👀 Did you notice? Nico Williams only reached the ball because Nahuel Molina's shove carried him into it... and it ended up becoming the assist.
Oh the irony... 😆
Luis de la Fuente's record since becoming head coach of 🇪🇸 Spain:
2023 🏆 UEFA Nations League
2024 🏆 UEFA EURO
2025 🥈 UEFA Nations League
2026 🏆 FIFA World Cup
He lost only 2 of his 49 matches as the coach of 🇪🇸.
Absolute masterclass.
Zirkzee has been judged for the role he was forced to play, not the player he actually is. He was signed for his ball-to-feet ability but spent most of his time here as a target man. Respect him.
My favourite story of this World Cup - in 2007, there was a photoshoot done for a charity calendar by a Catalan newspaper and UNICEF. This baby’s family entered a raffle to win a photoshoot with a Barcelona player at Camp Nou and they won it.
The baby was Lamine Yamal at 5 months old and the Barcelona player was 20-year-old Lionel Messi.
This weekend, they’ll face each other in the World Cup final.
blame it on his mentality, lifestyle or whatever but he got the most brutal ending possible for the caliber of player he was. the amount of talent he had. 1 CL title, no indivdual awards, no international title. it doesnt get worse.
🚨JUST IN: Rooney says I FIFA withdrawing Iran World Cup ticket allocation for their supporters for all the 3 matches and denying Omar Abdulkadir Artan a chance to ref in the World Cup because of USA have shifted the narrative from football to politics which is unacceptable
> "What frustrates me is that the World Cup is supposed to be about football, but days before kickoff we're talking more about politics than the actual tournament."
> "The story should be about the best players in the world arriving, the biggest nations competing, and fans travelling across the globe to support their countries."
> "Instead, one of the biggest headlines has been the situation involving Omar Abdulkadir Artan. Here's a referee selected by FIFA to officiate at the World Cup, yet he won't be there after being denied entry into the United States."
> "Put yourself in his shoes. You spend years working for that opportunity, you become one of Africa's most respected referees, and then your World Cup dream ends before a ball is kicked."
> "Then you have Iran's federation claiming that its allocation of tickets for supporters across all three group-stage matches has been withdrawn. Whether you're Iranian or not, that's a terrible look for a World Cup."
> "Football supporters save money for years to follow their national teams. Some book flights, hotels and time off work. They deserve clarity and fairness."
> "The problem is that these stories have shifted the entire narrative. People are debating visas, travel restrictions and diplomatic disputes instead of discussing formations, tactics and who might win the trophy."
> "Every host nation has laws and security procedures, I understand that. But when those issues become bigger than the football itself, something has clearly gone wrong."
> "The World Cup has always been special because it brings together countries that don't agree on everything but can still share the same pitch and the same tournament."
> "Right now, FIFA needs the football to take centre stage again. The World Cup should be remembered for great matches and unforgettable moments, not for controversies that made politics the biggest story before the tournament even began."