Football has become so complicated that even referees no longer understand it
The game has departed from its original purity to be one now defined by semantics and shades of grey
The game has departed from its original purity to be one now defined by semantics and shades of grey
When Jones was cut adrift by England just months before the World Cup, his native country pounced on the opportunity
Have the expectations of any major champion ever fallen so far, so fast?
Bale's pyrotechnics and unfeasible mastery make him, by a distance, British football's finest export – and he showed Ronaldo how to retire
Aged 35, the greatest player of his generation – perhaps of any generation – has finally won the prize he craved most of all
Reigning champions France face Argentina in Sunday’s World Cup final, but who are our experts backing to take home the trophy?
The French manager can become the second coach to win back-to-back World Cups with the future rosy regardless of Sunday's result
The French president has been happy to ride on the back of his national team's success for his own benefit
It is easy to take him for granted, but Griezmann's value to France is best defined by the multitude of functions he fulfils
Argentina's players have shown their subservience to Messi but in Alvarez, they have a thrilling glimpse of the future
Argentine has reinvented himself as purveyor of the dark arts but may meet his match against Croatia
Thomas Tuchel has the best CV of any likely successor to Gareth Southgate but going down foreign route again is fraught with contradictions
With everything focused on stopping France's destructor in chief, others were allowed to flourish
This was England's best performance against an elite nation at the World Cup and yet they still came up short
After England beat Colombia on penalties four years ago John Stones appeared to crow directly at the defeated South Americans
England’s deepest fear of Mbappe stems from his outstanding attribute, his speed, which can electrify and turn a game from nothing