Opinion – O Mundo É uma Bola: Retrospectiva 2021 – Recommended posts to read or reread

This 2021 was, like 2020, an atypical year in sports, including international football. Effect, again, of the coronavirus pandemic.

Covid, a disease caused by this virus, has killed more than 5.4 million people worldwide. In Brazil, there are almost 620,000 deaths.

In this scenario, championships changed their calendars to handle all matches, the Club World Cup, usually held at the end of each year, was held in February, and the Tokyo Olympics took place a year later than scheduled, as well as the Euro Cup.

With the advance of vaccination, fans were able to return, in greater or lesser numbers, to the sports arena, following sanitary protocols.

Unfortunately, at the end of the year, countries – England and Germany among them – were faced with a new growth of Covid cases, with the omicron variant being a big concern, and matches needed to be postponed and stadiums closed to fans.

Big surprises in relation to the winners of the main competitions? Do not.

Brazil was without the Copa America, even playing at home, after losing to Argentina in the main South American derby, in a triumph with special taste for Messi, but it won the Olympic bi-championship, repeating what the Argentines did in 2004 (Athens) and 2008 (Beijing).

After the disappointment at Maracanã, the main team, commanded by Tite, was not shaken and calmly obtained a spot for the 2022 World Cup, in Qatar.

So far, 13 countries are classified, out of a total of 32, and the draw for the recap traced a path in which Italy and Portugal, if they confirm favoritism in the initial duel, will fight for a spot – Cristiano Ronaldo may not be in the World Cup .

The Italians, who ended 2021 with the bitterness of not obtaining direct classification for the World Cup, in the middle of the year left the English very sad.

Squadra Azzurra, by beating English Team on penalties in London at Wembley, won the multi-seat Euro Cup and prevented England from ending their men’s national team’s run of major titles that began at the 1966 World Cup – five decades ago.

Jorginho, born in Brazil and owner of Italian citizenship, was one of the highlights in this title, the second in the country in the Euro Cup.

Before, the steering wheel raised the “Orelhuda”, the Cup of Champions League (League of Champions of Europe).

Chelsea, in the English final of the most famous interclub on the planet, defeated Manchester City by Pep Guardiola by 1-0, a goal by young German Kai Havertz, then 21 years old.

Two major trophies earned Jorginho the award for best player in Europe this season, offered by UEFA, but the coveted Golden Ball, given by France Football magazine to the best in the world, was, for the seventh time, with him… Messi .

The Argentine, something that was thought unimaginable, changed teams this year. Reluctantly, as he wanted to stay, he left Barcelona after more than 20 years, which made no effort to negotiate his stay, and landed in Paris to join Neymar at PSG.

Neymar, still the best Brazilian in activity, still the most expensive player in history –€ 222 million, but he has devalued a lot since he took the path now taken by Messi in 2017–, had good performances for the national team, but he didn’t take off sighs in your club. Ended the year in recovery from injury.

If he still supports Palmeiras –as a child he did–, Neymar had a huge satisfaction and a tremendous dislike in 2021.

It was not this time that Alviverde Paulistano was crowned world champion of clubs – there are controversies about its validity as the Copa Rio 1951 World Cup –, as he sank in the semifinal against Tigres, from Mexico, and claimed fourth place in Qatar.

There will, however, be a new opportunity at the beginning of the new year, if the pandemic allows the edition to be held in the United Arab Emirates.

To have this chance, Palmeiras, in an exciting Brazilian decision by the Libertadores, beat, under the command of Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira (kept for 2022), the mighty Flamengo by 2-1.

His hero was the “crazy boy” Deyverson, a reserve who decided in overtime after Andreas Pereira’s glaring failure.

A hero in the past, nationwide, the three-time world champion (1958, 1962 and 1970) Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé, showed heroic resistance in this final stretch of 2021.

Santos’ biggest idol was in poor health (he still does) and was hospitalized more than once for treatment. There’s a tumor in the colon.

Fortunately, the king did not go away in the year following the loss of the second best 10 jersey that football has ever seen –in the opinion of this one who writes here–, Diego Armando Maradona.

The Germans, however, went into mourning in August after the death of Gerd Müller, a phenomenal striker, Bayern Munich idol and 1974 World Cup winner in West Germany.

This is a summary of major events this year in international football.

There were certainly others, but memory didn’t allow immediate recollection…, but it doesn’t let me finish the post without registering Athletico-PR’s bi-championship in the Copa Sudamericana, in another Brazilian final – Bragantino was runner-up.

As usual since 2015, I leave you with suggestions for reading (or re-reading) texts published in 2021 by O Mundo É uma Bola.

The banality of the World Cup

Justice allows 15-year-old teen to play in US women’s league

The intriguing case of unreceived or unanswered email

Baby oil helps pointer escape from rivals in England

Fan builds stadium on the mountain and names it Leo Messi

Narrator’s Cacoetes ​

​Former player dies after nearly 40 years in a coma state

Why is Liverpool manager Klopp no ​​longer wearing glasses?

In the US, athlete from Japan creates courage and declares himself trans man

It’s time for football to end the offside rule

Jordan wants proof that Iran’s goalkeeper is a woman

I wish you a great New Year’s Eve and may 2022 (the year of the World Cup!) be of great health and many goals (in games and in life!).

Also read: Retrospectiva 2020 – Recommended posts to read or reread

Also read: Retrospective 2019 – Recommended posts to read or reread

Also read: Retrospective 2018 – Recommended posts to read or reread

Also read: Retrospectiva 2017 – Recommended posts to read or reread

Also read: Retrospectiva 2016 – Recommended posts to read or reread

Also read: Retrospectiva 2015 – Recommended posts to read or reread