Who will be the King of Qatar 2022? | POLL

1) Who will be the king of Qatar 2022?

2) Which team disappointed you and why?

3) What is your candidate to win the World Cup?

Jampool Cuadros, journalist for América Televisión

1. Mbappé has everything to continue positioning himself in the history of the World Cups. With his influence, France aims to be finalists and rarely has an opponent been able to stop them.

2. Uruguay had the weapons to qualify for the round of 16. He showed it against Ghana, when he stopped being a conservative. With a DT more believer in his players, another would have been the story.

3. Brazil, by little, can get away from France. I think both will reach the final, but Verdeamarela has shown better synchrony. She is on her way to the hexacampeonato.

Daniel Kanashiro, journalist at DIRECTV

1. Mbappe. Regardless of whether France is champion or not, today it is the best of all and by scandal.

2. Spain. Not for the fact of being eliminated. If not because of the way he left. He played 120 minutes, didn’t score, had three penalties and didn’t score. And to think that in his debut he scored seven. Total disappointment.

3. Argentina or Brazil. I think that this will be a semifinal and the champion will come out of that key. Brazil is more of a team but Argentina plays the limit moments better. Argentina is my candidate.

Daniella Fernández, journalist at Movistar Sports

1. The king of Qatar, for what he has been doing up to this point, is undoubtedly Mbappé. Not only because of the 5 goals in Qatar. Also, he attends and plays for the team. It’s a pleasure to watch him play.

2. I was disappointed in Belgium and Germany. Belgium came from having a good World Cup in Russia 2018, eliminating Brazil. He arrives with footballers in a very good moment in their clubs, but they could not take him to the national team. A pity about Lukaku, not only because of the injury that did not allow him to play from the beginning, when he entered he could not score, having several options only in front of the goal. Added to the internal problems that were revealed. A pity about Belgium, which will surely make a generational change in the face of the following processes. In the case of Germany, they arrived in Qatar with great chances of fighting for the World Cup, but the Asian discipline exposed the German shortcomings in defense. Deficiencies that were seen in the following matches. A selection without resolution.

3. My candidate to win the World Cup is between Brazil and France. It would be a great finale.

Carlos Univazo, sports journalist

1. Mbappe. It was somewhat predictable because we are in the presence of three great geniuses: Messi who is already in decline, Neymar who is in the intermediate stage and Mbappé who is in the prime of his career and can match Pelé. Already with five goals he has given reasonable evidence to assume that he is going to be the king in Qatar.

2. I had expected that Spain and Belgium were going to be disappointments. Spain because they arrived with a very young group with desperate football. On the other hand, Belgium because they have a team with very old players and when a lot is expected of them they don’t show up. The ones that really disappointed me were the Germans, I hoped they could reach at least the semifinals. I understand that German football has been ‘Guardiolized’ too much and that has played against them. They have to go back to their roots.

3. I have two candidates for months: France and Brazil. For me they are both at a high level, I think it would be the best final possible. For a third and fourth place I would like an Argentina-Portugal, for obvious reasons. It would be an unprecedented classic with two world soccer figures.

Romina Vega, journalist at América Televisión

1. Without a doubt, at the media and football level it is Messi. He will end up being the King of Qatar 2022.

2. I think it was Spain. I bought Luis Enrique’s story and with the 7-0 win over Costa Rica I thought they could go a little further, but they trusted themselves too much and Luis Enrique didn’t make the best decisions and, finally, an exciting proposal fell through, with players young and with different ideas, how to stream from concentration. That the players are more relaxed and have the possibility of having days off. But it doesn’t always work and in this case it didn’t work for him.

3. My candidate is Brazil. I love what they are doing. Tite’s work at the helm of the ‘Canarinha’ is fabulous, in the Qualifiers it was demonstrated and now in Qatar they are giving the stature in a superlative way, because they are a team beyond the constellation of stars they have like Vinicius, Richarlison, Neymar. And the names go on. Brazil is the most complete squad in defense and attack, and that is why I would be encouraged to choose it over Argentina, far from the romanticism that seeing Messi lifting the Cup arouses. Brazil is my candidate.

Ricardo Montoya, journalist and psychologist, host of Conversations from the stands

1. Julian Alvarez.

2. Uruguay. Alonso made soup with the goose that laid the golden eggs. He was fearful having a very good squad.

3. Except for Croatia and Morocco, all those who remain have a chance to be world champion. A little less Netherlands. It is between Brazil, Argentina, England and Portugal. I think France will take England, and Argentina must beat the Netherlands and then surprise Brazil. Argentina has defensive solidity. They also have courage and know how to play in these instances.

Ángelo Torres, journalist for Sudor magazine

1. The one who lifts the trophy will end up being the king. Despite the goals and the impressive display of Mbappé, if he is not a double champion with France (something that has not happened since Brazil with the titles of 58 and 62), it is difficult for him to end up being the best. He has arguments to be, no one doubts it, but in a short tournament like this, what he really weighs is the one who can lead his country to glory. Messi is now the spiritual leader of an Argentina that wants to give the ‘Flea’ the title. The weight is no longer just on his feet, but he has De Paul’s lungs behind him, Otamendi’s claw and the security of ‘Dibu’. They already demonstrated their hierarchy in the Copa América, now the bar is a little higher in the World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo seems to play (as in his clubs) for himself, so he loses focus on what is truly important. CR7 is nothing more than United or Portugal, which has already found effective ways to play without him. It is up to him to straighten the course. However, between Mbappé and Messi seems to be the scepter for the king.

2. Belgium and Germany end up being the main players, but Uruguay also disappoints by not reaching the round of 16 with a squad that could even tempt to be among the top eight. His petty approach in the first two games ended up putting him against the wall and Suárez with Uruguay had to bite his anger this time, no longer a rival. Belgium had a great team to be in the semifinals like in 2018, but a broken group and some figures at a bad level end up condemning them to leave in the first round. Germany does not have a ‘9’ with the soul of a serial killer. The ‘Guardiolization’ of her football ends up being her own bonfire. Much touch and little depth. I think they should go back to their roots, to a more direct style of play and less possession that identified them a few decades ago. In addition, the post-2014 World Cup generational change seems not to have materialized and those who remained from 2018 had the previous failure in their backpack. They could never take that weight off their shoulders.

3. Playing Nostradamus can make us look ridiculous on December 18 in the afternoon, but in today’s football there are no longer coincidences, only causalities. All the remaining teams have chances to win, although I see Argentina, Brazil, France and Portugal one step ahead. Among those four, the champion can come out, with the hope that it will be a South American team. Each team has valid arguments to dream. La Albiceleste has a team that is no longer based on Messi, or at least has ceased to be the center of his universe. A generation hungry for glory that had the opportunity to look in the mirror in that setback with Saudi Arabia and realize that they are not invincible. That was the turning point. In the semifinals they can meet Brazil and I think they are the only team that can topple ‘Scratch’. France arrived with doubts due to Deschamps’ system changes and the failure in the Nations League, but Benzema’s injury forced him to return to what was known and with Giroud at 9, the team started working again. Of course, guided by an Mbappé in authoritarian mode. With more goals than Pelé in World Cups at just 24 years old, the winger shows that his reign is just beginning. The problem goes through a defense that can be vulnerable if you hit the right buttons. Portugal has a great team, even with Cristiano Ronaldo on the substitute bench. He probably has the best generation in his history and is aiming for his first world title. It is time for them to show if they have enough hierarchy to dream. Brazil dances at carnivals and dances on the pitch. They have a great team and when Neymar wasn’t there they lacked a bit of brilliance but the authority of their other stars was enough to win. He does not see weak points. The one who can be hidden is England with a fast and effective team on the wings. Can you imagine an Argentina – England in the final?

Andrea Closa, journalist at RPP

1. Up to the round of 16, it seems to me that Mbappé has everything to keep that title. Not only because of the goals, but because of how easy he makes everything see: always playing freely is a skill of his rather than the negligence of his rivals. His speed, his change of pace, his outlook, his definition… all of that makes me think that he has to continue to stand out above the rest. And he is only 23 years old! I feel like he still hasn’t reached his ceiling.

2. Belgium. There Germany too, although perhaps a step above Belgium for the third place obtained in Russia 2018 and second place in the FIFA ranking. She was fighting with Croatia over the group’s favoritism, but she was surprised. It was a team adrift, in which it gave the impression that the footballers did not quite settle. Great responsibility of the DT.

3. Brazil, first. France, second. Both teams have important squads, in which the differences between starters and substitutes is short (including, France leaving three regular starters out due to injury: Pogba, Kanté and Benzema). That is already a great advantage over the rest of the teams. They are solid mixed teams, well balanced in terms of youth and experience. They have automatisms, showy play, important individualities (but also collective play) and effectiveness.

Eduardo Combe, journalist at América Televisión

1. I think it’s between Messi and Mbappé because the role that both have played so far in the World Cup is extraordinary. The Mbappé thing perhaps a little more striking than the Messi thing. The level they have shown, carrying the weight of their team on their shoulders and scoring goals because the two of them are among the top scorers. I don’t know if it will reach Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo or another footballer to reach them.

2. Germany without a doubt. A team like Germany cannot be left out of two World Cups in a row in the group stage. Belgium is not a world power, so for me it is not so much the disappointment. But Germany, which has been four times world champion, being left out like this two consecutive times winning only one game is worrying. They can’t leave a World Cup like that, leaving nothing like that.

3. My candidate is Brazil. I think that what Brazil has shown is a very good collective game. They have excellent players, they have even used their three goalkeepers without any problem. It is the only team that has used its 26 players and in the round of 16. Brazil is very solid. Before the World Cup I thought about Brazil, Argentina and France and I don’t change what I think.