The Fußball Chatter

When Argentina lost the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final to Germany, it felt like a missed opportunity to claim the coveted trophy in the home of their bitter rivals Brazil. They entered the final without conceding a goal, with two knockout games going into extra time. Not to mention their attacking options in Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Angel Di Maria and Lionel Messi.  Messi's impact during the knockouts and the final was underwhelming, failing to score in the entire knockout phase. Though he won the Golden Ball (Best Player), it felt undeserved. Many greats of the game are lucky to reach one World Cup Final, and given what happened in the coming years for Messi and Argentina, 2014 was their best chance that got away from them. Now, come Sunday, Argentina has that rare second chance to win the World Cup. Argentina has made it to the sixth World Cup Final, making their second World Cup Final in three editions. They were winners for the first time in 1978 on home soi...

ARGENTINA            Nickname: La Albiceleste           Captain: Lionel Messi           Key Player: Lautaro Martinez           Coach: Lionel Scaloni           Last World Cup Appearance: 2018 (Round of 16) Argentina is in a good place right now. They have a more settled squad going into this World Cup than they did in the 2018 edition. The team is more balanced, and Lionel Messi looks more comfortable in an Argentina shirt than ever. Argentina is one of the biggest football countries in the world, having won two World Cup titles and produced players like Diego Maradona, Javier Zanetti, Gabriel Batistuta, Juan Roman Riquelme and Javier Mascherano. However, Argentina has been heavy with attacking players with little depth of quality in other areas of the team. That was evident in recent years when Argentina reached the 2014 World Cup Final and two Copa America F...

The FIFA World Cup. The most prestigious honour any footballer will gain in their playing career. Names like Pele, Maradona, Beckenbauer, Matthaus, Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario, Xavi and Pirlo have lifted the golden trophy aloft. Other players in the same class as those mentioned earlier would look with great envy as they never won football's coveted prize. Here are the ten great players to have never won the World Cup. (No Active Players on this list). OLIVER KAHN Germany has produced great goalkeepers like Sepp Maier and Manuel Neuer in their history. Oliver Kahn is also in the same bracket as the two mentioned before, possibly being Germany's best between the sticks. Unlike Maier and Neuer, Kahn never won the World Cup. Capped 86 times by  Die Mannschaft , Kahn was in the German setup for eleven years between 1995 to 2006, winning the European Championship in 1996. Surprisingly, Kahn was Germany's first-choice keeper in three tournaments. One of those tournaments was the 2002...

With the attention surrounding the Final of the European Championships between Italy and England on Sunday, it is easy to forget that there's another final taking place in the early hours of Sunday. The Copa America is at its climax with the Final taking place on Saturday night in Rio De Janeiro. The hosts and defending champions Brazil will face arch-rivals Argentina to see who will become the kings of South America. For many who are not from the Americas, the tournament has not gained much coverage due to the Euros and there was a lot of speculation if the competition can go ahead with Brazil coming in at the last minute to host the tournament with Colombia and Argentina, who were supposed to co-host the competition, pulled out due to political tensions and rise of coronavirus cases. The tournament has been played behind closed doors, making it a quiet tournament. The tournament is at its end so let's at each team's route to the Final. BRAZIL Despite being hosts, the Braz...