shots during the intense campaign of the Alviceleste.

Amrabat truncated the middle of opponents with quick tackles and distributed elegant passes. The Fiorentina midfielder is another revelation of the tournament, despite being 26 years old.

In the attack are the unanimous Messi and Mbappé, who need no introduction. Their careers are in opposite phases: Mbappé, at 23, is on his way to becoming one of the greatest players in the history of football and is looking for his second world title. Messi tries to end his career in the national team by giving the third to his countries, an unprecedented title for the Argentine, which would be an icing on the cake of his already eternal career.

To close the trio, the chosen one was Julián Álvarez, another kid. At 22, he took over the starting line-up during the tournament and scored decisive goals for the Argentine campaign, like the two against Croatia, on Wednesday (14), which classified the team to the final.

The World Cup Disappointment

For most columnists, the biggest disappointment in this edition of the Cup was related to the early Brazilian disqualification. Stumbles by other powers and controversies over human rights in Qatar also made the list; see complete below.

• PVC: Germany. Two Cups in a row falling in the group stage. Scary.
• Big house: Knowing that I spent a month in a country that does not respect human rights, treats women as inferior beings and is highly homophobic.
• Renata Mendonca: Germany, despite good performances, missed many goal opportunities, was not efficient and ended up eliminated for the second consecutive Cup in the first phase.
• Tayguara Ribeiro: The goal conceded by Brazil. Take on a counterattack, winning an overtime and with only four minutes left to end the game. There’s no way not to be disappointed.
• Juca Kfouri: The disqualification of the Brazilian team in the quarterfinals, against Croatia.
• Luis Curro: Germany (second elimination in a row in the group stage), Belgium (and their stars De Bruyne and Lukaku), Brazil (another drop in the quarterfinals as favorites) and Cristiano Ronaldo (implicating and ineffective).
• Marcelo Damato: Thiago Silva, aged 38, doesn’t know what it’s like to be a captain. The track is not a vanity. The captain is the one who puts duty above will. He should have stepped up to take the first penalty.
• Marina Izidro: The way in which the talented Brazilian team was eliminated early. The final four minutes of extra time against Croatia and the penalty kick order will never leave our memory.
• Dime: Germany, from a technical point of view, and Brazil, from an emotional point of view.
• Sandro Macedo: Denmark, who arrived with alternate force status, and Belgium, 3rd in 2018, did not play at all; and there was the disappointment of the English with which I sympathize, Wilton Pereira Sampaio.

The surprise

This edition was full of surprises: there was a fall of powers and underdogs in the group stage, stumbles by Spain and Brazil in the knockout stage, Morocco taking off and Australia ranked, in addition to Denmark at the bottom of its group.

• PVC: Morocco. Nobody expected.

• Big house: The campaign of Morocco, the first African team to reach the semis, and the fall of Germany still in the group stage.

• Renata Mendonca: Brazil did not reach the semifinals of the Cup

• Tayguara Ribeiro: Julián Álvarez, young striker from Argentina.

• Juca Kfouri: The wonderful Moroccan crowd.

• Luis Curro: Morocco, the first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final, overthrowing, with collective strength, Belgium in the group stage and Spain and Portugal in the knockout stages

• Marcelo Damato: Morocco’s trip to the semifinals should not be repeated soon, but it changes the horizon of African teams. South Korea and Japan also showed news. The three teams won by betting on creative counterattacks.

• Marina Izidro: Morocco, the first African team to reach the semifinals, beating Belgium, Spain and Portugal.

• Sandro Macedo: Leaving the obvious point of pointing out Morocco, I was surprised by Tite leaving the group crying alone on the lawn after the elimination; and with the fans of Argentina, who invaded Qatar and embraced the national team as I rarely remember.

What marked this Cup?

According to the columnists, the most striking aspect of this edition was the political one: selections and fans turned the stadiums into stages of protests for different reasons. The controversies involving the host country’s disrespect for human rights fostered discussions on the subject.

• PVC: We applaud the stars Messi, Neymar and Mbappé, not forgetting that they are poster boys for the Qatari regime, which does not respect human rights, especially those of women and homosexuals.

• Big house: Messi’s performances were remarkable. This is my seventh World Cup, and in none of them have I seen anything like it. Another point to emphasize: the manifestos of Iranian women against the death of the girl Mahsa Amini during the matches.

• Renata Mendonca: Demonstrations in the crowd, both fans with symbols, shirts and flags for the LGBT cause and also protests in favor of Iranian women, such as the banner “Women Life Freedom” in the stands, marked this edition of the Cup, hosted by a country that restricts rights humans.

• Tayguara Ribeiro: The Cup was marked by protests. Players from Iran did not sing the country’s anthem in support of the plight of Iranian women; Englishmen knelt in protest against racism; Germans covered their mouths together in an act against FIFA, which banned demonstrations.

• Juca Kfouri: Something that marked the 2022 World Cup was the counterpoint between the coldness and artificiality of Qatar and the warmth of the fans in Morocco, mainly, and Argentina.

• Luis Curro: A striking moment was the ball that the whole world saw leaving the field, before Japan’s decisive goal against Spain, but which, according to the referees, did not leave – they said that the technology allowed the VAR to see what part of the round was over the bottom line.

• Marcelo Damato: That was the Cup for midfielders, wingers and goalkeepers. Versatility became the rule. The game just got rougher. Violence was tolerated by the whistle. VAR 2.0 resolved the offside. Brazil was the same as always.

• Marina Izidro: The choice of host has never been as criticized as in this edition, with issues such as human rights and the fight against homophobia dominating the debates and athletes divided between the right to demonstrate and the dream of playing in a World Cup.

• Dime: THE TV showed FIFA president Infantino always sitting alone during games. In France v Morocco, he was joined by Macron. Even so, he continued in the same position, silent, as if the Frenchman did not exist. Will he own Fifa, football and the world?

• Sandro Macedo: This will be remembered as Messi’s last Cup parading at a high level; but it will also be forever marked as the “no” Cup. No human rights, no LGBTQIA+, no women, no beer. Go Qatar.