Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (7) reacts after the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Portugal and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson) Hello and welcome to another edition of Offside. First off, Spain saw off Portugal to win the Iberian derby, while Belgium won the world’s approval…
United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino embraces United States’ Folarin Balogun. (AP Photo) United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino has thrown his full support behind FIFA’s extraordinary decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-match ban, insisting the ruling upheld the principles of “ethics and integrity” as the co-hosts prepare for a blockbuster FIFA World Cup…
France’s Kylian Mbappe (10) celebrates his team victory at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Paraguay and France in Philadelphia, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Kylian Mbappé continued his relentless pursuit of football history by scoring the winning goal as France defeated Paraguay 1-0 in the FIFA…
In a touching display of compassion, football legend Cristiano Ronaldo has become a source of inspiration for a young Venezuelan boy named Andrés, who tragically lost everything to recent earthquakes.(Photo/AP) He scores goals at World Cups. He breaks records that have stood for decades. But sometimes, the greatest thing Cristiano Ronaldo does has nothing to…
England’s Harry Kane (9) celebrates after the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between England and Congo in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman) Hello and welcome to another edition of Offside. The term “shot heard round the world” was popularised by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his poem Concord Hymn, whose opening…
Cody Gakpo and partner Noa van der Bij mourn the loss of their unborn son during the FIFA World Cup 2026/ X, AP Liverpool and Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo has asked for privacy after he and his partner, Noa van der Bij, announced the devastating loss of their unborn son during pregnancy. The couple, who…
Ted Lasso was a rare silver lining during the dark days of COVID. As the world went into lockdown, an American football coach managing a soccer team had the enviable job of not just coaching a team in a sport that he did not know, but also uplifting the world’s spirits in its gloomiest days….
Brazil’s Vinicius Junior (7) celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the World Cup Group C soccer match between Scotland and Brazil in Miami Gardens, Fla., Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) Vinícius Júnior continued his outstanding FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign by writing his name into Brazilian football history during the Seleção’s…
Jude Bellingham triggers confusion over FIFA’s new rule during England’s World Cup draw/ Image: X England midfielder Jude Bellingham became the centre of a fresh World Cup controversy during Tuesday’s goalless draw with Ghana after television cameras captured him covering his mouth while speaking to Ghana captain Jordan Ayew. With FIFA’s new mouth-covering rule already…
Zlatan Ibrahimović responds with trademark sarcasm to Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘I’m back’ declaration/ Image: X, AP Cristiano Ronaldo’s response to a difficult week arrived in the form of two goals, multiple records and a four-word message that immediately became one of the defining moments of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.Cristiano Ronaldo did not need long to…