Dorking Wanderers · FA Cup · Defender · #0 · England · 37 yrs
England legend Wayne Rooney has made his predictions for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and believes neither Argentina nor France will reach the final. The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off on Thursday with Mexico’s 2-0 victory over South Africa. In the coming days, some of the tournament’s biggest contenders, including France and Argentina, will begin their campaigns. However, England legend Wayne Rooney does not believe either side will make it back to the final. During an interview with BBC Sport, a group of former soccer stars that included Alan Shearer and Olivier Giroud were asked for their predictions ahead of this summer’s FIFA tournament. Rooney was among them and made his stance on two of the leading contenders clear. “England and Spain will make the final,” said the former Manchester United striker, who appeared in three World Cups with the Three Lions. He then added his preferred outcome for the title match: “Hopefully England will win it.” Rooney’s prediction is backed by the recent form of Thomas Tuchel’s side, which have won all of their matches in the European qualifiers and arrive at North America 2026 with their key players in excellent form. “I’m going with Kane to get the Golden Boot,” Wayne added. Former England star Wayne Rooney. Rooney’s potential surprise teams at the 2026 World Cup In the same conversation, Wayne Rooney was asked which teams could emerge as surprise packages during the tournament. “Norway could do quite well,” he began, referring to the team led by Erling Haaland. He then added another contender: “I like Ecuador too.” In a separate interview with Daily Mail, Rooney answered a similar set of questions and expanded on several other predictions. For example, when asked about the tournament’s best goalkeeper, he named a Premier League star: “Maybe David Raya, if he plays.” That caveat is significant, as all indications suggest Unai Simon will start in goal for Spain. Rooney defines what would qualify as a flop at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Finally, when asked which team could be the biggest disappointment of the World Cup, Wayne Rooney was cautious in his response. “It’s hard to flop, to be honest. Any of the big teams if they don’t go past the last 32, then I suppose that’s a flop,” he said. That assessment is tied to the tournament’s expanded format. In addition to the top two teams from each group, eight of the 12 third-place finishers will also advance to the knockout stages. The new structure increases every team’s chances of progressing, and combined with the addition of 16 more teams than in previous editions, it means several lower-ranked nations are now in the field. Those factors should allow the traditional powerhouses to reach the Round of 32 without major difficulty.
When that red banner with white text appeared across the Sky Sports broadcast of the Bournemouth v Manchester City game announcing Arsenal as champions, many remarked that it felt like Fifa. Add to that the strangeness of Martin Odegaard actually lifting the trophy over his head at Selhurst Park on Sunday - though perhaps that was just because David Raya was dressed head to toe in the Arsenal home kit. There are subtle differences, though.
David Raya fastens his gloves and breathes out. This is Moss Rose, home of National League side Macclesfield Town and a teenage Spanish goalkeeper is embarking on a journey that will lead him to the biggest stage in European football. In front of fewer than 1,500 spectators, Raya was part of a Southport side beaten 3-0 by Macclesfield in September 2014.
Honourable mentions must go to Gabriel's late winner at St James' Park, Eberechi Eze's hat-trick against Spurs. To turn defending your own goal with a narrow lead in the last minute of stoppage time into a sure goal over that distance is pure football magic. Outstanding performers this season have been: Declan Rice, William Saliba, Gabriel and David Raya.
Opta have conjured up their Premier League team of the season based on data collected throughout the 2025-26 campaign. Four Arsenal players have been selected in the XI following their title-winning endeavours, as Mikel Arteta's side lifted the Premier League trophy for the first time in 22 years. David Raya (goalkeeper): Raya ended the season with four clean sheets in Arsenal's last five matches, including a season-defining save against West Ham, as the Gunners closed in on their first title since 2004.
It was a foul on Gunners goalkeeper David Raya for their goal which was disallowed, and the fact they are in the relegation zone is because of the way they have played all season. Newcastle were very poor when they lost at London Stadium in November and you wouldn't say they are in much better form at the moment. Magpies boss Eddie Howe realises the importance of finishing the season strongly for his own future, and I don't see his side losing this.
Manager says ‘referees didn’t do their job’ in FA Cup finalsKhusanov and Rodri doubts for crucial match with PalacePep Guardiola believes officiating decisions are a “flip of a coin” and constantly urges his Manchester City players to perform better in order to overcome this.Refereeing and the use of the video assistant referee are being scrutinised once more after Callum Wilson’s late disallowed goal in West Ham’s 1-0 defeat by Arsenal at the London Stadium on Sunday. The decision came after the referee Chris Kavanagh awarded the strike before being advised by the game’s VAR, Darren England, to review the incident at the pitchside monitor. On doing so, Kavanagh ruled the goal out for a foul on Arsenal’s goalkeeper, David Raya. Continue reading...
