Athletic Club · UEFA Nations League · Goalkeeper · #23 · Spain · 28 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.
The World Cup list of Spain had many players from Barcelona, which Iker Casillas linked with their financial issues. The World Cup squad that Luis de la Fuente announced for Spain brought contrasting reactions between the two giants: Barcelona have eight players, while Real Madrid did not get a single call-up. For Iker Casillas, there is a clear explanation. He made the comments during a Kings League conversation with Gerard Piqué. Casillas said: “Everything has a process. For there to be that many Barcelona players, the club had to go through a major financial crisis that forced them to rely on the academy. Then it’s a matter of whether the young players are good enough or not, but for that you first have to trust them and give them continuity.” The two legends were champions in 2010 in South Africa, with the goalkeeper being the team’s standout player as they analyzed the squad list, a list they mostly agreed with following the manager’s decision on Monday. Casillas on the goalkeepers One of the main doubts before the list was announced was in goal. Unai Simón is the clear starter for de la Fuente, not only because of his performances with Athletic Club, but also because of his strong record with the national team. García was chosen to be the third goalkeeper of Spain (Alex Caparros/Getty Images) The other logical choice was backup David Raya, who has had an excellent season with Arsenal that could even end with a Champions League title. However, the difficult decision was to leave Joan García ahead of Alex Remiro. Casillas said: “The goalkeeper position was the most well covered. García had a good season. The ones de la Fuente has called up are fine, I would still agree even if he had included others.” Casillas on the absence of Real Madrid players Another major talking point around the list was the absence of Real Madrid players for the first time ever, which sparked controversy because of the team’s level. That was also something the legend addressed. Casillas said: “I, having played in Real Madrid’s academy and being Spanish, am frustrated that none have been called up, it’s tough.”
A stoppage-time eruption and a crying Manolo González means the Catalan club’s long-awaited victory changes everythingAfter 143 days and many more sleepless nights Manolo González was liberated, if only for a little while. In the 92nd minute of the 19th game of 2026, something amazing happened: Espanyol won and Espanyol went wild. A goal up against Athletic Club, a late Gorka Guruzeta header had shaken them more than the post it hit, a familiar fatalism refusing to leave, and they were desperately hanging on to what they had now and had lost too many times before, whistling for this suffering to finally end, when at last they could let go. “You have to be strong in life but, bloody hell, we all have limits,” González said, and they had reached theirs but now, on a Wednesday evening in May, they were released.Ramon Terrats, a boyhood Espanyol, nodded the ball on. Kike García, the only member of the squad born in the 80s and a man with a bit of the 80s about him, a 36-year-old, 6ft 1in, 12-stone striker they call the “labourer of goals”, a sub who had only been out there six minutes, ran on to it. Keeping his head, he guided a shot past Unai Simón so everyone else could lose theirs. The clock said 91.06. The scoreboard said 2-0. The table said: 14th, 42 points, 11 wins. And 29,943 people said: argrhjrfujhkngsafkjhfskljdzrogjdgixjkgjhlkbxcfh. As for González, he broke down and cried. Continue reading...
