Prior to the World Cup I must admit that I wasn't really expecting much from this tournament. In my opinion it had been poorly advertised and it did not seem to have the same buzz around it as in previous years, such as Brazil in 2014. But I was surprised. The 2018 Russia World Cup will live long in my memory as one of the best tournaments I've ever witnessed. Shock exits, VAR drama and English excellence; the last month had it all. So have I made myself look like an idiot with my predictions? Let's have a look.

England:





My prediction: Quarter final exit to Germany or Brazil





Actual result: Semi final loss to Croatia after extra time (Germany don't even make it to the knockout stages!)





We start off with the Three Lions. Now, you can't blame me for underestimating the lads. Since Euro 96 there hasn't been much to get excited about with England at major tournaments. There's been a disconnect between the team and the fans. Why would we want to cheer on players like Wayne Rooney- who infamously ranted about fans to a TV camera? Which is why this World Cup came as such a pleasant surprise. No one expected anything special and this was partly because the media hadn't hyped up the team to be world beaters just to turn on them as soon as they fail. The tabloid press also hadn't created too much controversy, only slating Sterling for getting a gun tattoo and leaking the "team sheet" days before the Panama game. Importantly, when papers like the Sun and the Daily Mail created these stories, from what I saw the majority of fans dismissed them and continued to support England. This led to a positive mood around the team and when this was reflected in results, the belief started to flow through every English fans' veins. "It's coming home" was chanted until we lost our voices, Gareth Southgate became a fashion icon, and England made it to the semi-finals of a World Cup for the first time in 28 years.





Forget the games against Croatia and Belgium, this man can leave

Russia as an English hero





Say what you want about the quality of the teams England beat- I think this year the football came home. It's not about actually winning the World Cup, it's about the connection with the Three Lions. It's about the entire nation coming together to support England, regardless of their sexuality, gender or ethnicity, in a time when the country is so divided politically. Brexit chaos, Trump tweets, and refugee debates could all be forgotten for 90 minutes every few days. Total strangers hugged each other in their local pub when England scored. This was a successful World Cup purely on the memories that were created and the re-connection between the English fans and players, and I'm looking forward to what Southgate and his 23 Lions can achieve in the future.





The Winners:





My prediction: France





Result: France!





Olivier Giroud...World Cup winner





Call me Paul the Octopus, I got a prediction spot on. France slightly disappointed me in the group stages. They were quite boring to watch, scraping wins against Australia and Peru, and drew in a boring 0-0 versus Denmark. But give credit where it's due, they turned it on in the knockout stages and proved themselves as deserved World Champions. Kylian Mbappe is a joy to watch and I'm very gutted that he didn't agree to join Arsenal back when Wenger tried to convince him last summer, Paul Pogba has proven to his haters that he's not all just zany hairstyles and trendy dance moves, and Raphael Varane has shown he's one of the best centre backs in the world. Congratulations France, you are definitely the best team in the World and who knows, with a fairly young squad, this may be the beginning of a dynasty.





Step aside Ronaldo and Messi, there's a new GOAT in town





The Wildcards:





My prediction: Nigeria



