With a career spanning more than 30 years, Andrés Cantor is one of the most renowned soccer commentators in Latin America and one of the most popular voices of this sport in the United States. The sports communicator was born in Argentina, but since 2000 he has been part of the Telemundo network, for which he has had to cover the most important events on the planet.
Cantor is already in Qatar for the draw for the next World Cup, which will take place this Friday, April 1. But before the long-awaited date, the commentator has taken advantage of this week to visit some of the stadiums where the matches will be played and soak up the atmosphere of Doha, a city that is beginning to vibrate with the most important football competition in the world.
In the preview of the draw, the sports commentator makes a space to talk about Friday’s day, the fate of the Latin American teams and the next World Cup that, according to him, is called to become one of the best in history.
What do you expect from the Qatar World Cup draw?
It will be an interesting draw; the pots are waiting for the last two qualifiers. I hope that luck is on the side of our teams, understanding that they cannot meet in the first round and neither in the second, in order to have our teams more time and perhaps dream and hope to get as far as possible.
What will Telemundo’s coverage be like for the tournament?
We will have a really impressive display. We will be there 24 hours a day practically through all our platforms, not only on television, but also in digital spaces, so the fanatic will be able to consume the World Cup practically 24 hours a day. The coverage will be extraordinary with three sets in Doha, with the possibility of recounting and commenting on the matches from the courts.
This is a strange World Cup, different from all the previous ones…
It will be a different one, I think the best in history for many reasons. First, because of the time of year, since the players will be more rested than ever; the teams will also all sleep in the same city and they will not have to move to another place, so everything will be very comfortable for the players, the journalists and the fans. It will be a more than interesting World Cup.
Will the temperature in Qatar not be a problem?
It will be different for the time of year; a World Cup was never played in November and December. And regarding the temperatures, today [ayer], for example, it was as hot as it is in Miami in the afternoon and now that the sun has gone down it is incredible how cool it is. Yesterday I went to the stadium and I had to wear a sweater because it was very cold. The temperatures will not be an inconvenience at all.
What games would you like to report in Qatar?
Obviously it’s always nice to be able to relate to the Argentine team and have the illusion of shouting ‘Argentina champion’ once again. Hopefully the United States team will also be there, because I am also very excited to relate to the squad that in 1994 I nicknamed ‘everyone’s team’, because it represents all of us who live in the United States and it is our second team. I would also like to be able to play the big games, like France, who are the current world champions, and Belgium, who I really like the way they are playing.
How do you think the Latin American teams will fare?
Brazil is once again a candidate because it has been undefeated since Tite directed it; will be the main candidate from South America. Argentina is going to fight, Ecuador has a very good team and Uruguay also has good players. We will also see how Concacaf fares, everything will depend on the draw.
What is the most important goal you have reported? Which one is the most remembered?
I always say that all the goals in the finals are important. I did a lot on TV and on the radio, but one of the most emotional accounts was Landon Donovan of the United States in South Africa against Algeria. It was the last play of the game and the United States was left out, so that goal qualified them for the next round. In reality, the goals in the finals are the ones that last, beyond the relief I felt in Marcos Rojo’s goal against Nigeria, or the pain that Götze’s against Argentina meant, which I still shouted with the same force and intensity for the value that it had in itself and that the title meant for Germany.
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