Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi are tied on goals in the race for the Golden Boot, although the latter tops of the charts thanks to having one more assist.<\/p>\n
Should goals in the final count for more than any in the third-place match?<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n How wonderful it has been to witness Rodri absolutely thriving at this World Cup<\/a>. There was a worry when he returned from his ACL injury that he would never be the same again. It has taken him a while to trust his body once more and be able to play to his maximum consistently.<\/p>\n I am mildly suspicious that he has played his final game for Manchester City but we shall see about that in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n Rodri<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n double quotation markWhen I became a teenager, foosball made way for girlfriends, wine, cigarettes and a job in a casino. Then I met a British woman and we got married. In 1986, with the war ongoing, we left Lebanon to set up home in Manchester. We had a son, a daughter and a foosball table in the kitchen. It remained a hobby until 2004 when I was managing the city\u2019s Hard Rock Casino and bought a table for customers, with a sign: \u201cBeat the manager\u201d. Our weekly challenge had 30 competitors, but I always won.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n That nice man Nick Ames answered a load of your questions yesterday. The poor chap really does love Harry Kane but he also loves offal. I do not know which he prefers. <\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Matthew Hall<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cFootball survived Sepp Blatter,\u201d Mel Brennan writes, optimistically, in the book. \u201cIt survived Jack Warner. It survived Chuck Blazer. And it will survive Gianni Infantino.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n After a week of smelling wildfire smoke, I am finally breathing in some clean air. It is not too windy or too hot, so I am blogging from the garden. This is the dream we\u2019ve all tried to live.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Mittu gets in touch to say: \u201cAll this talk and build up to the final and on a (much) lesser scale, the 3\/4th playoff is well and good \u2014 but I can\u2019t stop and think of what life will be without staying up midnights and waking up early mornings in a couple of days\u2019 time. My biological clock had just adjusted. Maybe good way for me to get interested in the South American leagues and the MLS.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s always an option \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a>More than 200 countries endorse Infantino for fourth Fifa term<\/p>\n An exclusive from Nick Ames and Matt Hughes.<\/p>\n Gianni Infantino has the formal endorsement of more than 200 countries for re-election as Fifa\u2019s president despite the climate of unrest that has swirled since the scandal surrounding Folarin Balogun\u2019s reprieve<\/a> from suspension.<\/p>\n The Guardian understands only a handful of Fifa\u2019s 211 member associations are still to send letters of support for Infantino, who is on course to be voted into a fourth term by a landslide at its congress in March. A small number of European countries are among the outliers, with Germany the highest-profile FA yet to provide official backing.<\/p>\n Gianni Infantino is in his third term as Fifa president. Photograph: Daniela Porcelli\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Now for something completely different \u2026 a match report from 1966.<\/p>\n I do hope the Guardian are pushing my work from Turf Moor in 60 years time. I reckon a sub-editor nowadays would insist on breaking up this intro. But who am I to argue with Cyril Chapman?<\/p>\n double quotation markA new Argentina, discarding traditional defensive methods, and attacking from the first moment of a stimulating game at Villa Park last night, stirred visions of a first-class encounter with West Germany on the same ground on Saturday as they beat Spain through two goals scored by Artime<\/a>, their irrepressible centre forward.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n I am having a look through the European results last night. Looks like it was a cracking ending in Malta where Faroese side NS\u00cd Runav\u00edk knocked out Hamrun Spartans thanks to a 94th-minute penalty. It was so controversial that the police needed to step in while the referee produced a red card.<\/p>\n Referee Jeremy Muller shows a red card to a Hamrun Spartans official. Photograph: Domenic Aquilina\/NurPhoto\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Trent Alexander-Arnold said it is \u201ca pleasure\u201d to work with reappointed Real Madrid \u2060manager Jose Mourinho, adding that he has long admired the Portuguese coach and believes he can \u2060help the club \u2060win trophies.<\/p>\n Mourinho \u200breturned to Real Madrid in June for a second spell after a disappointing campaign last \u2060season in which they missed out on the LaLiga title and were eliminated from the Champions League quarter-finals.<\/p>\n \u201cI \u2060have always admired the coach (Mourinho). I\u2019ve played against him a couple \u200bof times, and it\u2019s \u200ca pleasure to work \u200cwith him and his team,\u201d Alexander-Arnold said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s \u200cintense. The principles and the level of demand are very high, so I\u2019m looking forward to seeing how, the more we get to know each other, the more we learn and the more he can teach us. And we\u2019re all willing \u200cand eager to learn and improve. I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll teach us many things and help us win trophies this \u200byear.\u201c<\/p>\n Alexander-Arnold, who joined Real Madrid from Liverpool last year, endured an injury-hit first season in Spain and did not always command a regular place in the starting line-up, rotating in and out \u2060of the side.<\/p>\n However, the departure of defender Dani Carvajal in \u200bMay has \u200bopened an opportunity for Alexander-Arnold \u200bto establish himself as Madrid\u2019s first-choice right-back.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been \u200bout of action \u200cfor a long \u200btime, so \u200bit\u2019s good to finally be back and to lay a solid foundation for a successful season,\u201d the 27-year-old Englishman added. Reuters<\/p>\n Trent Alexander-Arnold in pre-season training. Photograph: Antonio Villalba\/Real Madrid\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n James Moriarty writes: \u201cThe thing that is really bothering me, in this endless Brave England\u2019s failure autopsy, is this – Tuchel was, until the semi-final, universally praised for making game changing substitutions. Which is all well and good, but it happened seemingly in every game, which surely points to a bigger issue: namely that NONE of his starting line-ups worked, and games were only won by substitutes changing the course of the match. England were staggeringly lucky to get as far as they did, and were the worst of the semi-finalists by a country mile, so perhaps we should all be grateful that Tommy T has spared the embarrassment of getting humbled by Spain in the final. I would argue in the world of five substitutions that there is always a plan to throw the \u2018finishers\u2019 on. I think the subs against Norway were rather odd, to be honest, too.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will attend the World Cup<\/a> final to see his country take on reigning champions Argentina, his government said Friday.<\/p>\n Sanchez, a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump \u2013 who also plans to attend Sunday\u2019s final in New Jersey \u2013 will then travel to Algeria for an official visit. AFP<\/p>\n Pedro Sanchez will be at the World Cup final. Photograph: Blondet Eliot\/ABACA\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Club football is back on the agenda but Pitbull will not stop.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Krishnamoorthy asks: \u201cWho does it better, Carlo Ancelotti or Leo Scaloni? Their (lack of) reaction when a winner is scored in the 96th minute is unreal.\u201d<\/p>\n I am an Ancelotti Ultra.<\/p>\n Carlo Ancelotti is calm and composed. Photograph: William Volcov\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n What approach should Tuchel take to the third place game? Try and win it or give everyone some minutes. I think it is fair to give a half each to the goalkeepers, let Watkins and Toney play. Mainoo also deserves time on the pitch.<\/p>\n James Trafford<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n Donald Trump will attend Sunday\u2019s World Cup<\/a> final between Spain and Argentina, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe look forward \u2060to the final match on Sunday, \u200band I know \u200cthe president \u200clooks forward to attending,\u201d Leavitt said. \u201cThis is a fitting conclusion to a tournament that showcased America\u2019s ability to host the world on the grandest stage.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Keir Starmer supports the idea of Fifa investigating Argentina players who displayed a banner<\/a> touting their country\u2019s claim to the Falklands Islands after their World Cup semi-final win against England, Downing Street has said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> double quotation markAs is true for most of La Albiceleste, pulling on the white-and-blue turns Romero into one of 11 bleeding hearts who leave no yard uncovered and no stud unshown for the good of the cause. Partnered with Lisandro Mart\u00ednez, he is the relative hardman, often the final obstacle between an attacker and Emiliano Mart\u00ednez. Save for Lionel Messi and the Aston Villa goalkeeper, Romero has arguably been Argentina\u2019s most consistent player en route to their third World Cup final in four tournaments.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Aaron Timms<\/p>\n Over in America, Fox\u2019s World Cup<\/a> coverage goes under the microscope as it enjoys a final hurrah.<\/p>\n double quotation markGoodbye to Geoff Shreeves, Fox\u2019s middle-aged Oliver Twist chirruping on the sideline for the approval of his American masters. Goodbye to Tom Rinaldi, to his pocket squares and his \u201clyrical\u201d meditations on balls and planets and stars or whatever. Goodbye to Chef Nick, now forced to rein in the extravagance of his early contributions (kangaroo corndogs<\/a>, fufu chicken tikka masala<\/a>) in the face of the tournament\u2019s gastronomically subdued final four. And goodbye to Jameis Winston, the Fox fan correspondent, whose distressingly antic and sweaty stadium dispatches gave him the unvarying appearance of a man being electrocuted in the middle of a baptism.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n We shall begin with the latest coming out of the England camp.<\/p>\n Thomas Tuchel is sticking about. Maybe he will download Football Manager and avoid the temptation of going Ultra Defensive.<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, the players were a bit bemused by the tactics that saw them crash out.<\/p>\n Barney Ronay points out the bigger problems facing England than nonsensical subs.<\/p>\n Why everything went wrong \u2026 in numbers.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n We can all be sure that the England postmortem will continue for a little while longer, even if there is the pointless nature of the bronze medal match on Saturday to look forward to. Thomas Tuchel\u2019s bizarre substitutions have seemingly not cost him his job<\/a>, so we cannot drag that conversation out much longer.<\/p>\n Hopefully, the more interesting stuff on this fine Friday is getting excited about the final. Lionel Messi v Lamine Yamal and all that jazz. It should be a fascinating encounter between one very good team and an excellent one, you can decide which is which.<\/p>\n We will bring you all the latest and probably chuck in a few curve balls too.<\/p>\n
Anyway, I\u2019m very much looking forward to France Reserves vs Jordan Henderson XI tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Jeff](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Jeff_Rueter,_L.png\")
Jeff Rueter<\/p>\n