World Cup ruminations
RTÉ’s coverage, refereeing the final, and the famous photo of Messi and baby Yamal
Lamine Yamal
Fever dream World Cup half-time show the most entertaining part of a somewhat Super Sunday
Ferran Torres provides fitting finish to good but not great World Cup
Spain beat Argentina through imperious collective football craft and near-impregnable defence
World Cup 2026 final was a football match carrying an unbearable weight of expectation
Spain the winners but football the loser in worst World Cup final of all time
Tournament finale proves spending the big bucks does not guarantee entertainment
World Cup 2026 in quotes: ‘The greatest human, social and cultural event mankind has ever witnessed’ – ehh, right
Infanto’s exaggerations, Trump’s meddling, France’s exit, Ronaldo’s ego and other choice quotes
Why Catalans and Basques will be watching the World Cup final out of the corner of their eye
Spain’s march through the football tournament triggers mixed emotions in the two regions, which both have long separatist histories
World Cup semi-final: Masterful Spain display knocks France out - as it happened
Oyarzabal and Porro score in semi-final as Spain go through to face Argentina or England
Spain show cold ruthless streak to hit France twice and reach World Cup final
Oyarzabal and Porro scored as Spain toyed and frustrated France and struck two goals with cold ruthlessness
‘Heir to Messi and Maradona’: Spain’s Lamine Yamal ready to break French hearts again
Winger’s talent has potential to advance perceived limits of football itself, it seems
Ken Early: Did Tuchel really think he could talk like that about Jude Bellingham and get away with it?
While harmony is notable among semi-finalists France, Spain and Argentina, that quality appears absent in the England camp
Farewell Cristiano Ronaldo. Spain take a dagger to his improbable dream
Spanish side remains unbeaten heading into quarter finals as the 41-year-old from a different era takes his final bows
World Cup 2026: Ronaldo actually plays well, but Ramos is Portugal’s hero
Portugal and Spain’s wins set up a cracking round of 16 match, while Switzerland also advance
Spain show their World Cup credentials with comfortable defeat of Austria
Lamine Yamal stars in LA as Spanish side win their first World Cup knockout game since they won the trophy in 2010
World Cup 2026, Day 11: Fabulous firsts for Yamal, Salah, Egypt and Cape Verde
Pico Lopes shines again for Cape Verde in beautifully chaotic draw with Uruguay
World Cup Group H guide: Stage set for Lamine Yamal to shine with Spain
Shamrock Rovers defender Pico looks to keep dream going with Cape Verde
The World Cup is still free to watch in Ireland, but for how much longer?
More and more sports broadcast rights are moving to subscription services and that is likely to continue
Profits down at firm of ‘super-agent’ Mendes
Gestifute International sees revenue decline by 15% to €62m
Ken Early: Clasico defeat lays bare Barcelona’s reluctance to learn from their mistakes
Real Madrid demonstrate oddly casual approach to set-pieces but prevail largely thanks to the clinical finishing of Mbappé
Lamine Yamal is on the path to greatness but the risk of burning out looms large
Young Spanish winger has attracted attention of tabloids for his antics off the pitch
All in the Game: Political advice from an angry Rangers fan
Lamine Yamal rules out new signings, and Martin Keown chucks another metaphor into the mixer
Marcus Rashford arrives at Barcelona with the club teetering on the edge
President Joan Laporta keeps pushing the club’s overwhelming debts to the side, but it cannot last forever
Malachy Clerkin: Lamine Yamal is incredible and it would be great if we could just leave him alone
This Barcelona prodigy has already played an abnormal number of games for his age, so it would be unsurprising if he burns out
Barcelona are brilliant again - and might just do what seemed unimaginable
On Saturday Hansi Flick’s side face Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final. Winning that would keep them on course for a glorious treble
The Irish Times view on Lamine Yamal: age is just a number
The footballer’s emergence comes against a backdrop of shifting attitudes towards age and responsibility
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