Ok, I’m convinced, this world cup is the best ever. Firstly because its happening right now and all the others, even the 1966 one, happened years ago, but also because its just brilliant. I never wanted to like it, I didn’t think Russia should benefit from the prestige of hosting a world cup whilst they’re attempting to assassinate state enemies in fucking Salisbury on sunny afternoons, bombing the shit out of civilian populations in Syria and being totally and habitually Russian. Yet it works. And so well. Russian people have actually been seen smiling during the duration of the competition.

Having managed to miss almost every second of all 32 group matches, feeling deflated after England lost the only match they played against a decent team (I don’t care how many changes you make, how much it might benefit to finish second in the group, I HATE LOSING FOOTBALL MATCHES), feeling once again my lack of enthusiasm for international matches in general, suddenly Saturday happened. I never expected it, coming so soon after Friday had barely finished, but come it did. And brought with it France against Argentina. The most wonderful game I’ve ever seen (I say that quite a lot, like ‘best films’ or ‘favourite songs’), and the world’s new ‘superstar’, Kylian Mbappe. I discovered him. Myself. At home. On the telly. Unfortunately Paris Saint Germain discovered him a few months ago and paid Monaco 160 million Euros (not pounds, note, even pound notes, so its not like its ‘proper money’). For a 19 year old kid.

And he is so skilful and so wonderful and so utterly, blisteringly, cheetah-ishly fast that he makes Usain Bolt look like your grandma. Long as she is 7 foot tall. And this ‘kid’ had the calm, the presence, the confidence and the ability to simply take Argentina apart. Ok, the French had a few other players on the pitch but most of them stood around smoking Gaulloises, texting their mistresses and sipping espressos.

So it was France 1, Messi Out. End of the World Cup for the world’s best player, possibly best EVER player, because he’s now old and useless and ready for pasture.

Then still on Saturday the feast from Russia (an’ I’m lovin’ Russia, loving the vibe there, the atmosphere, the enthusiasm, all those famously non-Russian things) continued with the next course. Ronaldo, the other ‘greatest player in his head’, sorry, ‘in the world’, also bowed out as his Portugal lost to Uruguay.

Then yesterday, whilst I was having another (fucking) away-day in Leeds, enjoying the sunshine in various motorway traffic jams, the mighty Spanish went out to… Russia!!! of all lowliest of lowly teams, and on penalties. And if that wasn’t exciting enough, the Croatia Denmark game also ended the same way but with Luka Modric’s Croats beating Christian Eriksen’s Danes. I generally view all football through the prism of Spurs connections, it works better that way. But penalty shoot-outs are so brutal, so harsh, so Darwinian in nature. And so exciting, as long as your team is not involved and the Germans aren’t taking the penalties.

And now I’m supposed to work??? With all this football going on??? Brasil are playing Mexico at 3 o’clock FFS. Then its Belgium playing Japan this evening. But tomorrow… tomorrow…

Need more football

Happy monday

A xxxx