Billy 1958, Billy 17 years old (Pele) When I first set foot in the World Stadium, a child from the southern hemisphere arrived in a Nordic country free of peasants, immigrant societies, and parental systems, which spawned a strange South American form of class and family; there were more socialist overtones, a more stable middle class and political parties ...
Remembering it all 64 years later, Billy still feels friendly towards a country where he proved that a black boy could conquer the world with a soccer ball; on some 6,000 square meters of green grass, he didn't ask about his origins, just his skills.
Before the start of the World Cup in Qatar at the end of this year, the 'Ballon d'Or' used Twitter to share a photo of him strolling around Stockholm. At the time, he was only a Brazilian player, Billy, and not the King, so he was able to enjoy a moment of relaxation that would be rare later in his career.
Soccer in the 50's wasn't as big a cultural vehicle as it is now, but it was very pure because of that, and people were focused on enjoying it for what it was. Instead of focusing on wins and losses and frills.
In those days, Brazilian players danced after scoring goals, and people didn't argue about whether they should or should not. Nowadays, this inclusiveness has regressed.
Vinicius, a Brazilian offspring (Vinicius Junior), has been criticized for 'monkeying around' by dancing after scoring a goal, and Roy Keane, who has been one of the few Premier League stars to speak up, actually considered the act disrespectful to his opponents.
On the other hand, the Washington Post chose this time to invite a historian to run an article on "Why Argentina doesn't have too many black players," to which the Liberal Progressive Party of Argentina tweeted a more humorous retort: "Because we're a country, not a Disney movie."
This clash of cultures brings fun to the game, but there is also the danger of conflict. However you look at these things, this year's Cada World, both on and off the pitch, shows that soccer is moving towards diversity. It is no longer the sole dominance of Europe and South America, who have the right to interpret the sport.
The Qatar World Football Team officially started with a historic cold spell in Saudi Arabia - they showed their growth and resilience by becoming the only Asian team to beat Argentina, Iran beat Wales, Japan then beat Spain and Germany, and South Korea beat Portugal.
Relying on foreign coaches and scientific training methods, Asian players began to overcome the obstacle of physical fitness (especially East Asian teams), while finding the most suitable way to play the game - defensive counterattack.
High-pressure pressing and quick counter-attacks are not a product of Asia, but the success of Japanese and Korean teams proves the effectiveness of this tactic. Since I am not as tall as Europe and my feet are not as delicate as those of South America, I don't tangle with my opponents in this regard. What I want to create is an instant numerical and spatial advantage on both the offensive and defensive ends of the field, as well as the discipline in tactical execution of the more team-oriented Asian teams, which has caused enough pain for the teams that have encountered them this time around. As far as this tournament is concerned, they are the first division to understand the 'version' of the people who are playing in this tournament.
So, going into the knockout rounds, we also see more teams giving up midfield dominance to force the other team to attack so we can get more space in transition. This style of play sharply punishes immature or incomplete passing kicks. As countries continue to improve their defensive capabilities and size, it is too difficult to create chances in positional play through short passes or set pieces. Conversely, it is often difficult to get a single pass or one-on-one confrontation with a conscious long pass in the transition between offense and defense. Having the world of football recognize this can be seen as a result of the "East's" late-blooming advantage and a way for Asian countries to make an impact.
And this time, African teams have also written their own milestones on Kada, a division that has always had a unique style, accompanied by the rhythms of kora, conga drums, and wuzla, the 'Dark Continent' has never lacked for attacking talent, but the lack of tactical literacy and discipline has kept their defense under constant criticism.
However, Africa has its own advantages. The Europeans have always treated it as their backyard, and the colonies have absorbed countless talents from it (France has been jokingly referred to as the 'United African Army' in recent years but the feedback is that they can absorb cutting-edge ideas from each other, and the geographic advantage makes it easier for teams to train with stronger teams. This special relationship is very similar to the mutually beneficial model between MLB and Central American teams.
Morocco, the biggest 'dark horse' of the tournament, has many players from the top five leagues in Europe, such as Ennasri, Al-Hakimi, Ziyesh, Mazraoui and Bornu. It was the outstanding performance of these people that helped the team beat Belgium, Spain and Portugal consecutively, becoming the first African team in history to enter the world semifinals.
