WC Vibes: Master vs apprenticeMessi vs Yamal, master vs apprentice, Scotland's iconic cone and fans paid $50K: Your ultimate guide to the World Cup final.
The World Cup final between Spain and Argentina features a cinematic twist: Spain manager Luis de la Fuente will face off against Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni, his former coaching student. Long before they conquered their respective continents, their paths crossed in 2017 at the Spanish football association’s (RFEF) academy in Las Rozas. De la Fuente was a tutor guiding a recently retired Scaloni through his first managerial steps. Neither could have predicted that these classroom lessons would peak on football’s grandest stage. Also Read: ‘Just like Southgate’ or not? English press tear into Tuchel after 2-1 semi-final defeat The bond between the two remains strong. Scaloni, who has deep roots in Spain — his wife is Spanish and children were born there with a home in Mallorca — has frequently praised his old mentor. “Luis has been a huge help to those of us who did the coaching course,” Scaloni shared, admiring de la Fuente’s leadership. The respect is mutual. De la Fuente openly calls his former pupil a “master” after Scaloni’s relentless success with Argentina.
History is on the line for both. De la Fuente aims to secure Spain’s second World Cup title while Scaloni hopes to guide Argentina to back-to-back global crowns for the first time since Brazil in 1962. Before the semi-finals, Scaloni joked that he wouldn’t call his old teacher if they met in the final. Now, the call must wait. On Sunday, sentiment takes a backseat as master and apprentice collide to see who kept the better notes. Destiny had something in store for Messi and Yamal For those who don’t believe in destiny and fate, Lamine Yamal’s story is one that can challenge that notion. It’s because some moments only make sense in hindsight. A still image on an ordinary afternoon led to a chance encounter with destiny quietly waiting to reveal what it truly meant. In December 2007, photographer Joan Monfort captured one such moment. The image showed a 20-year-old Lionel Messi, barely three years into what would become one of football’s greatest careers, gently holding and bathing a five-month-old baby named Lamine Yamal, one of the most promising young footballers.
The shoot was part of FC Barcelona’s annual charity calendar in partnership with UNICEF. That year, first-team players were paired with babies whose families had won a raffle organised by Catalan newspaper Sport. Yamal’s parents, Moroccan-born Mounir Nasraoui and Sheila Ebana, whose family is from Equatorial Guinea, had entered after the birth of their first child. By pure chance, their son was paired with Messi. Also Read: Destiny brings Messi and Yamal face-to-face again “It’s something incredible,” Monfort said about the photograph to The Athletic. “Back then, nobody could imagine that this baby would become who he is now and you could not have known that Messi would become who he became, either.” Nearly two decades later, that photograph has become one of football’s most extraordinary symbols of passing the torch. The baby in Messi’s arms is now Barcelona’s newest No.10, wearing the same shirt number that the Argentine legend immortalised at Camp Nou. And now, destiny has brought them together once more as they come face to face on July 19. On Sunday, Messi and Yamal are set to face each other for the first time on a football pitch as Argentina meet Spain in the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium. One arrives as a legend chasing another crowning moment. The other carries the hopes of a new generation already drawing comparisons with the very man who unknowingly cradled him 19 years ago. “Boston Cone”, an enduring Scottish tale Carrying souvenirs home from venues of global sporting events is a routine thing. Visitors to the Olympics or major single sport championships make it a point to pick up items that reflect the history and culture of the cities and regions they have visited. Something for the mantelpiece back home. Something to tell the family and friends that ‘I was there’. The World Cup, which is coming to a close this weekend, has been one large festival, the coming together of people of various nationalities. Norway striker Erling Haaland was among those at the centre of the celebrations, joining his country’s fans in the “Viking Row” that wowed the world.
Haaland carried an interesting souvenir, a stuffed raccoon holding an empty whiskey bottle, purchased for $750. The Manchester City star didn’t put it down, photographed carrying it as he stepped out of the flight to Oslo after losing to England in the quarter-finals. However, to Scotland’s Tartan Army went the accolade of the most boisterous fans. The good-natured followers of a team that went out in the group stage had by then made a huge impression on their hosts. They painted Boston blue, playing the bagpipe and downing beer in record measure. Also Read: Maradona, Messi and the World Cup dream that unites Argentina Among the fun things the Scottish fans did was place traffic cones atop statues, turning the orange cone into one of World Cup’s symbols. Boston, still feeling the withdrawal symptoms received, off a first-class flight from Glasgow no less, an orange traffic cone. Massachusetts governor and Boston’s mayor were in attendance for the arrival of the “Boston Cone”, an AP report said. “I have to admit, this is probably — yes, it is — my first official welcoming ceremony for a traffic cone,” Governor Maura Healey said before signing her name to the cone. “But it’s a pretty special one, isn’t it? Because this cone tells the story of what happened this summer. What happened in Boston, what happened in Massachusetts. “There are still some traffic cones atop our most important statues,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joked, recalling how Boston had “unofficially become New Scotland”. Watch World Cup, get paid “My dad cleans up oil spills for a living,” said Franklin, an influencer living in Los Angeles. “I sit here with my friend Kevin and watch all of these matches and get to go outside and interact with fans.” Atoko and Franklin sit inside a glass-walled viewing cube. Passers-by often stop to peek in and even pull up chairs to watch the televisions inside. They also post content on social media. When asked if they would want to do this again, both said, “yes.” “I don’t think we’re sick of watching soccer yet,” said Franklin. “However many more they want to give us, we’ll watch them.” Third-place match France vs England, 02:30 hours IST (Sunday), Miami Final Spain vs Argentina, 00:30 hours IST (Monday), New Jersey
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