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Boos descended from the stands as Donald Trump and the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, took to the field for the World Cup trophy ceremony at New York New Jersey ⁠stadium on Sunday. Spain beat defending champions Argentina 1-0 to win the title. After the US president presented Spain with the trophy, he attempted to stand with the team at the side of the podium as they celebrated, before Infantino quietly ushered him away. It was a repeat of last summer’s Club World Cup at the same stadium after Trump presented the trophy to champions Chelsea and tried to crash the celebrations, to the bemusement of the playersDonald Trump and Gianni Infantino booed before US president attempts to crash Spain celebrationsSpain win World Cup after Ferran Torres breaks 10-man Argentina’s resistance Continue reading...

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With the temperature at 9pm close to 32C, Spanish fans filled bars, parks and arena’s to celebrate their team’s 1-0 win over ArgentinaNeither the approach of yet another enervating heatwave, nor the prospect of heading to work on Monday morning, was going to keep madrileños huddled indoors when the World Cup, and the stifling streets of the capital, were there for the taking.With the temperature at 9pm nudging 32C, people across the city and the wider region filled bars, parks, fairgrounds and bullrings to drink, to stripe the streets red-and-yellow with their rojigualda flags, and to test their lungs, their nerves, and, as it turned out, their boredom thresholds.In the capital itself, the faithful descended on a giant screen by the river Manzanares and trooped into the cavernous concrete confines of the 15,000-capacity Movistar arena. Most, however, appeared to have made for the Plaza de Colón to watch the game under the statue of Christopher Columbus, for whom the square is named. Overhead, sharp against a bright blue July sky, flew the largest flag in Spain: a vexillological behemoth that measures 21m by 14m and weighs 35kg.While the plaza frequently doubles as a tournament-screening venue, the fact that Spain were playing one of their former imperial territories under the watchful eye of Columbus added a certain undeniable piquancy. The Argentinian ambassador in Madrid had alluded to the two countries’ long, shared history in a video message over the weekend in which he had urged pride and cool heads.“What a dream of a final: Spain and Argentina,” said Wenceslao Bunge. “Two brother countries. Two countries that have so very much in common … Let this final be an example for us and for the world when it comes sport and to the meaning of values such as work, perseverance and respect for others.”On Sunday night, the brother countries certainly had one thing in common – and it all depended on what happened on a pitch in faraway New Jersey. La Roja were hoping for another historic victory 16 years after Andrés Iniesta’s 116th-minute goal against the Netherlands in South Africa gave Spain their first World Cup triumph. Meanwhile La Albiceleste – who last lifted the trophy in 2022 after beating France on penalties in Qatar – were keen to secure a fourth title.Just before the game began amid hopeful cries of “a por la segunda!” (Let’s get a second title!), Sebastián Eros, a Chilean who stood with a Spain flag politely tied around his neck, admitted to being a little agnostic about the result.“We’re not really bothered who wins,” he confessed. “If Spain win, then that’s brilliant. But if Argentina win – even though they can be a pain in the arse – then at least the cup will stay in South America.”A 18-year-old madrileña called Katy was rather more psyched.“It’s a historic moment and it’s really exciting,” said Katy, who was two years old the last time Spain won the World Cup.Miguel Hinojal Vicente, 37, had come to Madrid from Toledo as much for the party atmosphere as for the match itself. Unlike Katy, he had vivid memories of Spain’s last World Cup triumph.“Shit, it was just a magical thing,” he said. “But, to tell the truth, I’m more of an Atléti fan than a Spain fan,” referring to Atlético Madrid football club.His friend Raquel García was a little more enthusiastic – and optimistic.“This is about the hopes of a country and it’s about unity,” she said. “Events like these bring people together and they make people happy.”For an eternity, however, it looked as though no one would ever be happy. The slow pace of the game – coupled with the lingering heat, the drifts of dope smoke and the soporific drones of vuvuzelas – loosed an atmosphere of fidgety boredom that wasn’t broken until 11.26pm, when Nico Williams slammed the ball into the Argentinian goal – only for the goal to be disallowed.The roars gave way to a disappointed torpor and some of the more refreshed fans began to nod off in doorways. They were rudely awakened 17 minutes later, when Ferran Torres’ goal drew a thunderous roar from the crowd. Screams, smiles and flares erupted and suddenly everything had become very much worth the agonising dull wait.Another disallowed goal for Spain may have followed but by then, La Roja’s momentum had become unstoppable.At the final whistle, which rang out a little after midnight, everyone in the Plaza de Colón – fans, police, ambulance workers – howled with delight. Tears flowed and hugs were suddenly mandatory.

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Game’s greatest player will not see his legacy sullied by defeat to Spain but his team’s display destroyed the gamePlaying on the grandest stage in sport for the last time, Lionel Messi seemed almost certain to provide one last memorable moment in this World Cup final.Yet as the sun ducked behind the west stand of New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, it became clearer and clearer that Argentina had lost the magic they had carried through this tournament. And as Spain gradually wrested control, one was left to confront reality: Messi, and Argentina, had finally run out of time, having long since given in to their worst instincts in a 1-0 defeat.This final presented a stark contrast to the Argentina – and Messi – we observed in every other match of the tournament. Almost without exception, La Albiceleste have been the tournament’s most entertaining team, not so much for how they’ve scored their goals but for when they’ve scored them, offering a masterclass in dramatic timing. Twice they were nearly eliminated by badly outmatched opponents, results that only galvanized them.Finals are frequently forgettable matches that fail to entertain but even by that lowly standard the pacing of things felt dreadful. Spain were suffocating defensively and – after a forgettable first half – finally worked their way into things in the second 45, eventually breaking through in extra time, quite expectedly. Argentina? They became the first team in the near century-long history of the tournament to fail to record a shot in regular time of a World Cup final. Even when handed an additional half an hour, they never threatened.And Messi? Until this final, he had presented observers with one of the rarest opportunities in professional sport: a chance to witness greatness free of stakes, entirely devoid of any real pressure to perform. At 39, Messi has done his time and nobody could criticize his collection of hardware – as an individual or as part of a club or country. This defeat does nothing to sully a spotless legacy; a win would have only strengthened his claim as the greatest player in the history of the sport. To some Argentinians, the victory against England in their semi-final likely carries nearly as much weight as a victory in the final would have.Yet it has to be said: Messi was rarely involved in this match, a far cry from the player who has sometimes carried his team this summer. Much of this, of course, is down to a Spain masterclass in defending. That alone is not always enough to contain the diminutive Argentina captain. But give Spain their due: they badly outclassed Argentina in every way, neutralizing even Messi. By the end Argentina had become what so many observers pegged them to be in the first place, sometimes unfairly: underhanded, dirty and desperate.Time has almost always been irrelevant to Messi on the field, because he so frequently bends it to his liking to elude those who defend him. The manner in which he performs at age 39 has a similar effect, tearing open a rift in time itself and transporting observers back to his glory days at Barcelona and elsewhere. Time itself has not passed him by as much as he’s marched alongside it, occasionally trailing behind a step or two but always eventually pulling even with it again.Yet now we are left to face the unmistakable reality that Messi is done, with the World Cup at least – this is, it’s worth noting, what was said after he led Argentina to their first World Cup in nearly four decades in 2022 and what was assumed in 2016, when Messi briefly retired from the national team after Argentina’s defeat in the Copa América final. Back then, the dialogue surrounding this player was that he would never play for Argentina the way he did for Barcelona, or even rumblings that Messi himself wasn’t sufficiently Argentinian, having spent so much of his life in Spain. Both arguments feel laughable 10 years later.It remains to be seen how Argentina’s performance will be perceived back home, where expectations were understandably high. The head coach, Lionel Scaloni, and even Messi had spoken at length before the final about how much they had already achieved. This final result, they implied, would do little to sully that sense of accomplishment.This was, of course, before they took the field and more or less destroyed the game. Scaloni’s legacy, like Messi’s, was secure before this final, the coach having brought Argentina a third World Cup and a pair of Copa América titles, but this was a lost opportunity to solidify it. Two things can coexist: Scaloni is almost without question Argentina’s greatest coach, and this was one of his worst results and performances.What feels much more real, though, is a sense of loss and disappointment after this pitiful final performance, which provided Argentina – and Messi – with a perfect opportunity to put the finishing touches on their fairytale. Instead, they turned from hero to villain – and needlessly so.

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The European champions conceded just one goal in the tournament and Spain’s success is a victory for a systemRelease the pressure, let it out. All of it and all of them. Again and again they had come, again and again they had been halted but they would not be denied. A dozen different players had taken aim at Emi Martínez’s goal but somehow he was still standing and time was slipping away, yet Spain refused to do so, so they came some more.And then, suddenly, only this wasn’t really sudden, the result instead of the purest logic, the clearest justice, Pedro Porro’s deep cross found Nico Williams at the far post and he headed back. The ball dropped deep inside the Argentina penalty area, bounced on the turf and just kind of sat there: waiting, willing someone take this moment.So at 5.42pm eastern daylight time, 37 seconds into the second period of extra time, Ferran Torres did. And with Spain’s 20th shot of this final, with all his might and all his soul, he won the World Cup. The ball travelled at 102km/h, tearing into the net, and Torres turned and tore in the other direction, sprinting to the corner where he leapt into the air and volleyed that too. Not quite so hard as he had hit the shot, but hard. From the bench and the pitch his teammates raced towards him, liberated at last, the joy flooding out. Oh, the release.Andrés Iniesta once said that the moment the ball sat up for him in the 116th minute of the final in South Africa in 2010, he heard the silence. Maybe Torres heard it too; maybe he heard history call. More often he has heard noise. Here there was an explosion, everyone at that end of New York New Jersey Stadium going absolutely mad. Torres stood there, doing a familiar gesture: jibber-jabber hands, ears “listening” wondering where the critics were now. Then he got the biggest hug Lamine Yamal has ever given.Late in Spain’s victory over Saudi Arabia on the day that Luis de la Fuente celebrated his 65th birthday, Torres had come on as a substitute and scored the final goal – or thought he had – only for the video assistant referee to take it from him. As they reviewed the footage, Ferran had stood with his hands in front of his mouth in a praying position, muttering to himself: por favor, be a goal; por favor, be a goal. This seemed like a portrait of the pressure, of what players put up with sometimes, a picture perhaps of desperation too. Spain were four goals up already, but here he was pleading for it to count.In the previous game against Cape Verde, he had hit the bar. In the next game, against Uruguay, he did it again. There was something that his critics took as confirmation, something cruel in how close it was. Too often he had felt that fate somehow was conspiring against him. Turned out, it was saving something for him: the greatest goal, the greatest moment in any player’s career. Justice had been done, not just in the game, which Spain had dominated Spain’s way – at that point Argentina had not had a shot – but to this team. This family, as De la Fuente calls them, all in it together.It felt right almost that it should be Torres, a symbol of all of them – like this was another moment shared, the collective expressed in one man who hasn’t always felt it but will now be for ever beloved. Torres became the seventh different Spain player to score in the US. At the World Cup of the stars, a team took the trophy. The European champions were the best team here, lifting that trophy having conceded just one goal, and this was a victory for a system, an ideal, a commitment to an identity. In that, it can feel almost inevitable but it is not. This was also a victory for vindication, for the belief their manager has in them and they have in each other, even if others do not. “People have been very unfair with him but he has a spectacular mentality, he keeps going, keeps working, and today life has paid him back,” Pedro Porro said of Torres. “This is for all 26 of us.”Coming into the tournament, Rodri, the captain, had not completed his rehabilitation yet. Lamine Yamal, the star, was returning from injury too, everyone waiting for him until they realised that maybe they didn’t have to. Williams, who had provided the assist, thought he wouldn’t get there: injured for much of the season, he fought back then feared Uruguay had kicked him out of the World Cup.Fabián Ruiz had missed most the season injured. Aymeric Laporte, imperious again, suffered with Athletic. Behind him, the debate around Unai Simón wouldn’t relent. Eric García and Martín Zubimendi came on here to win it: neither had had a minute yet, meaning Spain finished the competition with only two outfielders who have not played. Who had Pedro Porro and Marc Cucurella down as the world’s best full-backs before the tournament? Plenty do now. Mikel Merino, the superest of super subs, had played only 28 minutes since March, but appeared to rescue them. Not once, but twice.And then, at the biggest moment of all, there was Torres.De la Fuente said that Spain had been “stung” by the doubts in those early games, the lack of recognition. “They are the best players in the world,” he kept saying, and it turned out he was right. Spain’s coach is a man of faith; faith in his footballers, his “family”. Every day over the last month he has exchanged messages with a friend Antonio, who is like a son to him, expressing the conviction they both felt. “It is written,” the messages say, and now it is.

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Argentina tried to kill the spectacle and make it a physical battle but Spain refused to take the bait and kept passingA worrying thought as a tepid first half drew to a close: was the half-time show going to be better than the football? This was a slog. Argentina could not match Spain’s possession approach but they had ways to level the playing field. There was physicality from Lionel Scaloni’s side, whose aim was to kill the spectacle before taking control in the second half, and they were allowed to take it to the limit by the Slovenian referee, Slavko Vincic. Alexis Mac Allister could have been booked for an early foul on Dani Olmo and the leniency, together with a pitch not conducive to playing flowing football, allowed Argentina to disrupt Spain’s passing game, creating the conditions for one of the most tedious World Cup finals.Credit to Spain for refusing to take the bait. The European champions maintained their composure as they won the World Cup for the second time, even though their patience was stretched by Argentina’s spoiling tactics and constant niggles. Argentina had no way up the pitch. They had problems passing out from the back, particularly from the left. Spain squeezed them. Their pressing was expertly coordinated, stifling Argentina. Enzo Fernández and Mac Allister were outplayed in midfield and Scaloni was forced to make a change at half-time, Nico González making way after struggling on the left wing and Leandro Paredes on to provide more stability. However, the switch did nothing to alter the mood. Argentina remained a cynical eyesore. Paredes was booked for a needless barge on Rodri and was lucky not to be sent off until after full-time. In the end Argentina were caught out by their own game. The writing was on the wall when Fernández, perhaps dashing his hopes of a move to Real Madrid, was sent off for two silly bookings at the end of normal time.Argentina are a slow, ageing side and had already played two rounds of extra time. Their legs were heavy and their cause was not helped by them losing both of their starting centre-backs to injury. Lisandro Martínez and Cristian Romero are comfortable on the ball so it was not ideal when they went off early. It deprived Argentina of another outlet, and their reliance on Lionel Messi also hurt them. Spain cut off the supply to the 39-year-old and were too intense for him. Messi was never able to find space, never able to shake off more than one Spanish player. There was no repeat of the crosses that hurt England in the semi-final and there was an argument that Scaloni should have taken off his captain after Fernández’s dismissal. Messi stood in the middle but could not hold the ball up. He was a passenger but Scaloni removed Julián Álvarez, who might have worried Spain more with his ability to run the channels.Álvarez’s departure was the cue for Scaloni to bring on Marcos Senesi and switch to a back five. The statistics were ridiculous. Argentina’s xG was 0.00 until conceding forced a desperate late flurry. Even then, though, the threat increased only to 0.22. It took until the 117th minute for the defending world champions to muster their first shot, Messi’s hopeful effort from long range deflected wide. Spain, defending as a team, were unruffled. Argentina had 34.9% possession and six touches in the Spain area. It was one-way traffic during the second half. Spain kept pushing – they had 20 shots to two – but poor finishing and inspired goalkeeping threatened to leave them at the mercy of a penalty shootout. Emi Martínez’s 12 saves were the most by a goalkeeper in a World Cup final and his best was a leap to push away away a Lamine Yamal free‑kick. Yet it was not enough.Spain were deserved winners from a moral and tactical perspective. They played all the football and proved their big-game mentality by standing up to Argentina’s nonsense. Rodri, excellent as the No 6 before making way for Martín Zubimendi in extra time, nullified Fernández and Luis de la Fuente’s substitutions were spot on. Pedri was incisive after replacing Fabián Ruiz in midfield. Argentina worked to stifle Lamine Yamal, using Nicolás Tagliafico to contain the teenager on the right wing, but De la Fuente stretched the play by bringing Nico Williams on for Álex Baena on the opposite flank. Now Spain had speed down both wings and the pressure told. Mikel Merino should have scored at least once after coming on but eventually a goal arrived. Pedro Porro sent in a deep cross from the right. Williams beat Nahuel Molina and pulled the ball back for another substitute, Ferran Torres, to score.

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Rodri looks back to his imperious best in Spain’s midfield while Enzo Fernández has a day to forget for ArgentinaUnai Simón Was alert to clear danger after Cubarsí’s early mistake. Otherwise could have brought his slippers. 7Pedro Porro Doesn’t look like a player who was in a relegation battle a few weeks ago. Was outstanding again. 8Pau Cubarsí Got away with his early error and didn’t put a foot wrong after that. Incredible that he is still only 19. 8Aymeric Laporte A steadying presence at the back. Could have been the hero in normal time if his header had been either side of Martínez. 7Marc Cucurella Always 100% committed to the cause as usual. Able to get forward whenever he fancied it. 8Rodri The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner looks back to his imperious best. Bossed midfield in his imposing style. 9Dani Olmo At the heart of most of Spain’s best moves. Produced a lovely flick to set up Lamine Yamal for an early chance. 8Fabián Ruiz Such a clever player. Finds space where others can’t. A surprise to see him taken off early. 7Lamine Yamal Looked determined to stamp his authority on proceedings. The heir to Messi’s crown is now a world champion. 8Álex Baena Usually provides real guile from the left flank but had a relatively quiet afternoon by his standards. 6Mikel Oyazarbal Put in the hard yards with endless running before being replaced on the hour. 7Substitutes: Ferran Torres (for Oyazarbal 62) Had a great chance to score just after coming on before etching his name into the history books with a sublime finish in extra time, 8; Pedri (for Ruiz 62) What a player to be able to bring on – took over where Rodri left off, 8; Nico Williams (for Baena 75) Injected some real urgency. Unlucky to have goal ruled out but assist for Torres was inspired, 9; Mikel Merino (for Olmo 75) So close to scoring another late winner after doing so against Portugal and Spain, 7; Eric García (for Laporte 99) A of couple of dicey moments but saw his team home in the end, 6; Martín Zubimendi (for Rodri 99) Added a calmness in the heat of extra time, 7.Emiliano Martínez Thrived again on biggest stage of them all. Pulled off three brilliant saves but could do nothing about the winner. 8Gonzalo Montiel Ate up the ground to make a crucial covering tackle to deny Cucurella before being replaced. 6Cristian Romero The Tottenham defender was forced off with an injury after a typically battling display and was sorely missed. 8Lisandro Martínez Booked for fouling Oyarzabal and picked up an injury in the process that brought a premature end to his afternoon. 6Nicolás Tagliafico Had his hands full with Lamine Yamal and far too often played himself into trouble. 5Rodrigo De Paul Little evidence of his attacking skills as Spain dominated possession and made way for Simeone. 5Alexis Mac Allister Got away with an awful early tackle on Olmo. Guilty of some uncharacteristically loose passing at times. 5Enzo Fernández Not his finest hour. Had to be sent off after clattering into Cubarsí to pick up a silly second yellow. 3Nicolás González Rewarded with starting place after starring off the bench against England in semi-final but couldn’t impose himself on proceedings this time. 5Julián Álvarez Barely touched the ball in the first half. Just couldn’t get into the game and was sacrificed after Fernández’s red card. 5Lionel Messi Not the swansong he would have dreamed of. Can’t be expected to keep saving Argentina for ever. 6Substitutes: Nicolás Otamendi (for Lisandro Martínez 44) Has always lacked pace and even more so now he is 38, 5. Leandro Paredes (for González ht) Brought on to add some more ballast in midfield but could not stem the flow. Disgraced himself with behaviour after final whistle and was shown red card, 6; Nahuel Molina (for Montiel 58) Helpless to stop a marauding Williams when he came off the bench, 5; Facundo Medina (for Romero 70) Looked extremely vulnerable against the pace of Torres, 5; Giuliano Simeone (for De Paul 70) Pulled out all the tricks to try to waste time. Should concentrate on playing football. Missed best chance to equalise, 4; Marcos Senesi (for Álvarez 102) Tried to shore things up at the back but wasn’t an easy task with 10 men, 5.

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It was the triumph of an idea, an identity. Of an unshakable and patient faith. And when it was over, Spain’s new generation having emulated the one from the 2010 World Cup, all of those legendary names, there was simply delirium for them.Spain were the only team that turned up to play this World Cup final, from the first whistle to the last in extra time. Argentina were damned by their lack of ambition even before they had Enzo Fernández sent off towards the end of the regulation time. It was extraordinary to report that they did not have an attempt on goal until the 115th minute.Spain did not let them play. Just as they have barely let any of their opponents do so during the course of this tournament. Their miserly defence has been the cornerstone of everything. They have been breached just once in their eight matches.The question that came to pound concerned their ability to find a way through the sky blue and white ranks. It was the only question. Spain stayed true to their style; to who they are. The possession. The cohesive movements. The control. When they found the answer, it was the moment when they knew that a second World Cup triumph was about to become gloriously real.The goal came in the 106th minute and it was nothing less than they deserved. Pedro Porro crossed deep and it was a wonderful header back by the substitute Nico Williams. It teed up another replacement, Ferran Torres, for the opportunity of his lifetime. The finish was high and true.The Argentina manager, Lionel Scaloni, looked ready to cry. It was a white knuckle ride that carried his team to this stage, defined by late goals and a never-say-die spirit. At no point in any of their knock-out games were they ahead in the 90th minute.Argentina flickered in the very closing stages. The substitute Guiliano Simeone lashed a half chance high. But there would be no successful defence of the title they won in 2022; no fairytale sign-off for Lionel Messi. He could not suppress the tears as he gazed at the Argentina support afterwards.Messi and his team had won their previous three tournaments – two Copa Américas either side of the last World Cup. They had not lost a knockout tie since the 2019 Copa América. They got what they deserved here. There was an ugly flashpoint after full time when Leandro Paredes, who had come on as a substitute, was given a red card for grabbing the Spain replacement Eric García by the throat.Argentina’s reaction in defeat was shameful. They turned their backs on the Spain players as the trophy was presented, preferring to keep their eyes on the fans behind one of the goals. Donald Trump, who did not want to leave the stage as the Spain captain, Rodri, got his hands on those six kilograms of solid gold bliss, was not the only person to make a spectacle of himself.It was quite the show overall in the land of the spectacular show. It started with a ceremony, one to officially close the most bloated tournament there has been, which took in all manner of performances. Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of the US anthem before kick-off was certainly something; ditto Tom Cruise’s speech about the beautiful game. We kicked off six minutes late. There was plenty more at half-time. The action on the field did not keep pace.Argentina had one flicker in the early running when the Spain goalkeeper, Unai Simon, left his line to deal with a Julián Álvarez throughball for Messi. The clearance was straight to Álvarez but his first touch was poor. That was pretty much it from them in forward-thinking terms.The game was all about Spain’s dominance of the ball. Nobody cherishes it quite like them. Rodri set the tempo at the back of the midfield while Lamine Yamal had a few eye-catching moments. He went close at the outset. Spain finessed their patterns. They tried to wear Argentina down.Did anybody enjoy the half-time show? It was a strange detail that Madonna, one of the headline acts, did not actually appear on the pitch. Instead, there was big-screen video of her singing in the back of a car which was driven by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.Spain pressed high. They forced turnovers. They probed. Argentina could not free themselves from the choke hold. The chances started to come for Spain after the hydration break in the second half of normal time and Argentina were indebted to their goalkeeper, Emi Martínez. He finished with 11 saves, some of them excellent. Were Argentina trying to win the World Cup without taking a shot? Scaloni could scarcely have built a lower block, although he doubled down still further in the 101st minute when he introduced Marcos Senesi for Álvarez and went to 5-3-1.Lionel Scaloni restructured in midfield, introducing Paredes in the holding role for the left-winger Nico González. The Argentina manager wanted his players to get closer to their opponents. It was not long before Paredes barged Rodri off the ball and was booked.Fernández was guilty of losing his composure. Booked in the 83rd minute for dissent, he was asking for trouble when he left something in on Pau Cubarsí to send the Spain defender spinning. Argentina just about reached extra time when Martínez dived to repel a Lamine Yamal free-kick. His best saves before that had denied Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte and Williams.Spain turned the screw in extra time. Martínez continued to resist, saving once again from Williams. Spain were denied when Mikel Merino, on as a substitute, was adjudged to have fouled another replacement, Nicolás Otamendi, moments before Williams swept home. It was a generous decision for Otamendi, who appeared to throw himself to the ground. Merino glanced wide from a Williams cross when gloriously placed.Spain’s pressure reached the point when the breakthrough felt inevitable. Torres provided the release, the joy. He would also run through in the 113th minute to beat Martínez again, only to be pulled back for offside. The goal he did score was all that mattered. Luis de la Fuente’s unstarry team have a second one on their shirts.

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Luis de la Fuente says he will not man-mark Lionel Messi in the World Cup final, even though the Argentina captain has scored eight times and provided four assists and the Spain coach’s own experience suggests it might not be a bad idea.In the buildup to Sunday’s final in New Jersey, De la Fuente told the story of the first time he encountered Messi, 22 years ago, when the Argentinian was a 16-year-old coming through at Barcelona, he was the youth-team coach at Sevilla and the under-19 cup draw brought them together in the last 16 in May 2004 at the Miniestadi.“I’m going to tell you something funny about Messi,” De la Fuente said. “Look, I met Lionel Messi when I was coaching at Sevilla in division de honour [the national under-19 league] and we played a Copa del Rey game against Barcelona. We went to Barcelona. They had spoken very well about a boy called Messi. So, we put a man-marker on him. In the 70th minute it was 0-0. When they gave a yellow card to the player who was marking him, I took him off. And in 15 minutes, Messi scored four goals.”

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Great brought an ideology to Barcelona that Guardiola and Emery refined, defining the playing style of the national teamTwo countries are generating powerful, cross-border momentum in football. Spain represent the leading footballing culture, radiating their influence across the globe. Argentina possess a distinct identity that shapes the South American continent. Consequently, the World Cup is witnessing the perfect final.The architect of Spain’s vision is Johan Cruyff. He brought the 4-3-3 formation and a specific ideology to Barcelona. A cadre of tactical purists, such as Pep Guardiola and Unai Emery, refined his approach into a philosophy that has defined the playing style of the entire league, all youth squads and the national team for nearly two decades. Its principles include ball-oriented defending, clearly defined positions and roles, a high level of organisation, and technical, combination-based football. Eleven players operate as a unit, moving like a swarm.Spain’s head coach, Luis de la Fuente, has internalised this guiding philosophy. He spent decades working in youth development at club and federation level, and his assistants are longtime associates. On the pitch, this style is embodied by Rodri, the world’s best player.Spanish idealism triumphed over French individual brilliance in the semi-final. Spain’s superiority was perfectly illustrated by the goal that made it 2–0, when the full-back Pedro Porro – unmarked inside the penalty area – slotted home with the inside of his right foot.Spain exerts influence across its continent because of its dominance. The nation has won three of the past five European Championships (2008, 2012, 2024) and is, by a wide margin, the most successful country in European club competitions this century. Spanish coaches are in high demand across top leagues, having exported their ideas throughout Europe for years. The women are world champions.The World Cup has underscored the fact that the global style of football is largely shaped by a Spanish-dominated Europe. At present, almost all of the international elite look to the models established by Barça, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal. Wherever a coach follows this guiding principle, sporting progress ensues. This confirms an age-old maxim: the quality of the coaches determines the quality of the sport.It is not true – as is sometimes claimed – that coaching methods have changed globally. What is happening is an alignment with the elite level. This applies to France, especially since Luis Enrique moulded PSG into the best club in Europe. Didier Deschamps has long embodied this philosophy. Although he didn’t quite make it to a third consecutive World Cup final, he is handing over a team with a promising future.England’s squad benefits from the Premier League – the world’s strongest league – which is highly international. The team are physically imposing and battle-hardened. The leaders Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane stepped up, aiming to achieve immortality after a 60-year wait. In the semi-final, however, their opponents’ stronger sense of identity prevailed.Thomas Tuchel moulded his squad into a cohesive unit that functioned well for much of the tournament. Yet the team lacked the biggest-name stars and failed to grow in stature from one match to the next. Ultimately, he lost faith in his lineup against Argentina. His substitutions stripped the team of stability and confidence, causing the collapse.Success follows where, beyond a guiding philosophy, there is outstanding individual quality, as seen in Norway with Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard. Even when such talent is lacking, teams that adhere to the principles of a clear philosophy remain competitive. Canada (Jesse Marsch), the USA (Mauricio Pochettino) and Ghana (Carlos Queiroz) hired coaches with experience in Europe. This trend is extending to Brazil (Carlo Ancelotti), where the unique abundance of talent from the past has faded.Morocco benefit from having a large portion of their squad trained in European academies or playing in top European leagues. Geographical proximity to Andalucía is an asset, and the country is due to co-host the 2030 World Cup. Tactically, the team are no different from Europe’s elite sides. Other African teams, too, defend compactly, operate with structure out of possession and are difficult to beat. Their players and coaches look to Europe for their approach.At this tournament six of the quarter-finalists were from Europe. From the starting lineups, 84 of 88 players were under contract with European clubs last season. The other four played in Europe before moving to a different continent after the age of 30, Lionel Messi among them. With the exception of one penalty, every goalscorer from the winning teams in the quarter-finals and semi-finals plays for a club that has reached a Champions League final in the past decade: Real Madrid, PSG, Arsenal, Liverpool, Atlético, Inter, Chelsea and Tottenham. True excellence is forged in Europe.However, it is quite possible the world champion will come from South America for the second time in a row. Argentina also set a model: defensive, focused on physical duels and prioritising security. Football as an existential struggle, deeply rooted in the culture. With the exception of Brazil, all South American teams were managed by Argentinian coaches.The prime example is Lionel Scaloni, who could become the first coach since the Italian Vittorio Pozzo, in 1938, to successfully defend a World Cup title. Scaloni spent 10 years as a professional in Spain, where he took his first steps as an assistant coach. He was mentored by De la Fuente, the man he will face in the final. It is a small world in football.Philipp Lahm’s column was produced in partnership with Oliver Fritsch at the German online magazine Die Zeit.

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As the top two in the Fifa rankings prepare to meet in New Jersey on Sunday we look at the pointers that may help decide the gameSlavko Vincic becomes the first Slovene to referee a World Cup final. He oversaw the 2024 Champions League final at Wembley (Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0) as well as Spain’s 2-1 win over France at the 2024 Euros semi-final. The 46-year-old’s first World Cup match was Argentina’s opening loss to Saudi Arabia in 2022. At this tournament, Vincic showed Ecuador’s Piero Hincapié a red card for covering his mouth in the 95th minute against Mexico. He has averaged 2.33 yellow cards per game.Thirteen of the past 14 World Cup and European Championship finals – men’s and women’s – have been won by the side who played their semi-final first. On the other occasion the semi-finals were played on the same day. Spain’s men started the streak, beating Italy 4-0 in the final of Euro 2012. Argentina have also benefited, enjoying four days rest to France’s three going into the 2022 final. This time it is Spain who have had an extra day’s rest.No Argentinian president has attended a national team World Cup match for 36 years and the current one, Javier Milei, will be no exception. He has watched all seven games from his presidential residence, telling a Buenos Aires radio station there is “no way” he is travelling to New Jersey. The superstition dates back to 1990 when Carlos Menem visited the Argentina squad before their shock opening loss to Cameroon. The president’s attendance at a World Cup match has since been thought to bring bad luck to the team. Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, plans to attend the match and so does King Felipe VI.An Argentina victory would make them the third country to win back-to-back World Cups and the first this century. Italy won in 1934 and 1938 and Brazil did so in 1958 and 1962. If Spain triumph, they would become the fourth men’s side to hold the Euros and the World Cup at the same time after West Germany (1972, 1974), France (1998, 2000) and Spain, who were the first men’s team in history to win three major titles in a row (Euro 2008, 2010 World Cup, Euro 2012).Argentina have scored the most goals of any team (19) by some margin, with Spain in fourth on 14. But Spain have conceded the fewest goals (1), with Argentina letting in seven.If four quarters and a half-time show wasn’t enough, the winners will be handed rings. Presenting rings has been common practice in the US since the 1922 World Series. There is money to be made, with 30 rings available for the world champions and a further 1,996 going on sale to the public. The design features a mini World Cup trophy on one side, while the other will “reflect the identity of the winning team”, as revealed on Fifa’s website. The victorious team’s players and coaches will be handed temporary rings to allow the bespoke rings to be customised and presented at a later date.The sides were scheduled to meet this year in the Finalissima in Qatar, with Argentina hoping to defend the trophy they won against Italy in 2022. However, the game was called off due to the war in the Middle East and Uefa said: “After much discussion between Uefa and the organising authorities in Qatar, we can announce that due to the current political situation in the region, the Finalissima cannot be played as hoped in Qatar on 27 March.” The two teams were unable to agree on an alternative option and the match was cancelled.The final will be contested by two managers without any top-division experience at club level. Luis de la Fuente, who was dismissed after 11 games at third division Alavés, has been coaching Spain at various age groups since 2013. Lionel Scaloni has pretty much only managed the Argentinian national team – apart from six matches in charge of the Under-20s. Having already won the Euros, Copa América and World Cup between them, the pair have shown that elite club experience is not mandatory for international management.Apart from the extra rest day, Spain may be fresher anyway having finished all of their games in 90 minutes. Argentina have played extra time twice and have logged 794 minutes compared with Spain’s 717. The South Americans faced similar circumstances in Qatar where they played an extra 30 minutes in the quarter-final. Will a squad largely four years older have enough energy in reserve?While temperatures are not expected to be unbearably high, the National Weather Service issued an air-quality alert due to wildfire smoke drifting from Canada. The New York Office of Emergency Management said that air-quality levels in the city had reached “very unhealthy” levels on Thursday, but conditions have improved significantly. Spain have been relatively protected from such environmental factors throughout their campaign, having played one of their seven matches in a fully outdoor stadium. Argentina have played outside three times, including two occasions where temperatures reached 32C.The sides have played once at the tournament, Argentina winning 2-1 in 1966. Luis Artime scored both goals for the South Americans and you can read the Guardian’s report from the match here.

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The reigning champions may need to continue outperforming their xG to overcome Spain’s superb defensive recordThe World Cup final will feature the champions of South America and Europe for the first time. Argentina and Spain sit first and second in Fifa’s world ranking of men’s international teams. Opta’s supercomputer rated Luis de la Fuente’s side as favourites to win the tournament, with their opponents on Sunday deemed fourth likeliest.Both systems had England and France in their top four, suggesting the semi-finals featured the correct teams. But do the statistics from the World Cup indicate we have the best pair for the final?Spain are unbeaten in 37 matches (excluding penalty shootouts) while Argentina have won their past 14 games. That is a reasonable starting point for justification, even before we dig into the data.The teams are, unsurprisingly, among the leaders for expected goals, though both have benefited from penalties. Stripping those out and factoring in time played reveals several teams had better pro-rata records. No team that reached the quarter-finals outperformed their non-penalty xG per 90 minutes by more than Argentina though.Given Spain’s defensive record, Argentina may need that trend to continue if they are to retain their crown. What Spain have achieved in protecting their goal should be talked about for years to come if they win their second World Cup.Spain have conceded 2.15 expected goals, a miserly 0.31 per match. It is comfortably the best record and an elite level of defensive consistency over seven games. Five teams allowed their opponents more than 2.15 xG in their first match, with 41 having crossed that mark by the end of the group stage.If this sounds like a significant advantage for Spain, it is not so clearcut. Argentina were the last of the other 47 teams to concede more than 2.15 xG , doing so when Yasser Ibrahim put Egypt 1-0 up in the last-16. The Argentinians can’t match Spain’s incredible defensive record, but no other team has kept a closer pace.It seems unlikely set pieces will be a factor. These sides are among the best defences in dead-ball situations without having been especially strong in attack. Would you bet against Lionel Messi converting his second direct free-kick goal of the tournament though?If that is unlikely, even for him, Messi has taken the most shots on either side (34, including two penalties). However, Lamine Yamal (23) and Mikel Oyarzabal (22, one penalty) are second and third respectively. While the former can be prone to firing at goal from poor locations, the latter has the best expected goals per shot average for either team (0.15).Or at least he does for those with a shot sample of at least 10; Mikel Merino (0.35) and Lautaro Martínez (0.22) have higher figures and may have a vital role to play from the bench. Both are adept at profiting from big chances in key moments. With the teams being similarly strong, a substitute may well prove decisive.Opta give Spain a 45% chance of winning in 90 minutes with Argentina rated as a 26% shot. The tournament data suggests it should be closer than their prediction implies.

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Coach tells of first encounter when Messi was 16‘I took man-marker off and Messi scored four’Luis de la Fuente says he will not man-mark Lionel Messi in the World Cup final, even though the Argentina captain has scored eight times and provided four assists and the Spain coach’s own experience suggests it might not be a bad idea.In the buildup to Sunday’s final in New Jersey, De la Fuente told the story of the first time he encountered Messi, 22 years ago, when the Argentinian was a 16-year-old coming through at Barcelona, he was the youth-team coach at Sevilla and the under-19 cup draw brought them together in the last 16 in May 2004 at the Miniestadi.“I’m going to tell you something funny about Messi,” De la Fuente said. “Look, I met Lionel Messi when I was coaching at Sevilla in division de honour [the national under-19 league] and we played a Copa del Rey game against Barcelona. We went to Barcelona. They had spoken very well about a boy called Messi. So, we put a man-marker on him. In the 70th minute it was 0-0. When they gave a yellow card to the player who was marking him, I took him off. And in 15 minutes, Messi scored four goals.”De la Fuente continued, laughing: “Does that mean we are going to man mark him? No. Does it mean we will pay close attention to him? Yes, but in exactly the same way that they are going to have to pay attention to our players.”Asked whether Lamine Yamal was the nearest thing that Spain had to Messi, De la Fuente replied: “Lamine has to be Lamine. Messi can never be repeated. He is an extraordinary talent and above all an example for young players in his attitude, his behaviour, the spectacular World Cup he is producing and the age at which he is producing it. It will be a great show between two super teams. It will be a game of talent, brilliance, great play.”He pushed back against suggestions Argentina might employ dark arts, challenging the image of them as a dirty team. “Please,” he shot back. “I respect everyone’s opinions but no, I do not [accept that portrayal]. I have extraordinary admiration for a team that is Copa América [2021], World Cup, Copa América [2024] and Finalissima champions. No one has done that in history. And they are coached by a friend of mine [Lionel Scaloni]. Admiration, admiration, admiration. We will all use our footballing weapons.”De la Fuente also dismissed suggestions this final was “all or nothing”. “What is important is to be in the position to win it,” he said. “Let’s enjoy it, play our way, value this. If you said we could play a World Cup final every year and lose, I would sign up for that.”He said he was afraid of only one thing: the fact that Fifa had made him take a helicopter over from New Jersey to the pre-match events in Manhattan and that he still had to go back again. Nor was he impressed by a bombastic, chaotic Fifa event which Scaloni, visibly irritated, described as “surreal”. During the event, De la Fuente had struggled to speak over the noise of the audience shouting over him and cheering for Messi, who was also on the stage.“Since I was little, I was taught to be respectful of everyone; we should learn this lesson,” he told the crowd.