Successfully picking a winner for the biggest sporting event in tbe world is far from straightforward, even if many chose them as well. Yet, after Argentina defeated France on penalties to lift their third World Cup, the team I predicted would go all the way, did exactly that. But, why did I back Argentina from the start?

If there is one thing to take away from this piece, it is this: consistency is incredibly important. Since the end of the last World Cup, Argentina has been nearly unstoppable. They beat Brazil in their own stadium to win Copa America back in 2021. They went on a 36-game unbeaten run which was surprisingly halted in their first game in Qatar at the hands of Saudi Arabia.

And to that latter point, when La Albiceleste inexplicably fell to the Saudis to start their tournament, people immediately doubted them, and understandably so. But it is important to remember that great teams know how to bounce back.

Lionel Messi was the talk of this Argentinian team. He was the one everyone believed would be the differencemaker, and he was. At the same time, his teammates all played their part in winning this title. When it mattered most, every single one of them stepped up and did what was needed. When all is said and done, football is a team sport. Deep down this Argentina side played like a team.

There were moments of panic, especially  in the quarterfinal and final. On both occasions, they took a two-goal lead and were pegged back. Yet, like true champions do, they remained collected and focused on the task at hand. Chances are, if another team conceded an 100th minute equalizer, or shipped a 2-0 advantage in two minutes, they would implode. Argentina never wavered in those trying moments.

I do not write this to show off or to say I told you so. Instead, I just try to explain how I managed to get the most difficult prediction of this seemingly unpredictable World Cup correct. I rarely got anything else correct, but deep down, the Argentina I knew would show up in Qatar proved me right.