We’re finally free! As of last night, the World Cup came to an end with Spain defeating Argentina 1-0 in a nail-biting match. 18 years after 21-year-old Lionel Messi posed with one-year-old Lamine Yamal for a UNICEF advert, the two great players came face to face, in what is possibly Messi’s last World Cup. I think it’s fair to say that after Argentina’s victory against England, most of the country wanted to see Spain crush them. And crush them they did. We can now all collectively unclench. 

This has been a crazy World Cup. From Trump’s interference in the games, accusations of FIFA corruption, to that absolutely insane half-time show, a lot went down. Below, we look back at the best, strangest and most heartwarming moments from this year’s competition.   

LAMINE YAMAL’S BROTHER

There were plenty of heart-warming moments during what was an otherwise particularly cursed World Cup, but nothing melted our hearts more than seeing Lamine Yamal’s little brother, Keyne, on screen. The three-year-old has repeatedly gone viral throughout the tournament, screaming and cheering on his brother and the Spanish team from the stands. After Spain’s victories, Keyne takes over the pitch, running to find his brother and kicking a ball around – as he did last night following Spain’s win over Argentina. After Spain beat Austria earlier this month, Yamal remarked in an interview that he is “moved when I see my little brother this happy, as well as seeing my mum and friends living the life they always dreamed of.”  (HJ)

ENZO FERNÁNDEZ’S RED CARD

In my opinion, Argentina has been an extremely hard team to watch play. They are aggressive and dominant, and, not to mention, extremely classless after they win or lose a match – just look at the way they ended both matches against England and Spain. Last night, Enzo Fernández was awarded a delicious red card after he sent Spain’s Pau Cubarsi flying through the air. It was an extremely satisfying end to his World Cup journey after scoring against England last Wednesday, and watching him celebrate in the most jarring way possible. TW: video above. (HJ)

SAKA’S HAT TRICK

Nobody wanted to play in or watch Wednesday’s bronze final. After England’s loss to Argentina and France’s defeat by Spain, both teams were deflated – but England v France turned out to be one of the best games of the World Cup. England dominated the pitch, with our star boy Bukayo Saka scoring not once, not twice, but three times. It was an absolutely gorgeous match, with further goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and Jude Bellingham. We may not have won the World Cup, but England left the tournament with their heads held high after defeating France. (HJ)

THE HAALAND-BELLINGHAM BROMANCE

All hail Haalingham. The two star players forged a close relationship while playing together for German club Borussia Dortmund between 2020 and 2022, spawning countless clips of the pair embracing, celebrating together and even Bellingham pecking Haaland on the cheek. Their friendship reached new heights at this year’s World Cup when, facing each other as rivals in England’s quarter-final against Norway, live TV cameras zoomed in on the pair struggling to suppress their grins as they tussled over an incoming corner. (SPM)

PEOPLE IN GAZA CELEBRATING SPAIN’S VICTORY

During the World Cup, Argentina became widely viewed as a proxy for Israel, which is at least partly unfair: the president, Javier Milie, is a staunch ally of Netanyahu, but one recent opinion survey found that a majority of Argentinians hold a negative view of Israel, and the Latin-American country has a strong tradition of Palestine solidarity. But there was no doubt as to who most Israelis, including Netanyahu and several more leading politicians, were supporting this tournament.

In light of this, it was heartening to see people in Gaza celebrating Spain’s victory last night. Their joy feels especially meaningful after a tournament which saw Mohammed al-Wahi, an aid worker who organised public World Cup screenings, killed by an Israeli air strike, and after a genocide which has killed an estimated 566 Palestinian footballers, as well as destroying several stadiums and club headquarters. While Spain’s victory may only be symbolic, Palestinian-led organisations like BDS and Lajee Celtic are now encouraging people to get involved in more practical forms of football-related activism, such as the campaign to ban Israel from international football. (JG)

CABO VERDE STOLE OUR HEARTS

Over the course of the World Cup, 40-year-old Cabo Verdean goalkeeper Vozinha (real name Josimar José Évora Dias) went from relative obscurity – while working as an electrician and bus driver – to commanding more than 29 million Instagram followers, while Google searches for the country rose by over 5,000 per cent. The small island nation off the coast of West Africa proved one of the tournament’s biggest breakout stars, with its previously little-known team – many of whom balance football with day jobs – holding its own against some of the highest-ranked sides in the world. (SPM)

WHEN THE FRANCE AND ENGLAND TEAM PRAYED TOGETHER

I can’t speak highly enough of the bronze final between England and France. It was an epic thriller between two great teams who not only played incredibly well, but showed each other the kind of respect and kindness that should be commonplace in football, but often isn’t. After England’s 6-4 victory, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guéhi, Trevoh Chalobah, Dayot Upamecano, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Maxence Lacroix came together to pray. They ended their World Cup journeys with dignity and grace. Argentina, take note! (HJ)

THE SOUTH KOREA-MEXICO LOVE AFFAIR

Following South Korea’s group-stage match against Czechia in Guadalajara, multiple videos emerged of South Korean fans being warmly embraced by their Mexican hosts. The special relationship dates back to the 2018 World Cup, when South Korea’s shock victory over Germany allowed Mexico to advance from the group stage. Eight years later, Mexican fans clearly haven’t forgotten the favour. (SPM)

THE MAN WHO STOOD COMPLETELY STILL DURING ALL OF DR CONGO’S GAMES 

Watching people go crazy in the stands is one of the great pleasures of the World Cup – particularly when it’s your rivals weeping in despair – but the crowd member who attracted the most attention this year did so by standing completely still for the duration of every match he attended. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) fan Michel Kuka Mboladinga has performed the routine since 2013, but it wasn’t until this tournament – the first World Cup the DRC had qualified for since 1974 – that he became an international media sensation. Dressed in a suit bearing the colours of the Congolese flag, with one arm raised aloft, Mboladinga imitates a statue of – and pays tribute to – Patrice Lumumba, the revolutionary leader who helped free Congo from Belgian colonial rule and served as the country’s first prime minister. Like a form of performance art, Mboladinga’s dignified bearing and sustained stillness were transfixing to watch. (JG)

WHEN SPAIN WON, AND ARGENTINA LOST 😍

After watching Argentina’s games against Cabo Verde, Egypt and England, I think it’s fair to say that A LOT of people did not want to see them lift the World Cup again. Amid accusations that favourable refereeing had helped them through the tournament, repeated displays of poor sportsmanship and a public endorsement from none other than Benjamin Netanyahu, they quickly became its villains. Last night’s final saw Argentina resort to many of the same dark arts that had brought them this far – and, in the end, they lost. It was also incredible to see a Spain side featuring Lamine Yamal take the title. The teenager has publicly expressed solidarity with Palestine, proudly holding up a Palestinian flag during Barcelona’s La Liga victory parade earlier this year. (HJ)