2023 in their own names

They shone, amazed, resonated. Or they remained in debt. They are the characters that marked the year.

* Messi. June 7 in a newspaper interview Sport and The world of sports, from Barcelona, ​​Leo surprised the soccer world: he announced that he was leaving Europe to settle in the United States and play for Inter Miami, strictly speaking the worst team in MLS. He was convinced by his taste for the city and the quality of life offered by the most Hispanic city in the US. He made his debut on July 21 and in the 94th minute scored a heavenly free kick to give Inter a 2:1 victory over Cruz Azul. This caused an automatic revolution, never seen in football and sports in the northern country. With 12 million viewers, it was the most watched football game in the history of North American television. Everything that followed was cinematic. Full stadiums, record revenues, attractions for the rich and famous. Magazine time He dedicated the cover to him and declared him “athlete of the year”. He forced millions to watch Major League games.

* Cristiano Ronaldo. On January 22, he made his debut for Al Nasr in Saudi Arabia and his decision attracted forty other figures from European clubs. The arrival of the Portuguese and the unknown but strengthened Saudi league were a harpoon for FIFA to decide to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, whose eyes were bloodshot because its almost invisible neighbor Qatar managed to put together a spectacular World Cup that year. Cristiano continued his professionalism and scored 53 goals in 2023, between club and national team. Turning 39 is a real miracle.

*Haaland. In his first season in England, Android won the treble with Manchester City: League, Cup and Champions League, scoring a staggering 52 goals in 53 games. And, as a tip, 9 assists. A goal machine, in every way. This can earn him the FIFA The Best 2023 award on January 15. He is the main candidate. However, criticism began on his account “because he does not appear in decisive matches or in the classics”. True, in key moments his goals did not arrive, although this may be a coincidence, if there is something that Haaland does not have, it is fear. Where he was not good was with his national team. Norway did not qualify for the World Cup in Qatar (there were 13 Europeans), and now it has been eliminated from the next European Championship (24 national teams). Norway is not a power, but neither Andorra nor Malta. A true superstar puts his team among the 24 best in Europe. And he is not alone, he is followed by two important values ​​such as Odegaard (Arsenal) and Sorloth (Villarreal).

* Bellingham. The best signing of the European summer. It cost 103 million euros plus 29 in the variable, but no one talks about its price anymore, what happens with good-good. They didn’t list him in the scorers, but he has 17 goals in 21 games (0.81 average). In Borussia Dortmund, he scored 24 in 132 games (0.18). This reflects two themes: 1) he has grown as a player, 2) they have found a position for him. He has technique, skill, incredible speed, weapon play and definition. Complete. All at just 20 years old. It could be the star of the next decade, Mbappé’s solar eclipse (another one). Real Madrid, that promotion machine, is overdoing its classic “best in the world” label. Not yet, but it has everything to be soon. Another outstanding reinforcement of the Madrid club, as always, the one who buys the best.

* Guardiola. It’s funny, he still has his detractors. They are so cute… In his 14 seasons in the first division, he won 37 titles, including eleven leagues in Spain, Germany and England. It is no longer extraordinary, it is unusual. He is the only coach whose statistics speak the other way around: he was not champion three times. But titles are an insignificant part of Pep: the game is the tip of his iceberg. He imposes himself by driving his rivals crazy. “Why doesn’t he win the Champions League without Messi…?”, they shouted. There is: cup, league and champion with City. Their crowning achievement, the first leg of the semi-final with Madrid: 4 to 0 with Show from the ball. “Of course, because it has all the stars…” they bark. No stars, good or very good material. It’s a question of style. The best coach in the history of this sport.

* Spout. Prominent scorer and champion of the Libertadores. Strong, brave, timely, direct. He never stops the ball, always hits it as it arrives and surprises the goalkeepers. A great candidate to win the Footballer of America 2023 award given by the newspaper Earth, from Montevideo. His case is very strange: after successive failures in Lanús, Chacarita and Colón, he became a formidable shooter in Colombia. And now he has matured (he turns 36 on January 2) he has found complete sanctification in the difficult Brazilian football. He scored 43 goals in two seasons at Vasco Da Gama and has 84 in two more at Fluminense. Impressive is an understatement. And he is fit, looks great physically.

* Bielsa. If any device could measure happiness, Uruguay would be the happiest country in the Americas today. The football technical director has a lot to do with it: Marcelo Bielsa. Just as Newell’s Stadium bears his name, as the indelible memory he left in Chile, as Leeds has two gigantic murals with his likeness, and the emotions he evokes in all the countries where he directs, it would not be strange if one day in Montevideo to dedicate a bust to him. This is what wakes up Rosario. The Uruguayan coaches, so attached to a fast and relaxed game, were upset when the federation hired Bielsa, a kind of Antichrist: attacking, foreign and, on top of that, Argentine, something unbearable. He Chengue Morales closed the gap with brutal honesty: “Bielsa shut us all up.” He assembled a young, fresh team that fights and attacks non-stop. They beat Brazil and Argentina. He made the whole nation happy.

* Julián Álvarez. He is a talisman: wherever he goes, he appears as the champion of everything. In Rivera, in Argentina, in Manchester City. At the age of 23, he already needs a large showcase in his house. He has won 15 titles, including Libertadores, Champions, Copa América, World Cup, Premier, Argentine Championship… And he is developing in every game. I was a boy in Rivera and I went to the bank. He came in and demonstrated. Scored six goals against Alianza Lima in one night for the Cup, came into the national team as player number 26, started getting minutes and finished as a starter and scored 4 goals in Qatar. He came to City as if for a long time, and immediately started scoring goals and assists. He is already the undisputed starter with Guardiola and takes corners and free kicks, he has refined shots, he is physical, he puts pressure on the entire opposing team, he creates play…

* Moisés Caicedo. He became famous for the record price of his pass: 146 million dollars. Crazy figure for a branded midfielder who also doesn’t get into space. No kick and no head. He has 20 games, 0 goals and 0 assists for Chelsea. “Way overrated,” says the English press. A strong player, without play creation, who constantly sends the ball back or to the side at a short distance. It does not transcend. He even chose the wrong club: Liverpool made a bid for him, he paid the nonsense that Brighton demanded, but Caicedo refused. Liverpool is at the top of the Premier League, Chelsea is in the middle of the table without any chance. Your bad. (OR)