Rodri returns to top the elites

Spain captain Rodri must be one of the most unheralded players in elite football despite his impressive haul of accolades. He lifted the World Cup trophy to boost an already bulging trophy cabinet.

Already the proud holder of Ballon d’Or, one European title, one Nations League, four Premier League trophies, one Champions League and numerous other domestic triumphs, the Manchester City playmaker should be at his happiest.

When Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final on Sunday in New Jersey Rodri, 30, was also crowned player of the tournament.

Historic moment yet after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in 2024 there were doubts he would fully recover from such a serious injury. Yet he has bounced back magnificently.

If Rodri was the happiest, the most frustrated must be Kylian Mbappe who became the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot twice after top scoring in America.

The France forward netted 10 times in eight games to edge out Lionel Messi’s eight in a high-quality race. Having struck eight times to finish top scorer at Qatar 2022, Mbappe, 27, has done it again. He is now the men’s World Cup all-time top scorer with 22 goals - one ahead of Messi.

A devastated Messi is still processing the disappointment of not winning the big prize again. He says “the pain is immense” and that it “will take time to heal”

Ferran Torres’ extra-time strike saw Spain crowned world champions for a second time, ending Argentina’s defence of the title. Messi has now lost two World Cup finals after Argentina were defeated 1-0 by Germany in 2014.

Messi, now 39, is unlikely to feature at the 2030 tournament, though he is yet to clarify his international future. “The pain is immense, and this wound will take time to heal. But I also hold onto all the good things,” he posted on social media.

At least the match nobody wanted to play in became the match nobody wanted to end.

England’s ‘bronze final’ against France was a thriller with 10 goals, six of them for the Three Lions. It had the feel of a training ground game - and there could easily have been more.

Bukayo Saka became only the second England player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup knockout match, after Sir Geoff Hurst in the 1966 final.

And it means England achieved their highest men’s World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966. And their best-ever result on foreign soil.

Highlight of that amazing game was Jude Bellingham’s brilliant individual goal for England’s sixth and his seventh in the tournament.

Such was the success of the 48-team tournament for the first time that Gianni Infantino, the much-maligned FIFA president, is seriously considering a 64-team World Cup Finals next time.

Infantino said: “If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.” Another expansion means, of course, more games, money and worldwide TV revenues.

The likes of Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan acquitted themselves superbly so another 16 teams would not be inconceivable.

Purely in terms of the competition format, it does make sense.

The top two teams in the 16 groups would go through to the knockout stage. No longer would there be a need to send a few third-placed teams through.

The 2030 World Cup will mark 100 years since the first World Cup, which was held in Uruguay.

The tournament will primarily be hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain, but the opening three matches will be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay as centenary hosts.

The furore generated by Argentina’s appalling behaviour after losing to Spain hasn’t abated. FIFA’s disciplinary committee has appointed a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor to assess what happened after the final whistle at MetLife stadium.

Any player or coach involved in the fracas could face suspension, while the Argentine Football Association may also be fined.