A Summer Of Football

There are way too many people who concern themselves with what France's national football team should look like during a big competition. Why are there so many black people in the French team? Where are the "real" French people? Even people who have nothing to do with France or Europe think they are entitled to question the identity and nationality of a black person born there, and it wasn't any different during the 2026 World Cup. It's like repeating the same verse of a song, and it's getting boring.

Let's be real for a moment: do you really think Les Bleus would be filled with so many black players if they could find white players as talented as Mbappé, Olise and Saliba? A white man will always want to be the main character, and this team will go back to being white again if "real French" people start taking football seriously again. There aren't many opportunities for black kids from the banlieues; football and sports in general are their way out.

When the World Cup started on 11th June in Canada, the US and Mexico, I never thought that I would witness Argentina's downfall in real time. I'm not an Argentina fan, but I liked Javier Zanetti during his prime, and my favourite brother is a fan. His favourite players are Diego Maradona and Hernan Crespo. I remember staying up late at night with him to watch the Copa America; my favourite team in South America is Brazil. 

So Argentina vs Brazil was our South American equivalent of AC Milan vs Inter Milan, with me being an AC Milan fan, of course. Those were some of the happiest days of my life, and we had no idea of how people like us are treated in those countries. So I never thought I'd live to see Argentina's downfall, but I saw it coming since their celebrations in 2022 and 2024.

The last few weeks have been filled with so many emotions. I went from thinking France would win their 3rd World Cup to having some doubts, then felt happiness and confidence. Frustration and indignation kicked in later, only to crash out when France was eliminated. I was gutted when France lost to Spain, but I was good to see them lift the World Cup at the end of the competition. And I was one of the millions of people around the globe rooting for Spain during the final. 

I have been watching club football and the Euros for as far as I can remember; my first football club is PSG. I can't tell you how it came to be; I didn't choose them, they chose me. It felt different to watch them play compared to other teams like l'Olympique de Marseille or Les Girondins de Bordeaux. The same thing happened with Manchester United when I started watching the Premier League, with Real Madrid in La Liga, and Alessandro Nesta is the reason I became an AC Milan Fan.

I was more into the Italian national team than the French one because I grew up hearing names like Roberto Baggio, Franco Baresi, and Roberto Donadoni. I don't have clear memories of the Euros and World Cup in the 90s, but I remember watching matches sitting on my father's or brothers' laps as a kid. I never felt any excitement for the French football team until the World Cup in 1998.

The competition was hosted in France; I was 14 at the time, and it was my first big summer of football as I finally understood why everyone gets so excited during the World Cup. I saw the excitement, patriotism, and national pride all over my town and could only imagine how much bigger it was in Paris. I was no longer rooting for Italy, and for the first time, I was chanting Allez Les Bleus!

I couldn't sleep the night before the final, Brazil vs France at the Stade de France. The Brazil we've seen at the last 2 World Cups is nothing compared to Brazil back then with Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Bebeto and Ronaldo. These guys were a nightmare for players and fans; it was like playing Germany in the 80s and 90s. After an intense match, France won 3 - 0 and lifted the World Cup; the only thing I clearly remember from that day was Emmanuel Petit's goal and the celebration that followed.

The World Cup 1998 is the reason I look forward to this competition every 4 years. This year's competition is the most controversial in my lifetime. Some may argue that the Hand of god in 1986 with Diego Maradona was pretty bad; however, I was a toddler at the time, so I won't consider it. Spain was crowned World Champions nearly 2 weeks ago, yet the controversies don't seem to end.

The latest being Infantino's plans to sell the World Cup, but I won't get into that. Let's focus on what went on in Canada, the US and Mexico over the last few weeks. I've always been fearful of going to the US, and I honestly think I wouldn't survive there. We hear too much about police brutality, and I still haven't met an American, whether black or white, who left a good impression on me.

I interact with them a lot in my line of work, and they always come across as aggressive and arrogant, and they don't seem to know much about the rest of the world. I actually try to avoid them if possible, and it isn't easy since they are pretty much everywhere here in London. So if I had the chance to go to the World Cup, I would pick Canada and Mexico. I thought they would be better hosts, but I was pleasantly surprised by the American hospitality.

Denying access to fans and the Iranian team put me off and showed what a wimp Infantino is, but it was great to watch the Scottish fans in Boston and the Dutch Orange bus take over some US cities. They turned out to be a lot more fun than the Canadians, who I thought would be better hosts. They kept complaining about taxes and house prices, like taxes aren't high everywhere. 

People can't afford to buy houses here either; it doesn't mean you can't enjoy life, and the fans were visiting for a few weeks. It wouldn't hurt to welcome and accommodate them, then go back to b*tching about the cost of living like they will too once they're back home. I also understand their lack of interest; football isn't their thing, and it's best to hold the competition in a country where people would actually be excited about it. 

I'm so looking forward to Spain, Portugal and Morocco in 2030. Spain will defend their title on home soil, and I wouldn't miss it for anything. Also, it would be nice to go back to Morocco for the World Cup. I hope the next competition won't be plagued by politicians' involvement and corruption scandals.

I don't care about the GOAT debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi; to me, Ronaldo is the better player and more relatable. And I cried my eyes out when Portugal was eliminated from the competition. I don't care about the team as a whole, and the most painful part is that they could've done better if some players put their egos aside and played with Ronaldo.

He was amazing at Manchester United and made me dream as a fan, and I will always respect him for his outstanding career. Moreover, I consider him the best for being true to himself. People have tried to humble and silence him, but he stood by his beliefs. He didn't let anyone mould him into what they thought he should be, and that's why he's constantly criticised and called arrogant.

In my post Lessons Learned in my 20s, I shared a story about a close friend who was jealous and ended up stabbing me in the back. It happened only because I trusted her and didn't think she could envy me. If it can happen to me, can you imagine what someone as rich and popular as Ronaldo has to go through? This World Cup showed that even his own teammates would rather be eliminated than let him shine. 

A random kid even said he was just a player like the rest of us. Let's see how many of them will carry Portugal like he has done in the last decade, if not 2 decades. My interest in the Portuguese football team started with Luis Figo, continued with Cristiano Ronaldo and will probably end with him since none of their recent players has caught my interest. The lack of respect for someone who has done so much for his country is also off-putting.

South Korea, I'm also talking about you; we've all seen how you treated Son Heung-min during this competition. Korea isn't on my list of countries I wish to visit when I finally go to East Asia because I still haven't heard good things from people who have been there. After the incident with Son Heung-min, I thought that if they can treat one of their biggest stars that way, I can't imagine what it's like for foreigners over there!

Do you know why everyone is talking about Flaco López since the World Cup final against Spain? I didn't even know who this guy was until that day, and he's now seen as the only good example of sportsmanship in the Argentine squad for doing what Messi, their captain, couldn't do. He didn't turn his back on the new champions and showed respect.

Argentina fans and players have been arrogant and insufferable during the competition, so it was only a matter of time before people turned against them. As the saying goes, respect goes a long way, and they have shown none to their hosts (Argentinian fans' racism incidents with iShowSpeed in his own country) and the teams they played against. It wasn't new to me, though; I still remember their celebration after winning the World Cup final against France in 2022. 

The racism and mockery Mbappé and his teammates experienced afterwards. Messi was right there as their captain and said nothing, as if Mbappé wasn't his teammate at PSG. He also remained silent during the Copa America victory celebration, when once again they mocked French black players. They played Colombia, and what does France have to do with the Copa America anyway? For a country that claims to be " proud European", their obsession with France's black players seems obsessive.

They brought the same energy and attitude to the 2026 World Cup, thinking they'd get away with it once again, but this time around, the world had had enough of their shenanigans. What they are now calling a "hate campaign" is the consequence of their own actions. The rest of the world didn't incite them to brandish political banners and disrespect their opponents. No one told those fans to be racist live to the biggest streamer in the world, and more importantly, they attacked the new world champions in real time.

If someone had an agenda against me, I would do everything possible for them to fail. All they had to do was prove the rest of the world wrong by showing sportsmanship and being respectful like Flaco López. Messi stood by as his teammates brawled with the new world champions; as always, he said nothing, and at some point, silence becomes approval. 

That's why everyone is talking positively about Flaco López while questioning Messi's character. The Premier League will be so fun when the Argentina players come back to their clubs in England after the banner celebration; talk about biting the hand that feeds you...