أنيسي نظرة عامة

The 2026 World Cup is in its final stages, with only four teams left fighting it out for the universally coveted trophy. While the collective prize is the main objective, a few are making a good case as the best player of the entire tournament. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are currently the top candidates, but they face intense competition as the semi-finals begin.

Adrien Rabiot has firmly dismissed suggestions that France are engineering a specific tactical blueprint to neutralise Spain winger Lamine Yamal in their World Cup semi-final clash. The midfielder also addressed the lingering fallout from his previous criticism of the Barcelona prodigy, which famously backfired during their Euro 2024 encounter.

Lamine Yamal dismissed suggestions that numerology could influence Spain's World Cup semi-final against France, while taking a swipe at former Portugal boss Roberto Martinez. The teenage winger also insisted he feels no anxiety before the biggest match of his career and remains focused only on helping Spain reach the final.

When Spain's starting line-up for last week's World Cup quarter-final against Belgium was revealed roughly an hour before kick-off, the name of Pedri was immediately conspicuous by its absence. The natural assumption among pundits and supporters was that he was carrying a niggle - which tells you everything you need to know about just how highly the Barcelona star is rated.