What you need to know ahead of Sunday’s Argentina-Spain showdown.
Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photo: Odd Anderson and Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Imagesis the greatest soccer player of all time. The Argentina forward — who, lest you forget, is still playing here in the MLS for Inter Miami, and will— has long battled Pele and Diego Maradona for GOAT status, but if there were any doubt left after Argentina’s World Cup win four years ago, there certainly isn’t now.
He and his nation have been the cardiac kids of this year’s Cup, scoring 12 different goals after the 75th minute so far, including wild comeback wins against Egypt in the Round of 16 and against poor beleaguered England in the semifinals, both of which took place in Atlanta. Messi has scored and assisted on hundreds upon hundreds of goals in his career, but his setup on the winning goal against England—in which he deked defenders with his left foot and then laid in a platonic ideal cross with his right — will end up as one of his signature highlights. At 39, he has made certain there are no doubters left. Get your Ronaldo junk out of here.
And now he has just one hill left to climb—one more game to basically achieve the career ending of Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, John Elway and Bill Russell combined. On Sunday, at MetLife — sorry, New York/New Jersey — Stadium in East Rutherford, he and Argentina will face favored Spain with an opportunity to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win two straight World Cups. The World Cup Final is, obviously, always a massive, massive deal.
But what Messi has a chance to do is unprecedented, really, in the history of sports. I will be fortunate, once again, to be there in person. Here’s an FAQ of what you need to know about Sunday’s final.
The apocalyptic smoke that has plagued New York is expected to move out by the latter half of the weekend, along with thunderstorms that look likely on Saturday. As of now, it looks like FIFA will luck out with a seasonably warm, sunny day for the final. Messi and Argentina’s repeat attempt is the headlining story, but Spain is a soccer powerhouse that has won only once in its history, back in 2010.
Spain dismanted tournament favorite France in the semifinals and has looked in control for the entire World Cup, save for a shocking tie against Cabo Verde. Argentina, meanwhile, has needed all those incredible comebacks just to survive. Spain is due for a title, but Argentina is reaching for legend.
And on an individual level, there’s Messi vs. Lamine Yamal, the 19-year-old Spanish wunderkind who looks like the future of soccer. By now, you probably know about theirProbably! The tournament has obliterated all attendance records, and nearly every game, despite the astronomical ticket prices, has sold out.
The best teams advanced, the stars have all been showcased, there are teams from two different continents in the final and most of the pre-tournament fears have ended up not being much of a problem at all. The biggest controversy was of course Trump sticking his nose into the Falorin Balogun red card situation, but that ended up with the US, rendering the scandal mostly moot.
There were think pieces heading into the tournament arguing that this would be a bust; it has been the opposite of that.that because the next World Cup will take place over three continents, and 2034’s tournament will be in Saudi Arabia , and because FIFA rules dictate that the 2038 tournament must take place either in Australia or North America.
Which means, unless they change those rules , the tournament could be back here in 12 years. Considering how much money FIFA made during this tournament, it doesn’t seem a stretch to say itwill be. And one thing that would be less of an issue going in:The president will no longer be Donald Trump.
that will probably be even worse this time.
Are you ready to see Lionel Messi pull off the impossible and make history? Awesome. Just know that Trump will be in the frame right next to him. The president has done less damage to the tournament than some feared, but he’ll still be there at the end.
Originally a temporary fill-in giving Republicans a chance to sort out their options, Lindsey Graham’s sister seems to be making a power move. United Airlines actually isn’t offering free flight changes to people who object to the Trumpification of the Palm Beach, Florida, airport. Several survivors said they were let down by the encounter, but Blanche will still probably be confirmed as attorney general. He thought he understood why something like the Iran war was a trap.
Now he’s learning the hard way. The UFC was supposed to fix the South Lawn after the arena came down. Instead, Trump forged ahead with another unsanctioned project. For years, many Republicans have tried to avoid engaging with his election denial.
Tonight, he’s rubbing their faces in it. The Speaker is trying to break Trump’s legislative logjam by giving him Iran-war funding and a watered-down SAVE America Act. Trump’s attorney-general pick fielded five hours of questions, attacks, and softballs from the Senate Judiciary Committee. Here are the key moments.
Efforts to rein in ICE tactics and poorly targeted mass deportations have been met with a backlash from Trump’s base. Once again, one chamber has voted to end biannual clock switching. But despite Trump’s strong support, the bill’s future is uncertain. The billionaire Citadel founder is said to be focusing on Senate races in hopes of shaping the party beyond Trump. *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up.
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