It will go down in history: what are the records that were broken in Qatar 2022?

In the preview of World Cup Qatar 2022 much was said. From the organizational field to the sports one. If we don’t focus only on what happened on the field of play, we will have a lot to break down. Especially the records that were reached in the last World Cup that will feature 32 teams, marking a milestone in the annals of world football.

The ’10’ World Cup

Despite the fact that the contest is not yet over for Lionel MessiDuring the six games he has played, he has already known how to break important marks. The first is related to the Albiceleste and occurred in the semifinal clash against Croatia. The penalty goal that paved the way for the río de la Plata rout was the eleventh for the Argentine star in World Cups. He surpassed nothing more and nothing less than Gabriel Omar Batistuta, who held said mark 20 years ago.

With regard to presences in a World Cup, the ‘Flea’ already has 25 games on his shoulders. Figure that allowed him to match what was done by the German Lothar Matthäus, holder of this record. He only needs to play against France in the final to remain as the top leader. Likewise, he must also add 23 minutes against the Frenchmen to surpass Paolo Maldini as the player with the most minutes.

so many times CR7

Cristiano Ronaldo he played his fifth and last World Cup. He could not put an end to his participation with a title (Portugal was eliminated in the quarterfinals), although he did, becoming the only footballer to score in five editions of the most important tournament for teams globally. He got this distinction with his scoring against Ghana in the group stage.

He played a total of 22 games between the 2006 and 2022 championships. He also signed two assists. His best scoring production came four years ago at Russia 2018. He registered four goals in four games.

future and present

Even though he did not shine in the quarterfinals and semifinals, kylian mbappe He is together with Lionel Messi the top scorer in Qatar 2022. Numbers that allowed him to displace Pelé as the player under 24 to score the most times during an event of this nature. In the grand final he will have the opportunity to stretch that difference.

Most goals before turning 24 in a World Cup

That is not all for the star of the current monarch. Against the Albiceleste, at 23 years and 363 days, he will be the youngest footballer to play two consecutive finals. He will leave without effect the record of Denilson de Oliveira (24 years and 310 days), who reached that mark with Brazil in France 1998 and Korea-Japan 2002. Unlike the Brazilian, the Frenchman wants to do it with a two-time championship.

Consolation prize

Brazil could not reach the final, as was the goal since the start of the championship. A sporting failure that will be very difficult for the ‘Canarinha’ to overcome. For this reason, it will remain only for the statistics that on Qatari soil they added their twenty-second participation in a World Cup, being the only team that has played all the editions. Added to this data are the 109 matches in this tournament and the 17 unbeaten matches in the group stage, which ended against Cameroon.

The surprise

Without a doubt, Morocco has been the revelation team of the championship. The first hit came during the first stage of the championship, leaving Belgium out of the competition and relegating runner-up Croatia to second place in the group. What came next was fantastic for the ‘Atlas Lions’. They eliminated Spain in the round of 16 and, if that wasn’t enough, they also did the same with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

They came to settle among the four best teams in the world, a historic feat in African football. No team had achieved that feat. For this reason, the team led by Walid Regragui has marked a new era on that continent.

Best African team participations in World Cups

Total disappointment

They prepared for years for this championship, but they definitely didn’t measure up. Qatar It consolidated itself as the only host country that did not win in its World Cup debut, this after falling 2-0 against Ecuador. In their next two games, Senegal and the Netherlands, they also failed to score any points and left their own party as the worst organizing team in history.

their turn

The important role of the opposite sex in modern soccer gained further attention at Qatar 2022, after Stéphanie Frappart was named the first woman to referee a World Cup match. It happened in the first phase confrontation between Costa Rica and Germany. Knowing the significance of the historical event, the French arbitration leader decided to donate her shirt from that match to the FIFA Museum.

Bonus track