This World Cup has seen nothing but extraordinary performances and thrilling matches from most contenders. Since the competition has come to a conclusion after Sunday’s France vs. Argentina final match, we have witnessed some incredible festivities as the top four teams returned to their homelands to be greeted. In light of this, let’s then discuss some of Qatar’s Post-World Cup highlights, which vary from welcoming parades to post-celebrations, and superb goals.
Celebrations all over Rabat
If we can recreate a new award for the most valuable team (and not the player) in the tournament, then Morocco would definitely win such an award. A team that has never made it past the last eight of the tournament has finished fourth for the first time in their history; becoming the first-ever African team to reach the last four after a 1-0 win over Portugal.
To celebrate such accomplishments, tens of thousands of Moroccans welcomed the team upon their arrival in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, on Tuesday. As an open-top bus carrying the players rumbled into the capital with a strong police escort, fans crowded squares and queued up along avenues and streets in Rabat and the surrounding area, waving flags, dancing to the rhythm of the drums, and cheering. Players along with coach Walid Regragui waved and took photographs as their delighted fans cheered them on.
While Argentina has been suffering from economic depression according to Reuters, the country had its share of celebrations with its national team winning the World Cup in an unprecedented match against the defending world champions, France. The match saw an array of goals from two of the greatest players in the world. Both Messi and Kylian Mbappé scored some spectacular goals throughout the match, but Argentina shone brightly during penalties. With this win, Lionel Messi (according to many football analysts) has settled the debate to become the greatest player of all time in Football.
To celebrate this feat, millions of Argentines paraded to central squares and monuments in cities and towns, large and small. They marched to the Flag Monument in Rosario, the hometown of their World Cup hero, Lionel Messi. In Argentina’s capital city of Buenos Aires, fans flocked to the city’s vast square centered around a 235-foot-tall monument known as the “Obelisk.”
Messi had to be flown out by a helicopter
Millions of Argentines rushed to the streets on Sunday to celebrate an unforgettable moment with Lionel Messi and his World Cup-winning teammates after a 36-year wait for the title. Lionel Messi, however, and his colleagues were flown into helicopters to finish the celebrations after the squad was forced to quit the open-top bus parade in the nation’s capital, Buenos Aires, due to the influx of millions of supporters who blocked the city’s streets.
Lionel Messi and Antonela Roccuzzo
Messi and his wife Antonela were spotted enjoying and admiring this amazing achievement, as most players celebrated their victories with their loved ones. Since Antonela has been by Messi through thick and thin, it was only fitting that he take some time to thank her for this victory. The photographs speak for themselves since they convey her complete love and support for Messi, as well as her faith in him despite the fact that many had doubted his abilities throughout his career.
France Team returns to joyful crowd in Paris
French fans filled the “Place de la Concorde” in central Paris to welcome the team who were driven straight to the square from the airport after touching down from Qatar. They appeared on the balcony of the Crillon Hotel overlooking the square to a rousing welcome, according to France24. All 24 French players, including forward star Kylian Mbappe, who had a hat trick but couldn’t lift France to victory, acknowledged the cheers from the balcony despite their disappointment.
Vote for the Goal of the tournament
While the best goal of the tournament had not yet been decided, you can go watch them and vote on FIFA’s official website. From Salem Al-Dawsari’s shot against Argentina to Richarlison’s overhead bicycle kick against Serbia, the goals on the list just keep getting better and better as you scroll. They are definitely among the tournament’s highlights, and we are eagerly awaiting the announcement of the tournament’s winning goal this Friday morning.
The FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022 was a memorable event. It included a few surprises, seeing teams overcome obstacles and make history, and, most importantly, delivering us an amazing finale that we will never ever forget. Moments like these are what we live for, and the World Cup has certainly served football fans well.
