The World Cup offers a platform like no other.
Superstars within the game are propelled to new heights while those with a lesser profile suddenly, if briefly, become cultural touch points. How many people would have recognized Cabo Verde goalkeeper Vozinha had he walked down the street before the World Cup. Now he’s got more Instagram followers than Australia has residents.
In this magnified scrutinization of every shot, step and sip of a water bottle, the comments that are made during the tournament get blared across the globe. It can be easy to get lost in the churn of content, so here’s a reminder of the best quotes that were uttered this summer.
Confident
The World Cup is no place for shrinking violets—something which FIFA president can never be accused of. When asked if soccer’s organizing body should be “embarrassed” by the perceived assault on liberty which has defined the buildup to a tournament supposedly aimed at “uniting the world,” Gianni Infantino went full The Big Lebowski:
“It’s important sometimes to chill, relax.” Gianni Infantino
A summer stricken by visa debacles, accusations of political interference and questions about his very future in the position did nothing to dampen Infantino’s spirit:
“One country will be world champion but the world has already won. America has won, FIFA has won.” Gianni Infantino
The U.S. started the summer winning, much to the delight of midfielder Weston McKennie. After the USMNT’s 4–1 rout of Paraguay, he fired off:
“For the people [who] maybe say, ‘Oh, soccer’s boring’—well, you had five goals today.” Weston McKennie
That confident streak was actively fostered by manager Mauricio Pochettino. When asked what “mindset” the Argentine had instilled in his players, Sebastian Berhalter explained:
“We’re American, we don’t take s---.” Sebastian Berhalter
Argentina certainly weren’t prepared to take any grief from any team. In fact, the 2022 champion welcomed it. Reflecting on a series of comebacks after his side’s latest heroics against England in the semifinals, the perennially emotional Lionel Scaloni, a character seemingly on the verge of tears during every public appearance, warned:
“This team plays best when facing adversity. The opponent hesitates a bit, we smell blood, and we go for it.” Lionel Scaloni
Where that blood came from was not a question anyone in Argentina appeared prepared to ask.
The only team to present Scaloni’s side with more adversity than it could stomach was Spain. Not that the outcome surprised Luis de la Fuente. As the Basque boss pointed out after swatting aside France in the semifinals:
“We’re facing one of the best lineups in the world, but we’re the best team in the world.” Luis de la Fuente
Spain’s players have been talking about global domination all summer. Marc Cucurella was one of several roster members who promised to get a tattoo of his coach should La Roja earn a second star. De la Fuente had not forgotten after the final.
“My players are men of their word and I know they will stick to their word. They made a mistake and they will stick to it. I am not that ugly.” Luis de la Fuente
Scathing
Despite the positivity Infantino tried to pedal, plenty of managers and players found fault with FIFA, opponents and their own team.
Pochettino kicked off the gripes in the aftermath of the USMNT’s convincing opening victory over Paraguay, ignoring the historical significance of a night to savor to instead rant about the light whirring of the air conditioner unit in the press room of SoFi Stadium.
“We can’t work in these conditions. In this amazing stadium that we have, we don’t have a comfortable room to make a very important press conference.” Mauricio Pochettino
Some nations had it a bit tougher than some mild noise pollution. As Iran manager Amir Ghalenoei was at pains to point out:
“Our team is the most oppressed in the whole World Cup.” Amir Ghalenoei
Iran wasn’t the only nation unimpressed by FIFA’s conduct this summer. The Dutch King Willem-Alexander revealed the topic of conversation while he was forced to sit next to Infantino during the Netherlands’ group stage campaign:
“I may have made a few suggestions for the Peace Prize in the coming years.” King Willem-Alexander
Belgium manager Rudi Garcia piled in on the institution in the wake of the bungled Folarin Balogun debacle.
“I didn’t know that at the FIFA World Cup July 5 is now April 1 and it’s April Fool’s Day.” Rudi Garcia
For Ghana manager Carlos Queiroz, his fury was reserved for the referees in the aftermath of a controversial goalless draw with England:
“Once again VAR went for a coffee.” Carlos Queiroz
Egypt’s Hossam Hassan had plenty of vitriol regarding the standard of refereeing. Still positively seething in the wake of Argentina’s fraught comeback, Hassan lamented:
“Life is unfair. The world is unfair. O.K., but why isn’t there any fairness in sports?” Hossam Hassan
Scotland’s Steve Clarke took his ire out on the poor broadcasters after the grim 1–0 loss to Morocco:
“I don’t know why we do these interviews.” Steve Clarke
Bosnia and Herzegovina manager Sergej Barbarez was more concerned with rallying his players after a 4–1 loss to Switzerland than anyone else:
“You have one hour to cheer up.” Sergej Barbarez
Brazil has a queue of former players just waiting to pile in on its players. 1970 World Cup winner Tostão described the round of 16 defeat to Norway as:
“Melancholic failure.” Tostão
Romário, a champion in 1994, was rather more forthright.
“I like Endrick and he will give us many happy moments in the future, but against Norway he was horrible. Lots of people are saying, ‘Ah, but he’s too young.’ I say f--- it if he’s too young, he should have scored that f---ing goal. Young, middle-aged, old, who gives a s---.” Romário
Former England right back Gary Neville took it upon himself to take a pop at Argentina’s defensive duo of Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez, casting them as “the best, worst center half pairing in the world.” After they knocked England out of the semifinals, Romero couldn’t help but quip:
“The only thing that I hope for is that when I retire, I am not that stupid.” Cristian Romero
The tournament had long since finished for Cristiano Ronaldo, whose Portugal was knocked out by Spain in the round of 16, yet he was still catching strays. During Spain’s World Cup trophy presentation, the host Raúl Ramos introduced Yéremy Pino with the line:
“Back in Lomo de Chinche, they used to call Pino ‘Cristiano Ronaldo.’ The only difference? Pino has a World Cup. Raúl Ramos
Famous Last Words
Even when Ronaldo was still in the tournament, he didn’t make life easy for himself with his own comments. After scoring against all the might of Uzbekistan, the 41-year-old bellowed into the nearest TV camera:
“I’m back. I’m back.” Cristiano Ronaldo
He would only score once more at the World Cup, which yet again ended in tears.
Ronaldo, however, was not alone in regretting his choice of words with the benefit of hindsight. Türkiye midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu gave Australia all the motivation it needed before the opening group clash with his insistence:
“I think that we dominate tomorrow, the game, because we have more qualities and a more talented team.” Hakan Çalhanoğlu
Türkiye was convincingly beaten 2–0.
Tunisia also lost its first match of the summer and responded by sacking poor Sabri Lamouchi. Tournament specialist Hervé Renard filled the void with his signature crisp white shirt and a rallying cry:
“As long as there’s life, there’s hope.” Hervé Renard
Tunisia would lose its remaining two matches by an aggregate 7–1 margin.
Thomas Tuchel was already anticipating defeat after England’s first match of the summer.
“If we lose, we lose in our way.” Thomas Tuchel
The German boss would not countenance a limp exit, shrinking into a timid shell to expose the inherent qualities of a national team which has made a painful habit of suffering the same fate every summer. Fortunately, nothing of the sort could be said about that Argentina loss, right?
Tuchel gambled on England’s endeavor. Pochettino back America’s interest.
“Now [fans] realize that soccer here in America is massive. It’s big. Be careful, other sports.” Mauricio Pochettino
NFL, NBA and MLB are hardly quaking at the prospect.
(Too Much) Honesty
Before coming up against France, Iraq manager Graham Arnold recognized the competitive imbalance:
“ I asked if we could play three goalkeepers, but they said no.” Graham Arnold
Argentina’s Scaloni had a similarly unorthodox plan for Spain’s most dangerous player:
“How to stop Yamal? I wish we could lock him in his room.” Lionel Scaloni
Kylian Mbappé is not so used to being showered with praise. When he was asked by Le Parisien ahead of the tournament if he had considered a run for French presidency, the divisive Real Madrid striker laughed:
“I am hated enough as it is!” Kylian Mbappé
Didier Deschamps has nothing but bursting affection for Mbappé. France’s manager had rather different opinions when assessing the damage of the first-half collapse against England in the third-place playoff:
“I could have changed eight players at halftime.” Didier Deschamps
He only made four.
Joshua Kimmich was eyeing up a change of training base after there was a snake sighting at Germany’s North Carolina base.
“In Germany, you worry about tactics, injuries and your next opponent. Here, you also have to think about what might be hiding in the grass.” Joshua Kimmich
Kimmich’s manager Julian Nagelsmann was wary of plenty of snakes in the media following Germany’s humiliating round of 32 exit.
“If we were to do a survey in Germany today, the German people won’t speak very positively about me. We haven’t done much in this tournament for people to celebrate. I know that not everyone in Germany will agree with me staying on.” Julian Nagelsmann
Turns out the German FA also didn’t agree.
The U.S. is desperate to keep Pochettino but midfielder Tyler Adams still struggled to accept their exit:
“I think overall there were positives that we’re going to take away from it, [but] it just doesn’t feel like it matters.” Tyler Adams
Colombia manager Néstor Lorenzo was more circumspect:
“There is nothing to reproach. Sometimes the ball goes in and sometimes it doesn’t.” Néstor Lorenzo
There were no recriminations for Spanish champion Borja Iglesias to consider, aside from some actual crimes he was scared of committing. When quizzed about his impending confrontation with U.S. President Donald Trump at the medal ceremony after the final, the Celta Vigo striker mischievously noted:
“Yes, I will shake his hand. I don’t want them to throw me in prison.” Borja Iglesias
Poignant Imagery
These say that a picture is worth a thousand words. In an attempt to bridge that gap, some of the World Cup’s protagonists tried to paint a picture with their words. Brazil’s Carlo Ancelotti delivered one of the best:
“Fear is good. If you go without fear, you will face the lion thinking it’s a cat.” Carlo Ancelotti
Pochettino’s attempts to justify his belief that the USMNT would win the World Cup was a little more stretched:
“We should dream without limits. If I dream of touching the moon, of being up on the moon, maybe I can get close to the moon. If I only dream of getting close to it, I’ll stay on Earth.” Mauricio Pochettino
South Africa’s Hugo Broos hit back at the anger his side’s limp start to the World Cup had inspired back home with a story. Eight months earlier, in the giddy joy of qualification for the nation’s first tournament since 2010, a friend told Broos that they ought to erect a statue in his honor. He replied:
“Make it out of wood; that way it will burn more easily.” Hugo Broos
In an attempt to prevent his players getting too badly burned by the Turkish press, manager Vincenzo Montella fretted:
“They’re men, they’re not robots.” Vincenzo Montella
Ralf Rangnick’s Austria avoided the ultimate tongue-lashing by managing to escape from a bizarre group stage finale against Algeria with a draw which secured qualification for the knockouts. Both sides had appeared to settle for a 2–2 stalemate which suited everyone only for Algeria to strike in stoppage time. After Austria hit back with the last action of the game, Rangnick got himself in a bit of muddle:
“If Alfred Hitchcock—well, he didn’t have anything to do with football, but if he had—if he had written such a drama, I would have said he was completely mad.” Ralf Rangnick
Paraguay manager Gustavo Alfaro was very clear about what he saw his side deliver to knock out Germany.
“We dance to the music they play for us, sometimes it’s a cumbia, sometimes a tango, sometimes a rumba, today we got a polka.” Gustavo Alfaro
France definitely wasn’t allowed to waltz through its clash with Paraguay, but Mbappé relished the chance to show a different side to his team.
“If we have to get our hands dirty, we know how to do it. We know how to play dirty football. They thought we were going to come and play in tuxedos.” Kylian Mbappé
The added beauty of this quote is that it serves as an indirect dig at Mbappé’s former Real Madrid manager Álvaro Arbeloa, who memorably demoted the French striker last season and seethed: “Real Madrid wasn’t built by players who go on the pitch wearing tuxedos.”
Tugging at the Heartstrings
Alfaro refused to accept any criticism of his players throughout the tournament.
“Please hit me. Hit me. I’m going to chin up and take all of your punches. But I’m only asking you to defend the players, they are the most valuable asset that the national team has.” Gustavo Alfaro
Using his goalkeeper Orlando Gill as an example, the Paraguay boss added:
“Gill had to sell his clothes to save his daughter’s life. What team in the world wouldn't want to have a goalkeeper like him?” Gustavo Alfaro
Cabo Verde was pretty happy with Vozinha’s performance throughout the tournament. After making seven saves to rebuff Spain he gushed:
“This is for everyone. I was named man of the match but this is for all of my teammates because without them nothing would be possible.” Vozinha
Ecuador manager Sebastián Beccacece was keen to transmit that sense of togetherness:
“We built a family. We didn’t achieve what I said we would, but I feel complete. I know what we built.” Sebastián Beccacece
As was Tuchel. Ahead of England’s trip to Mexico City for the round of 16, a fixture set to kick off at 1 a.m. U.K. time, the Three Lions manager pleaded to the parents of the nation:
“Write an excuse for school and let them watch football. They have so much school to go to, but the World Cup is every four years. Let them watch, there will be a big, big match in four days and we need the support of everyone and especially of the children.” Thomas Tuchel
It wasn’t all sunshine and light. This was a tournament which retired several stars, including Neymar Jr., who played his last game for Brazil in the same stadium he made his debut:
“I tried, I tried. Now it’s over. I started here, I finished here.” Neymar Jr.
Erling Haaland helped finish Neymar and Brazil, not that he could quite believe it:
“It still doesn’t feel real, I could never think of this happening.” Erling Haaland
Rodri was more connect to his sense of destiny. Less than two years after tearing his ACL, Spain’s world champion was crowned the player of the tournament:
“I just want the new generations to see my example as an opportunity. When you go down, you can rise again. This is my philosophy for my entire life.” Rodri
