Photo: PSG/disclosure
This Sunday (18), at 12:00, the world of football will turn its eyes to just one event. THE 2022 Qatar World Cup Final.
The game between France and Argentina is one of the most anticipated finals of all time. A “battle” between Lionel Messi, seven times the best player in the world, and Kylian Mbappé, a young rising star and champion of the last World Cup held in Russia in 2018.
You, the reader, must be wondering, but what does this final have to do with agribusiness???????? Did you know that many players in Argentina come from rural areas? And that the league of France is called by the championships of England and Spain, for example the “farmers’ league”?
Players from rural backgrounds in the World Cup final
Di María: From Argentina’s agricultural region to Qatar’s World Cup final | Photo: Instagram/reproduction
First, starting with the coach of the Argentine team: Lionel Scaloni was born in the city of Pujato, in Santa Fe. The city is right in the heart of Argentina’s agricultural core. Close by, in Rosário, two of the team’s references grew up: captain and ace Lionel Messi and Angél Di María.
A few hours away, in the province of Córdoba, is the small town of Calchín, a purely agricultural area. There — between trucks, harvesters and lots of corn and soybeans — Julián Alvarez, one of the highlights of the World Cup in Qatar, grew up and scored his first goals. Other Córdoba players are Cristian ‘Cuti’ Romero, Nahuel Molina and Paulo Dybala. In addition, from the city of Río Cuarto, the national corn capital, comes Pablo Aimar, a former player and now Scaloni’s main assistant coach.
Links with agro in different cultures
Mac Allister is one of Argentina’s players for the World Cup final | Photo: Instagram/reproduction
From Gualeguay, an area of great productive wealth due to its livestock and agriculture, is defender Lisandro Martínez. Coming from Santa Rosa, La Pampa, land of livestock, midfielder Alexis Mac Allister conquered his rural property after a lot of effort.
Other players present in this agricultural world that complete the Argentina national team come from capital Buenos Aires???????? Germán Pezzella and Lautaro Martínez are from Bahía Blanca, an agro-industrial hub and an important port for grain output.
Likewise, but coming from Mar del Plata, a region of vineyards, kiwis and grains, is the team’s starting goalkeeper, Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez. From La Plata, where the horticultural belt that produces vegetables for the entire city of Buenos Aires is located, are Gerónimo Rulli and Juan Foyth.
Last but not least, the Argentine national team has Ezequiel Palacios, from Tucumán, land of oranges and cassava, as well as Marcos Acuña, from Neuquén, raised very close to the main apple and pear plantations, at the gates of Patagonia.
Farmers League
Meme: For some, the French Football League is the “farmers league” | Photo: All Football App/playback
On the other hand, with the French, the relationship with the agro is A little different.
Although some players also come from productive areas of agribusiness, it is the Ligue 1, first division of the French Football Championship, which is linked to the agro with a peculiar nickname. As a joke, the leagues in England, Italy, Spain and Germany call the competition the “Farmers League” – “farmers league”, in free translation.
This is due to the fact that the league, where most of the players in the French national team are, is theoretically weaker and less disputed. Thus, it would be played by farmers after a long week of work, during the weekend, as a form of fun and not as a professional sport.
However, Ligue 1 is not that weak, since only in the winning team of the last edition, two of the main protagonists of this Sunday’s game play. Lionel Messi and Kilyan Mbappé, both at Paris Saint Germain, which also has the Brazilian Neymar.
Thus, the “Farmers’ League” proves itself more and more as a strong and well-established league on the world stage, revealing the main players of the french national team.
Finally, check out more of these similarities between agro and football on the page of Agro em CampoCanal Rural project.
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*Under supervision of Luis Roberto Toledo.
