(ThyBlackMan.com) I’m sure many of you have been suffering from the post-season NFL blues, as have I. However; I’m also a big soccer nut, and this summer has been packed full of exciting action.
Of course, if you’re not a big soccer fan, there’s always plenty to do in the NFL off-season. The draft comes around; there are new players to research and prospects to be watched. You can even take matters into your own hands and buy some football uniforms, jerseys, and pants for your amateur football team! Still, the NFL season doesn’t kick off for a while, and I’ve found soccer to be the perfect remedy.
Here are a few highlights that I have personally picked out.
Messi’s Heartbreak
Some say Lionel Messi is the best soccer player in the world. He’s done practically everything, winning championships left and rig
ht for his club Barcelona. He’s a magician on the ball, doing things that no other player has ever been able to do. However, like many other stars of the soccer scene, major international tournaments have always eluded him. This year, it seemed like it was all going to fall into place. After making it to the final of Copa America 2016, Argentina faced a roadblock against Chile. It went to a penalty shoot-out, and as has happened so many times before, Argentina lost. Messi promptly quit the international team, emotionally wounded from the experience.
Cristiano’s Destiny
What a story this is! Portugal barely qualified from the group stages of Euro 2016, coming back from the dead multiple times. They squeezed through the knockout stages of the tournament, somehow making it to the final against France; the hosts of Euro 2016. Shortly into the final, star man, Cristiano Ronaldo was forced off the field due to an injury. He was devastated and so was every other Portuguese fan across the world. However, Portugal held off France for over 100 minutes, sinking the winning goal deep into extra time. Cristiano wept tears of joy at the final whistle along with his teammates, making for an incredible end to the tournament.
Iceland, Wales & Chile’s Resilience
Everyone loves an underdog, and that’s what we got at multiple times throughout the summer. Firstly, we’ll start with Iceland. A tiny nation packed with inexperienced players was never expected to do well at Euro 2016. Instead, they qualified from their group and then dispatched England in the first knockout stage. It was a massive blow for England, but an incredible feat for Iceland, unlike anything they’d seen before. Wales had a similar path, although they made it all the way to the semi-final, beating the mighty Belgium in the process. Gareth Bale wasn’t enough to take Wales all the way to the final, though, losing to Portugal en-route. Finally, a special mention has to go to Chile. No, they’re not much of an underdog anymore, but they weren’t expected to beat Argentina. To win a major tournament is an incredible achievement for them, and they deserve the plaudits.
Staff Writer; Michael Ward