The Romanian national football team did not qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and Guique Popescu fears that the tricolors will not be able to reach the final tournament anytime soon.
Gike Popescu is afraid that Romania will not go to the 2026 World Cup either
Popescu said that in the case of this generation, everything depends on the “exam” for selection for the European Championship.
“This is the most difficult question. It is difficult to say when we will get to the next World Cup. I’m afraid we’ll have to wait longer. The way things are going now, I’m afraid we’ll miss the next edition too.
We have a qualifying exam for the Europeans now, if we can’t qualify in this group, which we couldn’t have picked better, we’ll have a lot to look forward to” – George Popescu for Agerpres.
Brazil, Guique Popescu’s favorite at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar
As for this year’s World Cup, the club’s current president, Farul Constanza, is going to Brazil, which he says has the most valuable lot.
“There are many teams that can be considered candidates to win the World Cup this year. It was always Brazil, Germany, France, Argentina. I’m going to Brazil. And I’m going to Brazil without any favorites, not because I want Brazil to win. But I think this is the team with the best composition.
It is difficult to say before the World Cup which team can become the surprise of the tournament. There are always surprises during the World Cup, but it’s hard to say what could happen this year” – George Popescu.
Last World Cup for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
As for football greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi playing their last World Cup, Popescu said it was normal given the ages of the two.
“It’s normal that Messi and Ronaldo go to the last World Cup. How much do they have to play, because they are already very old? Cristiano Ronaldo is approaching 40 years old, so he is already retired, and Messi can no longer be at the level he was at in previous years. And then it is normal that he makes such a decision” – George Popescu.
55-year-old Gheorghe Popescu participated in the Romanian national football team in three final tournaments of the World Cup, 1990, 1994 and 1998, and in two editions of the European Championship, in 1996 and 2000.
He was the captain of FC Barcelona, with whom he won the Cup Winners’ Cup, and with Galatasaray he won the UEFA Cup and the European Super Cup.
The 22nd FIFA World Cup will be held from November 20 to December 18 in Qatar.
Source: Hot News RO
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