Well, it was no Zidane headbutt, but unfortunately for ol’e Enzo Fernández, his 2026 World Cup will be remembered for the tackle that sent Pau Cubarsí flipping in the air, and Enzo himself down the tunnel for an early shower in the final. It was a well deserved second yellow card, unlike his first, which was for the weakest form of dissent, if we want to call it that, shown by an Argentina player not only in this game, but the whole tournament. And even the tackle itself was more of a block attempt
and without any overt malicious intent (and certainly well sold by Cubarsí), but it was a rash decision to go for it from the Chelsea Vice-captain to be sure.
I’m not sure Argentina would’ve won anyway. Spain controlled the entire game from the first minute to the last; it may have taken them 106 minutes to score, but Argentina didn’t even have a shot during regulation and would finish the game with zero on target. It was a shockingly uninspired performance from a team (and the talismanic Lionel Messi) who had entertained with minor miracles in the knockout rounds, the latest to succumb to Spain’s ability to completely suffocate the opposition. They did it to France; they did it to Argentina; they were inevitable. They may not be the most watchable, but they were the most effective at what was otherwise a highly entertaining World Cup. One of the best in my lifetime (and not just because I was able to go to a couple games).
Congrats of course to Marc Cucurella, who began the tournament as a Chelsea player, transferred to Real Madrid during it, and can now call himself European and World Champion at both club and international level. Paellas all around! Cucu said before the tournament that he would get a tattoo of the face of Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente if they ended up winning it. Time to get ink’d!
And so, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is in the books. Rodri would be named the Player of the Tournament; Cubarsí the Young Player of the Tournament — somewhat ironically, that was the award Enzo got four years ago. Kylian Mbappé won the Golden Boot once again: he’s the first player to do that twice (and twice in a row) and the first to reach double digits (10) since Gerd Müller in 1970. This is Spain’s second title, denying Argentina the chance to become the first nation to retain the trophy since Brazil in 1962. Incidentally, Spain are one of the primary hosts of the 2030 World Cup (alongside Portugal and Morocco), with Argentina also hosting a “centenary” match along with Uruguay and Paraguay as the competition turns 100 years old. See you then!
