It’s been a hell of a long time.
This Thursday evening, Italy will be playing for its place at the World Cup. On the pitch in Bergamo, the Italians will host Northern Ireland in a bid to secure a ticket to the playoff final for a spot at the World Cup.
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This is something the Italians have had very little success with in recent editions, having not played in a World Cup since 2014.
12 years can feel like a long time. To give you an idea, the last time Italy played in a World Cup…
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Lamine Yamal was six years old.
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The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie was Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
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Star Wars had only six films.
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Leo Messi had only four Ballons d’Or.
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PSG had only four French league titles. The most successful club in the top flight was still Saint-Étienne.
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Zinédine Zidane had never coached a professional team.
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Gareth Bale was the most expensive player on the planet with his €100M transfer. Today, he ranks 18th.
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James Milner had just played his 15th Premier League season.
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Arsène Wenger was still Arsenal manager and Pep Guardiola was in charge of Bayern Munich.
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No one knew the word “remontada.”
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The PlayStation 4 had been out for a year and Fortnite didn’t exist.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.
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