World Cup — what really counts?
When obvious meets sublime
The World Cup is a festival of football but also offers ample avenues for mental acrobatics are also available on the sidelines. With this in mind, I look at the question of what really counts in a World Cup.
What counts
After the enthralling draw between Spain and Portugal, the next free to air game being telecast here in New Zealand was Peru vs Denmark. It was shown live at 6am on Sunday. I was not going to wake up for it. Plus it was the first round of the group stages where draws are par for the course.
Data : factual information used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation
The game turned out to be quite interesting actually.
Peru had more possession, more shots, more shots on target and lesser fouls. If someone was just given this information, one would believe that Peru was likely to win. Denmark won 1–0 by taking the one chance that truly came their way.
So while all the lead metrics were in Peru’s favor, the key lag metric, final score, was not. They can gain some encouragement from these positive underlying stats, but these are intangible credits at best. A bit like getting higher vote share but losing the election.
Victory is absolute.
Competitions are about victory. Otherwise, there is no need for them. Denmark have 3 points. Peru are yet to trouble the scoreboard.
Knowledge: the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association
What matters
Talking about the goal scored statistic, who would have thought that a saved goal would emerge as the biggest talking point. When the Icelandic keeper saved a penalty from the legendary Lionel Messi, that became the talking point of the game, and indeed Argentina’s start at the World Cup. Small matter that two other people scored to keep the result 1–1.
Scoring a goal in a World Cup is more special than scoring a goal anywhere and anytime else. But what happens when a famous save outshines a goal? How do we quantify that?
- What is the value of a keeper from a small nation, saving a penalty from a legend?
- And what if that save is important in drawing the game, in a contest where probably even a narrow defeat would have counted as victory of sorts?
Victory is relative.
For many nations, even making the World Cup is a victory. Being there is what matters. For many players, sharing the pitch with their legendary compatriots is validation of a career. For some teams anything less than a semi-final is “defeat”. While other teams can achieve their game objectives yet lose out on popular opinion (for poor style, diving, cheating, sportsmanship etc.).
True victory is complex. It involves achieving a winning result in style and with sportsmanship. Only the rarest exponents of the game have come close to that. True victory is an asymptotic quest.
Wisdom: ability to discern inner qualities and relationships
What really matters
The World Cup is a peculiar stage. It offers the grandest prize to the winner but at the same time allows many definitions of victory and success to emerge.
Indeed, in many cases, the losing team has retained the best association with a tournament. The great Dutch side of 1974 being a prime example. Equally, forgettable finals have also cast the shadows on wining teams’ credentials.
I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self — Aristotle
As this World Cup and previous editions have shown, what really matters in a World Cup is surpassing oneself. Individuals and teams who have surpassed themselves at this grandest stage have been remembered with fondness, and immortalized even, regardless of the end numerical result.
Simplistic definitions of victory are important for the record books. Richer, more complex definitions are for the ages to savor.
