As Germany and Portugal prepare for their game on Saturday, there's a lot of talk about the idea surrounding the necessity of a third match game at the World Cup. I think part of the problem for the people presenting the debate - or the society at large for that matter - is that finishing first is all that matters in our culture.
Don't get me wrong. I believe in striving to be first to be an important characteristic of humans - unlike the modern ethos and utter nonsense that we are all 'winners' in sports they call it parity - but sometimes it's just not about being number one.
The World Cup is played every four years. It's a rare bird and just participating in it is an accomplishment for some countries. Consider that 207 teams have competed to try and make the cut. Only 78 have had the honour reaching the World Cup. Out of all this, only 11 countries have ever played in a final game.
The process and long road of getting to the tournament is riddled with incredible emotions. It's such a gigantic spectacle that having a match to battle for third seems like the right thing to do. It's tough psychology for the teams involved but there are some people who take pride in such things. And it does add on to the pedigree of a nation. Not all countries can win but a third or fourth place finish on a resume can look pretty good.
Here's a look at the nations who have never won:
The Netherlands and Hungary are considered the greatest teams who never won. Both heavy (and legendary) favorites in the 70s and 50s both failed to lift the Jules Rimet trophy - aka the FIFA World Cup. The Netherlands have two finals appearance and three semis. Hungary have reached the finals twice and the semis twice - same as Czechoslovakia. Sweden have reached the finals once and four semis. Yugoslavia, Austria and Poland never played in a final but each have two semis on their soccer books.
All this is worth something. To real soccer minds who care to know about such things, this matters. It's a part of the soccer heritage. More importantly, it counts.
You can count me as one of those who will be watching the third place match with interest.
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