Spain Receive A Hero's Welcome

26:23But if we're talking about football, there's no one like Messi in the history of the game. Why? He has been at such a top level, being decisive for so many years. I mean, we were talking about numbers. Eight goals, four assists at 39 years old. And this is not an excuse, but Messi was playing a final at 3 p.m. without the roof in the New York summer. I mean, it was not the best scenario for him to shine. It was not the best game for him either. But I will say that the mark that he has left for kids, for fans, for journalists, is undoubtedly the most important figure in the history of the sport.

27:15Yeah, of course. Now, obviously, you're in the United States right now, Martín, but you'll have seen some of the reaction back in Argentina to how it all ended in the World Cup final yesterday. What are the reports saying and what's their take on it? Obviously, across here, you've seen there's a lot of people upset and disappointed with those scenes. What's the feeling back in Argentina?

27:37There's many. We are Argentinians. We don't have one feeling. We feel very strongly about so many things. So there's disappointment, of course. There's sadness. But also we are thankful to what this team has brought in this World Cup. We never expected to see, because this team didn't quite work in any of the games they play, very few. But they have so much heart. They fought for every ball like it was the last one. They never said, we are out, we're not going to fight anymore. I mean, it was really touching to see these men that they knew that they didn't have the quality, the automatisms, the way of playing that they had three and a half years ago in Qatar.

28:36They knew that. They knew they were more fragile, that Messi was 39, that Di Maria was not there. But still, they deliver. They commit. And they shine. So I thought when I saw, and I was covering Spain through all the workup, I saw after the game that Spain beat France that it was going to be very hard for Argentina to equal that level, to be at that game, at that quality, not only individual, but in terms of the collectiveness of the sport and of the game. Rodri was amazing. And I remember talking to Mikel Merino saying the key for us against Argentina is not having the ball in our feet so much.

29:32Moving the ball very fast, creating spaces, dominating to defend and to attack. And this is what they did. I mean, Argentina didn't create one chance in 90 minutes, only two against 20 in the whole game. So it's true. Argentina and because they had the way they played they could have gone to the penalties. They have two very clear occasions to score but it was going to be very unfair if you look at the game if you look at how the game was because Spain was much better was a much better side. They played incredibly good and they shine like a real champion. They were the real champions. So nothing to say to Argentinians.

30:26I agree with you the way they ended with a fight, with things that we don't like to see on the pitch. I'm not here, and I wouldn't imagine being there with the frustration, with so many things that were said from the Spanish players and the Argentinian players. the heartbeat at 180. I don't know how will I react, but it wasn't, I mean, that was not the image and, yeah, and the memories that we wanted to have in the last dance of Lionel Messi in a World Cup. Let's get to Spain then. As you mentioned, Martin, you've been living in Spain a long time. In fact, I moved there in 2006 and you were already an established figure there.

31:12In the journalism world, when I got to Spain, you've been covering closely this Spain side. You've watched so many of these players. You've been on bicycle rides with many of them for our Bicycle Diaries series. You're probably not surprised with what we're seeing from this national team right now. I think, I mean, for me it was a privilege to be so close to them. We started in Puebla in the last friendly they had. And it's very nice to work with the federation because it's the national team that opens its door the most. They give you chance to be very close to the players. And Luis de la Fuente, for me, is one of the main responsables of this World Cup because he was saying, you know what?

31:57Don't worry. I mean, the calm, the tranquility is power. We have time. We will develop the best performances on each player. He had Lamine Jamal injured. He had Nico Williams injured. He had Mikel Merino with a fracture in February. Played only 26 minutes before De La Fuentes list. Fabian Ruiz also injured. I mean, Rodri started playing with Manchester City in March. I mean, two and a half months before the start of the World Cup. So he knew that he had two phases of the World Cup. The first one was the easiest one. So he wanted to recover the best version out of the key players. And when he had those players, he said, we're good.

32:51I mean, we have survived. We have won the games that we needed to be there. Now we're going to shine. And he gave the confidence to the players. So they understand that this was a long tournament. And a long tournament was not a handicap for them due to the situation. It was an advantage. they use time to cure and to queue up the players so they are ready to perform and to compete at their best physical and rhythm. So it's amazing what Spain have done. But Luis de la Fuente has a lot to do with that. OK, we've got to go quick with you now, Martín. But you've been at the World Cup from the very beginning.

33:40You got to go all the way to the end because you were following Spain. how would you rate your experience here in the United States in the World Cup? Amazing. From the Spain side, I loved it. I did understand quite so much the election of the final. New York is a great city, but this was not the best stadium. I mean, there are stadiums with roof, AC, that are amazing. Dallas, for example, LA is incredible. I know LA hosted the final in 94, but it was not an easy stadium to work, not an easy stadium to play. The grass was not in good condition. So I love the multiculturality of the World Cup. I love the 48 teams.

34:26I didn't like the hydration pauses and I didn't like the election of the last game but thumbs up I mean it worked and I really enjoyed it Good stuff Thank you so much Maritain for being with us We look forward to hearing a lot more from you during La Liga's season which is coming up Cabin Jewel Show have you covered for their thoughts on the final Check that out right now wherever you get your podcasts We talk Kevin Keegan when we return who has passed away today

34:58This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Listening to this podcast instead of doom scrolling? Smart move. Another smart move? Getting help from one of State Farm's 19 ,000 local agents when you choose to bundle home and auto. Bundling. Just another way to save with the personal price plan. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings, and eligibility vary by state. You know when you're locked in. Focused and fearless. Welcome to the WNBA. Your vision narrows. You can't look away. Every assist.

35:33Every stop. Every logo three. From beyond the logo. Every did you see that moment. You bet. What records are going to be broken this season? All of it right here. Lock in. It's the WNBA on ESPN. All season long.

35:55Kevin Keegan has passed away at the age of 75 today. When you take a look at his career accomplishments, you can see why he was such an iconic figure in English football. A two-time Ballon d 'Or winner, back-to-back that was as well, a European Cup winner, won so much more too, played in the Bundesliga and also played for his country with England. And on top of all of that, Shaka, this is a man who brought you to Newcastle. Yeah, Kevin Keegan allowed me to live my greatest boyhood dream. And I can't thank him enough for that opportunity. And while there'll be a ton of accolades about Kevin Keegan in the days to come, there's one story that stands out for me about Kevin Keegan.

36:37Keegan joined Newcastle as a player from Hamburg in the early 80s. Football wasn't a very welcoming place at the time. Let's just phrase it like that. the National Front, which is a far-right political organization, were campaigning outside the ground as they do, as football was at the time. And one of the flyers they had, they had a picture of a monkey and saying, you don't want this man working your job or something of the sort. Kevin Keegan took one of those flyers, walked into the football club and said, I'm not paying for a football club which allows this on its front step. And immediately the club took action.

37:15The National front were never welcome again. It changed the face of football at the very least in the northeast, if not throughout the United Kingdom. That's a story of Kevin Keegan that I had never heard told, but which will remain with me. For as great a person as he was, for as great a manager as he was, for all that he gave to me as a person, he was a better human being in standing up for so many people involved in this game that may or may not have looked like him yeah that's that's an incredible story and from my experience he's somebody who brought me in and around man city's first team when i was 16 years of age gave my debut at 17 and he was really responsible for sort of getting city into this next century as such because they were very much in the championship in league one and so on and he came in in 2001 and changed the whole hopes for the football club there was real emphasis on the youth and he was a good person as well and I was lucky enough to have been coached by two former England managers one in Svenja Rex and one in Kevin Keegan and two of them when they when they said something good and they believed in you made you feel like you were on top of the world like I say he gave me my debut he was a really good person and it was like he was laying the fertile ground for young people to be able to come through in the early 2000s which wasn't the easiest time to be able to do so and to have him give me my debut it changed my life, changed the lives of so many other people around that time as well.

38:39And like I say, he's an icon on and off the field and he's going to be missed by many, many people for the good memories that he's brought to them, the lives that he's changed. You never coincided at Liverpool, Steve. You were obviously across different eras, but you did play against him. I did play against him, yeah. I'm a little older than you young whippersnappers over there. But I mean, Keegan did something incredible that very few players have been able to do. Now when I went to Liverpool There were icons that went before myself and other players And Kevin Keegan was as big an icon at Liverpool as there was The fact that he then went to Germany And then came back and went to Newcastle And became, I would suggest, an even bigger icon at Newcastle Is absolutely incredible I mean, to be able to do it at one club But to do what he did at another club and the one thing I always remember about Kevin Keegan every time I saw him playing every time I saw him speaking every time he was interviewed the one thing he came across he just loved football he loved it and that's why he was a coach I'm pretty sure because that was the only way he could stay in it because he's like everybody else his legs go but yeah the boy just loved to play the game infectious absolutely infectious Kevin Keegan has died at 75 and our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and all who loved him.

40:11Introducing Metta Glasses. Hey Metta, any last minute tables for two tonight? Sure, there's a great Italian restaurant 15 minutes away. Hey Metta, where's the nearest flower shop? Five minutes away, straight down Broadway, past the bodega. Their lilies are trending on Instagram. Just saying. Hey, Meta, am I forgetting anything else? How about setting a calendar reminder for next year? Meta glasses, available in more than 20 styles. The right window treatments change everything. Your sleep, your privacy, the way every room looks and feels. At Blinds.com, we've spent 30 years making it surprisingly simple to get exactly what your home needs.

40:51We've covered over 25 million windows and have 50 ,000 five-star reviews to prove we deliver. Whether you DIY it or want a pro to handle everything from measure to install, we have you covered. Real design professionals. Free samples. Zero pressure. Right now, get up to 40 % off site-wide, plus get a free professional measure at Blinds.com. Rules and restrictions apply. Liverpool in action across the network, in friendly action as the preseason is underway against Sunderland on Saturday at 6 p.m. Eastern, and then again on July 29th, 7.30 p.m. Eastern against Wrexham. Okay, so the World Cup is done and dusted.

41:30World Cup 2026 over. Lots of memories, though, to be had from it. What's your lasting one, Stevie? This is a really easy one, by the way. The winning goal. I mean, the most important goal of the tournament by Ferran Torres, who absolutely has no idea probably yet that he will be immortal. Yeah. That. You can't forget that. That's fair. And it's so lovely because earlier in the tournament, remember when he was hoping that a goal would stand and he was saying, please let this be a goal. To then think if someone could have told him, don't worry, you're going to go all the way and you're going to score.

42:08It gets better. Don't worry. It gets better. In so many ways, for me, it's been a tournament of contrasting emotions. Whether we're celebrating Cape Verde or the Democratic Republic of Congo or Curaçao, the smallest nation I've ever qualified. But also say goodbye to Luka Modric. say goodbye to Neymar, to Cristiano Ronaldo and probably, most likely, the best I've ever played, Lionel Messi. So it has me in this little state of limbo. Nadem? No, I think for me, I was going to say all those players who are sort of drawing a curtain on their World Cup careers because you can throw in the likes of Neymar.

42:45There might be some like Harry Kane, for example. Salah. Exactly, Salah, yes. So the next group of people are going to have to step up now and it's interesting that for Spain, that seems to be basically everybody in their side. but some of the biggest stars of this last generation you know they're not going to be playing in four years time Yeah, it's been quite the ride but we wanted to recap all of it in a very special way and Nader Manua and our production team are going to do just that for us This is the end of the World Cup specials here on ESPN2 but ESPN FC continues It's available daily We'll be back tomorrow on ESPN Plus so be sure to join us there So World Cup 2026 is done but what a ride it was here to look back on it in a very special and unique way is Naden Aniwa.

43:34Mexico, Canada, the United States, 16 cities, 3 countries, 48 teams, 104 matches, which sounded far too much until it wasn't enough. A Mexican fiesta in the opener, the Canadians salvaged a draw, and the US of A followed with their greatest ever half of football. Germany scored 7, Sweden scored 5, England scored 4 against Croatia. Messi scored a hat-trick at 39, which was historic. Everything Messi does, historic. Walking out of the tunnel, taking a corner, sitting on the bench while somebody else scores, historic. Not getting sense off is, well, something. No way rode in. Haaland scored two. Mbappe scored two.

44:02Ronaldo kept playing. And Portugal drew with DR Congo, who knew how to celebrate. Cape Verde debuted against Spain. Spain had the ball. Spain kept the ball. Cape Verde kept the point. Vazinha gained a medium-sized country's population and social media followers. Scotland won over Haiti. The Tartan Army won over Boston. Then the second games began. The Mexican Fiesta rolled on. Canada put a six, a six-spot, their first ever World Cup win. The United States beat Australia. The hosts have momentum during the first week. Momentum is what you call it before anything bad happens. Speaking of bad, Turkey.

44:29The Netherlands scored five. Japan scored four. Spain scored four. Mbappe scored two more. Haaland scored two more. And more people started growing. Egypt got their first ever World Cup win led by their modern-day pharaoh. Portugal scored five. Ronaldo scored two. Messi missed the pen. Didn't matter. Got two more. Became the competition's all-time leading goalscorer. England drew 0-0 with Ghana. It's gonna be alright. Except for Uruguay, who couldn't beat Cape Verde. The calculating began. Third-place spots. Nearly everyone was alive. Except Haiti. No thanks to Brazil. Scotland couldn't survive the Moroccans.

44:54Boston couldn't survive the Scottish. Then came the final group games. Mexico finished perfect. The tequila was flowing. Drama in Jersey. Ecuador survives elimination after a comeback win over the mine shaft. The USA finally lost it. Didn't matter. Dembele scored three against the Norway B. Senegal scored five. Belgium scored five. England beat Panama. Messi didn't start and still scored. Ronaldo did not. Portugal drew with Colombia. Spain finished in first. Uruguay went home. Cane Verde advanced. The World Cup debutants survived the group of death. Scotland did not. The Brazilians took down the Scottish, but the Tartan army still took down Mayan.

45:21Bosnia made the presence known in Toronto. With the last kick of the group stage, Austria snatched advancements from the jaws of elimination. After 17 pulsating days, 48 teams becoming 32 and brief. The knockouts started in Los Angeles. Canada beat South Africa late. Brazil beat Japan even later. Germany played Paraguay. Penalties drama. Havertz, Vltimada, taa, nein! Oviedo, Sein, Tudimaischaft. First World Cup exit ever on penalties. The Netherlands played Morocco. Also penalties, also drama. Also European heavyweight out early. Looked like England were about to join them until Hurricane hit Atlanta.

45:51Norway sailed past Ivory Coast thanks to, you'll never believe it, him. He looked to be past Belgium's bedtime in Seattle before Lukaku and company woke up. Telemans to the rescue and Senegal somehow out. France winning, Mbappe bag two more, ho, hum. United States beat Bosnia, Balogun sees red, a call is made. Suspension suspended. The Azteca, Mexico versus Ecuador. No sleep for the visitors, no mercy for the hosts, a nightmare for the South American side, a dream for L3 and their fans. A celebration would ensure no rest for anyone long into the night. Spain completely beat Austria, Portugal, Croatia was anything but comfortable.

46:18Ronaldo's late penalty to draw level, Ramos' late late header, Surely to win. But Croatia who collapsed at a death? Or had they? The ball had a heartbeat. Portugal remained with a pulse. Egypt vs Australia. More drama. More penalties. The Socceroos go for the switcheroo. In comes Ryan. Out goes Beach. And home goal with the Aussies. Oy, oy, oy. The Swiss beat Algeria. Colombia beat Ghana. Well Argentina will surely beat Cape Verde, right? Well nobody taught the upstart African side. Extra time. Sidney Cabral with a screamer for the ages but never doubt the Albi Celeste. The black magic proved too strong for the blue sharks.

46:44Cape Verde leaves with many a new fan. Argentina leaves with a win. 32 became 16. Switzerland, Colombia. 120 minutes no one will remember. A pound of shootout sees the Swiss survive. Canada vs Morocco. Jesse Marsh believed his side were better. Morocco believed they advanced because they won 3-0. France played Paraguay. Paraguay refused to play. Le Bleu refused to lose. Brazil missed a penalty in Haaland made them pay. Neymar in tears. Jan in tears. The Norwegian Navy sails on. Mexico and England at the Azteca. Altitude, smog, fireworks. The three lines overcome all that and a red card to advance.

47:13The most watched US men's national team game of all time. Americans confident, Balogun back. Belgium didn't care, Bulldogs team America thanks to some extra motivation. Portugal vs Spain, 91st minute, Magic Mikel, Ronaldo's World Cup dreams extinguished. Messi missed the penalty, Egypt 2-0 late, Argentina on the verge. Romero, then Messi, and finally Enzo, 3-2 in the end. The Farrells went mad, Hassan said it was rigged, but the Egyptian dream is over. Dantway, France-Morocco, Mbappe's turn to miss a penalty, and then score, Le Bleu Cruz. Belgium level late with Spain, but Courtois can't continue, and his replacement spills it.

47:44Magic Mikel to the rescue yet again. La Roja semi-final bound. Haaland came. The Norwegians struck first. Two struck back. Norway said the Spider-Camp struck two. But Jews struck again. Another goalie howler. Haaland's voyage over and finally all square in Kansas City. The Swith had momentum until Mbolo did that. Another late show for Argentina. Ten-man Switzerland tried their best but extra time with Julien Alvarez with a difference. Argentina march on. The final four. France, Spain, England, Argentina. All former champions. First up, Mbappe, Yamal. But it was Luca Dina who will be remembered most.

48:121-0 Spain. France had the Spain had the ball, 17 passes and Pedro Borro, au revoir France. To Atlanta a cauldron to emotion, the hand of God, Beckham's red card, the Falklands, so much atmosphere, not much football. Which changed in the second half, England 30 minutes from a World Cup final but no match for an Argentinian onslaught. Enzo, minuto ocho cinco, golazo, stoppage time, Messi, Lautaro, dagger, pandemonium, inevitable, superhuman, he refuses to let them die. The final was set, the reigning European champions and the defending world champions but before that who finishes third? England scored a lot, France not as much, and Mbappe still managed to, congrats, on the golden boot.

48:45Back to the main event. A meeting of destiny, nearly 20 years in the making. Jamal Messi, Spain, Argentina, New Jersey. The stars were out for the great ones last dance, but Spain dominated everything except the scoreboard. Enzo lost his head, his team were down to 10. After 90 minutes, Argentina red cards won, shots zero. It looked like it might go to penalties until Ferran Torres broke the deadlock and etched his name next to Andres Iniesta into Spanish lore. Argentina not happy, some might say punchy. Messi's last dance ends in tears. La Roja, campeones del mundo. Vamos!

49:29Nice. Oh, my word. To keep having to do that, I've got to remember my lines. It's so difficult. It's been amazing. The whole World Cup for us. We've got to check that out. And Stevie here in the studio too. So let's get to the questions. Natham, sorry, you're going to have to keep talking. How many takes did it take you to do the voiceover for the World Cup recap segment from the World Cup final show? Firstly, I want to give a shout out to the scriptwriters. You know what I mean? Whether they're the ones working for FIFA that make the games go how they go or the people that gave me the words to write on this game.

49:58But what I would say... You're just giving them a Golden Globe or something. You know, I want to give them as many people for tuning in. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Let's just say that. I think the vision I had was to me to say it really, really quickly. I made a few mistakes, but it didn't take anywhere near as long as I thought it was going to take. I thought that as well. Yeah, it wasn't too bad. The next part of the question says, would you have been able to do the task if that? Of course, easy peasy. I've done it before. Maybe that's why I wasn't asked to do it again, but never mind.

50:25Yeah, there you go. What's with all the complaining about Argentina's performance against Spain? Spain was so dominant, they forced them into a defensive shell. Honestly, when did it change where you have to not only win, but win with style too? Next question also says, Yeah,

50:56I disagree with some of that, to be honest. Just because there's a gap between being competitive and being dirty. And also being dirty and being expansive and so on. I think there is more to it and I think for people that were watching the games is to like the little niggles It's not like the competitive tackles or whatever It's like say Paredes going into the back of someone leaving little kicks in trying to like stamp on someone, you know Get trying to do stuff to try and mild them Yeah, it's the cheap shots, it's cheap shots because you can still play football because if you say I've seen have been like that throughout the tournament They still managed to play football like even if you go off say the last 30 minutes against England They were playing football then and they looked really good though competitive but look good from that standpoint So, there's obviously more that they could have given to wait 117 minutes for a shot, but then also not be bullying the team that you're playing against.

51:42Like, you know, we do have some problems there, I think. Yeah. Is it a fine line then of doing what you've got to do to win? But they didn't come close to winning, that's the thing. They didn't come close to winning. It's not a fine line. Well, if Ferran Torres didn't score, this could have gone to penalties. For me, sorry to interrupt, the only reason they were still in that game is because Spain hadn't been finishing, had nothing to do with Argentina. that point so I think to make it seem we can over time we'll probably make it seem like Argentina were very much in this game they weren't it was almost like they were waiting for that moment to come and the moment came to Spain should have come before that.

52:13It's not a fine line it's either in you or it's not to be somebody that is looking to get a cheap shot in all the time that's in you that's not doing what you've got to do to win there's one thing to be physical and win your challenges and when the time is right, particularly when the guy's facing you, to make sure that you're stronger than him. That's completely different to cheap-shotting people left, right and centre, which is what they were doing. We often talk about the dark arts in this game and listen, some teams use it better than others, but this is a World Cup final and when the dark arts at its extreme is your only plan, I think we have every right to be critical.

53:02What was more embarrassing? Argentina's performance in the World Cup final or Argentina's actions after the final whistle was blown and post-match? Easily after the final, isn't it? I don't know. I don't know, man. Because the game was... They didn't have a shot in 90 minutes. Yeah, but... In a World Cup final... The game to be over and then to do that, you know, it's one thing to not be competitive and to play poorly and all the rest of it. But when the final whistle goes, to be able to have the class to put it all aside and do what you should do. And you take it on the chin and you congratulate the opposition.

53:49Now, it may sound old-fashioned, but that's a classy thing to do. just because you play badly and can't get out it's not always just your fault you've got to look at what the opposition were doing and I think we can agree that Spain absolutely didn't let them so for me it's really straightforward to act like that after the final whistle is again as I just said it's in you it's not losing control it's a split second it's actually in you and then just to double down and be as classless afterwards as you were on the field is worth to be. To be fair, you've brought me across because in fairness, obviously, it's not the context of a World Cup final, but I have dropped a stinker in the performance before, believe it or not.

54:34Across the next place, believe it or not, I have dropped a stinker before, but I've not really been like they were after a game. Because from a professional side of things, you can feel your disappointment. But worst case scenario... Other than to a referee, because we all have that photo of you, madam. That was, yeah. Yeah, it doesn't care if we... That could be AI. It does not. It could be, but it isn't. It could be AI. It could be AI. Check the watermark. But yeah, I think in terms of the stuff after the game, it's too much, isn't it? You know what I mean? And Stevie said, like, some people have it in them, some don't.

55:08I don't have that stuff in me after the game, in the game. I've shown frustration before, and I've done things that maybe I shouldn't have done and dropped a stinker, but the stuff afterwards is probably a bit too far, yeah. I'm with Stevie on this. after you. Okay. Nadem, looking at the performance that Argentina put in yesterday, did Tuchel's comments about England not having the same DNA as Argentina be even more damning? Thomas. Thomas, my boy. All of a sudden, we got a chance to see what you can turn Argentina to if you do things the right way and go about things in a way which doesn't say play into their strengths.

55:44And England very much played into their strengths and I, like, obviously I've been quite outspoken about this and I think lots of other people have, but I still believe everything that I said because I think it's insulting for him to basically say the whole nation has got no DNA to keep possession. He even mentioned Brazil. Brazil got knocked out two rounds earlier. This was like a terrible Brazil performance at World Cup, but he still mentioned them, and I thought, no, that's missing the point. And I think, again, some of his stars and some of the team that he could have picked and he chose not to, I think they could have caused, I think, a ton of trouble because I think some of the dynamism that we saw in that game you know third, fourth, whatever it is.

56:21Imagine that against a tired Argentina side but instead you never really saw that because Tuchel thought well something else is a priority so in some ways I think it is a little bit more damning because you can see that this Argentina team really was there for the taking and it's just you know not saying that a game later things could have changed or whatever but it was there you could see you could feel it but some of the players and then ultimately the manager I don't think were ready for the moment. Thank goodness for that. I should probably ask Stevie this, but I'll ask you it, Shaka. Are England basically the Spurs of international football?

56:53Can I say that? Can I say that? Spurs is the best way to describe it. Stevie wants this question. Stevie wants this question. Absolutely. No. I'm not even going to stick up for England. I'm going to stick up for Mike Rodriguez, producer, who's watched Spurs win a European title. Just going to put that one out there into universe. Spurs did win the Europa League two seasons ago. So these Spursy claims. And they showed great grit and determination to stay up last year as well. So that was another successful season. Holding off West Ham. Holding off West Ham. That's another successful season. Yeah.

57:30And now they're buying players from. So now I think it's disrespectful to Spurs. Need to convince Mike to support England and they might win the Euros then. I love that you're like, to Mike's credit, Spurs did this. alright who is your favourite for the Ballon d 'Or Yamal, Kane, Mbappe Rodri Dembele ever seen such a wide open competition for the trophy Rodri I'm going Rodri Rodri again I'm going Rodri again you can't I'm going Rodri again you can't listen the best thing that happened for Rodri in Spain well I'll take that back the best thing that happened for Spain was Rodri not being not starting to play really till what was it February beginning of March.

58:12So he had a fantastic pre-season to get ready for the World Cup. Yeah, this was his people's... Because during the season in the Premier League, he wasn't near his best. He wasn't. He just wasn't. So who wins it? So who wins it? Norag? Is there really a standout candidate? If a different team would have won this World Cup, then I believe so. Yeah, because we'd be ahead of the final, we saw Lionel Messi at the top of the odds. Yeah, if Lionel Messi would have had a better World Cup, he'd been there and then there was also talk about in Baffes and Alises and if Abappe would have won because Laminio Malo even if he didn't have the best world cup has still won the world cup with his country and then won with his domestic team this season.

58:53He's won the Bundesliga who was the last player that played centre forward for Bayern that didn't score a thousand goals? So this is an interesting point because from a Bayern perspective that team last year is an historic Bayern team like in terms of goal scored it's the most there's ever been in Bundesliga. They scored 122 goals. I think they scored 50 more than the next best team. So is that because they are so good? They were ridiculous. Or is it the rest of them not that great? I don't know, in some ways for me personally looking at the list of people there like for it to be competitive from my perspective it's probably not a good thing because then it means that nobody stand out as such, which means that realistically the award that will go to someone will be even more contentious than some of the awards have come before.

59:41Because there isn't a standout. Yeah, like for club sides, for club sides, some of the stuff, because say, I think Elyse was Bundesliga player of the year. You had Lamar that was potentially going to be like Spanish player of the year and so on. You had... Elyse was fantastic in the World Cup other than that one game. I'll tell you, you have lots of stages, I'd agree. This is a tough one. You didn't have a good third and fourth place. But even if none of them have been at their, like even if it isn't like a clear front-runner. And if you had to put a vote now on paper, if you were part of the voting, who would you say?

1:00:10I'd go with your mouth. I think for this World Cup, I'd probably go with the person who's the all-time top scorer, who'd be Mbappe. Okay. Even with the Real Madrid season though, that they've just had. But he finished top scorer, didn't he? That's the thing. Paul Kubasi. Oh. Let's pull that one off. Oh, can I say, by the way, for the golden ball, some of the, who is it that picks it? Is there journalists and so on? Well, it used to be journalists and team captains, and there used to be a lot more than just journalists. And the paperboy. Yeah, but it's interesting that they chose Rodri, because with Rodri, how do you explain to a newbie what makes Rodri so good, as opposed to saying, well, Messi scored eight goals and he's 39 years of age, you know?

1:00:50That's a proper niche football type. We appreciate the work that he does because we all understand what number sixes do. That's a proper footballing decision, but I don't know if the next one will be. alright what would Salah's value in today's market be when he scored 32 goals and 10 assists in his debut season keeping in mind that Chelsea just agreed to pay£117 million for Morgan Rodgers Salah's not English though doesn't he feel like there's a bit of a tax in the Premier League for those English players fair you've got to be extra for English players that's a lot of goals 32 goals but you could talk about Jack Grealish, Declan Rice, Ellie Anderson, Morgan Rogers.

1:01:35That's four all above£100 million already. Aye, nice mental.

1:01:43£160 million. £160 million. Yes. Okay, thanks, Sean. Thank you very much, Sean. Higher or lower? Higher or lower? It's got to be higher than that, isn't it? It's got to be higher than that. Look at all the people That have gone for stupid money Coutinho left Liverpool to go to Barcelona for how much? Yeah, it was a lot, yeah Look at Neymar, why should he go to PSC for 200 million or something stupid? That was different, that was kind of Nothing That was weird What have you been with? 7-8 years ago, Salah's guaranteeing you at least 30 goals a season In the Premier League So it's got to be It's got to be a couple of honours, hasn't it?

1:02:27199, 999 points. No, he's lost himself. He's lost himself. Let me just see a few more nines. I don't want him to be the nines. I don't want him to be the nines in the India. Ah, boy. Maiden World Cup is over. Now let's get to Man City. Is Foden leaving? I don't think so. I hope he doesn't leave. I want him to stay forever. And I think he'll be interested in Onder Morescu. because Marek has worked with him before, but he also doesn't have the relationship that Peppa's got with Foden and so on, bringing him through. But I hope he stays. Why would he leave? Just because he doesn't play as much as, say, somebody who stays.

1:03:05Pep's not there anymore. Yeah, but what happens if he doesn't play under this guy? He falls into the position where he has orders. We don't know that, though. If you're Foden, you have to be sitting going, or I hope somebody's saying to him, look, I understand if Pep had stayed, then maybe he would want to leave. But Pep's not here anymore. So why would you want to leave Manchester City When every other person on the planet Is trying to get into Manchester City It will show very very quickly throughout the season Whether Mareska likes him or he doesn't Because for Phil Foden he's somebody that With the talent he has shouldn't be starting Every single game in my opinion But by the end of the season and in fairness for The other seasons recently He's been a backup which seems crazy And lo and behold he doesn't make a World Cup squad Which is going to be somebody with that talent But Alisson please The summer could be the time for him to think.

1:03:53He's one of the few players for City and Arsenal and so on who didn't go to this World Cup. So pre-season is built around them now as opposed to the people that aren't going to be there. So we'll see. It's not like Nadam's been talking a lot already doing the World Cup recap but there's been a lot of questions for him today. Here's one more. For Nadam, what was your favourite part of being over here in the USA during the World Cup? Of course, being with us apart from that. Like, okay, so let me be like 100 % transparent here. Like I've watched a lot of the coverage and I feel like a lot of people that can't speak their mind, but working on ESPN you can.

1:04:29And being around like good people who love the game, they're seeing so many different ways. Like on Sunday for the cup final, for the World Cup final, I'm sitting next to Frank who's won the World Cup, next to Steve who's played, Steve McManam who's played for his national team, Craig who's talking about like 98 and they're reminiscing about the players, the stories. And I think working here, it allows you to both be like a former player, a pundit and a fan as well, if you know what I mean? because everybody's got their own unique stories. And when that starts to come out of people, you're thinking like, yeah, because Shaq has said the thing about Kevin Keegan, your perception of like Kevin Keegan.

1:04:59It's been awesome because we can cover it the way that it needs to be covered as opposed to the way that certain people have made it seem to be covered because, for example, Balogun's red card being overturned. Everyone can express themselves, talk about exactly how they feel as opposed to, oh, isn't it great that the US have got Balogun back? Let's all build a conversation around that. And then from a general position, I've met some great people over here. People have made me feel really at home. Lots of Americans in and around this area, West Hartford, Bristol, Connecticut in general. They love their football and have been very welcoming.

1:05:28I'm happy to be here and I'll be back again in four years. Probably before that though. Touch wood, yeah. Touch wood. Everybody's going to get a nice little holiday now. Naidan's last day on the show, but we will see him soon. And he will be back down the line. Two second delay, can't wait. Jack is back tomorrow though. I'm back tomorrow. How you have not got straight off on your vacation, I don't know, Shaka. Well, you're so good at getting the vacations in quickly. I'm here tomorrow. Ali Moreno's always making fun of you and he's already off. I'm here tomorrow. I'm here tomorrow and the whole show's got time off.

1:06:02Yes, that's true. Thought you might have got ahead of the trend. Don't you worry. Don't you worry, kid. Lovely stuff. Thank you for being with us throughout the whole of the World Cup, but stay with us throughout the season. We're with you pretty much every single day. Let us have a little break. We'll be back tomorrow, though, on ESPN+. I will know. Take care.