Can any football fans answer a question please? (World Cup)

[RevengeOfTheDirtyLaundry]

My question is - why did no one seem particularly bothered about the World Cup 3rd place play-off last night, or the fact England won it (in some style, it seems)?

I haven't watched any of the World Cup and don't watch any other football, so I can't really see this from a fan's perspective. I get that there was huge disappointment about not reaching the Final, but surely 3rd place is a really good result.

3rd out of 48 teams - that's brilliant - people should be celebrating! Well done England, anyway.

Exactly. Does anyone think Cape Verde’s participation was pointless just because they didn’t win the tournament?

Yeah but it's made up and insignificant. Participation trophy.

Well, yes, if they hadn’t have won last nights game they wouldn’t have won that.

Because it’s just not taken that seriously. The main focus is the final, and rightly so.
Last night was great entertainment but there was no edge. Both teams put on players not used yet - like Saka - to be fair both Mbappe and Bellingham were having a go still, and both scored.
It had the air of a testimonial, hence the high scoring. Lovely, but not under the same pressure of the real competition.
Football is absolutely ruthless and finishing third might be our ‘best’ result since 1966, but it’s not that important.
We have a great team with some fantastic players, as does France. But we are both out because we got outplayed in the semis.
I can remember when we celebrated just getting to the World Cup Finals at all. Getting to the semis in 1990 was like a miracle.
Then we had a fantastic generation of players like Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, Owen etc who were all world class but as a team something didn’t gel. They’ve since discussed that the team lacked identity - they sat in their League team corners.
Southgate changed that and I think Tuchel has built on it. I hope he stays. He’s made a few errors and left out some big names but given us a great match in Mexico.
I think counting the years since the last big win doesn’t help.
When I watched Argentina the other night I thought they had more of a brotherhood spirit. It’s like they’d just stepped off the street for a scrap. And ended with a certain flag….
But Spain are in form and for so many reasons, I hope they win.
I never want to hear Wonderwall again but it beats Sweet Caroline.
On to the Euros next which is what we really need to win first.
By the way I am available for punditry but I’m getting on a bit in age so I very much doubt Sky will be on to me to get me in talks.
Here’s to the hope killing us, every time.
Until it doesn’t and we actually win. In my lifetime? You never know…

France won $27m for losing the match, so we only got an extra $2m for winning. The losing quarter finalists got $19m.

Half the money goes to the FA, and half is shared between the players and team staff.

or maybe you could try engaging your brain.

The golden boot is a prestigious award for the player that scores the most goals throughout the tournament where all the games are hugely competitive and the best players are picked and they will strain every sinew for their country.

Every game that is except the third place play off where the managers have both said they'd rather not play it.
Because they're forced to play it, obviously with financial inducement, they just use it to give a game to those players who haven't yet played or not played much. Effectively it's a glorified friendly.
So Mbappes goals in a friendly are being given the same weight as any goal Messi gets tonight which is ludicrous.

Both teams put on players not used yet - like Saka

Who scored a hat trick for which he will be remembered forever and will have given his reputation as a player a real boost. Do you think he thinks it was pointless?

Errm football is a sport in the Olympics – and the team is GB and NI.

You can't really compare tho. We really really wanted to get to the final, to have a chance to win, for the first time since 1966.

If we had, and then we had lost, it would have been so disappointing – even though we would have won the silver medal. There are some comps you just want to win.

And I dispute that we won "in some style". We played some open attacking footy but the French defence was appalling esp in the first half. Neither team had their A team on and yes, Mbappé was just there to try for the Golden Boot. In fact that, and the fact that Bellingham (who is not only a mercurially talented player but seems to be a nice chap) now has scored the most England WC goals, were IMHO the only reasons for the match, entertaining as I guess it was.

And those saying "should Cape Verde have played" – they had a great tournament. They were never going to win but they astonished themselves by getting out of the group stage and showing a few top teams some great play. For sure it was worth Cape Verde playing.

It was worth England playing too – but if all we had done with the quality of our team was three draws in the group stage and out in the first knockout match, that would have been really disappointing.

No. I absolutely love Saka he’s one of my favourite players. I wished he’d been brought on against Argentina when Harry Kane looked worn out. Saka has the ability in front of goal and on the wing.
A hat-trick and a cap are not to be sniffed at. He has the talent to deliver it under huge pressure as well. He’s a brilliant talent and a huge part of his home team’s success.
But he will also know, as a player, that it does not have the same meaning as a hat trick delivered when it’s a high stakes and there is outright jeopardy. The energy last night was different.
At the end of the match the players were embracing and enjoying the moment as the pressure was off.
At just 24 Saka has many years to go. At some point Harry Kane will fall back, although he’s still scoring with ease at club level.
Saka can add his achievement to Geoff Hurst, Gary Lineker and Harry Kane’s and I’m hoping next time around he can do the same at the ultimate high stakes level he has every right to play at.
It is those moments the best players want the opportunity to savour, and he’s the player I’d love to see get it.
And I don’t support Arsenal, but I thought they played magnificently last season. I still hold The Invincibles in such high esteem - watching Thierry play in real life was a privilege, and Wenger to me invented the modern manager in terms of his approach.
Dennis Bergkamp is my favourite Arsenal player of all time. Watching him in the 90’s was sublime.

Why is it made up, it’s being going since World Cup has been played apart from the first time in 1930? It’s part of the World Cup competition

Still England’s second best World Cup performance ever, that does mean something
and what a brilliant game and attitude, cemented Jude Bellingham’s legend, a professional, decent, talented team player

Against Mexico, he delivered a performance for the history books. No matter who wins tonight, that match will stay with me as a standout and he absolutely delivered.
I have really enjoyed the whole tournament even the game countdowns and the hydration breaks. We’ve had the David vs Goliath matches, the Cape Verde goalie, the genius of Messi still being the GOAT at close to 40, the Tartan Army, the Norwegian rowers, it’s has really lifted so many spirits.
I have been up at 6am to watch The Rest is Football, I love the ITV coverage in case their notes get blown off that outside table, Wayne Rooney’s glow-up on the BBC.
When we got to the Semis in 1990 it was like Gazza had won it when he got home, the country went nuts, but we’d been expected to come nowhere so it was a fantastic thing to watch.
I think it’s definitely given the nation a bit of a lift, and loads of new young fans have enjoyed it.
Tonight? I suppose we will have to stomach Trump for a bit but the coverage has been fantastic across so many different cities, speaking to locals, and the scenes in Times Square have been great.

Do you knowledgeable people think England will be able to learn anything from their performance in this World Cup that will help them win the Euro Cup in 2028?

Because it means nothing to the team, their manager and the vast majority of football fans worldwide.

All experience is valuable but when you think 3 out of the last 4 teams here are from Europe. France are still formidable when on form and Spain flattened them.
So yes we could technically win the Euros but we could end up in a final with the World Champions if Spain win tonight.
It is two years away so if Tuchel stays he will be looking at what he got right and wrong and then it depends on who is playing well and who is fit.
I still think Trent should have been in there but I’m not the manager, who had his reasons.
We have some great players coming up through the ranks and in two years Bellingham will be in his prime.
Another lesson: don’t jump over hoardings to get to the crowd.

@BillieWiper I bet it means something to the team now. I’m sure Saka won’t write off his hat trick or if someone got the golden boot. And they didn’t have to meet Trump. Win, win!

@HotHotterHottest That was a rude response to a polite request to explain yourself more clearly.

In terms of my question to you: do you think if the boot was on the other foot, and Argentina were in the bronze medal match, Messi wouldn’t be trying to score and secure the Golden Boot?

Your problem seemed to be that Messi could lose out because of what you think to be a Mickey Mouse game… so I assume
you would expect Messi not to bother with scoring goals if Argentina had been in such a game?

Yeah I'm sure they're pleased and it was good they won. It's just not as meaningful as final!

@BillieWiper we know it isn’t as meaningful as a final, but it does mean something.

From the looks of Messi he’d still be trying to score if you took the game out onto the car park and asked him to play 11 security guards, using jumpers as goalposts.
I do think the pressure is off a bit and so you do see more goals, a bit more creativity. That absolute jeopardy isn’t there.
I thought it was really enjoyable to watch and at the end of the day playing France is always one to watch.
If you’d asked at the start we can finish third, beat France for that space, with Spain vs Argentina as the final I think we’d take that. Of course, the final would have been epic.
We certainly have some fantastic players coming up, I think there is a lot to be proud of.
It has had a feel good factor this tournament that was very much missing in Qatar and the one before that was Russia which seems a lifetime ago.

I really don't care what players are involved.
It's just the principle of it.

The player who has performed best, in this case Messi, is being punished in the golden boot race, for getting Argentina to the final because he will have to face a full strength Spain, desperate to win the match.
If Argentina win the match he probably won't care.

I have absolutely no idea but I most definitely hope that they’ll figure it out for 2028 - because I’m not sure how many WCs I can look forward to after that, given my advanced age.

The same goes for the lovely Larry…….. “there’s always next time” may not work for him for much longer

Yes, they should be proud of themselves, and it was a great game but it is honestly pretty irrelevant as to whether we were 3rd or 4th in the World Cup.

Getting to the semi final was brilliant, and they (and the fans) were mostly content enough with that.

It has been a long season and the new football season will start again shortly. For top flight players to risk a serious injury now in a pointless game is why most people thought it shouldn't be played. No one wants to pick up a pre-season injury at this point when the outcome of the match is pretty meaningless.

Infamous for English people but the rest of the world will only remember who won the final. And if you don’t know who won the last World Cup do you honestly believe anyone outside of England will remember they came third this year?