World Cup – Editorial: “Beyond Dreams”
Monday’s editorial by Emmanuel Massicard… It was expected, eh! That the World Cup, “our” World Cup that has slowly settled into the scene and into the minds of the French this year, will see a “full” push this weekend.
Dreams are worth living, and that’s it, we’ve finally lived them: 20 teams and 20 countries have set foot on French soil, and not for the delicious magic of our gastronomy. Gowns now cover the heads of the 660 actors, and welcome ceremonies still echo beneath the paint of the theatres. The World Cup is here, and we can touch it.
We’re there and we just like to see the deep blue. The enthusiasm on Saturday exceeded all expectations and says everything about the anticipation surrounding this exciting French team. These are the promises of a mandate made of some glory and a lot of joy, after ten years of imprisonment. They express themselves with such enthusiasm at their peak.
See our front page: At Rueil-Malmaison, where the French packed their bags for a fortnight on Saturday, the children were blue-eyed, stars in the sky, and praise in their mouths. There is all this, all at once, in the starry appearance of this young boy when Antoine Dupont passes by. Perhaps Antoine DuPont was in attendance in 2043. This is how dreams are born. In touch with the greatest, in the greatest moments.
It was expected, however, we are never prepared for such dedication. We take it, enjoy it and wait for the rest. On Friday, France’s XV will look straight into the hearts of New Zealanders troubled by their latest outing (a defeat to the Springboks), for which it would be extremely presumptuous to assume potential weakness. The promised event is three times as big: the biggest posters, the biggest events, and this tenth French edition that already promises to be historic.
The 2023 World Cup is already certain to break all attendance records, with unprecedented numbers of fans arriving from all four corners of the world. Everything we love about this sport is what revolves around the matches. These encounters between peoples and cultures, these nights that are slow to become tomorrows, this brotherhood that is cultivated beyond colors and standards.
What about the athlete in all this? We’ll see. At this stage, the stage of hope, we dare to strongly believe that these Super DuPont Blues will live up to the enormous expectations of their history. And that the accumulated absences of recent days will not bear the trappings of magic in the minds of the French, and that this great and very beautiful madness will not dampen the fresh minds of this beautiful youth. We’ll find out quickly. It’s Friday. almost. tomorrow.
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