- Soccer’s biggest tournament kicks off Thursday, featuring beloved heroes and polarizing villains.
- Lionel Messi seeks a “Hollywood ending” in his likely last World Cup; Christian Pulisic leads Team USA.
- Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, remains polarizing; FIFA boss Gianni Infantino quashed his ban.
Soccer’s biggest tournament kicks off Thursday. On the pitch will be players the world loves and players the world loves to hate. Read on to see who we’ll be cheering and jeering for.
HEROES
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Messi didn’t just lead his team to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He ended the GOAT debate once and for all and left rival Cristian Ronaldo in the dust.
“His legacy as the greatest player of all time was probably secure before that final — but after it, any debate was put to bed,” soccer expert Paul Tenorio told The Post.
Messi will turn 39 during this year’s World Cup, and it’s expected to be his last dance. Fittingly, it’ll come in the country he’s called home since joining Inter Miami in 2023. Winning the Greatest Show on Earth another time would be the perfect Hollywood ending.
Christian Pulisic (USA)
He’s not officially the captain of the US Men’s National Team (USMNT) — that title belongs to Tyler Adams — but the 27-year-old has long been known as “Captain America” for his superhuman heroics on the pitch.
Even USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino has called him “the most important player” in the squad.
The Pennsylvania native has starred for some of Europe’s biggest clubs, winning the Champions League with Chelsea before joining Italian powerhouse AC Milan.
For the USMNT, though, Pulisic is everything — creator, leader and superstar talisman. America’s hopes of a deep run will rest heavily on his shoulders.
Kylian Mbappé (France)
Hailing from north-east Paris, Mbappé has got it all — superstar confidence bordering on arrogance, dazzling speed and spectacular technique. It already feels like he’s the event’s leading man. He’s exciting and decisive on the pitch, delivering huge moments.
At the age of 27, Mbappe has already played in two World Cup Finals, winning one in 2018 and losing another four years ago despite scoring a hat-trick in the Final against Argentina. He needs just five more goals to become the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup Finals.
Alphonso Davies (Canada)
Davies was born in a refugee camp in Ghana to Liberian parents fleeing civil war, and his family eventually settled in Canada, where he found refuge in soccer.
Playing on frozen pitches and local community fields, Davies quickly showed extraordinary speed and talent and, at just 15, he made his professional debut for the Vancouver Whitecaps, becoming one of the youngest ever players in MLS history.
His rise continued with a blockbuster move to Bayern Munich, where he developed into one of the world’s best defenders and won the Champions League, Europe’s biggest club competition. Today, Davies is celebrated as both a football star and symbol of perseverance.
“The journey,” he reflected recently, “has been long.”
Lamine Yamal (Spain)
At just 18, he already plays like a seasoned star — waltzing past defenders, creating chances galore, and influencing big games for both Barca and Spain.
Until recently, there had been concerns about his fitness with a hamstring injury sustained late in the Spanish La Liga threatening to rule him out of the tournament. The prognosis, however, is good which is why Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente, included him in his final squad, describing him as “a genius.”
Even if he’s only at 90% in the tournament, he’s still a game-changing presence. This could be the moment where the youngster evolves from prodigy to one of the defining players of his generation.
VILLAINS
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
At the age of 41, Cristiano Ronaldo remains football’s most polarizing superstar.
He is way past his prime, but still exerts a huge influence on the sport. A succession of Portuguese coaches haven’t had the guts to tell him his services are no longer needed, and FIFA rules don’t apply to him.
When he was sent off for violent conduct in a game for Portugal against the Republic of Ireland in November 2025, he should have received a standard three-game suspension — meaning he would have missed Portugal’s opening World Cup game against the Democratic Republic of Congo on June 17.
Instead, his biggest fanboy, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, stepped in and quashed the ban, leaving Ronaldo free to play again.
Expect histrionics, headline hogging and a wholesale lack of humility.
Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)
In 2022, the 33-year-old goalkeeper famously saved a potential winning goal from France to help Argentina win the World Cup, cementing his reputation as one of the game’s very best shot stoppers.
He’s also one of soccer’s biggest jerks.
From feigning injury to time-wasting to openly abusing other players, nothing it off limits.
He is especially irritating when he is facing an opposition penalty kick, doing everything he can to intimidate his opponent, including pretending to hand the ball to the taker before throwing it in a different direction, insulting players to their faces and even kicking the ball away completely.
Antonio Rudiger (Germany)
He’s one of the game’s most reliable defenders and a master of the so-called dark arts.
Whether he’s playing for Germany or Real Madrid, the center-back has built a reputation for walking the fine line between aggressive defending and outright gamesmanship, unsettling opponents with his psychological warfare.
During Germany’s shock World Cup defeat to Japan in 2022, he was criticized for appearing to mock Japan forward Takuma Asano in the closing stages — an ugly incident that went viral.
Rüdiger thrives in chaos and is sure to bring plenty of it to this year’s tournament.
Erling Haaland (Norway)
The 25-year-old Manchester City striker, with his widely referenced Viking heritage, has become the sport’s most cold-blooded finisher: expressionless, relentless and seemingly programmed to punish defenders without mercy.
His bizarrely regimented diet — he eats liver and heart — and obsession with exacting physical routines only add to the aura, as if he’s less a footballer and more a carefully constructed machine built for destruction.
And the trolling doesn’t stop at the final whistle. Haaland has a habit of taunting beaten opponents on social media, twisting the knife with not-so-subtle digs that have only reinforce his reputation as football’s ultimate wind-up merchant.
Even his trademark “meditation” goal celebration has started to grate on opponents and neutrals alike — it’s less peace, man, more provocation.
Merih Demiral (Turkey)
The Turkish defender is known for his controversial views and aggressive on-field clashes.
At the Euro 2024, he was banned for two matches after making a “wolf salute” — a gesture widely linked to the far-right “Grey Wolves” — in a match against Austria. The move prompted widespread condemnation across Europe and even sparked a diplomatic row between the nations.
As Turkey eyes a deep World Cup run, Demiral remains both an asset and a liability.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
