David Bowie became obsessed with football tactics during the 2002 World Cup, his publicist has revealed.
While Spain will always be Spain, trying to deprive opponents of the ball with its possession-based passing game, its hopes of making a deep run at the European Championship will rest on a pair of young, fast forwards.
Although Lionel Messi said his 2022 World Cup run would be his last, he left the door open to possibly playing in the 2026 World Cup.
Whatever happens in Germany over the next month, one thing is for sure: Gareth Southgate is heading there with the most technically gifted squad in English football history. To watch Phil Foden spraying 40-yard passes and control a returned ball on the instep with immediate clarity, or to see Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze and the rest caressing a football with such ease and dexterity is to make those of us of an older generation shake our heads in astonishment.