Lionel Messi

Substitutions backfire for England, as Lionel Messi helps inspire Argentina’s comeback to make final

Look beyond the flashpoints and flare-ups, and there is something more profound at work here

Winger’s talent has potential to advance perceived limits of football itself, it seems

World champions require extra time after Embolo dismissal proves decisive as Switzerland rue contentious refereeing call

Argentina supporters have turned Kansas City into a sea of sky blue and white, but Egypt's accusations after their last-16 defeat cast a shadow

Lamar Hunt was inspired by the experience of watching Shamrock Rovers from the terraces in 1962

Organisation’s ideal of absolute neutrality in danger as Fifa faithfully follows America’s scripture of celebrity

Masters roll back the years in epic victories

Mostafa Zico had a goal ruled out in Tuesday’s Round of 16 game due to a foul in the lead up

When you have Messi, it’s never really over as flawed Argentina are a dark and brilliant alliance of plot armour, destiny and genius

Family, friends and fans at Dublin Airport for the homecoming of Shamrock Rovers star Lopes

Both styles of management and play can get results, but only one is unashamedly, joyously human

The Blue Sharks will become the smallest-ever nation to play a World Cup knockout match when they face Argentina on Friday

Continents may divide us, but his greatness is an enduring sporting bond, bridging oceans, obliterating time zones

Cape Verde’s Pico Lopes will have the chance for one of the greatest giant-killings of all time when his side play Lionel Messi’s Argentina

Algeria and Austria play out an entertaining and convenient draw, after Portugal and England fail to convince

Goals are almost secondary to emotion, celebrity and spectacle

I was a wiry, bookish nerd who grew up in open countryside with little else to do than play football

For many League of Ireland fans, this is our Italia 90 moment - our summer party, our time in the sun

Greg Whately has used his horticultural expertise to make sure pitch in Boston is optimal for football

America 2026 with Kevin Kilbane and Paul Howard

Messi’s first-half goal took him ahead of Germany’s Miroslav Klose as top scorer in the history of the tournament

Fifa and other football rule-makers seem determined to destroy the sport’s defining characteristic

Argentinian presenter resigns after mistakenly saying Messi’s father died ‘right in the middle of the World Cup’

Whether in Kansas City or Salthill, some games can only be appreciated in the flesh

America 2026 with Kevin Kilbane and Paul Howard

Lionel Messi scores stunning hat-trick as Argentina defeat Algeria, while Kylian Mbappé nets two in France’s win over Senegal

Messi scores sensational hat-trick in 3-0 win to draw level with Miroslav Klose as the top scorer in tournament’s history

Algeria and Austria likely to battle it out for progress

There is a host of football-themed programming airing at sensible times, just to get you in the mood

Parents of most youngsters taking up soccer in the US are well placed to afford the high sums it takes to put them in competitive arenas

June 7th to 12th highlights, including Backstory, Britney: In Ten Pictures, Total Football and Queen James

Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta and Cristiano Ronaldo wisely hinted at what was to come this year

Never a lethal finisher like Messi, Son or Kane, but he was the best at getting chances to score

Scorer in 1976 Euro final has seen penalty technique copied worldwide, and Czechs have shootout record

His protege, Mikel Arteta, is reaping rewards after turning away from methods he learned from the master

Roy Keane makes a dig, Liam Rosenior practices his clapping, Lisandro Martínez gets the last laugh

Lionel Messi on home (dis)comforts, Antonio Cassano on ‘duds’

Jet lag anticipated as lucky winner set for 34-hour round trip to watch match on telly

Young Spanish winger has attracted attention of tabloids for his antics off the pitch