World Cup becomes cult of the individual but ignores team complexity | Jonathan Liew

The irony of the superstar-heavy narrative is the way it embellishes rather than diminishes importance of the collective“Cristiano Ronaldo’s record-equalling sixth World Cup got off to a disappointing start,” began the Reuters match report of Portugal’s 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of the Congo last week. And yes, OK: everyone knows how this game works and why everyone plays it. On one hand, perhaps the greatest sporting day in the history of the world’s 15th most populous country. O...