Spain celebrate after winning the World Cup for a second time: Picture from Wikimedia Commons/The White House Has there ever been a more universally welcome outcome in a World Cup final? Has a result ever felt more just? We all feared the worst when referee Slavko Vincic failed to yellow card Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister early on for a typically savage challenge on Dani Olmo, and it looked like the gruesome Argentinians were going to get carte blanche to go about their sor

Enzo Fernandez: Wikimedia Commons Have the bridges been burnt down completely or will it all be forgotten before we know it? Within seconds of Argentina claiming a 2-1 win over England in Wednesday's World Cup semi-final in Atlanta, Chelsea's social media had posted a picture of Enzo Fernandez, ears cupped goadingly, after his late equaliser to dash those Albion hopes. They weren't reading the room too well. The post was soon taken down. England fans had plenty of despair to

Photo by Alessandro Schiavone By Alessandro Schiavone While Spain reached the final of the FIFA World Cup courtesy of a convincing 2-0 win over France in Dallas yesterday, one particular detail may have been lost on Tottenham Hotspur fans: Pedro Porro's strike pulled their club level with Chelsea on three goals in World Cup semifinals. Up until yesterday’s clash between the neighbouring countries, the Blues were 3-2 ahead in these London charts thanks to Oscar (1) and Schurrl

Mikel Merino in the red of the national team : Picture from Wikimedia Commons The World cup's final chapters are about to be written - with London players still very much involved in the chase for sporting immortality. The tension that is about to grip the nation on Wednesday as England take on Argentina in Atlanta will be underscored by the subtext of a north London confrontation between Tottenham's Crstian Romero and soon-to-be club team-mate Marcos Senesi for the world cha

Exclusive by Alessandro Schiavone Toby Alderweireld has played more games with Jan Vertonghen than with any other player in his career. And the same goes for Super Jan. The duo shared the pitch on a staggering 366 occasions for Belgium, Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur. That amounts to 30,681 minutes, with the pair only 34 shy of the legendary Italy and AC Milan duo Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi on 400. Doesn’t that sound flabbergasting? Far and away Tottenham Hotspur’s golden er

Exclusive by Alessandro Schiavone in Brussels Toby Alderweireld has called on former side Tottenham Hotspur to make significant changes ahead of the 2026/2027 Premier League campaign after narrowly avoiding an apocalyptic relegation last month. And rather than pouring water into a cracked cup, Alderweireld, who was part of the club’s finest hours in recent history, wants to see open-heart surgery at the club. In other words, he wants to see some fresh faces through the door

That was the season that was : Picture by @YTJourno AFC Wimbledon 4 Not the greatest of seasons for the Dons, who fell too close to the trapdoor for comfort towards the business end of the season. Johnnie Jackson's men finished only two places above the dotted line after losing nine of their last 11 matches and they managed only two goals in their last eight games. Only Marcus Browne (with 12) managed to get into double figures for goals. And home form was a concern, with onl

Wikimedia Commons By Alessandro Schiavone in Leuven World Cup 2027 Qualifiers Belgium 6-0 Luxembourg The manager of the Belgium women's national football team has aimed a dig at England superstar Harry Kane. The striking similarities between Belgium’s all-time record goalscorer Tessa Wullaert and the former Tottenham hitman are well documented on both sides of the Channel. Both belong to the class of 1993. Both score for fun. Both are ageing like fine wine. Both are showing n

Tottenham Hotspur (1) 1 v Everton (0) 0 João Palhinha 43 By Kaz Mochlinski at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Premier League Matchweek 38 Tottenham Hotspur dramatically clung on to their Premier League status on the final day of the domestic season as they just about accomplished what they needed to do in getting a positive result against Everton to relegate West Ham United instead. On a nerve-shredding Sunday afternoon of almost unbearable tension, under cloudless skies in sun

Gunners fans in euphoric mood It has been 22 long years but at last the Gunners have shed the nearly-men tag to land the Premier League title last won by the Invincibles. They are the champions. The fact they have done it without playing will be greatly appreciated by their fans, who have had to witness the torment of many narrow nail biting wins in recent weeks. Closing in on that elusive title has felt tortuous and Monday night's desperately grim 1-0 win over Burnley seemed