At the Pancretan Stadium, in beautiful Crete, on the sidelines of the presence of the Italian delegation, Giancarlo Antonioni granted an exclusive interview to the editor-in-chief of Discoveryfootball.com, Manos Staramopoulos, and spoke with that familiar calm that has characterized his entire football career.

He did not come across as an old international footballer reminiscing about yesterday.

He spoke as a man who has been at the top of the world and knows that major tournaments are not won solely by quality but by personality, duration and character. And when the discussion turned to the 23rd World Cup, his answers did not sound like predictions.



He answered as a man who knows that major tournaments are not won solely by quality but by the meeting of talent, personality and timing.

The first team he mentioned was France. Almost without a second thought. For him, the French national team currently has one of the most explosive attacking versions that European football has presented in recent years. He spoke about Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele and of course Kylian Mbappe.

He didn't just focus on their individual virtues. He focused on their coexistence. On the fact that they are different expressions of the same attacking instinct: Speed, Imagination, Determination.

"France," he implied, "is a team that can turn a moment into history."

From France, the conversation moved to Argentina. And there his approach became almost poetic. Because when Lionel Messi appears in a major tournament, even if his career is approaching a historic closing of a circle, there is always the feeling that the game acquires an additional dimension. Antonioni didn't just talk about talent. He talked about the knowledge of the champion. For the quiet confidence of a team that knows what it's like to reach the top and endure there.

The next step was to bring Portugal to the table. And there his analysis took on particular interest. In Vitinha and Joao Neves he recognized the evolution of the modern European midfielder — footballers who are not limited to roles but control rhythms. But when it came time to talk about Cristiano Ronaldo, he smiled. He described him as evergreen. Not as a compliment.

But as an observation. Because there are athletes who stop competing with their opponents and start competing with time. And Ronaldo, in his opinion, belongs to this rare category.

From there the conversation led to the European champions, Spain. Antonioni spoke of a team that has achieved something extremely difficult: to unite experience with the future. On the one hand, Rodri, as a point of reference for balance and footballing maturity. On the other, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal, as the expression of a generation that shows no hesitation in the face of the shirt and responsibility.

And then came Brazil. There his voice took on a different tone. Because for people of his generation, Brazil remains something more than a national team. It is a culture. And the presence of his compatriot, Carlo Ancelotti, in the technical leadership creates (as he assessed) an interesting marriage between creative instinct and European discipline. But when the conversation came to the teams that could change the predictions, Antonioni did not look for the easy answer. He did not choose a team without quality.

He chose Norway. Why? he real surprises, as he said, are not born from luck but from the moment a team decides to believe in itself more than the rest. And when there is a footballer like Haaland, then the balance can change from one day to the next. The discussion was concluded without haste. Exactly as he played. Without unnecessary movements. With moderation. With substance. And as he left the Pancretio, the feeling remained that some great footballers never really abandon the game.

They simply stop serving it within the four lines and start interpreting it. Giancarlo Antonioni remains one of them.