I’ll start this week by reflecting on the World Cup final last weekend, and I would say that Spain were deserving winners. They were the best team, even though they didn’t start the tournament brilliantly against Cape Verde. But as I said many times, it’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish. And they were outstanding. In the final itself, they tried to play football the right way and were the ones on the front foot trying to cause problems. Argentina were trying to make the game scrappier and get in people’s faces. They had the same approach against England in the semi-finals, and were hoping for a bit of magic from Lionel Messi. But as soon as Enzo Fernández got that second yellow card, you knew Spain were going to win.Clinton was speaking on behalf of Freebets.com home to the best betting sites.Would somebody please think of the children!(Image credit: Getty Images)The post-match scenes were very ugly too, and I feel that Leandro Paredes was one of the worst offenders. He tries to get into people’s heads, and I saw the way he was trying to fight young Gavi at the end of the final. I understand that you’re disappointed after losing the game, but you don’t need to resort to violence. Kids are watching it, and they’re thinking, “Is that the right way? When we lose matches, do we then start fighting?” Vozinha celebrates after keeping a clean sheet against eventual World Cup winners Spain (Image credit: Getty Images)So I think Paredes was the main instigator. It didn’t look good the way they dealt with it. But Spain were class in the way they handled the situation.When reflecting on the tournament as a whole, I’d have to say that the 48-team tournament was a brilliant success. Countries like Cape Verde got their recognition, and you only have to look at their goalkeeper Vozinha, who’s now a superstar with millions of followers on Instagram! It puts you in the shop window. I also look at the centre-back, Roberto Lopes, who was born in Ireland and plays for Shamrock Rovers. Surely some Championship clubs are looking at him, because I thought he was outstanding for Cape Verde. You look at Norway’s run to the quarter-finals, and Curaçao getting their first-ever World Cup point as examples of how the 48-team tournament has delivered.However, I have to say a few words about the half-time show. I love the performers, but it needed more energy. I was thinking, ‘get back to the football.’ Or you…
2026-07-25 20:00:01
"If I’m Steve Parrish at Crystal Palace and teams want Adam Wharton, I’d be thinking
