Last week I wrote “Lionel Messi Is Impossible,” an article that explored how play-by-play data sheds light on the Argentina forward’s skills, style and value (spoiler: he’s good). Many readers asked if I could do a similar analysis comparing Messi with all-time greats, particularly Argentine legend Diego Maradona (who played on the winning 1986 World Cup side) and […]
Last week I wrote “Lionel Messi Is Impossible,” an article that explored how play-by-play data sheds light on the Argentina forward’s skills, style and value (spoiler: he’s good). Many readers asked if I could do a similar analysis comparing Messi with all-time greats, particularly Argentine legend Diego Maradona (who played on the winning 1986 World Cup side) and […]
On Tuesday morning, I called the World Cup semifinal between Germany and Brazil a very evenly matched contest. Yeah, about that … In an astonishing 18-minute span during the first half, the Germans opened up a 5-0 lead against a Brazil squad that seemed to have given up without its superstar striker, Neymar, who’d been knocked out of the previous […]
On Tuesday morning, I called the World Cup semifinal between Germany and Brazil a very evenly matched contest. Yeah, about that … In an astonishing 18-minute span during the first half, the Germans opened up a 5-0 lead against a Brazil squad that seemed to have given up without its superstar striker, Neymar, who’d been knocked out of the previous […]
The remaining World Cup semifinalists — Germany, Argentina and the Netherlands — all are titans of men’s soccer. Each ranks among the top seven sides in World Cup match wins, and in the top five in winning percentage among sides with at least four wins. Germany and Argentina each have won at least two Cups. And […]
