It’s a European Cup!

There’s no South American team left in the World Cup. The four semifinalists are all from Europe and the cup, which came to the continent with Italy’s 2006 win, will remain somewhere in Europe. Fivetime winner Brazil was eliminated by the sheer strength of Belgian footballers, while 2014 finalist Argentina was brushed aside by French power. Does this mean Europe has more to offer than the talent, technique and training that go into the making of great international soccer players? The point to ponder is whether the European teams’ discipline and will to win are greater. It’s a bit like the old argument about the dribbling skills of Indian hockey players as opposed to their inability to score goals that make all the difference between victory and defeat in extremely competitive modern sport.

It’s not as if European players are any less talented. The point is by being more inclusive in assimilating the skills of immigrants, European nations are nearer the ideal that takes them far beyond the ancient racial stereotypes. Take the case of Romelu Lukaku. The very poetry of his semi-circular movement and his forward pass to Kevin De Bruyne oozed with natural talent. And De Bruyne’s fantastic drive on the run to shoot from a distance represented the class of finishing power. This second goal helped put Belgium beyond Brazil’s reach, and eliminated the last of the pride of South American soccer. International training methods have been standardised to a point they are indistinguishable. Also, are the European coaches’ strategies superior, or do Latinos fail only due to their inability to find the net when it matters most, like in nervy penalty shootouts?