If you’re of the Ricky Bobby school of thought (if you’re not first, you’re last) you could come away from Royal Birkdale seeing just one winner and 155 losers.
But we’re slightly more charitable than that — so let’s review a smattering of winners, losers and in-betweeners from what was (gulp) the final men’s major of the year.
WINNER: Ryan Fox’s commitment
Open champ Ryan Fox said in his post-win presser that he “sees things fast.” He plays that way, too: Quick, relentless, committed. As he said it:
“It’s not that difficult to pick a shot and pick a club.”
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Fox would have been something of an unexpected winner entering the week, but with the benefit of hindsight he’s the perfect fit: A tough international competitor with notable wins on links courses (the 2022 Dunhill Links) and English courses (the 2025 BMW PGA) and in big national opens (the 2025 RBC Canadian Open) and a life of worldwide golf. In a week defined by rulings, controversies and golf’s gray areas, there was something refreshing about Fox’s style — and his acceptance — as he handled everything the course gave him down the stretch.
The way Ryan Fox handled that brutal bunker break on 15 — no real reaction, wasted no time chopping out backwards, got up and down for bogey — set him up for that finish. Fun guy to watch play golf. Awesome attitude. Relentless game. Plays fast and committed. Hit some incredible… pic.twitter.com/g8t5QV51Q7
There was a stark contrast between what happened when Fox found the pot bunker just right of the 18th fairway on Saturday evening — a miraculous escape with a launched 8-iron to the front of the green — versus Cameron Young, who tried to pull off something similar on Sunday afternoon but banked it off the side wall instead and did well to escape with bogey. (He made bogey from a fairway bunker on Saturday, too.) Every shot counts the same, but Fox’s 18th-hole play was a glaring separator.
“It’s a really difficult golf hole,” Young said post-round, correctly.
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“I mean, I hit two shots exactly how I wanted to hit them. I didn’t feel anything for the putt; everything was shaking that much. I was just happy to hit it somewhat near the hole, and to see it go in was incredible,” Fox said post-win.
WINNER: Cameron Young’s Sunday
With that said, Cameron Young’s Sunday charge was remarkable, it was a shot of life for the tournament and it was very nearly enough to win him his first major. His 64 was low round of the day by two and showed off an elite, well-rounded game; he gained strokes in all areas of his game and reminded us why he’s joined the game’s upper echelon. Young wraps up his major championship season with two podium finishes, which go well with his Players Championship. Young will be heartbroken. He should be proud, too.
“I was really just proud of the way I put it together, the way I did it more than the round itself,” Young said post-round. “[Saturday] was tough. It’s one of those nights where you’re kind of — I don’t want to say down, it’s still just kind of a bad day at work, and I’m fortunate to have a cool job, but yeah, it’s a frustrating night.
“To come out, and I feel like I was really clear-minded all day, I had a really clear intention what I was going to do. Yeah, just executed that really, really well, and it happened to add up to 64. It could have been 68; it could have been 60. I just played really well.”
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LOSERS: The Best Golfers Without Majors
If you were making a list heading into the week of the best golfers without a major you wouldn’t have gotten far before you’d listed Cameron Young, Sam Burns and Tommy Fleetwood. Then those guys finished second, third and tied for fourth, reminding us why they’re at the top of that list but also why it’s so hard to get off that list.
Burns will have especially mixed emotions. To some extent, anything that happened this week was going to be a bonus — he didn’t even expect to play! But then he built a two-shot lead heading to Sunday’s final round, revving up expectations and putting a target on his back. Now he’s the owner of another close miss. His T7-T26-2-3 showing at this year’s majors is up there with anyone.
He was classy in congratulations on the 18th green, as his playing partner accomplished what he’d dreamt of. And he kept things matter-of-fact post-round.
“I played a lot of great golf this week. Unfortunately didn’t have my best stuff today. Got off to a bad start, made a couple of mistakes early,” he said. “Ryan played amazing. He’s a well-earned champion. Hat’s off to him. He did what he needed to do down the stretch. Ultimately just came up a couple short today.”
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WINNER: Tommy Fleetwood’s finish
It was hard not to get emotional watching Tommy Fleetwood — the prince of Southport, who wielded layers of pressure all week long — roll in one of the only birdies of the day at No. 18 to a massive roar from the jam-packed grandstands. Fleetwood’s chances peaked when he reached three under par for the round through eight holes. They disappeared when he bogeyed 9-10-11. But there was plenty to be said for his resilience down the stretch. As always, his post-round remarks were admirable, even if they came with a heavy dose of heartbreak.
“Of course, there’s only one person that gets to win it, and like my dream of winning the Open will carry on and I’ll continue to chase it,” he said. “But stuff like that, walking down 18 and the atmosphere out there, that was beyond stuff that I’ve dreamt of. That was just stuff that I never imagined. The crowds were amazing, and they made it the most special week ever for me, and I can’t thank them enough.”
LOSER: Si Woo Kim’s finish
It feels like a very, very long time ago that Si Woo Kim held the outright lead in this golf tournament, but at one point on Sunday afternoon he was the heavy favorite to close out his first major championship. What followed was a strange limp to the finish filled with misfires off the tee and aggressive decisions that didn’t quite pay off. Kim finished T6, his 10th top-10 of the season and the best result of his major career. But his four-over 40 on the way in will sting.
WINNER: Casey Jarvis’ secret sixth
Did you watch Casey Jarvis play golf this week? Did you see him hit shots? Were you aware he finished in a share of sixth place? Because on Sunday he birdied No. 18 to post four-under 66 and six under for the tournament. On a day when leaders were leaking bogeys down the stretch, that left him T6 with Kim and Lucas Herbert — an incredible result for a young player with MC-MC-T65 as his career major record before this week.
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He didn’t take the moment for granted.
“All the guys at the top of the leaderboard were my role models growing up with Scottie, Rory and a few other guys. I’ve been looking up to them, seeing how their game is, and to see my name on the leaderboard amongst the best players in the world, it truly means the world to me.”
LOSER: Bryson DeChambeau’s Sunday
Nobody had a stranger week than Bryson DeChambeau. His Friday triple-bogey stole more headlines than the rest of the tournament combined. His Sunday triple-bogey featured a shocking lost golf ball and officially eliminated him from contention. He played his final seven holes in two under to finish T14, which ultimately marked an anticlimactic close to a turbulent major season for DeChambeau.
WINNER: Xander Schauffele’s T18
I do not think Xander Schauffele himself will grade this as a “win” and I’m not saying that, like, Schauffele had a better week than DeChambeau. But this is a moment of appreciation for the never-give-up nature of Schauffele, who didn’t have his best stuff this week but played his way from the edge of the cut line inside the top 20, as he always seems to do. In the last 19 majors, Schauffele has finished T18 or better in 18 of those — and the lone outlier was a T28. It’s worth appreciating that run of excellence.
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LOSER: Rory McIlroy’s momentum
Rory McIlroy had an opposite finish to Schauffele. He played well out of the gate on Sunday, getting to two under for his round (and four under for the tournament) through 10 holes — but he shot three over par the rest of the way to fade to T40, adding a disappointing final sentence to a major championship season that began with a Masters victory.
“I just felt like any time I got a little bit of momentum out there, I seemed to make a bogey,” he said. “Yeah, just one of those weeks I couldn’t get it going.”
I’m excited for McIlroy’s next chapter, for his fall international tour, for his role in what’s next in the golf world. But as he wrapped things up on Sunday he sounded slightly melancholy.
“This season feels very similar to last season. Obviously won the first major of the year, fell off a little bit after that, but still any time you win a major in a year, you have to be pleased about that.”
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WINNER: Firm, fast conditions
It’s just more fun when the ball lands and you don’t know quite where it’s going to end up. Links golf rules.
LOSER: The Rules of Golf
DeChambeau’s week was overshadowed by his controversial brush with, well, brush on Friday evening. Scottie Scheffler’s rollercoaster charge on Sunday included plenty of discussion on the strangeness around his lost-ball-slash-free-drop en route to birdie on the 71st hole. This seems to be the natural way of the world, where our next-day discussions of NFL games revolve around pass interference calls and our NBA game reviews are a lot of block-vs.-charge and where a major star of this World Cup has been VAR processes. It’s definitely not boring. Sometimes it’s fun. But I don’t want it to engulf everything else.
LOSER: Lousy finishers
Jon Rahm started and finished his Sunday round with double bogeys; there’s a world where he could have challenged for the win, as he did on Sunday at the PGA, but instead his four-over 74 left him even par and T46. Justin Thomas had a rough finish, too, making six Sunday bogeys plus a double en route to 76 and T65, turning a solid week sour. The ascendant Alex Fitzpatrick was well positioned for a reasonably high finish, too, before his putter abandoned him and a Sunday 77 plummeted him down to T71.
WINNERS: Sunday chargers
They say it’s not how you start but how you finish. That’s good news for Young, of course, and for Jarvis. They’re not the only pros who will leave feeling good about their Sunday moves, though: A handful of others never meaningfully contended for the win but moved way up with low rounds nonetheless. I’m looking at Adam Scott, whose 66 jumped him 29 places to T9, his highest major finish since 2019. I’m looking at Russell Henley, who actually bogeyed two of his last three but still shot 66 to finish T9, his fourth top 10 in his last six major starts. Corey Conners (67), Chris Gotterup (67) and Rickie Fowler (66) charged into the top 20. That’ll feel good for the nine long months before next year’s Masters.
Though the first and only goal of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final took 106 minutes to arrive, it was quite a one-sided affair in favour of Spain against Argentina. The 2010 champions controlled possession and the pace of the game. Ultimately, after several missed opportunities, Ferran Torres scored in extra time, slotting home the coveted goal that he said was scored by 47 million people (referring to the population of Spain).
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final ended in ugly scenes as the summit clash descended into chaos immediately after the final whistle, with players exchanging punches and Argentina midfielder LeandroParedes grabbing Spain’s Eric Garcia by the throat.
Argentina defender Nahuel Molina appeared to punch one of the Spanish players in the stomach. In another altercation, midfielder Paredes was seen grabbing Spain’s Eric Garcia by the throat as Scaloni intervened.
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Beyond the clash with Garcia, Paredes tackled Gavi to the ground, shoved him in the face, and seemed to kick a boot toward the 21-year-old Barcelona midfielder. At the same time, Molina appeared to swing a punch at Rodri, causing the Spanish captain to stop and angrily confront the Argentine defender.
According to a report in Sky News, FIFA are set to investigate the ‘behaviour’ of Argentina after the final.
“Paredes threw two or three haymakers into someone’s face. He went for them. There is no place or space for that,” England legend Alan Shearer said on the BBC. “We know how much it means to them and we know how much it hurts to lose, but there is a way to lose. Too many times we have seen that from Argentina. The reaction after the final whistle is terrible.”
Argentina was also accused of one final classless act when they appeared to turn their backs on Spanish players as the world champions accepted their World Cup medals.
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As reported by TalkSPORT, England legend Stuart Pearce was watching the Argentina players as Spain collected their trophies alongside US President Donald Trump.
“When Spain were about to lift their trophy, the Argentinians, to a man, all stood with their backs to the trophy lift,” Pearce said.
With IANS inputs
Featured Video Of The Day
FIFA World Cup 2026 | Argentina Fans Sing & Dance After Dramatic Comeback Against Egypt
A Tour player winning a tournament in a pair of spikeless shoes has become a rarity — let alone a major like the Open Championship, where you would think adverse weather and wet conditions require employing the extra traction that spikes provide.
Not so at last week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, though, as dry, firm and fast conditions proved to be an ideal environment for a spikeless shoe model. Case in point: Open champion Ryan Fox, who wore the Adidas Adizero ZG spikeless golf shoes straight into the winner’s circle.
These shoes are packed with technology, from “Ultralight Lightstrike Pro” cushioning and 3D torsion plate to aid with walking propulsion to a dynamic stability system in the sole, engineered to help you remain sure-footed on a variety of surfaces.
A waterproof upper protects your foot from wet conditions, while an innovative traction system that includes “undercut blades” and Adidas’ Spikemore outsole provide superior grip.
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Like many Adidas products, these shoes are created with recycled and renewable materials to help reduce waste.
In short, as Fox proved, this shoe is a solid choice for recreational players and professionals alike. Check it out in detail below, and click the link to buy your pair now.
Cameron Young’s ball striking is perhaps his greatest asset as a golfer.
Since graduating to the PGA Tour in 2022, the 29-year-old pro has ranked inside the top 35 in SG: Off the Tee every season and has twice ranked inside the top 15 in SG: Tee to Green. This season, as his putter has heated up to complement his lethal ball striking, he’s had a career year, winning the Players Championship and finishing top five in two majors.
Young’s swing is certainly effective, but it also comes with its own idiosyncrasies. Chief among them is the slight pause he makes at the top of his backswing.
“I don’t feel it, obviously,” Young said in a recent episode of Warming Up. “It looks like it hangs there more than it does.”
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So, how did Young’s patented pause come to be? He explained it to GOLF’s Dylan Dethier.
Why Young pauses
Although Young’s pause has been compared to other pros who also take a beat at the top of their backswing (see: Hideki Matsuyama), Young feels his is distinct in its own way.
“It’s not quite like Hideki,” Young said. “He really is structured and stops. And I don’t have the flexibility to stay up there like that.”
Like most unique moves in the swing, Young doesn’t even feel himself pausing at the top. However, the reason for the brief pause actually has to do with the structure of his lead arm at the top of the swing.
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While many players strive for a straight lead arm at the top, Young falls in the camp of those who lose a bit of that structure. So, in order not to rush his transition and introduce copmplications that can arise from a bent left arm, he ends up taking things slow in transition, which leads to the pause.
“I’ve tried to change it,” Young said. “I think in my case [the arm] bends and then by the time I get back out to [the start of the downswing] it’s at full length … as far as bent at the top, there’s a lot of guys, Scottie’s up there like that, Jordan. All kinds of guys have a little bend in the arm up there.”
If Young has shown anything thus far in his Tour career, it’s that even with a unique swing, he’s still among the game’s best.
When Mayo walk onto the Croke Park pitch for the 2026 All-Ireland Senior Football Final, they will carry more than the hopes of their supporters. They will also carry one of the most remarkable statistical records in Gaelic games.
The current Mayo squad has earned its place on merit after an outstanding championship campaign. Yet history provides a stark reminder of just how difficult the final step has been for generations of Mayo footballers.
The last time Mayo lifted the Sam Maguire Cup was in 1951. In the 75 years since that famous triumph, the county has reached 11 All-Ireland finals and lost every one.
Those defeats have come against some of the greatest teams in modern football, but the numbers remain extraordinary.
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Mayo’s All-Ireland Final Record Since 1951
1989 – Lost to Cork
1996 – Lost to Meath after a replay
1997 – Lost to Kerry
2004 – Lost to Kerry
2006 – Lost to Kerry
2012 – Lost to Donegal
2013 – Lost to Dublin
2016 – Lost to Dublin after a replay
2017 – Lost to Dublin
2020 – Lost to Dublin
2021 – Lost to Tyrone
Mayo have now lost 11 consecutive All-Ireland football finals since their last title in 1951.
Connacht’s Recent Record Offers Little Comfort
The statistics become even more striking when viewed through a provincial lens.
Since 2004, Connacht counties have contested 16 completed All-Ireland senior football and hurling finals, but have won just one.
Football
2004 – Mayo lost to Kerry
2006 – Mayo lost to Kerry
2012 – Mayo lost to Donegal
2013 – Mayo lost to Dublin
2016 – Mayo lost to Dublin after a replay
2017 – Mayo lost to Dublin
2020 – Mayo lost to Dublin
2021 – Mayo lost to Tyrone
2022 – Galway lost to Kerry
2024 – Galway lost to Armagh
Hurling
2005 – Galway lost to Cork
2012 – Galway lost to Kilkenny after a replay
2015 – Galway lost to Kilkenny
2017 – Galway defeated Waterford
2018 – Galway lost to Limerick
2026 – Galway lost to Limerick
Connacht’s record since 2004: 16 finals, one victory and 15 defeats.
The province’s only success during that period came when Galway defeated Waterford to win the 2017 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.
The Weight of History
Mayo supporters have experienced more than seven decades of hope, disappointment and near misses. Every generation has believed it could be the one to end the wait.
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From the replay defeat to Meath in 1996, through the narrow losses to Kerry, Donegal, Dublin and Tyrone, Mayo have repeatedly come within touching distance of Sam Maguire without managing to take the final step.
Their current squad now has the opportunity to write a different ending.
While statistics and history make fascinating reading, they do not decide All-Ireland finals. Every championship decider begins with the scoreboard showing 0-0, and records are there to be broken.
For Mayo, however, the challenge is undeniable. They are attempting to win the county’s first All-Ireland title since 1951, end an unprecedented run of 11 successive final defeats, and deliver just the second senior All-Ireland title for a Connacht county in football or hurling since 2004.
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If they succeed, it will rank as one of the most significant days in Mayo GAA history.
Chaos ensued after the full-time whistle in New Jersey on Sunday as the Spain substitutes ran onto the pitch to celebrate victory.
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After Argentina defender Nahuel Molina appeared to throw a punch into the stomach of Spain captain Rodri, things escalated when midfielder Paredes got involved in his own violent clash, grabbing Eric Garcia by the throat having ran over and shoved him to the ground.
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Paredes then wrestled Spain’s Gavi to the turf and pushed into his face while holding him by his substitute bib.
Leandro Paredes (right) was involved in a brawl after full-time of the World Cup final (Reuters)
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni had to sprint across to intervene in an effort to calm his losing players down.
It was widely reported by TV broadcasters showing the final, including ITV and BBC, that Paredes had seen red for his actions.
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However, Fifa sources have told The Independent that this is not the case, with no evidence that such a disciplinary measure was made by referee Slavko Vincic.
This comes as Fifa confirmed it was opening an investigation into the full-time melee, with a Disciplinary and Ethics Prosecutor appointed.
“Following an assessment of the relevant match reports for the Fifa World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, and in line with article 36 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code (FDC), the Fifa Disciplinary Committee has appointed a Disciplinary and Ethics Prosecutor to investigate potential breaches of the FDC with regard to the post-match incidents,” a statement read.
“Further details will be communicated by the Fifa Disciplinary Committee once the prosecutor’s report has been completed.”
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Paredes was not shown to have been given a red card on Fifa’s match centre for the final, only picking up a yellow soon after he was brought off the bench at half-time.
The only player to officially be sent off was his Argentine team-mate Enzo Fernandez, who was shown a second yellow after catching Pau Cubarsi late in second-half stoppage times, sending the Spanish teenager cartwheeling through the air.
As the final whistle blew in New Jersey, a few Argentina players – including Lionel Messi – slumped to the turf.
Others stood there motionless as Spain’s players raced across the pitch in jubilation.
Rodri, who had been substituted in extra-time, ran over from the dugout to join his team-mates.
As the Manchester City midfielder went past Molina, the Argentina defender appeared to punch Rodri on the arm or stomach.
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This was the fuse which ignited the trouble.
Rodri confronted Molina, but it was the Argentina player who thrust forward in an aggressive manner.
Garcia ran over to back up his team-mate at which point Paredes got involved too, jabbing Garcia in the throat.
Unused substitute Gavi tried to intervene, only to be forced to the ground by Almada.
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Paredes then pushed Gavi to the floor by putting his hand in the Spaniard’s face.
Ayala then looked to be holding Garcia around the throat. He then appeared to strike Spain midfielder Dani Olmo.
“Paredes threw two or three haymakers into someone’s face. He went for them,” Alan Shearer said on BBC One’s coverage. “There is no place or space for that.
“We know how much it means to them and we know how much it hurts to lose, but there is a way to lose. Too many times we have seen that from Argentina. The reaction after the final whistle is terrible.”
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Joe Hart added: “The game’s done, they can have absolutely no complaints about what happened today. Disgusting behaviour.”
But Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni, who had attempted to calm the situation, appeared to play down the incidents in his post-match interview.
“We are gracious in victory, and we must be gracious in defeat,” he said. “Today, we are showing that we know how to lose.
“We lost the match, and we accept it, but that doesn’t mean we stop living or forget everything we did to get here.”
Bo Nix is entering the 2026 season as the 59th best player in the NFL. The Denver Broncos starting quarterback was voted No. 59 by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026.
This is Nix’s second appearance on the highly anticipated list. However, he’s ranked 10 places ahead of two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. NFL fans reacted to the development on X.
Thanks for the submission!
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A fan said, “Nix over Lamar? Yall lost your p****ng minds.”
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Another added, “Absolutely insane Bo Nix was rated higher than 2x MVP Lamar Jackson Somethings obviously going on with Jackson inside the locker room because you dont fall 60 some spots in one year just due to a few injuries.”
One said, “Bo Nix is fine where’s he’s at it’s just that the list is so bad it’ll get push back.”
Another added, “Should be like top 40 at least, absolute disrespect.”
One chipped in, writing, “Bo Nix at 59 already? Just getting started, king 👑 Broncos are back baby! 🐎🔥 #GoBroncos.”
The 2026 NFL Top 100 features a number of quarterbacks. Here’s a look at the list thus far:
No. 59: Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
No. 62: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
No. 69: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
No. 72: Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
No. 77: Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
No. 85: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
No. 98: Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young was the first quarterback to appear on the countdown. The Carolina Panthers signal-caller made solid strides in the 2025 season, ensuring that the Panthers reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 campaign.
Jordan Love, Baker Mayfield and Brock Purdy all reminded the rest of the league of their Pro Bowl-caliber talent. Love and Purdy helped their teams to the playoffs while Mayfield narrowly missed out.
Trevor Lawrence was instrumental in the Jacksonville Jaguars reaching the postseason. The former No. 1 pick was on an MVP trajectory before falling out of the race in the later stages of the regular season.
Bo Nix and Lamar Jackson had contrasting 2025 campaigns
Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos entered the 2025 season with decent expectations. It was Nix’s second season with the franchise and Sean Payton’s third at the helm.
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The former Oregon standout showcased his poise, football IQ and underrated dual-threat ability as he guided the Broncos to a deep postseason run. Nix ended the campaign with 25 touchdown passes. The Broncos might have gone even further if not for an ankle injury suffered by their star quarterback in the divisional round against the Buffalo Bills.
Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens entered the 2025 season as Super Bowl favorites. The presence of the two-time MVP made the Ravens one of the most feared teams in the stacked AFC.
However, Jackson and the John Harbaugh-coached Ravens would go on to have a season to forget. They missed out on the playoffs with Jackson posting a stat line of 2,549 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 13 games. Harbaugh was subsequently fired after 18 seasons in charge.
Bo Nix and Lamar Jackson will enter the 2026 season with similar goals. They’ll look to help their teams to Super Bowl glory while proving to be the best of the AFC.
Marc Cucurella’s secret pre-match ritual helped continue Spain’s World Cup-winning superstition/ Image:X
Marc Cucurella was spotted carrying out an unusual pre-match ritual moments before Spain’s FIFA World Cup 2026 final against Argentina, and it has now emerged that the act was part of a 16-year-old superstition passed down by one of Spain’s previous World Cup winners.Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time at the New York New Jersey Stadium to lift the men’s World Cup for the second time in their history, with substitute Ferran Torres scoring the decisive goal in the 106th minute.While much of the attention after the final centred on Spain’s triumph and Argentina’s late collapse, footage captured shortly before kick-off revealed Cucurella quietly walking towards the touchline, removing an object from his sock and burying it beneath the turf.
The ‘secret’ lucky coin tradition
Initially, nobody knew what the Spain left-back had hidden in the grass.The mystery was solved after the final by former Spain defender Joan Capdevila, who revealed that the object was a coin and that he had personally asked Cucurella to continue a superstition dating back to Spain’s first World Cup triumph in 2010.Capdevila, who started at left-back when Spain defeated the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final in Johannesburg, explained that he had buried a coin in the pitch before that match and encouraged Cucurella to repeat the ritual before facing Argentina.Writing on X, Capdevila said: “And now I’ll tell you a secret… In 2010, I buried a coin in the grass before starting the match… I’ve told it millions of times.“I asked @cucurella3 to do the same yesterday…“Marc, I love you so much. YOU ARE A WORLD CHAMPION!”He also shared the video showing Cucurella discreetly checking that nobody was watching before placing the coin into the turf and covering it with grass moments before kick-off.
Spain’s lucky charm ends with another World Cup
Whether coincidence or superstition, the ritual appeared to work once again.Spain controlled much of the final against defending champions Argentina before finally finding the breakthrough in extra time.Ferran Torres struck in the 106th minute after being set up by Nico Williams, handing Luis de la Fuente’s side a hard-earned 1-0 victory and securing Spain’s second World Cup title, exactly 16 years after their first.Cucurella was once again a key figure throughout the tournament, capping another successful international campaign after helping Spain win the European Championship two years earlier.Argentina’s hopes of forcing penalties had already suffered a major blow when Enzo Fernández was sent off in stoppage time of normal time after receiving a second yellow card for a reckless challenge on Pau Cubarsí. Tempers later boiled over after the final whistle, with Leandro Paredes also being dismissed following an altercation involving several Spain players.
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Capdevila’s own World Cup journey almost ended before it began
The story carried extra significance because Capdevila himself almost missed the final.Earlier in the week, the 2010 World Cup winner revealed that his Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) application to enter the United States had been denied, reportedly because of a previous exhibition match he had played in Iran.Capdevila publicly appealed to US President Donald Trump on social media, writing: “I NEED HELP @realDonaldTrump!”“They just told me that I can’t travel to the final with my kids because my ESTA has been denied.“Can anyone help me with this? You have no idea how excited I was to be there with all my 2010 teammates and this team to cheer them on.“I can’t believe they’re not letting me into the USA… and that I’ll miss a moment like this with my kids who love soccer so much.”According to ESPN, US Customs and Border Protection later confirmed to the Associated Press that it had received a request regarding Capdevila’s case and subsequently granted him permission to enter the country.The former Villarreal defender arrived in New Jersey in time for the final and watched Spain lift the World Cup from the stands.After the victory, he celebrated both Spain’s triumph and his own successful journey by posting: “HOW WASN’T IT WORTH IT… I DESERVED TO BE HERE WITH MY FAMILY ENJOYING THIS MOMENT, AND JUSTICE HAS BEEN SERVED. Thanks to everyone who pushed for this to be possible, thanks to all of you from the bottom of my heart.”For Capdevila, the coin buried beneath the grass had already brought Spain luck once in 2010. Sixteen years later, after Cucurella repeated the same quiet ritual before kick-off, it ended with another World Cup trophy heading back to Spain.
Messi was visibly distraught after missing out on back-to-back titles in what will surely be his final World Cup appearance, with the Argentinian hero turning 39 this tournament.
But Messi has now taken to Instagram to post an emotional statement, less than 24 hours out from that gut-wrenching failure in New Jersey.
“The pain is immense, and it will take time for this wound to heal. But I also hold on to all the good,” he said.
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Lionel Messi was visibly emotional after Argentina’s World Cup defeat (Reuters)
“The matches we turned around, giving our all, matches that will forever remain in our memories, the support of an entire country that, together with the hard work and effort of this group, led us to be, once again, among the best in the world.
“Today it’s hard to fully appreciate what we accomplished, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and every message. Once again, we managed to unite as a country and be together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentinian.
“I also want to congratulate Spain on winning the championship.”
“He is 39 years old, it is unbelievable,” Scaloni said in a tearful press conference. “It was always crystal clear to me that he would play until he chose to stop and that everyone would support him.
“I hope everyone is proud of him, because he is the best football player ever to set foot on a pitch.”
Messi scored eight goals and made four assists in a fantastic campaign for Argentina.
The 1-0 defeat to Spain, courtesy of an extra-time strike from Ferran Torres, was the only match he failed to contribute a goal in.
It’s hard to argue the World Cup hasn’t been a success — even after United States (US) President Donald Trump’s unprecedented intervention put the tournament’s integrity in jeopardy.
With Spain claiming its second World Cup title on Sunday, beating Argentina 1-0 in extra time, the most lucrative sporting event ever has overcome every hurdle thrown its way. Fifa increased its four-year revenue expectations by about $2 billion on top of earlier World Cup estimates of about $9 billion.
More than 15 million people filled stadiums and fan festival areas combined during the length of the tournament, the biggest World Cup by attendance, and that’s despite record high ticket prices. Visiting fans and teams heaped praise on their American hosts, a welcome change to increasingly souring opinion toward the country. But Fifa’s obsession with money and power over all else undoubtedly tainted what was otherwise a festive tournament: led by Trump’s intervention on behalf of a suspended American star.
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Balogun incident
On Sunday, Spanish midfielder and captain Rodri was handed the World Cup trophy by Fifa boss Gianni Infantino and Trump. The pair were whistled and booed at the game, condemnation amplified by one event in particular.
During the knockout rounds, Trump had called Infantino and asked if Folarin Balogun, who faced a one-match ban following a red card in a game, could be reinstated for the US in the Round of 16 match against Belgium. Fifa’s disciplinary committee soon suspended that ban for a year, an unprecedented decision.
Infantino’s insistence of the committee’s independence was immediately dismissed by fans, who pointed to the Fifa chief’s relentless efforts to ingratiate himself with Trump, including a Fifa Peace Prize that was hastily created and awarded to him last year. Critics saw the series of events as the latest example of deep-rooted corruption in Fifa.
The shocking reprieve couldn’t save the US, however, as the it lost 4-1 — an outcome that kept the scandal from completely overshadowing the tournament.
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This was not the only political incident that raised eyebrows during the games, however: Lionel Messi and other Argentinian players celebrated a semifinal victory over England with a fan’s banner supporting the country’s claim over the Falkland Islands, prompting the UK government to call for a Fifa investigation.
Egypt’s coach was seen raising and waving Palestine’s flag following a Round of 32 win over Australia, and the Iranian team complained bitterly as it had to fly in and out of the US every matchday from its base camp in Mexico due to American sanctions.
More money, more problems
Fifa faces plenty of questions about the future despite the resounding commercial success of this year’s tournament. The new 48-team format, deemed too big by many, produced moving underdog stories with seven teams reaching the knockout phase for the first time. Infantino has floated the idea of further expanding the World Cup to 64 teams in 2030.
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It’s not clear what the right thing is for the World Cup. The tournament has already become huge in size, with 104 games over 39 days. Players are growing increasingly critical of the sheer number of matches that Fifa, leagues and the regional football bodies are asking them to play.
Fans are also becoming increasingly weary of the sport’s preoccupation with financial gain. In a first for the tournament, Fifa introduced dynamic pricing for World Cup tickets, a system that automatically modifies costs according to real-time demand and available inventory. The results were record high prices.
The organisation has even found ways to guarantee more money in the future. Crowds booed lustily during the controversial “hydration breaks” that interrupted this year’s matches. While Fifa has claimed the decision was solely based on players’ well-being during a tournament that took place during punishing heat, the pauses have conveniently provided time for broadcasters — such as Fox in the US — to sell more advertising.
With two hydration breaks per match, broadcasters would gain eight new in-game, 30-second advertising slots. This in turn means Fifa could net even larger sums for the next round of media rights sales.
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