The 2022 World Cup final will go down as one of the most exciting, dramatic and memorable matches in the history of the game.
It was the site of Lionel Messi’s greatest moment on a soccer field, when he cemented his legacy as the best player of his generation after finally leading Argentina to World Cup glory.
It was, for many, the perfect fairytale ending to a tournament that enthralled over a billion fans worldwide. Perhaps it was so good that many people forgot it bookended the most contentious World Cup in history.
Back at the start of the tournament, the talk was all about issues off the field, from workers’ rights to the treatment of the LGBTQ+ community.
Just hours before the opening match, FIFA President Gianni Infantino launched into a near hour-long tirade to hundreds of journalists at a press conference in Doha, where he accused Western critics of hypocrisy and racism.
“Reform and change takes time. In our European countries, it took hundreds of years. It takes time everywhere, and the only way to get results is to engage […] rather than shout,” Infantino explained.
At one point, the FIFA president challenged the room of journalists, stressing FIFA will protect the legacy for migrant workers that it set out with the Qatar authorities.
“I will be back, we will be here to check, do not worry, because you will be gone,” he said.
So, a year after the World Cup final, what is the legacy of the 2022 World Cup?
