Expanded 2026 North American World Cup: Spain's 'diligent' performance to Messi's enduring legacy

Well, this year's World Cup was different in many ways, with a halftime show that brought Shakira and Madonna to the stage, a pose more customary to the Super Bowl than football. The US president did attend the final match, the only one he attended of the tournament, and as Donald Trump took to the pitch, there were some boos during the championship. There was loud criticism of his meddling in the matches, notably when he called for a suspension of a US player to be overturned. Well, to get a global breakdown of the championship of that World Cup, let's firstly start with that final, and Spain letting nothing pass them. For you, the deserving winners? I think so. I think that when you actually look at the game that Argentina played, they came up against a very strong Spanish team, very well organised, they controlled the ball, like what we've seen right from the very start of the competition. They kind of ghosted into the final, of course, and they managed to do what we expected them to is that played meticulous, controlled, diligent football, where they keep the ball, and they beat Argentina, who just couldn't deal with them, didn't get any shots on goal. I think there was one in, you know, zero shots in 90 minutes, which just basically tells you just how well this Spanish team were in control of that final. Some grumbling about referees in this final, and indeed throughout the tournament. How have you seen that? Oh, I mean, you know, it's such a difficult job, you know, and I'd never like to, you know, have the whistle and, you know, dress in black and go out there, because it's a very daunting task. I'm not defending them. I think that sort of, you know, they're humans, and they're fully capable of, you know, human error on occasions. It's been complicated. It's such a high-profile World Cup, this version 2026, with more teams, more pressure, smaller teams who haven't tasted the big stage, of course, you know, never once, you know, the likes of Haiti and Cabo Verde. So I think that, you know, they've had a tough time, but there have been some very questionable decisions throughout certain key matches, which have obviously taken away some of, you know, the pizzazz that we've seen on the pitch, and, you know, it hasn't been very positive in certain, you know, certain decisions that have been made. So, you know, it's been 50-50 up and down, but, you know, there's a lot of pressure on those guys. Now we've seen, as you speak, Robbie, a lot of Argentina fans visibly upset and, of course, Lionel Messi himself, it was on the brink of tears after missing out on that golden boot and a second consecutive World Cup win. Where do you think this leaves his legacy overall, as he is expected to leave international football this time? I think that everybody wanted to look at this as, you know, the last dance for Lionel Messi. I think Lionel Messi is an iconic player, a hero. Everybody loves to watch Messi. We know that, you know, time is running out to try and run out onto the pitch in 2030, Morocco, Spain, Portugal. I think that, you know, and of course, you know, it's going to be a shame, we're going to miss him. A legend, absolutely. I think that, you know, just the way that his courteous behavior at the end of the final, you know, congratulating the Spanish players and understanding, you know, in his own humble way, you know, that it's the end, the end of the road for FIFA World Cup. He'll continue to play club football with Inter Miami, but what a legend, what an iconic player, how graceful, how beautiful is his game and what he's brought to football, world football over the years and replicated in a certain way. What Maradona has done, of course, you know, back in the heyday when Argentina were in their prime, I think is fantastic and, you know, his legacy will be remembered forever, not just club level, of course, Barcelona, PSG, whatever, you know, but also wearing the Argentinian shirt because, you know, he's just, he's done his country proud. What a wonderful player. Shame that he didn't win though. Indeed for him, for sure. Before we leave you, Robbie, I mean, it was a different World Cup in many ways, some of which you've pointed out, but there was also the host country, the United States and the role the US president played. What do you make of that, the impact on the game of football as a whole, as it seems the US president is indeed very close to FIFA? Yes, well, President Donald Trump, of course, you know, gave, I think, you know, FIFA the green light to come to the United States, along with, of course, you know, the leaders of Canada and Mexico, you know, welcoming in, you know, the football family to host such a massive FIFA World Cup, a close relationship indeed. At the same time, I think that, you know, it always helps to have the leaders of the host country to be there and welcome football with open arms. It just makes it a lot more easier, of course, and I think that, you know, the economy will have a very positive knock-on effect and football will have a very positive knock-on effect, you know, in America, or soccer, as they like to call it. You know, it's a special relationship, I think, that they've groomed. Whether it will last, I don't know, whether or not that will change going, you know, back over to the other side of the pond, we'll have to wait and see, but it's most definitely enabled and helped this World Cup to go smoothly in terms of what's happened off the pitch and also what's on the pitch. A couple of strange decisions, I think that everybody can agree, you know, with Team USA, but, you know, besides that, I think that, you know, that relationship has enabled the world to see the fabulous, beautiful game get played out in such an amazing way with the two Spanish-speaking nations making it to the final, of course. Okay, Robbie, we'll have to leave it there, but thanks very much Robbie for bringing us his review.