Last year, both played for their new teams on an international stage for the first time. Gonzalo Peillat was 26 and Menini was just one year older when the last World Cup took place; both missed out on the possible three most fruitful years of their sporting careers.
In the last seconds of the Hockey World Cup quarterfinals versus England four years ago in Bhubaneswar, Gonzalo took a last-ditch shot from close to the halfway line. At the time, his team was down 2-3.
The English goalkeeper’s desperate outstretched foot prevented him from scoring a hat-trick and forcing a shootout after the thunderbolt from the drag flick specialist deflected. At the time, Peillat was the Olympic champion. The ball bobbled to safety just as the last siren sounded.
That long-range shot would be Peillat’s last action with Argentina, though he was unaware of it at the time. A few weeks later, Peillat, who had 176 goals in 153 international matches, would be kicked off the Argentina team due to a contentious team quarrel.
One of the key figures in Argentina’s historic victory at the Rio Games and one of the finest players to ever don the blue and white jersey, the top goal scorer at the 2016 Olympics was also one of the games’ key players. However, he would miss the next three years of the world hockey championships.
Peillat and Menini’s background
Image of Joaquin Menini from Wikipedia.
Peillat’s international career for Argentina came to an end after the 2018 Hockey World Cup, but he wasn’t the only member of that Olympic gold-winning team.
Joaquin Menini, an Argentine striker, also participated in his final of 110 matches for his country against England in Bhubaneswar. Menini also took three years off from playing hockey internationally.
Peillat and Menini are currently back in Odisha, where they will both be playing in the 2023 World Cup, four years after leaving. The colors of Argentina won’t be on them. While Menini is a member of the Spanish team, Peillat is currently representing Germany in competition.
Peillat and Menini are the first Olympic winners to do so, and it’s uncommon for hockey players to change their nationality internationally.
Mink van der Weerden, a former defender for the Netherlands, competed in 191 international games and scored 100 goals.
In 2010 at the ABN AMRO FIH Champions Trophy, when he also made his senior international debut against Spain, he led the competition in goals scored. The drag-flicker progressed up the ranks and became an essential element of the team setup.
At the 2014 Men’s World Cup in Hague, The Netherlands, where his team came in second and lost to Australia in the Final, Mink represented his nation.
His team once again won the Silver medal at the 2018 Men’s World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India, losing to Belgium in the Final, and he again played a significant role in that tournament.
Van der Weerden’s favorite World Cup memories, despite the fact that he was unable to win the Gold medal for the second time in a row, were from the 2018 tournament when he played India in the Quarterfinal.
“For us, the event was a huge success. The setting as a whole was amazing. Being able to play India in the quarterfinals was awesome. It was quite noisy outside. They were the most unique conditions I’ve ever experienced while playing a game “Mink van der Weerden was quoted as saying by Hockey India.
The ex-international for the Netherlands also recounted the memorable moment when he scored India’s second goal from a penalty corner to set up a dramatic victory for his team.
“When playing India in the 2018 quarterfinal, a particular moment stood out for me. When we scored our second goal to go ahead, that was the turning point “In his memory.
“On that particular day, there was a sizable crowd, and the home crowd was raucously supporting India. However, everyone abruptly became silent as soon as we scored. It was a very peculiar time.
“In terms of outcomes, it was incredibly wonderful for us. A particularly memorable occasion for me was when I was performing in such a large stadium and everyone suddenly became silent “said van der Weerden.
The next match was another exciting one that ended in shootouts, with the Netherlands defeating Australia to advance to the Semifinal.
Another memorable moment for me occurred during that same World Cup when we defeated Australia in the penalty shootout, according to van der Weerden. ”
For The Netherlands, a third try might prove lucky, according to van der Weerden.
Mink van der Weerden, who declared his retirement from international competition following the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Voiced optimism that the Netherlands can win the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, which will get underway on January 13th, 2023.
The 16 teams competing in the tournament are Wales, South Africa, Japan, Germany, India, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, England, France, Korea, Malaysia, Spain, South Africa, Argentina, and Argentina.
January 13 will mark the start of the 15th FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup. For the second consecutive year, the quadrennial event will take place in the state of Odisha. Hosts This time around, India is one of the teams with the best chances of taking home the prized Cup.
Field hockey has a storied history with the Indian men’s hockey squad. Eight gold medals from the Olympics have been won by Team India. The 1975 Kuala Lumpur World Cup final saw India defeat Pakistan to claim its lone World Cup victory.
India’s 48-year quest for a World Cup title may come to an end this year thanks to Harmanpreet Singh and company. Leading up to the World Cup, the team has achieved outstanding results.
India earned the silver medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Harmanpreet Singh’s direction of the team has resulted in its playing as a cohesive one. Let’s look at India’s games and the full World Cup schedule as we approach the tournament’s opening match between Argentina and South Africa.
The renowned BP Govinda, who won the Silver Medal at the World Cup held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 1973 and the Gold Medal at the World Cup held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1975, shares his experiences of both events.
The FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Hockey World Cup Bhubaneswar-Rourkela 2023 is less than 100 days away, and the excitement to see the best hockey players in the world compete in one of the world’s most popular hockey destinations, Odisha, is only growing with each passing day.
It’s time for hockey fans to relive the memories from India’s historic World Cup campaigns with Hockey India’s Flashback Series – World Cup Special as the Indian team works to overcome its medal drought in the coveted competition.
You may read ideas, tales, and trivia from Indian hockey legends who once conquered the world with their skill and flair in this series of pieces from Hockey India that are published in the run-up to the major tournament in Odisha.
With the victory over Pakistan in the Semi-Final, BP Govinda, one of the most important components of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team’s 1973 and 1975 World Cup systems, guaranteed a spot in the Final in Amsterdam. It was one of the best games of the former forward’s illustrious career, according to the former forward, who played forward.
“One of my favorite games in my life was the semifinal against Pakistan. I scored the game-winning goal to give us a one-goal victory. I reverse-flipped the ball, and because the goalkeeper wasn’t paying attention, it went and struck the roof of the net. My teammates, as well as the media, everyone agreed that it was one of the best goals ever,” Govinda remembered.
When we played hockey against Pakistan and India, the stadiums were packed with fans.
Govinda’s remarks
Govinda, whose trendy long hair made him unmistakable on the playing field, stated that the Indian Men’s Hockey Team thought that performing as a team will always produce results. “No matter how great the opposing squad may be, our team has always felt that everything is possible if we play as a unit. I always played to win, whether it was a competition or a practice game.”
Speaking about his friendship with MP Ganesh, the team captain from 1973, the former forward remarked, “He was a very straightforward captain who would tell the team to follow the game plan. He would encourage everyone to give it their all in order to win every game without criticizing anyone. He once served as the players’ guide.”
It Will Not Be Simple to Beat the Indian Men’s Hockey Team
Govinda, a former national selector, expressed his admiration for the Indian Men’s Hockey Team and highlighted that they wouldn’t be an easy opponent at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup in 2023 in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. Along with Wales, Spain, and England, India was placed in Group D.
“The present Indian Men’s Hockey Team is quite physically fit, in my opinion. Additionally, I believe that our forward line is performing well, and the attackers have made significant progress as well. It was encouraging to see the team make more field goals.”
“I believe the Indian Men’s Hockey Team won’t be an easy opponent in the next FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. They will put up a good fight against every great team competing in the World Cup,” Govinda stated.
The football fans are fixated on who is the greatest of all time in the soccer arena with the duel between Cristiano Ronald and Lionel Messi entering its last global phase, perhaps.
Nonetheless, Ronaldo and Messi are the only two popular and talented players in our era who have never won the World Cup.
While it is true that Portugal is not a large team with many talented players that can easily claim the title of World Cup winner, the same cannot be said for Argentina, a country that has produced two World Cup victories so far.
Argentina has reached the World Cup final on four occasions. It was defeated by the Uruguay national team way back in 1930, which is the inaugural World Cup competition.
However, Argentina produced excellent football in the competition winning by big scores and establishing Guillermo Stábile, an Argentine professional football player and manager who played as a centre forward during his career, as the top scorer of the 1930 World Cup, scoring 8 goals including a hattrick.
Alas, it lost the final against the gritty Uruguayans with the match ending in a 4-2 win for Uruguay.
Argentina was also defeated in two other finals, in 1990 and 2014, against Germany and the latter went on to win those two finals by 1-0. In 1990, it was the last appearance for maestro Diego Maradona.
But Messi’s country produced two great final victories against the Netherlands in 1974, winning 3-1 in a display of magical soccer between the two opponents (Netherlands had the father of modern football Johan Cryuiff in its squad) and beating Germany in a thrilling 3-2 final giving Maradona his only World Cup final win.
While Messi lost in the first ever final in which he participated in 2014, Ronaldo’s Portugal never reached the final though the troubled Manchester United superstar has played in 4 World Cups since 2006.
Who Will Smile at the 2022 World Cup?
We wrote that Ronaldo is a player who sets precedence and sets the tone for styles and goal scoring prowesses. This is so true for the great player and he is also the first to win a ‘regional’ trophy with his country when Portugal won its first ever Euro Championship in 2016, beating France 1-0 in the final after extra time.
It was Ronaldo’s most important national trophy, leaving the World Cup as the only major international trophy he has yet to win.
The star is going through the most turbulent and disturbing period in his football career and his coach at Manchester United is not helping the player with his dictatorial style and his bullying of one of the greatest soccer stars of all time.
This is not going to help Ronaldo in Portugal’s search for a place in the final at Qatar though we know that the latter cna rise to the occasion if he can put all his woes behind him and focus on the football on the field.
A great performance by Ronald at the World Cup will make Eric Ten Hag look like a fool. But Ronaldo is going through pain and this may, unfortunately for his fans and for football, Ten Hag is contributing to a potentially bad World Cup for the latter.
Ten Hag has- sadly – never played in any World Cup and is already seen as a troubled coach at Man Utd. The 6-3 defeat against Manchester City and the 4-0 drubbing against Brentford are two big dark spots in his managerial career at Old Trafford. Another misstep with a drubbing by a small club or a big one for that matter may mean Ten Hag could see the gate wide open for him to be excluded from the club.
Why sadly? He does not know how precarious it is to be a player who is going to play in a World Cup. If he knew, he would have been more careful in his choices with Ronaldo.
Nevertheless, Lionel Messi is not facing such worries and the Argentinian ace is in the running as one of the top rated players who may perform well in Qatar.
Messi has announced that this may be his last call for Argentina in the World Cup and that he may retire as an international soccer player, meaning he might not play for his country again after Qatar 2022.
Ronaldo has responded to Messi’s plans for retirement from international football by saying he hopes Messi would reconsider and would continue to play as long as he can because he believes the latter is a great player with great capacities.
This is how Ronaldo is. He encourages his opponents to carry on and to perform in order to bring brightness to the most beautiful game on the planet. Unlike some people.
Messi’s World Cup?
Among all the stars in Qatar, Messi will undoubtedly be looked upon as one of the greatest and he will become the greatest versus Ronaldo if Argentina reaches the final and wins.
Messi too started his World Cup appearances in 2006. Unfortunately, like Ronaldo, he has been putting more emphasis on clus football – which brings them more cash – than national football.
Unlike people like Pele for example, who played for their country with the same grit and enthusiasm when they played for their clubs – Pele won many club titles and World Cup finals at the same time – it does not appear the same for the modern ‘Peles’.
However, Messi has a chance now and if he forgets club soccer for a while, perhaps he may spark a riot at the World Cup and bring the trophy home to Buenos Aires and consecrate himself as the GOAT of our generation.
Messi has scored six goals in 19 matches at the Fifa World Cup spanning four editions. Argentina is a bigger soccer country than Portugal, though Portugal has also produced aces like Ronaldo and the once thrilling Eusebio whose team beat Pele’s in the 1966 World Cup.
Ronaldo has scored seven goals in 17 matches at the FIFA World Cup, scoring in every edition he has played in – 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018.
While Ronaldo has advised Messi to continue playing in the World Cup or at International level for a few more years, this year may be his last World Cup.
But depending on his spirit and where he is playing after he leaves Manchester United – unless Ten Hag is kicked out of Old Trafford earlier than January 2023 – Ronaldo may still attempt to give Portugal another shot at the World Cup in 2026! Imagine that.
Nevertheless, it is a pity that none of them have lifted the World Cup trophy, just like the legendary Cryuff who re-invented football with his total soccer styles, reached the final in 1974 and lost to Germany by 2-1.
Cryuff missed the World Cup in 1978 which saw the Netherlands reach the final only to be defeated by host Argentina by 3-1. He did not participate in the World Cup for obscure reasons but in 2008 he revealed why he did not play for the country in 1978.
He told the media that there was a kidnapping attempt on him and his family and that shocked him and while he escaped the attempt, it changed his perspective on life.
Hence, Messi is the best placed in the Qatar 2022 versus Ronaldo who is going through a difficult time, to go and win the cup for once!
YOU can simply scream yourheads off for Lionel Messi.
For the Argentinian super-striker, it’s more than a dream come true.
He’s now the youngest (18 years 357 days against Serbia & Montenegro in 2006) and the oldest (35 years 155 days against Mexico)player to score and assist in a single World Cup since 1966. Little wonder, he was voted the best player in Qatar.
Former Malaysia Cup defender Matthew Chin hails Messi as “someone close to impossible to match”. He added: My generation can’t compare him to (Diego) Maradona because Messi is simply extraordinary.”
THIRD TRIUMPH
Sunday was Argentina’s third World Cup triumph and the first since Mardona won it for them 36 years ago in 1986 in Mexico. After nearly a month of action filled with exemplary surprises and stunners across 64 games, 172 goals and the dramatic final completed, you just shake your head in disbelief. Just look at the statistics:
Golden Boot Winner 2022: Kylian Mbappe (France) – 8 goals in 7 matches; Golden Ball Winner 2022 (Player of the Tournament): Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 7 goals and 3 assists in 7 matches; Golden Glove Winner 2022: Emiliano Martinez (Argentina); FIFA Young Player Award: Enzo Fernandes (Argentina) FIFA Fairplay Award: England.
Total Goals Scored: 172 Fastest Goal of Qatar 2022: 2nd Minute – Alphonso Davies for Canada vs Croatia; Most Goals Scored: France (16 goals) in 7 matches; Least Goals Scored: Belgium, Denmark, Qatar, Tunisia, Wales (1 goal); Best Defence: Tunisia (1 goal conceded) in 3 matches; Worst Defence: Costa Rica (11 goals conceded) in 3 matches; Hattricks: 2 – Goncalo Ramos (Portugal) vs Switzerland, Kylian Mbappe (France) vs Argentina.
May I significantlly add congratulations to Qatar, having hosted the world’s first desert-terrained World Cup, something thought unimaginable, by football standards.
Sunday’s final between France and Argentina was genuinely a showpiece. In my opinion, in probably the wildest final in the tournament’s 92-year history, Argentina won its third World Cup title by beating France 4-2 in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw.
MESSI & MBAPPE
It featuredtwo goals from the 35-year-old Messi and an unusualhattrick by his 23-year-old heir apparent, France striker Kylian Mbappé.
“It’s a very special final for a special occasion for Qatar which had brickbats thrown at them right from the day they first won the World Cup bid,” said award-winning former Singapore coachJita Singh, 74, who spent more than a month in Doha.
“Qatar has truly proved its critics wrong. A small state that is capable of successfully organising the world’s biggest sporting event, after umpteen setbacks on and off the field. Just unbelievable.”
Hats off to Qatar, having hosted the world’s first desert-terrained World Cup, something thought unimaginable, by football standards.
* Suresh Nair is an award-winning sports journalist who is also a qualified international coach and international referee instructor.
