With the World Cup just around the corner, some EHS students cannot wait for it. Since the World Cup only happens once every four years, soccer fans are forced to remain suspended in anticipation for what seems like forever. But the time has finally come once again, and I am ecstatic about it.
At EHS, there is a club called “Footy Fanatics” that will be hosting watch parties for the World Cup this year. Since the games are played throughout the day, if you have a free period or lunch, feel free to stop by there and watch some games with other students. I know for a fact that I will definitely be there watching the games whenever I can.
I wanted to get a sense of what the general feeling was about the World Cup at EHS. I went around and surveyed some students, asking who they thought would win the tournament.
There was a wide variety of answers that came from the student body. I received answers ranging from underdogs such as South Korea to the favorites to win the tournament, Brazil. Obviously, I also heard a great number of students claim that the USA was going to win it all, even if that claim is completely bogus.
But the team that got the most votes from EHS students to win the World Cup was Argentina. Argentina is a classic fan-favorite team in this tournament. They have a talented squad, great passion, and let's not forget about the greatest player in the world, Lionel Messi. After just winning the Copa America and the UEFA Cup of Champions, Argentina is looking to keep its hot streak going as they enter the 2022 World Cup.
I also asked these students what player they felt was going to win the Golden Boot of the World Cup (the Golden Boot is awarded to the player who scores the most goals in the tournament). This question is a little bit trickier to answer. The Golden Boot winner isn’t necessarily the best goal scorer in the world. Whoever wins the Golden Boot usually needs a good supporting cast to make it far in the tournament, allowing them more games to score more goals.
Again, I got a great variety of answers from the student body. I got a few interesting answers that I thought could very well be possible. Some students said Gabriel Jesus would win the Golden Boot because of his stellar play for Brazil, the favorites of the tournament. Some students thought that it would be Harry Kane, who has always been a top goal scorer at the World Cup for the last decade. Harry Kane was actually the player who won the Golden Boot in the last World Cup in 2018. To my surprise, no students at EHS felt that the 23-year-old superstar, Kylian Mbappe, would win the Golden Boot this year.
However, most of the EHS students said that either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi would win the Golden Boot in the 2022 World Cup. The two are 37 and 35 years of age respectively, and they have been the face of soccer for the last 15 years. Both of them have come out and said that this World Cup will be the last one they play in. Neither of the two has ever won a Golden Boot before, let alone the World Cup. EHS students feel that it is their year this year and one of them will take home the Golden Boot.
I have my own predictions as to how the World Cup will go this year. As much as I love Lionel Messi and Argentina, I think that they will lose in the finals to Brazil. Brazil is simply too talented of a team to not dominate the World Cup. All of their players have also been playing very well so far this year. They have a good mix of youth and speed paired with intelligence and experience.
I think that Neymar will win the Golden Boot this year. I think he has an advantage in the Golden Boot race, considering that he plays for Brazil. He has also been spectacular this year for his club team, PSG. Along with Messi and Ronaldo, he too has claimed that this World Cup will be his last. I think he will leave it all out on the field and come home as the Golden Boot winner.