CRISTIANO RONALDO HAT-TRICK STATS

 

MOST GOAL CONTRIBUTIONS | IN WORLD CUP HISTORY

 

WORLD CUP GOAL KINGS 👑

 

RONALDO DELIMA IN 2002 | HUGE WINNER

 

RONALDO OVERTAKES MESSI: PORTUGAL STAR BREAKS RECORD IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIER THRASHING

Cristiano Ronaldo registered yet another record as Portugal crushed Armenia 5-0 in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers opener. Ronaldo scored twice in the game and also paid emotional tribute to late teammate Diogo Jota.

Cristiano Ronaldo applauds fans after being substituted. Image: Reuters

Cristiano Ronaldo starred again as Portugal thrashed Armenia 5-0 in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers opener on Saturday night. The 40-year-old scored twice in the match as Portugal dominated from start to finish.

Portugal got off to a fast start when Joao Felix scored in the 10th minute. Ronaldo doubled the lead in the 21st minute with a close-range finish, followed by Joao Cancelo’s goal in the 32nd minute. Ronaldo then added a brilliant goal in the 46th minute, before Portugal scored the fifth goal later in the match.

- FP Sports Desk

RONALDO URGES BRAZIL TO TRUST THE PROCESS

Neymar has had an up-and-down recovery from his year-long injury, but Ronaldo believes he can still provide a spark for Brazil next year.

Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario claimed Neymar is the country's "biggest hope" for next year's World Cup, and has urged them to keep him in their plans for the tournament.

Neymar was out for 12 months due to a knee ligament injury, which ultimately led to his contract at Al-Hilal being terminated.

He then returned to Santos in January, making 14 appearances in all competitions, while scoring three goals and registering three assists.

Neymar received a red card in Santos' 1-0 defeat to Botafogo earlier this month, in what could have been his final match for the club with his current contract due to run out on June 30.

However, reports this week suggest he is close to extending his stay at the club and will put pen to paper on a new one-year deal.

Neymar had spoken of his desire to return to the national set-up, and was called up for Brazil's March fixtures, though had to drop out through injury, and was subsequently left out of Carlo Ancelotti's first squad.

But Ronaldo believes Neymar should remain in the thoughts of the head coach, with the aim of making sure the 33-year-old is back in the fold for the 2026 World Cup.

"It's not easy to be out for a year, come back from a serious injury and start playing again as if nothing had happened," Ronaldo told Denilson's podcast, via Goal.

"What Neymar is going through is very natural. It's happened to almost everyone who has had an injury that lasts more than a year. You can look at the statistics. It's very difficult.

"Of course, when he's playing, he'll give his best for the club, but we have to respect the plan. He doesn't have to push himself to the limit all the time during this recovery process, especially since he's our biggest hope for the Brazilian national team.

"I talked to him a lot so he could take it easy, stay focused, train hard, and keep his legs strong. The goal has to be the World Cup."

Brazil qualified for the World Cup, which is being hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico next year, with two games to spare thanks to a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in their last match.

They remain the only nation to qualify for every edition of the World Cup, with the 2026 tournament set to be their 23rd appearance.

- beIN SPORTS

THE BEAUTIFUL GAME | HIGHLIGHTS

 

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LAMINE YAMAL AMAZING STATS BY AGE 17 COMPARED TO MESSI & RONALDO

 

BRAZILIAN SOCCER LEGENDS WITH THEIR ACCOLADES

 

I FACEOFF WITH MRBEAST | RONALDO

I MEET MRBEAST TO BREAK THE INTERNET | CRISTIANO RONALDO

WHY TEN HAG FAILED AT MANCHESTER UNITED

Erik ten Hag craved control at Manchester United but it meant that, with problems piling up, there was nowhere to hide. In the end, his fingerprints were all over too much of the failure -- there were no excuses left -- and Sunday's 2-1 defeat at West Ham United proved to be his final act as manager.

Ten Hag did it his way, accommodated by the club at almost every turn, but still couldn't make it work. On a preseason trip to Oslo in the summer of 2023, he complained to club staff that the grass at the Ullevaal Stadion was longer than had been agreed. He was told that rain in the Norwegian capital overnight led to unexpected growth, and it was just one of those things; Ten Hag replied that it wasn't good enough.

The Dutchman enjoyed a lot of control while at Man United. He dictated details from the length of the grass to aid quicker passing to the layout of Old Trafford. Early on in his reign, Ten Hag was allowed to redesign a group video analysis room at Carrington -- complete with a huge screen, tiered flooring and interior decoration featuring images of United fans -- at a cost of more than £200,000. Yet his changes weren't restricted to the facilities.

Ten Hag changed the way players prepared for games, asking them to arrive four hours early for matches at Old Trafford in their own cars rather than spending the night before at a Manchester hotel and arriving together on a coach. He repurposed a large hospitality suite and turned it into a prematch room for his squad. He moved the lockers in the dressing room so the defenders sat to his left, and the midfielders and forwards sat to his right, when he stood in front of his tactics board.

At Old Trafford, Ten Hag insisted on switching the benches around to be nearer the tunnel, even though it meant his technical area would then straddle the halfway line, which, in his opinion, would give him a better view of the game. He was told it would cost money to make the change because the home benches are heated and the away benches are not, but Ten Hag put his foot down and got his way. He often did.

United knew what they were getting when they hired him from Ajax Amsterdam in the summer of 2022. Club bosses were told a story that when he first arrived at Ajax in December 2017, he continued to use a suitcase embroidered with the branding of his former club, FC Utrecht. He was told it was perhaps not the best look for the Ajax manager to be carrying Utrecht merchandise, but he liked the bag and used it anyway. Ajax bosses told their United counterparts that it showed "Ten Hag's stubbornness in a nutshell."

Ten Hag was the same at Old Trafford, but with so much control came ultimate responsibility for performances and results that were eventually deemed unacceptable. After a little over two years, four months in charge, Ten Hag was sacked on Monday after a run of just four wins from 13 matches in all competitions to start the 2024-25 season. Languishing at 14th in the table -- as close to the relegation places as the top four -- United were on course to place even lower than last season's worst-ever Premier League finish.

Ten Hag leaves with a record of 70 wins and 35 defeats in 128 games. The signs of discord have been there for a while and even though United sources insist Ten Hag has conducted himself with professionalism and dignity throughout his time at Old Trafford, his departure is no surprise.

Conflict with players from Ronaldo to Sancho

After completing the purchase of a 27.7% stake in the club early in 2024, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos team were initially sympathetic to the issues faced by Ten Hag, but increasingly found that many of the problems pointed back to the manager.

Ten Hag survived their extensive end-of-season review largely because of the surprise FA Cup success over Manchester City on May 25, and because agreements couldn't be reached with other candidates including Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino. That victory was such a shock that a postmatch party had to be hastily arranged with no prior planning.

Ten Hag's contract was soon extended by a year after, but there was a feeling within the Ineos hierarchy even then that a change might be necessary if the form that saw them finish eighth in the Premier League last season -- United's lowest-ever finish in the league's 31-year history -- didn't drastically improve during the early part of the new campaign.

Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake also arrived in a summer revamp of Ten Hag's coaching staff. Ten Hag had a previous relationship with Hake, but not with Van Nistelrooy, and it prompted some players to speculate that the former Netherlands international, who spent a year in charge of PSV Eindhoven between 2022 and 2023, would be a ready-made replacement if Ten Hag was sacked; exactly what ended up happening when Van Nistelrooy was appointed as caretaker manager on Monday.

It was telling that CEO Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth -- hired in by Ratcliffe and Ineos to revamp the club's footballing structure -- both distanced themselves from the decision to keep Ten Hag by making it known privately that they weren't involved in the conversations because they had not officially started in their new roles in July. It gave their public backing of Ten Hag in early September a hollow feel.

Ten Hag's time in charge ultimately delivered two trophies in two years, but it was never easy.

After beginning his reign with defeats to Brighton and Brentford in August 2022, sources told ESPN there were early complaints from some players that Ten Hag struggled to communicate, and concerns that instructions were being lost in translation leading to confusion on the pitch. Following the 4-0 defeat to Brentford, one player told close friends that Ten Hag didn't know how to motivate, with players often finding him difficult to read. He could be jolly one day, and extremely serious the next. One source described Ten Hag as "too strict."

His disciplinarian approach was initially welcomed by senior players who believed standards had slipped under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, but some of his rules would cause additional issues.

Most players agreed that Cristiano Ronaldo was in the wrong when he refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham in October 2022 but, after seemingly winning the battle of wills initially, sources told ESPN many within the club soon started to think Ten Hag had taken the punishment too far.

Ronaldo was initially ordered to train away from the first team, but when he tried to enter the dressing room and retrieve a pair of his trainers, he was told by staff he wasn't allowed in. The stand-off ended only when Ronaldo enlisted an academy player to go into the dressing room for him, with a number of senior players viewing the blanket ban as an unnecessary humiliation.

The fallout with Ronaldo was seismic, but although the Portugal legend's departure from Old Trafford during the break for the 2022 FIFA World Cup was relatively clean, a similar situation with Jadon Sancho was not.

Sancho was a high-profile and highly coveted signing when announced on July 1, 2021. His arrival, fresh off the back of four brilliant years at Borussia Dortmund, was seen as a coup for United in the face of interest from other top clubs, but things quickly devolved after a promising start.

A public fallout between the England international and Ten Hag was followed by four months of Sancho being made to train, eat and change on his own. A number of players tried to encourage Sancho to apologise, but the longer the situation went on, the more players began to believe that -- again -- Ten Hag had taken things too far. Sources have told ESPN that Ten Hag wanted Sancho to say sorry publicly because the player had made the conflict public on social media, but sources tell ESPN that some players viewed the demand as an unnecessary humiliation.

The Sancho situation increasingly became an embarrassment. As Sancho -- sent on loan to former club Dortmund in January 2024 -- was tearing holes in Paris Saint-Germain during the Champions League semifinal first leg in April, United representatives sent messages to high-profile pundits telling them to stop talking up the forward's contribution because it reflected badly on the club.

With no one willing to match Sancho's valuation over the summer, Ten Hag was convinced to allow him back into first-team training. He remained reluctant throughout the uneasy truce, feeling that it could be viewed as a loss of his authority. Eventually Sancho joined Chelsea in a cut-price loan deal on Deadline Day in August 2024.

Players question his training methods as injuries mount

Sancho was one of a number of issues Ten Hag faced during a particularly difficult second season. Injuries were a problem, and not just the volume of them: United had to deal with 45 separate cases during that campaign.

Players questioned the intensity of some of the training sessions and were often left thinking they would benefit from more individually tailored programmes. One senior player put his injury problems down to being asked to train in the same way as much younger squad members, believing instead that he should be allowed longer to recover after games.

Sources have told ESPN that Ten Hag would use extra training as a response to poor results and performances, which many players found counterproductive. They would feel tired ahead of the next game, lose, and then be given more extra training. Ten Hag's answer was always that Premier League football is intense, so training must be the same.

Towards the end of last season, Ten Hag was cutting an increasingly isolated figure. Members of his own staff began to question why the team was being set up in the same way despite often conceding 20 or more shots. Players, too, began to feel the team was "too open."

Ten Hag never lost the entire dressing room in the way Jose Mourinho did before he was sacked but, over time, more and more individuals began to develop their own gripes. Ratcliffe's right-hand man at Ineos, Sir Dave Brailsford, held one-on-one meetings with the squad in February and again in April. There was an overriding feeling that support for the manager within the dressing room had dipped significantly during the intervening two months.

Ten Hag put his case forward to Ratcliffe and Brailsford, insisting that "no team in the world" could have coped with the amount of injuries Man United had suffered. He pointed to his promotion of youngsters Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, and voiced his frustration that the club had missed out on signing stars like Frenkie de Jong (who stayed at Barcelona), Alexis Mac Allister (who joined Liverpool), Federico Valverde (who remained at Real Madrid) and Harry Kane (who went to Bayern Munich).

Sources have told ESPN that Ineos was told during conversations with the recruitment team that many of Ten Hag's transfer demands were "unrealistic."

Tension over recruitment and transfer policies

Recruitment was a contentious issue throughout Ten Hag's time at Old Trafford. His demand for control over transfers saw United terminate their collaboration with Rangnick, who had agreed a two-year deal to act as a consultant. When Ten Hag took over in the summer of 2022, Rangnick expected to meet face-to-face for a detailed meeting about the state of the squad only to discover the new United manager was willing to only grant him a phone call.

One player Ten Hag did get was Antony. Having worked together at Ajax, Ten Hag was the driving force behind signing the Brazilian winger, but the transfer has been an unmitigated disaster. During talks with Ineos, Ten Hag said that, while he wanted Antony, it was not his fault that the fee had risen to more than £85 million when he was available for a much lower price earlier in the summer of 2022. A source has told ESPN that Ajax could not believe the offer United eventually made because it was so far above his market value, while other sources note that signing Antony and Casemiro was partly driven by the panic caused by those early defeats to Brighton and Brentford.

There was further tension in recruitment meetings following the Ineos takeover, with Brailsford keen to stress that responsibility for signings would ultimately be handed to Ashworth and technical director, Jason Wilcox.

Ten Hag at first struggled to build a working relationship with Wilcox, dismissing him as somebody who lacked the credentials for his job, having previously run Man City's academy set-up and then a year as Southampton director of football. Things improved following talks over the summer, but Ten Hag was still reluctant to give up control, arguing that he had been granted a transfer veto in his contract. Sources have told ESPN that Ineos was not impressed with his record in the market.

Ten Hag insisted that he hadn't pushed for every transfer made under his watch and instead was forced to accept certain players because positions had to be filled. He wanted Kane -- an experienced goal scorer -- when the club was looking for a striker in the summer of 2023 and instead got Rasmus Højlund, a young player with vast potential but very much a work in progress.

Furthermore, Ten Hag was exasperated by the club's financial situation and viewed both January transfer windows during his reign as missed opportunities. He was allowed to only sign Wout Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer on short-term loans in January 2023, and his request for a striker in January 2024 to help ease the burden on Hojlund was turned down.

According to a source, Ten Hag insisted that he had to sign Antony, Lisandro Martínez and Casemiro in part because they were strong characters who were vital to deal with a dressing room that was in a mess post-Rangnick. Antony and Martinez demanded Ajax let them go -- Martinez at one point argued directly with an Ajax official over a move to United -- which impressed Ten Hag and football director John Murtough.

Martinez, a staunch Ten Hag supporter, was missed in the dressing room and on the training pitch during a long injury layoff between September 2023 and January 2024. The Argentinian was encouraged to spend more time around the squad during a particularly poor run of form in December 2023, when staff reported back to Ten Hag that he was close to losing the support of some influential senior players.

Defenders Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs De Ligt and arrived from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2024, but the United hierarchy was initially unconvinced as to why the club needed the latter player, having just signed Leny Yoro to a long-term deal. Mazraoui was seen as a straight replacement for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who ultimately joined West Ham, while De Ligt was felt to be decent value and added more depth at a problem position. After discussions with Ten Hag, they sanctioned it due to the low costs involved.

Ten Hag did his best to manage the squad with an emphasis on individual meetings but, privately, he accepted it was a step up from what he had known at Ajax and found United players were almost "businesses" in their own right with huge entourages around them, all with their own opinions. On one occasion, a request made by a player's PR representative for more exposure on the club's social media channels ended up on his desk.

Ten Hag, according to sources, made a conscious effort to avoid criticising individuals in the media for fear that it would do more harm than good. After almost capitulating to Championship side to Coventry City in the FA Cup semifinal in April, he kept the players in the Wembley dressing room for so long that by the time they came out, the Coventry players were lined up waiting to swap shirts. But in his news conference immediately afterward, he decided to shield his squad, instead focusing on the fact United had won the game on penalties to reach a second successive FA Cup final.

Some staff felt Ten Hag protected his players too much and instead inadvertently made himself a lightning rod for criticism. Ten Hag, though, believed that many players didn't respond well to public criticism and that it was important to keep the dressing room behind him as best he could. He repeatedly backed Marcus Rashford despite concerns about his body language during training and games.

Ten Hag wanted to stay in control, even if it increased an already massive workload. He picked the squad numbers for new signings -- it was his decision to hand Mason Mount the No. 7 shirt rather than to Garnacho -- and wanted to know what media commitments players had, why they were doing it and whether or not they were contractually obliged.

When club staff were worried Ten Hag was being asked to hold too many news conferences, they suggested former assistant Steve McClaren could take over before a Carabao Cup tie. Ten Hag declined, insisting the "message" always had to come from him. According to a source, a request made by a TV company to speak to Van Nistelrooy in August was turned down on Ten Hag's say-so.

On one occasion Ten Hag cancelled his own interview with Robin van Persie, who had flown to Manchester to conduct it, because it clashed with his training schedule. Nothing got in the way of his work -- something acknowledged by Ratcliffe and Brailsford -- but it wasn't enough to save him after a disastrous end to his second season and miserable start to his third.

In the end, too many bad results

Ten Hag is one of only four managers in United's history to win trophies in consecutive seasons alongside Ernest Mangnall, Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson, but winning the FA Cup was achieved against a backdrop of United's worst league season for 34 years.

When Ratcliffe and Ineos began the process of investing in United in November 2022, they had no intention of sacking Ten Hag. Even early this year, their feeling was that the structure at the club was wrong and that any manager would struggle to perform. But after finally formalising their agreement to buy a minority stake in February, setbacks on the pitch came thick and fast.

The 2-1 defeat to Fulham at Old Trafford on Feb. 24 was considered a watershed moment. Ten Hag called the squad into Carrington the following day and made them watch a replay of the game in full before going out to train.

Six weeks later, Ratcliffe was in the stands at Stamford Bridge as United conceded twice in stoppage time to lose 4-3 to a Chelsea team that was also in a state of flux. Sources have told ESPN that Ratcliffe made his frustration with the performance well-known both during and after the game. Ratcliffe was in the stands again at Wembley as United threw away the three-goal lead against Coventry, and it was followed two weeks later by the humiliating 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.

Ten Hag had started to seriously fear that he was not in Ratcliffe's long-term plans in March when he was informed that assistant Benni McCarthy -- a key member of staff in his first two years -- had not been approached about signing a new contract. Chelsea's surprise decision to part company with Pochettino in late May prompted concerns among United's new leadership team that they had to act quickly because both clubs would be picking from the same pool of managers.

It led to discussions with potential candidates in the week leading up to the FA Cup final, a situation considered so humiliating that close friends advised Ten Hag to quit.

Sat in the Wembley news conference theatre after beating Man City, Ten Hag was defiant saying that if Ratcliffe and the new co-owners "don't want me, then I go somewhere else to win trophies because that is what I do."

In the same room in February 2023, he walked into his news conference carrying the Carabao Cup -- United's first trophy for six years -- and nearly left it on the desk before joking that he was "already thinking about the next one." After two in two years, he won't get the chance to make it three in three.

The surprise victory over City in the FA Cup final was enough to keep him in a job for another six months, but the goodwill built up after that day at Wembley eventually eroded. Their 3-0 defeat to Liverpool in September caused renewed worry among United's leadership that Ten Hag may not be able to turn things around.

After that, United's 3-0 defeat to Tottenham a month later was another nail in his coffin. A source has told ESPN that after Bruno Fernandes had been sent off late in the first half, the players were unsure what Ten Hag's plan was as they emerged for the second 45 minutes and conceded just two minutes into the half.

Serious consideration was given to sacking Ten Hag during the October international break and, despite beating Brentford when domestic fixtures resumed, the 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday was the tipping point. The final decision was made on Sunday night, and Ashworth and Berrada were waiting at Carrington early on Monday morning to deliver the news.

With Van Nistelrooy left to prepare for his interim role and a Carabao Cup game against Leicester City on Wednesday, Ten Hag was driven out of Carrington for the last time and on Monday afternoon arrived at Manchester airport to fly home to the Netherlands.

United handed Ten Hag the keys to Old Trafford when he arrived. Two years on, he's been told to give them back.

Additional reporting by Mark Ogden.

- Rob Dawson, Correspondent

CRISTIANO RONALDO CONTINUES TO BREAK RECORDS 🔥

 

MBAPPÉ AND LAMINE YAMAL PREPARE FOR BATTLE IN LA LIGA'S NEXT EPIC TALE

Frenchman’s journey to Madrid was a story foretold, seemingly forever, but he arrives a superstar, not a saviour.

Kylian Mbappé was 13 the first time he trained with Real Madrid and 25 the second. Now, at last, he can play for them. And while this was a chronicle foretold and retold, over and over again for so long, much as he said “I knew this was my destiny” and everyone else knew it was, however inevitable it had always seemed, tedious at times too, it still felt a bit weird when he turned up at Valdebebas again last week. He was actually here. On Thursday, La Liga 2024-25 begins; one way or the other, it will always be his, even if it turns out not to be.

This has taken long enough. “I was close two years ago, three years ago,” Mbappé said. And the rest. Invited to train with Madrid in 2012, a kid but not just a kid, he had been driven by Zinedine Zidane to the club’s training pitches, asking if he should take his shoes off in the car. He met Cristiano Ronaldo, whose posters covered his bedroom wall, and took a picture of his own. You’ll have seen the images of him gazing up at them many times. While in Paris he even published a book called My Name is Kylian, which told the story of a boy visited by Ronaldo and Zidane in dreams coloured white. Subtle, it was not.

It’s eight years since his dad told everyone he was a Madrid fan who admired Cristiano Ronaldo, seven since Madrid tried to sign him. “Seven years is a long time,” he said, and it has felt like it too; in truth it has often felt like a waste. He is 25 now. It’s been “done” many times but never got done; now it has been, better late than never. Or maybe just better late, full stop, the wait making it all mean more, fit better?

At his unveiling, Mbappé walked out and looked up at the Santiago Bernabéu with a “wow”, then signed off with a “1, 2, 3, Hala Madrid” – a nod to Ronaldo, who had done the same, in 2009. Gareth Bale cost more than Ronaldo had, so in fact did Eden Hazard, but no signing was as big as that, until this. A footballer long since called to lead a new era, post-Messi and Ronaldo: almost 80,000 people were there to see it. He had struggled to sleep the night before, he said.

That’s the story part, and at least to start with he will be the story, although the time since his presentation has shown that he will not be the only one. Now to the actual sport, and there are some questions. Above all about where he fits, how to get the pieces to go together, which may even distract from a deeper doubt: who does what Toni Kroos, a truly irreplaceable player, did?

Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo occupy similar spaces, or like to. Jude Bellingham too is affected; entrusted with a new role off the front last season – in part a response to Karim Benzema’s unexpected departure – and becoming the league’s most decisive performer, he may have to adapt again. All four started in Super Cup final against Atalanta on Wednesday night. They also have Endrick, an 18-year-old Brazilian striker who declared his admiration for an altogether more unexpected idol: Bobby Charlton. Yes, really.

“I’m not saying we will play the same way. Something will change, but not much,” Carlo Ancelotti insisted. “I think the system we use this season will be a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2, the same as last year. Sometimes we played 4-3-3, sometimes 4-4-2, sometimes 4-2-3-1; we have the resources to play all three.”

As for Mbappé, he says: “I will play where the manager tells me. I come with ambition and humility. The priority is to adapt to the collective.” One comment sounded as if learned from Bale: “I don’t want to score a goal and just go home,” he insisted.

That message fits now, is easier to assimilate; had Mbappé come a year earlier it might not have, suggesting that the timing may not be a bad thing, that the human balance may be improved. He comes as a superstar sure, but not as a saviour. In those seven years, he didn’t win the Champions League but Madrid did, repeatedly.

Some have dared to imagine that they will be invincible now. That might be a fear, but it tends not to work like that. Mbappé’s arrival will be good for Spanish football, the league’s president, Javier Tebas, kept saying. And if those are words that sounded a little needy at times, focused more on the product than the play, this does not feel like a rescue operation as it once might have. He needs them as much as they him. And although he will step on to centre stage again, over the past month or so he has not dominated it alone, and nor will he this season.

Because there’s always something, someone. Because, when it comes down to what it’s supposed to come down to – actually playing football – Spain is very good at this. This summer they won Euro 2024, perhaps the best champions the competition has had. They won men’s Olympic gold. They won the European Under-19 Championship. Their women’s team are world champions. They have the Champions League winners in the men’s and women’s game. Now they have arguably the world’s best player. Arguable because of Vinícius and Bellingham and Euro 2024 shining a light on others, shifting perceptions for everyone, including the Spanish themselves.

The best of them, Rodri, plays in England, it is true. Fabián Ruiz is still at Paris Saint-Germain. Marc Cucurella drinks his Estrella and eats his paella in London. Álvaro Morata has departed for Milan, a human decision as much as a footballing one. And there was a crushing inevitability about Girona, the team that most challenged Madrid for much of last season, being dismantled – Aleix García, Savinho, Yan Couto and Eric García have all gone.

But that success has not led to an exodus, or a weakening, a similar stripping of the selección. It has instead been a kind of awakening. The talent was there, waiting to be seen. It was everywhere: Spain’s starting XI in the final had just one player each from Madrid and Barcelona. The goals were scored by Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal, a player from admirable Basque sides Athletic and another from Real Sociedad. It probably won’t be for ever but it says something, something good, that as the league kicks off tonight, for all the pursuit, Williams and la Real’s Martin Zubimendi chose to stay at their current clubs.

Atlético Madrid have signed Alex Sørloth and Julián Álvarez; it is hard to remember the last time a new arrival caused such excitement. Maybe the warning is that the last time might have been João Félix. Conor Gallagher came, saw, and went back again, and now waits for his move to be confirmed.

Dani Olmo has come home: perhaps the standout player in Germany has returned to Barcelona, now led by Hansi Flick. He joins the most exciting player there is right now: Lamine Yamal, a European champion and scorer of that goal against France, a teenager pushed into a blinding glare but, they hope, with the talent to take it, to take them all. So no pressure kid. If Ronaldo welcomed Mbappé, still a kid, Lionel Messi anointed Lamine Yamal, still a baby: the most bizarre, unlikely, almost biblical story of the footballing summer, coinciding with another tale written up as destiny. The timing, in the end, was right. No, they are not alone, but here they are, thrust forward: two new faces of a familiar old, epic battle, played out on Spanish fields.

+ Sid Lowe in Madrid

FAMOUS SOCCER PLAYERS | TOILET SOCCER

 

EURO 2024 VAR REVIEW: EVERY DECISION IN GERMANY ANALYSED

António Silva gave away a penalty after catching Luka Lochoshvili. Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images

We're analysing every VAR decision made throughout all 51 games at Euro 2024.

After each game, we take a look at the major incidents to examine and explain the process in terms of VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game.

Total overturns: 20

Rejected overturns: 0

Leading to goals: 7

Leading to disallowed goals: 9

Penalties awarded: 6 (2 missed)

• For holding: 0

• For handball: 2

• For a foul: 3

• On position: 1

Penalties canceled: 1

Penalty retakes: 1

Rejected penalties: 0

Goals ruled out for offside: 5

Goals after incorrect offside: 1

Goals ruled out for handball: 2

Goals after incorrect handball: 1

Goals ruled out for a foul: 1

Goals ruled out for encroachment: 1

Red cards: 1

Mistaken identity yellow card: 1

June 26: Georgia 2-0 Portugal

Possible penalty: Challenge by Silva on Lochoshvili

What happened: Georgia were on the attack, and as Luka Lochoshvili tried to move into the area, he went down when going past António Silva. Referee Sandro Schärer waved off the penalty appeals, and play continued.

VAR decision: Penalty; scored by Georges Mikautadze.

VAR review: It's the kind of VAR penalty that annoys so many fans, when an attacker goes to ground theatrically from minimal contact.

Silva did touch the top of Lochoshvili's boot, but there wasn't enough in it to make him go down the way he did. The approach to VAR on such challenges differs greatly across leagues, with LaLiga giving many of these "soft" VAR penalties, while in the Premier League the video assistant is instructed to look for contact with a consequence. In other words, did the challenge really cause the attacker to go down?

The VAR, Fedayi San, believed that there was enough, but it feels like the kind of decision that's far removed from the original intention of VAR -- to correct clear and obvious errors.

June 26: Slovakia 1-1 Romania

Possible penalty: Position of foul by Hancko on Hagi

What happened: Referee Daniel Siebert awarded a free kick to Romania on the edge of the box when Ianis Hagi was brought down by Dávid Hancko. The VAR, Bastian Dankert, checked the foul and its position.

VAR decision: Penalty; scored by Razvan Marin.

VAR review: There were two contact points on Hagi, the first foot-on-foot just outside the area, and then shin-on-shin within it.

The VAR took quite a while to assess the nature of the challenge and where the contact that caused the foul took place.

As the referee gave the foul for the second contact, it becomes a factual review on position, so he doesn't need to go to the monitor to change his decision -- it's advised by the VAR.

If the referee had given the free kick off the first contact, he would have been required to go to the monitor to give the penalty as the VAR would have been changing a subjective call.

June 25: France 1-1 Poland

Possible penalty: Upamecano challenge on Swiderski

What happened: Karol Swiderski took control of the ball in the 74th minute close to the penalty spot, and went to ground under a challenge from Dayot Upamecano. Referee Marco Guida signalled for the Poland player to get up, and France launched a counter attack which resulted in Kylian Mbappé firing straight at goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski. However, the VAR then told the referee to stop play for a review.

VAR decision: Penalty; Robert Lewandowski effort saved by Maignan.

Dayot Upamecano kicks the foot of Karol Swiderski rather than the ball. Fox

VAR review: Upamecano clearly kicked the foot of Swiderski just as he was in the process on controlling the ball, and it was an easy intervention for the VAR, Massimiliano Irrati.

Possible penalty retake: Encroachment by Maignan

What happened: Robert Lewandowski stepped up to take the penalty, but saw it saved by Mike Maignan. The loose ball was knocked behind for a corner, but before play restarted the VAR had identified that the goalkeeper was off his line -- so it had to be retaken.

VAR decision: Penalty retake, scored by Lewandowski.

Mike Maignan was off his line when the penalty was taken. Fox

VAR review: A goalkeeper must have one foot on or above the goal-line at the point the penalty is kicked. Even though Lewandowski stuttered in his run up, baiting the goalkeeper into moving early, this isn't taken into account as it's legal.

June 25: Netherlands 2-3 Austria

Possible no handball: Depay when scoring

What happened: Memphis Depay scored what he thought was a 75th-minute equaliser for Netherlands, only for referee Ivan Kruzliak to rule it out for handball. The VAR began a lengthy review.

VAR decision: Goal.

The ball touched the chest of Memphis Depay rather than his arm. Fox

VAR review: The referee thought the ball had come off Depay's arm before he scored, but replays very clearly showed the striker had controlled the ball with his chest.

The mystery is why it took the VAR, Marco Fritz, so long -- 2 minutes and 18 seconds -- to advise the goal should be allowed.

Added to that, as a clear factual review about the ball touching the arm of a goal scorer, it shouldn't have needed the referee to go to the monitor to give the goal.

June 24: Croatia 1-1 Italy

Possible penalty: Handball by Frattesi

What happened: Andrej Kramaric tried a shot on goal in the 52nd minute, which was blocked by Davide Frattesi. The Croatia attacker immediately appealed for a penalty for handball, but referee Danny Makkelie wasn't interested. Play continued while it was checked by the VAR, Rob Dieperink.

VAR decision: Penalty; Luka Modric effort saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Davide Frattesi gave away a penalty for handball. BBC

VAR review: A classic modern handball penalty, with Frattesi's hand being raised above his shoulder and away from the body when it was hit by the ball.

Even though the shot from Kramaric came from close proximity, this is always likely to result in a spot kick.

June 23: Switzerland 1-1 Germany

Possible foul: Musiala before Andrich goal

What happened: Robert Andrich fired Germany into the lead in the 17th minute with a shot from outside the area that caught out Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer. However, as the celebrations died down it became clear the VAR was checking for a possible foul in the buildup

VAR decision: Goal disallowed.

Michel Aebischer of Switzerland is fouled by Jamal Musiala. Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

VAR review: When the ball was first played into the area, Michel Aebischer cleared ahead of a challenge from Germany forward Jamal Musiala. Shortly afterward, the ball was worked to Andrich to shoot to score.

But Musiala had caught Aebischer after the ball had gone and the VAR, Massimiliano Irrati of Italy, quickly sent his compatriot Daniele Orsato to the monitor to cancel the goal.

Surprisingly, it took Orsato a few replays to be convinced he'd made an error, but it was a clear missed foul.

June 22: Belgium 2-0 Romana

Possible offside: Lukaku when scoring

What happened: Romelu Lukaku scored Belgium's second goal, or so he thought, in the 63rd minute after being played through the centre by Kevin De Bruyne. However, there was a check for a possible offside.

VAR decision: Goal disallowed.

Romelu Lukaku has a goal disallowed through VAR for the third time at Euro 2024. ITV

VAR review: It's the tightest offside we've seen yet, and it shows the trade-off between quicker decisions and more marginal calls.

It took only 46 seconds to disallow the goal with semi-automated technology, far quicker than the manual method currently being used by most top leagues. Yet there's a tolerance level of around 5 centimetres in the older tech, due to possible inconsistencies in application, which we don't have with semi-automated. So it's possible that different outcomes could have been reached on an offside as tight as this.

Yet if this tech is indeed more accurate, it should be trusted to make close decisions. That, of course, doesn't mean the images will be palatable to many fans.

Lukaku's toe, the edge of his knee and the very top of his upper arm were shown to be offside. On the arm, the measurement point is the circumference of the arm level with the armpit -- it's not and never has been the bottom of the sleeve. With the older tech, this was very hard to apply consistently -- but semi-automated pinpoints it precisely.

June 22: Georgia 1-1 Czechia

Possible handball: Hlozek when scoring

What happened: Czechia went into the lead in the 23rd minute when Adam Hlozek bundled the ball home from close range. But as the midfielder turned away to celebrate, the Georgia defenders appealed in unison for handball, and it was checked by the VAR -- Marco Fritz of Germany.

VAR decision: Goal disallowed.

The ball touched the arm of Adam Hlozek before going into the goal. Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

VAR review: This was almost so fortunate for Czechia, and then ended up being most unfortunate.

Hlozek's shot was saved by Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, with the ball rebounding back off the face of Hlozek and into the net. However, the VAR confirmed the appeals of the Georgia players as the ball came off Hlozek's arm before it went into the goal.

If the ball touches the goal scorer's arm, even if accidental, then it must be disallowed. It did take 1 minute and 35 seconds to rule it out, even though the touch on the arm was quite apparent on the initial replays.

Possible penalty: Handball by Hranác

What happened: Georgia were on the attack in first-half stoppage time, with Guram Kashia seeing his effort saved by Czechia goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, we learned that there was a VAR check ongoing for a possible handball by Robin Hranác.

VAR decision: Penalty, scored by Georges Mikautadze.

Robin Hranác had his arm outstretched, and the VAR intervened for a spot kick. Julian Finney/Getty Images

VAR review: It's one of those VAR interventions that barely anyone would have picked up in live play -- Georgia's Lasha Dvali, the closest player to the incident, was the only one to appeal for the penalty -- yet when you see what the video referee was looking at, it's always likely to be a spot kick.

Hranác had his right arm fully extended away from his body and it interfered with the path of the ball. UEFA is very strict on handball and would always expect a VAR intervention in such a case.

June 21: France 0-0 Netherlands

Possible goal: Dumfries given offside on Simons goal

What happened: Xavi Simons scored what he thought was the opening goal for Netherlands in the 69th minute. However, while the players were celebrating referee Anthony Taylor was discussing the goal with his assistant, and it was disallowed for offside.

VAR decision: No goal.

Denzel Dumfries was in an offside position close to goalkeeper Mike Maignan. Ralf Ibing - firo sportphoto/Getty Images

VAR review: This all comes down to the nuances of the offside law and when a player in an offside position is interfering with an opponent.

Simons struck a first-time shot which arrowed into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal. All good so far.

However, Denzel Dumfries was stood in an offside position between goalkeeper Mike Maignan and the path of the ball.

Would Maignan have saved the shot? That's not a consideration for the officials; there's no decision about a keeper's ability. What the officials have to ask themselves is whether Dumfries had an impact on Maignan, and if that affected his decision not to make a dive to attempt the save. Would the keeper have had to dive through the Dutch player to get to the ball? It's without doubt a fair assessment considering Dumfries' position.

It was quite an easy call to rule out the goal. So the truly controversial part is why it took the VAR, Stuart Attwell, and his assistants from Germany and Switzerland so long to support the on-field decision: 2 minutes and 47 seconds after Taylor blew his whistle for the offside. It is the longest VAR review of the tournament. It should have been a quick check and complete -- which would have made it clearer the on-field call was indeed correct.

If it hadn't been given by Taylor and his assistant, then a lengthy VAR check was far more understandable and the goal may have stood, as the interference is a subjective call.

It must be remembered the referee will only be sent to the monitor to change his decision, not just to confirm it.

While the Dutch might feel aggrieved, they benefited in slightly more controversial circumstances at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In the group stage fixture, Ecuador thought they had equalised on the stroke of half-time through Pervis Estupiñán, but the goal was ruled out on the field for offside against Jackson Porozo. He also stood close to the goalkeeper in between him and the path of the ball -- yet Andries Noppert had already dived in the opposite direction. On-field decision, supported by the VAR.

Netherlands benefitted when Ecuador's Jackson Porozo was given offside close to the Dutch keeper. ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images

Passive offside decisions, when the offending player doesn't touch or attempt to play the ball, are always the most controversial. But what's controversial and what the law intends don't marry up.

June 18: Portugal 2-1 Czechia

Possible offside: Ronaldo on Jota goal

What happened: It looked like Diogo Jota had scored a 87th-minute winner for Portugal, but there was an offside check against Cristiano Ronaldo.

VAR decision: Goal disallowed.

Cristiano Ronaldo was leaning offside. Fox

VAR review: When João Cancelo crossed into the area, half of Ronaldo's body was in front of the last defender, Tomás Holes. Ronaldo's header hit the post, with Jota firing home on the follow-up.

It took 48 seconds from the goal being scored to the VAR ruling it out through the semiautomated offside technology -- so quick that the television broadcast was still going through the replays when the referee blew the whistle.

However, don't expect to see decisions made quite so quickly in the domestic leagues. While this technology itself is made by Kinexon, the centre-mounted sensor inside the ball was developed and patented by Adidas -- the ball provider for both FIFA and UEFA.

It means that the kick point still needs to be verified, rather than being automatically detected as it is in the Euros.

The Premier League (Nike this season, Puma from 2025-26), LaLiga (Puma), the Bundesliga (Derbystar), Serie A (Puma) and Ligue 1 (Kipsta) do not use Adidas, so the method of suspending the chip in the ball would need to be licensed, or a completely different method developed. Perhaps as three of the top leagues will all have a Puma ball from 2025-26, we might eventually see a solution. However, there is also an additional cost to permanently install antennas around each pitch.

June 18: Turkey 3-1 Georgia

Possible offside: Yildiz when scoring

What happened: Turkey thought they had a second goal in the 27th minute when Kenan Yildiz netted from close range, but there was a check for offside.

VAR decision: Goal disallowed.

Kenan Yildiz was ahead of the ball. Fox

VAR review: Arda Güler broke down the right flank and played a pass across the edge of the six-yard box. At this point, Yildiz may well have been onside. However, it was helped on at the near post by Orkun Kökçü, and at that point half of Yildiz's right foot was in front of the ball.

June 17: Belgium 0-1 Slovakia

Possible handball: Openda in buildup to Lukaku goal

What happened: Romelu Lukaku bagged an 86th-minute equaliser when he swept home a shot after good work by Loïs Openda, who cut the ball back for the striker to score. As soon as the ball hit the back of the net Slovakia defender Denis Vavro appealed for handball, and as the Belgium players raced away to celebrate, the VAR, Bastian Dankert of Germany, began a check.

VAR decision: Goal disallowed.

Loïs Openda brushes the ball with his fingers, with the snicko graphic providing the evidence. BBC

VAR review: It's the kind of handball in the buildup to a goal which you may not see in the Premier League, but is always likely to be penalised in UEFA competition which has a much stricter interpretation.

As Openda wasn't the goal scorer, the VAR and the referee, Turkey's Halil Umut Meler, have to judge it to be a deliberate act.

Openda was attempting to hold off Vavro and his fingers brushed the ball as his hand came down. Some will feel the movement of the arm is deliberate, but many others will believe it was the natural movement of his body and should never result in a VAR review.

It's not the kind of decision anyone really expected VAR to be making when it was introduced, but UEFA will insist on its guidelines being applied in these cases. But it does leave a bad taste.

UEFA also got the chance to show its new "snicko" feature for the first time, which uses a "heartbeat" line to prove the ball, which has a chip inside it, has been touched by the hand. It was expected this would be used for a player who had scored a goal, rather than a possible deliberate handball in the buildup. If you need "snicko" to prove the handball, is it really that consequential to the goal?

Possible offside: Lukaku when scoring

What happened: Belgium scored in the 56th minute when Lukaku tapped home from close range after Amadou Onana headed back across goal. While Belgium celebrated it was clear that the VAR would need to complete an offside check.

VAR decision: Goal disallowed.

The offside tech shows that Romelu Lukaku was ahead of the ball. Fox

VAR review: The handball wasn't the first heartbreak for Lukaku in this game, with the striker having two goals ruled out by the VAR.

For this earlier incident, half of his body was in front of the ball as it was headed by Onana.

While Lukaku was in front of the last defender, the goal would have counted if he'd been behind the ball.

June 15: Switzerland 3-1 Hungary

Possible onside: Duah when scoring

What happened: Kwadwo Duah thought he had given Switzerland the lead in the 12th minute, running through the middle to score from Michel Aebischer's pass. However, the assistant raised his flag for offside as soon as the ball hit the back of the net.

VAR decision: Goal

VAR review: After semiautomated offside was used to disallow Germany's goal against Scotland, this time it corrected an error to disallow one as Hungary defender Milos Kerkez was behind Duah.

It took 55 seconds from the moment the ball hit the back of the net to the referee signalling the goal. That seems quite long, as Duah appeared to be clearly onside from the first replay. But this technology is still in its infancy, and a VAR is not going to immediately trust it if no offside has been detected. In these early stages, at least, every decision has to be verified -- although it's much quicker as the VAR has no manual role in determining the positions of the players relative to each other.

June 15: Switzerland 3-1 Hungary

Possible onside: Duah when scoring

What happened: Kwadwo Duah thought he had given Switzerland the lead in the 12th minute, running through the middle to score from Michel Aebischer's pass. However, the assistant raised his flag for offside as soon as the ball hit the back of the net.

VAR decision: Goal

VAR review: After semiautomated offside was used to disallow Germany's goal against Scotland, this time it corrected an error to disallow one as Hungary defender Milos Kerkez was behind Duah.

It took 55 seconds from the moment the ball hit the back of the net to the referee signalling the goal. That seems quite long, as Duah appeared to be clearly onside from the first replay. But this technology is still in its infancy, and a VAR is not going to immediately trust it if no offside has been detected. In these early stages, at least, every decision has to be verified -- although it's much quicker as the VAR has no manual role in determining the positions of the players relative to each other.

June 16: Netherlands 2-1 Poland

Mistaken identity: Wrong yellow card for Reijnders

What happened: Poland's Sebastian Szymanski was fouled in the 15th minute, with referee Artur Soares Dias showing the yellow card to Tijjani Reijnders.

VAR decision: Yellow card switched to Joey Veerman.

VAR review: It's very rare we see a VAR intervention for mistaken identity, but video referee Tiago Martins quickly stepped in to tell the referee he'd booked the wrong player, and the sanction was switched.

June 14: Germany 5-1 Scotland

Possible VAR overturn: Penalty for foul by Christie on Musiala

What happened: Referee Clément Turpin gave the hosts a penalty in the 25th minute for a foul by Ryan Christie on Jamal Musiala on the edge of the box. The VAR, Jérôme Brisard, came into action to check the decision.

VAR decision: Penalty cancelled.

Referee Clément Turpin visits the VAR screen in the opening match. Julian Finney/Getty Images

VAR review: It's the point of contact of the foul that determines where the offence has taken place, so an attacker can have part of their body inside the area and not win a penalty.

While there was also contact by Kieran Tierney on Musiala's left foot, which was inside the area, the referee had awarded it for Christie's challenge on the Germany forward's right foot, which was outside the box.

It was quick and efficient for the VAR to tell Turpin to change his decision to a free kick. The referee didn't have to go to the monitor for this as it was a factual decision based on position. If the VAR were questioning the foul, that would have been subjective and the referee would have had to make it.

It was also the first time fans in the stadium were provided with the same information offered to broadcasters, with the reason for the VAR decision displayed on the big screen. However, unlike other competitions, UEFA has decided against a referee announcing it over the public address system.

The reason for the cancelled penalty is shown on the big screen in the stadium. Fox

Possible penalty and red card: Foul by Porteous on Gündogan

What happened: The game was in the 42nd minute when, after a scramble just outside the six-yard area, Ryan Porteous attempted to close down Ílkay Gündogan before he could shoot. Porteous clattered into the Germany captain, but referee Turpin waved away the penalty claims. As soon as the ball went out, it became clear Gündogan required treatment, and the VAR began a check.

VAR decision: Penalty, scored by Kai Havertz, and red card for Porteous.

Ryan Porteous makes a dangerous challenge on Ílkay Gündogan. Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images

VAR review: Before the tournament began, referees' chief Roberto Rosetti said he expected a zero tolerance approach to challenges of this nature, which should be judged as serious foul play.

This is one of the more extreme examples, as Porteous was off the floor with both feet and caught Gündogan above the ankle.

Any tackle where a player is sliding, diving or leaping in and makes contact above the boot is likely to result in a VAR review if the referee hasn't made the correct decision to show a red card on the field.

This is something of a double whammy for Turpin, of course, as he failed to identify the foul for the penalty, let alone the red card.

Possible offside: Füllkrug before scoring

What happened: Niclas Füllkrug added a fifth goal for Germany in the 76th minute when firing home from close range after a cross by Thomas Müller. But a VAR check was needed.

VAR decision: Offside.

Niclas Füllkrug was in front of the last defender. Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images

VAR review: It was our first taste of semiautomated offside at Euro 2024, and it was a quick and seamless process. However, this was a clear offside involving two players stood close to each other. We are sure to see other decisions that take longer with this new offside technology, which will be introduced into the Premier League next season.

Indeed, the check on Scotland's consolation goal in the 87th minute, when Antonio Rüdiger diverted the ball into his own net, took much longer. The connected ball technology can tell the VAR when the ball has been played, and whether another player if offside, yet it cannot detect which player has played the ball. So, when the ball was headed on, coincidentally, by Germany's Füllkrug in a defensive position, Scotland's Lawrence Shankland was offside but not interfering with play. So, the VAR has to check there is no offside offence against the player highlighted by the technology.

- Dale Johnson, General Editor, ESPN FC

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