Messi, Haaland; Lewandowski… the big names in football have nominated their favorites for the World Cup

Messi:Brazil, France and England a little above»

“Whenever we talk about the candidates (for the title), we talk about the same teams. If I had to put some above the others, I think Brazil, France and England are a bit more than the otherssaid Lionel Messi in an interview published on Monday by the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol). “But the World Cup is so difficult and so complicated that anything can happen“, he nuanced.

Hailand: “Brazil, Argentina, France and possibly England»

For Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who will watch the World Cup on television due to the lack of qualification from Norway, “the favorites should be Brazil, Argentina, France and possibly England“. “I can’t single out one, because there are many great teams.»

Lewandowski: “Messi’s Argentina is one of the favourites»

“Messi’s Argentina are one of the favorites to win the World Cup“Robert Lewandowski launched in a recent interview with the Spanish daily Marca. They have not lost in around thirty matches, they are playing well and you can see they are a good team. They have a game plan, which they all apply together. But for the Polish star of FC Barcelona, ​​​​​​​​Germany and Spain could also be good.I believe that the Spanish, even though they have many young players, remain among the favorites to win the World Cup. They can reach the semi-finals or the final: they have been playing well for two years and they have potential.»

As for German coach Hansi Flick, whom he knew at Bayern Munich, “he is an incredible coach and with him the Germans can do great things in this World Cup.»

Desailly: “If France can break the negative spiral…»

For former French defender Marcel Desailly, 1998 world champion, the defending French team maintains its chances of retaining the trophy. “If he breaks the negative spiral, he’s obviously one of the favorites. Brazil, which plays more on an individual note than collectively, will be very strong. Argentina too. No South American team has won since 2002. They want revenge. The English is perhaps a little too soft. The Netherlands and Spain form a great game. There are some very solid teams. But France remains the favorite“, he said in a recent interview with AFP.

coffee: “The perfect moment for Brazil»

Cafu, captain of world champion Brazil in 2002, hopes to see the South American nations rediscover the planet after two decades of European supremacy. “The World Cup in Qatar is a great opportunity to break European dominance“, he told AFP. “Now is the perfect time for Brazil to break the curse and win the title. Argentina and Seleção are the two favorites. On the one hand, Brazil is coming off a very good season with a great performance, on the other hand, Argentina also has a very good team.

Buffon: Argentina and Brazil,”Too strong»

“Argentina and Brazil, I see them too strong”Italian international goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon told AFP. “Individually, France seems to me to be the only European nation that can compete, but as a team I don’t know… France, a bit like Italy, sometimes gets lost and doesn’t get the results it wants. And maybe Belgium, because I like Courtois a lot“, explained the 2006 world champion.

Here it is: “Cameroon will win the final»

Former striker Samuel Eto’o, who became president of the Cameroonian Federation, predicts a 100% African final… while African countries have never done better than the quarter-finals in the World Cup. “ Cameroon will win the 2022 World Cup final against Morocco“Eto’o launched with his usual aplomb, in an interview broadcast by the organizers. “Over the years, African teams have gained more and more experience, and I think they are ready not only to participate in a World Cup, but also to win this competition.”