Barcelona president Joan Laporta believes the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain will be another example of La Masia’s influence on world football, with Lionel Messi leading Argentina and several Barcelona players representing Spain.Laporta is in New York ahead of Sunday’s final at New York/New Jersey Stadium, where current and former Barcelona players will feature on both sides. Spain’s squad includes eight Barcelona players, while Messi will captain Argentina.The Barcelona president said the club’s academy will once again be in focus on football’s biggest stage. He added that seeing so many La Masia graduates in a World Cup final reflects the success of the club’s youth system, regardless of who wins the trophy.Laporta also spoke about the significance of seeing Messi and Lamine Yamal on opposite sides in the final. While he praised Messi’s contribution to Barcelona over the years, he described Yamal as the player who will carry the club forward.“Messi has also reached the final, and I’m delighted,” Laporta told RAC1. “He’s a source of pride for La Masia. Messi is the past and the present, and Lamine (Yamal) is the present and the future. We’re very happy to have what is the genuine Barça style of play.“As president, I’m proud to have developed these two players at home, and if we add Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, [Pau] Cubarsi, who’s having a spectacular World Cup, [Dani] Olmo, Gavi, Pedri, Ferran [Torres]… It’s spectacular.”Barcelona will have a strong presence in the final, with academy graduates and first-team players spread across both squads.The title clash between Argentina and Spain will not only decide the next world champions but also provide another stage for La Masia products, from Messi to Yamal and Barcelona’s Spain contingent, to leave their mark on international football.

As we count down to the first college football game of the 2026 season, we continue our new series: The records of each top CFB program in the West against all the others in the region.

Some schools have met many times over the years, while others are beginning new rivalries in the wake of recent realignment.

For each opponent in the table below, we provide the total games played, wins, losses, ties, winning percentage, first year played, and most recent contest.

We continue with Oregon State, which has played 885 games against regional foes, winning 336, losing 518, and recording 31 ties, for a winning percentage of .397.

The Beavers have recorded the most wins (49), played the most games (129), and lost the most games (70) against Oregon.

Here is a breakdown of Oregon State’s records vs. the region’s teams.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi says it is “crazy” to be facing Spain’s Lamine Yamal in Sunday’s World Cup final after being photographed with him as a baby.

In 2007 Lamine Yamal’s parents won a charity photoshoot at Barcelona in which 20-year-old Messi held their five-month-old baby.

Speaking to Messi during a news conference in New York, NFL legend Tom Brady called the photos “very prophetic”.

Messi said: “That photo is incredible. The fact that we’re both playing in the World Cup now is crazy.”

Lamine Yamal made his Barcelona debut at 15 and has inherited the number 10 shirt from Messi.

He helped Spain win Euro 2024 and, now aged 19, could become the youngest player to win the European Championships and the World Cup.

“He’s one of the best in the world right now,” said 39-year-old Messi.

“I wish him luck because his success will be Barcelona’s success.

“We’ll try to keep him from playing at his best. Spain has a great team, not just him.

“He’s a tremendous player – a global star. He’s 19 years old and has his whole career ahead of him. I wish him the best, but we’ll give it our all to ensure he doesn’t become champion this time.”

Messi attended a fans’ event on Friday with Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Spain captain Rodri.

After the news conference, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni hugged Spain counterpart Luis de la Fuente, who was one of the instructors when Scaloni gained his Uefa Pro coaching licence in Spain.

Former England defender Rio Ferdinand and actor Kevin Hart hosted the event, while tennis legend Novak Djokovic and NBA star Kevin Durant joined Brady in asking questions.

Brady continued his ongoing feud with Logan Paul as they argued on stage before the record seven-time Super Bowl winner slapped the YouTuber turned WWE star, with New York Knicks player Karl-Anthony Towns splitting them up.

It’s in elevated moments like this, when all the usual talk in football takes a more metaphysical hue, that even the most single-minded players can’t help looking for signs and omens.

In Spanish training, where Lamine Yamal is “wrapped in cotton” due to recent injuries, they have still been noting every turn and finish in training. “That’s how you’re going to win the World Cup final.”

It’s quite a prospect to consider.

With Argentina, there has meanwhile been more wistful commentary about how this is Lionel Messi’s first appearance at the Metlife Stadium since the 2016 Copa America final. At that point, his entire international legacy was completely different. Argentina had lost a third tournament final in three years and it looked like it was never going to happen. Messi himself seemed to confirm that as he announced his retirement. “I’ve done all I can, I’ve been in four finals and it hurts not to be a champion.”

Everyone could see exactly how much it hurt, from a widely-published photo of Messi in pained tears.

Now, with the World Cup having since become the great affirmation of the Argentine’s talent rather than his great bane, there’s another photo being reproduced everywhere. It is of course that of a 20-year-old Messi bathing a six-month-old Yamal back in 2007.

The image, the product of a Unicef promotional campaign that Yamal’s family won a raffle for, is such an astonishing coincidence that you would have trouble believing it’s real, were it not now so ubiquitous.

It may even be perfect given what this World Cup final offers, beyond the uplifting opportunity to lift the trophy: this is not just the first time these Barcelona prodigies have met, but the first time the World Cup has potentially had such a clear passing-of-the-torch moment.

There’s never really been anything like it in 22 previous finals, not even an established Kylian Mbappe facing Messi four years ago. That was more akin to 1974, when Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer met, having each won the Ballon d’Or over the previous two years. There was also Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane in 1998 after they’d been one and three in the voting for the same award, but the narratives weren’t even about that.

None of the stories really compare.

The coincidence is so profound that there’s almost a sense of planetary alignment, even if that is tempered by the feeling of this being so ideal for a World Cup in the world capital of celebrity entertainment.

The very extremities at play emphasise this, with a 39-year-old against a teenager. It is master against successor. You can’t quite call it master against apprentice since Yamal is already a star in his own right – and that 2007 photo was actually one of the few times they have even met.

Messi is said to not even think about his potential successors. He just doesn’t see things in that way, a little like the rivalry with England. In any case, there have been so many potentials he’s seen off, until we finally had Yamal.

As was said in Barcelona when he started to break through, in almost mythic language, “there is another”.

Yamal doesn’t have Messi weigh over him in that way, either, because nothing fazes him. That was illustrated by how he immediately started illuminating major games as a 16-year-old.

All of this actually affords this final, and this meeting, a rare vitality. The stories of their World Cups and wider careers only play into that, as well as the grander themes of the tournament.

It has so far been a pity that we haven’t seen the best Yamal, but that could now offer opportunity, maybe even a better ending. The 19-year-old might not have defined this World Cup but he is determined to define its final.

There are other historical echoes there, which are all the more pointed when the Spanish camp have been keen to point out parallels with 2010. Back then, Andres Iniesta went into the competition badly struggling with injury, only to finally be set from the quarter-finals on. He then won the World Cup.

History beckons. Present realities also influence.

Yamal’s ongoing hamstring recovery has meant he hasn’t been able to maximise the freer role that Luis de la Fuente gives him, but the very fact Spain have a deeply more-defined tactical idea has equally ensured there isn’t the same dependence on him. He has still performed a crucial role, even if it is not Yamal performance as it could be.

The same could actually be said of Messi from a completely different perspective. This is not Messi as we’ve known him, and he’s still performed the crucial role.

Everything Argentina do is through him. It’s perhaps just as well the pressure of never winning went away with the last World Cup because, in purely tactical terms, they’ve never needed Messi more.

His ability to repeatedly deliver amid such demands has somehow only added another element to his legacy, following on from how the World Cup has ended up affording him his finest achievements – maybe a third Golden Ball, maybe a first Golden Boot, maybe a second winners’ medal – after it had once been the sad mark against him.

If 2022 was Messi’s equivalent of Muhammad Ali reclaiming the heavyweight title in 1974, this could be his Ali-Frazier II: the undisputed. Should Messi win, he might even eye Pele’s record of three in 2030. Why not when MLS preserves that preternatural technique?

And while Messi may still only lack this 2026 World Cup to truly give him a unique standing, Yamal arguably needs it to fully ascend, especially in the absence of a Champions League title.

Reference to the club game may bristle amid the purity of a World Cup final, but it remains remarkable how Barcelona have two such talents in quick succession.

It also shapes the teams’ matches in new ways. Whereas virtually every other Argentina match is singularly defined by Messi, and how the opposition simply must adapt to him, Lionel Scaloni now has to respond to Yamal.

Both can just decide this final in an instant, with one instinctive run, regardless of how much the ball is kept away from them. Their very presence can provoke chaos, suddenly changing the very nature of the game, no matter what tactical shape it takes.

You could say it’s another remarkable coincidence that Barcelona do have both, but it isn’t. One of the biggest clubs in the world went and got a young Messi, while Yamal’s young family migrated to one of the wealthiest cities on the planet. He was spotted at the age of six, reflecting the rigour of Spanish scouting. In this case, you couldn’t miss him.

Their personal stories nevertheless bring another dimension.

Messi has a complicated history with Spain, given that he could have played for them, while his long residence there was once cast against him in Argentina. Yamal has meanwhile had to face the kind of dismally-racist discussion that comes with immigration, although that is also one area where he has marked himself out from Messi: Yamal is willing to speak out politically.

From that, it’s hard not to wonder what he thinks of some of these very same Argentine players singing chants deriding the African heritage of French players. It is partly applicable to him.

For now, in the build-up to the biggest game in football, both players are feeling a calm. It is a calm that only comes with this level of talent at this level of game, the awareness of the heights you can now go to. There have not been too many footballers who know what that is like.

There may never be another final like this one, which is so much about two players forever linked. One will enjoy the most perfect image of all: lifting the World Cup.

Trainer Charlotte Littlefield is on the verge of heading back to the UK in just over a week to participate in a charity race at the prestigious Glorious Goodwood Festival.

The Magnolia Cup is a celebrated charity event this year lending its support to Education Above All. The initiative aims to raise crucial funds to provide educational access, skills, and opportunities for children and young women globally who face challenges such as poverty, conflict, and disadvantage.

Littlefield’s ambition is to follow in the footsteps of Lizzie Jelfs, who achieved victory in the Magnolia Cup, the opening race on Ladies Day at Goodwood in 2024.

This year’s edition of the race is scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 30.

Having grown up in close proximity to Goodwood, Littlefield has been intensifying her trackwork riding and gym commitments in her bid to win the Magnolia Cup.

“I started taking it a little easier on trackwork over the last six to 12 months because of the good riders available and I like to watch trackwork, but it’s been good for me as I’ve got back into it and I’ve really focussed on the riding,” Littlefield commented.

“I love it and I think that’s one of my strengths as a trainer being able to ride my own horses and I’ve ridden more each morning, ridden a few more gallops, and really enjoying it.”

Littlefield indicated that she has been treating the training process with considerable seriousness, acknowledging the race’s support for a significant cause.

She mentioned that this dedicated work has helped her shed a few kilos and considerably boosted her overall fitness, as she aims to avoid any feelings of inadequacy during the event.

“I’ve been at the gym twice a week,” Littlefield stated.

“I’m not very good at the gym, so I’ve had to have some personal training with Maddison Morris who had to drive me quite hard at the start and keep me focussed.

“I wanted to lose a few kilos while also being nice and strong and fit and not too heavy.”

Littlefield revealed that a strong contingent of supporters will be travelling to Goodwood, including her father, who is making the trip from the south of France.

“I used to live down the road (from Goodwood), so it’s come full circle,” Littlefield remarked.

“My Dad, who has never really got to see me in action ever, he’s only been out here once, for him to come over and be a part of it, is great.

“I’ll have other friends and family members, it’s going to be very special.”

Littlefield is preparing to field three runners at Flemington on Saturday: Angel In Black in the ATA Trainers’ Trust Handicap (1400m), Chowdown in the VRC Member Erica McKissack Trophy (1700m), and Tajanis in the Deane Lester Flemington Cup 1849 (2800m).

A win from any of her three horses would ideally contribute to her charity fundraising endeavours, and Littlefield is anticipating Tajanis performing well over the extended distance.

“Tajanis would rather it a little bit heavier as I think it’s going to dry out a bit, but he’s a proper two-mile horse, and to get back up to the 2800 metres after running over 2500 metres will really suit,” Littlefield explained.

“He needs every inch of that, and I’ve done a lot of different work with him to keep that interest.

“Eventually he’ll go jumping and we’ve done a lot of work behind the scenes educating him and for me, it takes a year, at least, to educate one, and next year he will be competitive.

“He’s a tough horse, a nice horse to deal with, and I hope he can find that form when he was third in the Sandown Cup.”

The Deane Lester Flemington Cup 1849 is a feature race that will attract significant attention from those looking for the best racing odds.

France may have fallen short in their pursuit of World Cup glory, but Kylian Mbappé still has one major prize left to fight for.

Les Bleus’ 2-0 semifinal defeat to Spain ended their hopes of lifting a second World Cup in three editions, yet the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot remains very much alive. With the third-place playoff still to come, Mbappé has one final opportunity to chase football’s most prestigious individual scoring award.

Standing in his way is a familiar rival.

Lionel Messi and Argentina have advanced to the World Cup final after their dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over England, placing the Argentine captain one match away from another world title while also keeping him in pole position for the Golden Boot.

What initially looked like a straight shootout has now evolved into a fascinating contest involving goals, assists and even minutes played.

Messi and Mbappé remain inseparable

Few rivalries have defined modern football like Lionel Messi versus Kylian Mbappé.

Both players enter the final stretch of the tournament with eight goals, comfortably ahead of the rest of the field. While France’s elimination may have shifted the spotlight toward Messi’s quest for another World Cup, the Golden Boot remains an entirely separate battle.

The award is determined first by goals scored, but FIFA’s tiebreakers ensure that every attacking contribution carries weight. At present, the pair cannot be separated on goals. However, the margins become increasingly fascinating once the tiebreakers come into play.

How the Golden Boot will be decided

If Messi and Mbappé finish level on goals, FIFA applies the following criteria:

• 
  Most assists
• 
  Fewest minutes played

Before Argentina’s semifinal against England, Mbappé held a narrow advantage in assists, giving him the inside track should neither player add to their tally.

However, Messi once again delivered when Argentina needed him most.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner created both Argentine goals against England, producing two decisive assists that transformed not only Argentina’s fortunes but also the Golden Boot standings. Those assists pushed Messi ahead in the assist column, handing him control of the race heading into the final.

Mbappé still controls part of his own destiny

France’s participation in the third-place playoff gives Mbappé one final chance to change the narrative. A single goal would move him ahead of Messi unless the Argentine captain also scores in the final against Spain.

Even if Messi finds the net once, Mbappé could still respond with multiple goals in the bronze-medal match. The equation remains straightforward. Every goal Mbappé scores piles fresh pressure on Messi before the World Cup final kicks off.

For a player who won the Golden Boot in Qatar four years earlier, successfully defending the award despite France missing out on the final would be another remarkable achievement.

Messi’s impact extends beyond goals

If Mbappé has once again showcased his ruthless finishing ability, Messi has reminded the football world why he remains the complete attacking footballer.

Argentina’s captain has not simply scored eight goals. He has dictated games, created chances, controlled tempo and delivered decisive moments throughout the knockout rounds.

Against England, it was Messi’s vision that unlocked the defence twice, setting up Enzo Fernández’s equaliser before producing a perfectly weighted cross for Lautaro Martínez’s dramatic winner in stoppage time.

Earlier in the tournament, he inspired another comeback against Egypt with both a goal and an assist.

Rather than relying purely on goals, Messi has influenced virtually every important attacking sequence for Argentina. His creativity now places him in the driving seat for the Golden Boot.

Mbappé continues to deliver despite France’s disappointment  France’s campaign may have ended in disappointment, but Mbappé’s tournament has reinforced why he remains one of football’s biggest stars.

The French captain has consistently carried the attacking burden, delivering goals throughout the competition while becoming France’s primary source of creativity in transition. His pace, movement and clinical finishing once again proved decisive during France’s run to the semifinals.

Even against Spain’s disciplined defence, Mbappé remained the player opponents feared most whenever he found space. Winning back-to-back Golden Boots would further strengthen his growing World Cup legacy.

One last chapter awaits

The Golden Boot race now mirrors the careers of its two protagonists.

Messi continues to orchestrate games through intelligence, passing and leadership, while Mbappé relies on explosive pace and ruthless finishing to change matches. One will play for the World Cup trophy.

The other will play for pride. Yet both remain locked in one final duel that could be decided by a single goal, a decisive assist or even the finest statistical margins.

The World Cup trophy may dominate Sunday’s headlines, but the battle between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé for the Golden Boot promises to provide one final layer of drama before the curtain falls on the 2026 tournament.

The Vikings roster battle that’s creating the most intrigue — by a Minnesota mile — is quarterback. No doubt, there’s good reason to consider what’s occurring there, but don’t forget the other spots that warrant attention.

As it relates to sheer numbers and intensity, the wide receiver position jumps off the page. Minnesota has a ton of talent out there. In the end, the Vikings roster crunch is going to lead to good players being shown the door, the byproduct of having so many guys competing for so few positions.

A Vikings Roster Battle Towering Above All Others

Some may quibble with the precise arrangement on the depth chart, but the top three names are set in stone.

Justin Jefferson is going to be the WR1. There’s then Jordan Addison as the likely WR2 and Jauan Jennings as the WR3. Minnesota can toss those three receivers onto the field and put a scare into just about every secondary in the NFL. That’s an excellent place to be. Not too many targets for other receivers are going to be available.

As a basic starting point, consider who else is jostling for a spot on the field at receiver:

• Justin Jefferson
• Jordan Addison
• Jauan Jennings
• Tai Felton
• Myles Price
• Dillon Bell
• Dontae Fleming
• Jeshaun Jones
• Michael Briscoe
• Luke Wysong
• Terrill Davis
• Trayvon Rudolph
• Marcus Sanders Jr.

A basic tally shows thirteen players. At most, there will be six spots for receiver talent but possibly only five openings. Worse yet (for the depth guys), the top three jobs are secured.

Moreover, the hurdle that exists for those challenging for a spot is that Felton is a 3rd-Round talent from a year ago. He is a sensational gunner. Price returns, as well, after showing much promise as a punt returner and kickoff returner.

Ironically, Price may be more assured of his roster spot since his skills are more unique. The UDFA talent secured $0 in guaranteed cash but found a way to hang around. Hard not to cheer for somebody who has been overcoming long odds.

In Dillon Bell, the Vikings appear to have a true weapon in town.

He played for Georgia but didn’t set the world on fire in college, boasting statistics that are just average. Watching him with the ball in his hands is a treat, though. He moves with violent explosion. Bell carries a lot of momentum rolling into training camp.

Michael Briscoe is a notable name since he got brought over from Seattle, suggesting Nolan Teasley likes him. Jeshaun Jones got praise from Jefferson recently. The Vikings have been working with Dontae Fleming for a bit, evidently intrigued by his 6’2″ and 180-pound frame.

Add it all up and there’s an intense competition taking place. Some talent is going to deserve a shot but get cut regardless. Somebody could even be traded, with Felton looking like the likeliest option since he was drafted by the past leadership regime and had a modest rookie year. Some team out there would likely send over a Day 3 pick — a 6th, perhaps — to see if he can help on offense.

The Vikings still have plenty of time to figure out how things sort themselves out at receiver. What’s evident, though, is that the position is among the most intense Vikings roster battles, if not the toughest position to secure a depth job.

Rookies report to TCO Performance Center on Sunday, July 26th.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Messi and Mbappé’s Golden Boot battle could be decided by FIFA’s tiebreaker rules after dramatic finale.

The race for the Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup is heading towards a finish remarkably similar to one of the closest battles in tournament history.Lionel Messi currently tops the standings with eight goals and four assists, narrowly ahead of France captain Kylian Mbappé, who has eight goals and three assists. Although both players are level on goals, Messi leads because FIFA’s first tiebreaker is assists.With France still scheduled to face England in the third-place playoff before Argentina meet Spain in the World Cup final, the race is not yet over. It is a situation that echoes the dramatic finish to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, when four players ended the tournament level on goals and FIFA had to separate them using its official tiebreakers.

The 2010 World Cup produced one of the closest Golden Boot races ever witnessed.Germany’s Thomas Müller, Spain’s David Villa, the Netherlands’ Wesley Sneijder, and Uruguay’s Diego Forlán all finished the tournament with five goals.Rather than declaring joint winners, FIFA applied its official ranking criteria.Müller had also contributed three assists, while Villa, Sneijder and Forlán each finished with one assist.That gave the Germany forward the Golden Boot despite all four players finishing level on goals.The remaining positions were then decided by the next tiebreaker: minutes played.Villa claimed the Silver Boot because he had played fewer minutes than the remaining two players.Sneijder received the Bronze Boot after recording fewer minutes than Forlán, leaving the Uruguay captain fourth despite matching the others for goals.The final standings were:

Interestingly, both Müller and Forlán scored one goal each in the third-place playoff. Germany defeated Uruguay 3-2 to secure the bronze medal, but Müller’s superior assist tally ensured he remained on top of the Golden Boot standings.

Although often described as a consolation match, the third-place playoff still counts as an official FIFA World Cup fixture.Every goal, assist and minute played contributes towards the Golden Boot race.History has produced several examples where the match directly influenced the outcome of the award.At the 1958 World Cup, France striker Just Fontaine scored an incredible four goals against West Germany in the third-place playoff to finish with 13 goals, a single-tournament World Cup record that still stands today.Four decades later, at the 1998 World Cup, Croatia striker Davor Šuker scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the third-place playoff. That strike lifted him onto six goals, securing the Golden Boot ahead of every other contender.

Why 2026 could produce another tiebreaker finish

The current standings show just how finely balanced the race remains.

Messi moved ahead after producing two assists in Argentina’s dramatic 2-1 semifinal comeback against England. Although he did not score, his passes for Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez took his assist tally to four, one more than Mbappé.France’s elimination has not ended Mbappé’s chances because Les Bleus still face England in the third-place playoff. Any goals scored there count towards the Golden Boot, giving the French captain one final opportunity to move ahead before Messi plays Spain in the World Cup final.How FIFA decides the Golden BootFIFA applies three criteria to determine the winner:

Those exact regulations decided the award in 2010 and could once again prove decisive if Messi and Mbappé finish the 2026 tournament level on goals.

The award has often been decided by fine margins in recent tournaments:

With both Messi and Mbappé still level on eight goals, another Golden Boot race could ultimately be decided not by goals alone, but by the same tiebreaker rules that separated Müller, Villa, Sneijder and Forlán in South Africa 16 years ago.

Argentine President Javier Milei will not attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup final in the United States because of a long-standing superstition surrounding the country’s leaders and the national team.

According to El Universal, Milei believes his presence at the stadium could bring bad luck to Argentina as they prepare to face Spain in the final.

Instead of travelling to the United States, the president will watch the match from his official residence in Olivos, where he has followed all of Argentina’s matches during the tournament.

Milei admitted that he also follows his own personal superstitions.

“Yes, it’s a superstition. I also always wear a jacket now because I took it off the day of the Switzerland game, and they scored a goal against us,” he said.

Many Argentines believe that the presence of the country’s president at major football matches can affect the team’s fortunes.

The belief dates back to the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, when then-President Carlos Menem visited the Argentina squad before their opening match. Argentina went on to lose 1-0 to Cameroon, and many fans have linked that defeat to the president’s visit ever since.

Argentina will face Spain in the 2026 World Cup final on July 19 at New Jersey, with kick-off scheduled for 22:00 GMT+3.

Earlier on the same day, France and England will meet in the third-place match, which is set to kick off at 00:00 GMT+3.

Meanwhile, reports have also claimed that FIFA is looking into a political banner displayed by Argentina’s players after their semi-final victory over England.