The Latest Breaking News from Julián Álvarez

Didier Deschamps’ pragmatists will be set on stifling Lionel Messi’s magic as they aim to complete a hat-trick of World Cups for France

It is now or never for Lionel Messi. The Argentina superstar’s once-in-a-generation career will be defined — for many — by whether he leads his country to the World Cup title on Sunday. Can he finally, at the age of 35, win football’s biggest prize to secure his place alongside…

There is a sense that his Argentinian teammates are invested in not just winning the tournament, but his happiness too

It is uplifting to see players practicing their religion and celebrating with their mothers on such a big global stage

As the World Cup comes to a close, the race for the golden boot is coming into full focus, as a select few maintain hope of claiming the scoring crown.

Another masterful Lionel Messi performance comes with some slight concern for the 35-year-old's fitness, while a Croatian World Cup hero is sent off under mysterious circumstances. That and more in the latest edition of five talking points from the Qatar World Cup.

Argentina has longed for the perfect formula to win a World Cup with Lionel Messi. With its current group—and with Messi’s current form—La Albiceleste may just have it.

Argentina’s icon ran things again and took a step back in time to set up a clinching third goal as Croatia were swept aside

Lionel Messi, who drove Argentina on in their semi-final, said: ‘We were confident we would make it,’ but Croatia were angry about the award of a penalty for the first goal