Players out on the pitch ahead of kick-offFIFA World Cup 2026 – Group H – Spain v Saudi Arabia (Reuters)(Getty)James Hicken21 June 2026 16:40Win a copy of Miguel Delaney’s States of PlayIf you’ve ever wondered who really owns and controls football, now’s your chance to find out.Miguel Delaney, The Independent’s chief football writer, takes readers inside the game in the latest paperback edition of States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football.To celebrate the World Cup, The Independent is giving away 10 copies of the paperback edition.This competition is open exclusively to members of the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter. To enter, simply join HERE before 12pm on 1 July. Miguel’s weekly newsletter includes:An agenda-setting column, diving into the real story behind a big football theme Behind-the-scenes updates from reporting trips, including the World Cup Access to weekly Q&As, where your questions can be featured Snippets of insider knowledge from sources, offering a deeper view beyond the headlines New Inside Football members can enjoy their first month FREE. After that, membership costs just £3 per month or £30 per year. Join HERE.Jamie Braidwood21 June 2026 16:33Luis de la Fuente compares Lamine Yamal to Salvador Dali and MichelangeloSpain boss Luis de la Fuente said he did not want to compare 18-year-old Lamine Yamal to Lionel Messi or Diego Maradona – but had no problem comparing the teenager to “geniuses” Salvador Dali and Michelangelo. “The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone,” De la Fuente said. “He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. “They are geniuses, like Dali can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.”(Getty)Jamie Braidwood21 June 2026 16:24Where do Spain stand in our World Cup power rankings? The near-unanimous favourite among our writers to lift the World Cup, Spain have gotten off to a pretty rocky start after being held to a 0-0 draw by debutants Cape Verde. This means they miss out on top spot in our power rankings, which would’ve probably been theirs if they had won,…
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2026-06-21 16:35:04
