World Cup 2022: Neymar, Messi, and other players getting ready for the decisive shot
The World Cup may be defined by eight talking topics, chosen by Sky Sports, ranging from celebrities who may be attending their final World Cup to a rematch of one of the most infamous games ever played.
The end of an era in Qatar
A football era that we won't likely see again will come to a close in Qatar as several legends prepare for what may be their last World Cup appearance.
Since the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the top players of their generation, have been the indisputable faces of all subsequent competitions.
Qatar 2022 will be no different, despite the respective 37 and 35-year-olds' waning abilities, with the intriguing possibility of Ronaldo or Messi securing their place in history as the greatest players in the game at the expense of their enduring opponent.
Not just Ronaldo and Messi will be saying goodbye to the World Cup. Dani Alves of Brazil and Pepe of Portugal, both 39, will undoubtedly play in the tournament one last time.
The 35-year-old Hugo Lloris, 37-year-old Luka Modric, 36-year-old Manuel Neuer, 38-year-old Thiago Silva, 37-year-old Luka Modric, and Olivier Giroud will also play.
Karim Benzema of France, Sergio Busquets of Spain, Robert Lewandowski of Poland, and Thomas Muller of Germany are among the illustrious players who may be making their final appearances on the international stage. They are all 34 years old.
It remains to be seen if this will be Kevin De Bruyne or Neymar's final World Cup, but there will undoubtedly be a vacuum left in international football that may take another generation to fill.
savor it while you can.
Toby Wilkinson
What is left of the "Golden Generation" in Belgium?
Belgium supporters understand what it's like to see a "Golden Generation" regularly fall short of the high expectations placed on them when they are predicted to win big tournaments, just like England supporters do.
The 2014 World Cup was Belgium's first in 12 years, and they were anticipated to leave a lasting mark. While Vincent Kompany, Toby Alderweireld, Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen, Axel Witsel, Marouane Fellaini, Dries Mertens, and Mousa Dembele helped to fill the squad with talent, Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Eden Hazard, all under the age of 23, appeared ready to establish themselves as starters of European football.
However, possibly burdened by expectations, Belgium struggled throughout the competition until losing in the quarterfinals. Before being replaced by Roberto Martinez, who led Belgium to win over Brazil in the 2018 World Cup quarterfinals, Marc Wilmots oversaw another last-eight elimination at Euro 2016.
The Golden Generation was supposed to use that victory to demonstrate how they were achieving their undeniable potential and long-awaited success, but they subsequently lost to France in the semi-finals and then took a step backward at Euro 2020, where they once more lost in the last eight.
Martinez's team may still be ranked second in the FIFA world rankings, but their results since Euro 2020 have been inconsistent. A particularly damaging loss was a 4-1 home loss to the Netherlands in June.
As a result, Belgium enters the 2022 World Cup with the impression that, like England more than ten years before, their Golden Generation has lost out on the chance to win the tournament. Hazard, Mertens, and Witsel are past their peak, while Kompany, Dembele, Vermaelen, and Fellaini have moved on.
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