LONDON — After the filthiest fortnight imaginable, and before the lawyers feast on FIFA’s carcass, there is just a chance that true stars will shine in Berlin on Saturday night.
The prize in the Olympic Stadium is worth more than money. It is legitimate to ask if Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar constitute the most incredible trio of strikers in one lineup since Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskas and José Héctor Rial.
Comparisons across the decades light a bonfire of argumentation. Di Stefano, Puskás and Rial will remain unbeatable in the memories of older fans, but the game has changed since they scored, almost at will apparently, for Real Madrid between 1955 and 1960.