It’s not just about technique and methodology. It ranges from ‘patios escolares’ to the widespread training of coaches

Ever since football began, alongside incidents of mob violence, the game has always been regarded as an art form in the regions around Buenos Aires and Rosario. Yet at this World Cup, the Selección has tried to present itself almost exclusively as a rough and aggressive side

At the World Cup, there were hydration breaks with accompanying adverts, and extended stoppages of seven to eight minutes – true – but the match went ahead. No theatrics or posturing. Lessons for Serie A: you can stay on the pitch without wasting time

FIFA distributes compensation to all clubs whose players have been called up for the tournament, based on the length of their stay overseas. In Italy, the clubs receiving the most compensation are Milan, Atalanta and Inter

Football turns coincidences into destiny: from the washing-up bowl to the World Cup. And the same goes for Scaloni and De la Fuente: one waited almost ten years within the Federation, the other was only supposed to stay for two matches

The referee who was arrested years ago during a debauchery involving weapons and drugs is the right man for the final act

The third-place play-off is the match nobody wants to play. France and England, powers that for centuries have vied for control of oceans and territories across the globe, find themselves chasing a medal that, in football, is worth next to nothing

The protégés of Joachim Löw, World Cup winner in Brazil and architect of the national team’s revolution. The darkest summer for the new prophets, who aren’t even new anymore

Anyone who thinks that with so many star players on the pitch, the manager is almost superfluous should watch the semi-final from the other night again. The England manager’s misjudgement and the cloying rhetoric about Argentina