Forget the Geopolitics World Cup (GWC) – it’s all about Florentino 2026, people. Real Madrid want the world to know there’s another show in town, and it’s called the Florentino Pérez era, potentially revived with a new galáctico and the return of José Mourinho.
Real Madrid’s Complicated GWC Relationship
Before the GWC circus gets under way, Real Madrid would like you to know there’s always another show in town. Los Blancos have an odd, difficult relationship with the tournament. Spain’s 2010 triumph involved Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso and Iker Casillas being bolted on to a raft of Barcelona players, somewhat demeaning to any aristocratic pretensions. Back in 2018, Madrid upended the Spain national team by snaffling away Julen Lopetegui to be their coach, such that he was sent back from Russia before a ball was kicked. After Fernando Hierro, a Madrileno final boss, took the reins, the tournament was a bust for Spain, and relations have been strained ever since.
By little coincidence, there are no Madrid players in Spain’s squad, currently doing the Chattanooga Choo Choo at a Tennessee training camp. All while the National League Braintree’s Tommy Smith and Shamrock’s Ricardo Lopes take the stage for New Zealand and Cape Verde respectively. Though that also had plenty to do with the rubbish season endured at the Bernabéu, Alonso being offed, Álvaro Arbeloa not much cop as an interim, and some unseemly headlines, including players fighting in the dressing room with Fede Valverde hospitalised, and a holidaying Kylian Mbappé landing his private plane at a Madrid airport, 10 minutes before a vital game with Espanyol. The lads at El Chiringuito de Jugones have been going potty.
Florentino Pérez’s Master Plan: Mourinho and a New Galáctico
Florentino Pérez’s answer to the madness? José Mourinho. Which asks what was the question? Though that depends on Pérez winning re-election on Sunday to be club chief suit, the first election contested in two decades, one that Pérez himself called on, performing a reverse Keir Starmer. Club members must cast their votes at the club’s basketball pavilion, with an alternative candidate in Enrique Riquelme, 37, to Pérez’s 79, a renewable energy tycoon compared with the incumbent as a civil engineering billionaire. Riquelme has promised to buy Erling Haaland and Rodri if he’s elected, vowing to pay the club’s membership fees for a year if he fails to land the Manchester City duo. Use of the former’s image in campaign literature and talk of release clauses set City’s busy legal team into action.
Returning Mourinho to a scene he departed in 2013 resembling the final frames of Schwarzenegger’s Commando, having flamed all in sight, would seem an ersatz populist gesture, though there is more. Pérez returned to his old playbook in announcing he will pay “at least €150m” for a new galáctico, launching a guessing game: “It isn’t [Michael] Olise, he’s a great player, but it isn’t Olise. It isn’t [Jeremy] Doku, it isn’t Haaland. It isn’t [Harry] Kane. It’s a player who plays from the midfield, or further forwards. And he isn’t a Premier League player. He’s a total galáctico. But first we’ll talk to his club.” Answers on a postcard. Or not. There will meanwhile be 11 Madrid players at the GWC, with coaches and their associations hoping squad members will not be unsettled by transfer talk. Though that’s not the Real Madrid way.
Quote of the Day
“I feel very Swedish when I’m working. I look a bit Swedish. Two of my kids were born in Sweden” – Graham Potter gets his chat on with Jacob Steinberg and makes it clear why he’s probably the best non-Swede to take the nation into the GWC.
Football Daily Letters
“Yesterday Ray Anselmo questioned why Andoni Iraola would join Liverpool, who won something last year and then weren’t satisfied with fifth place and the quarter-finals of Bigger Cup this year. Is it safe to assume that Ray is a Spurs fan?” – Neale Redington.
“Jon Millard is stout in his defence of AOR musos but I disagree with his comment that Tapestry (Carole King) has no links with ‘Antipodean Journeymen’. Surely So Far Away and Home Again allude to travels of the two Australasian teams – the latter probably applying a short time after the teams land in North America. And Where you Lead could apply should one of these teams snatch the first goal in a match? Beautiful is a normal epithet of the game of association football, OK not always bandied about when discussing Kiwi or Aussie football, but y’know. Will You Love Me Tomorrow: of course we will, even when faint hopes are dashed in the group stage. Lastly, I feel the Earth Move is mainly a song about a daily occurrence here in the shaky isles of New Zealand, but should we win a match …” – Rod de Lisle.
“A simple request on behalf of the rest of us friendless virtual barflies – please publish every single response to Jon Millard’s broadside. The fact that Toto, Boston, Journey, and the entire AOR genre all caught strays in one almighty righteous take makes this tea-timely email worth reading, and I for one am here for it” – Daniel Stauss.
“To quote the inimitable Half Man Half Biscuit, ‘Everything’s AOR’ (football Daily letters passim). Now can we please move on?” – David Bell. If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … Rod de Lisle. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.
GWC Goodies Section
Yep, the GWC player interactive has arrived! Read up on all 1,248 players, from the Paraguay striker called “Viking” to the Irish-born Cape Verde defender who received his first call-up via LinkedSky. Once you’re clued up on all 48 teams’ strengths and weaknesses, you can have a go at Bracketology, our World Cup simulator game where you can click your way through the group stage and the knockouts to predict a champion. For bookmarking, you can keep tabs on the sharpest shooters with our Golden Boot tracker. And if that isn’t enough, print out and fill in your own wallchart here. You’re welcome.
Recommended Following
How do you do fellow kids? Yes, there’s now a TikBook account with all things of a Big Website sporting focus. So, if you’re there, you know what to do.
Awards Season
The shortlists for the men’s and women’s PFA players’ gongs have been revealed. Arsenal’s Premier League-winning trio of Declan Rice, Gabriel and David Raya all feature while Bunny Shaw and Yui Hasegawa have both been nominated for the Women’s Player of the Year gong after helping Manchester City to double delight. There was an eye-opening inclusion in the men’s young player nominees, with Max Dowman, 16, on the shortlist despite starting only one match and playing a total of 165 minutes of league football. That’s less than a GCSE exam!
Men’s Players’ Player of the Year nominations: Rayan Cherki (Man City), Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd), Erling Haaland (Man City), Gabriel (Arsenal), David Raya (Arsenal), Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Women’s Players’ Player of the Year nominations: Kirsty Hanson (Aston Villa), Yui Hasegawa (Man City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Jess Park (Man Utd), Alessia Russo (Arsenal), Bunny Shaw (Man City)
News, Bits and Bobs
Tottenham have snaffled Andy Robertson on a free transfer – and the left-back has been given a big welcome by a club legend. “On the back, where your name is, that’s your chance to add something of your own to our story,” yelped Michael Dawson. “As your old teammate and captain, I’m proud that I can welcome you to Spurs. Robbo, this is yours now too.” Meanwhile, a group called Eight Sports Capital claims to have purchased a 24.99% stake in Tottenham’s parent company.
Andoni Iraola has set up his amps at Liverpool and is ready to deliver some heavy-metal football after succeeding soft-rock’s Arne Slot. “This inner energy, you need it as a player,” he roared. “You need it as a supporter, you need it as a coach. No better place than Anfield.”
Manchester City chief suit Khaldoon al-Mubarak has put a little finger to the corner of his mouth and roared that City Football Group is worth £10bn. “That’s value creation. There’s no intention to sell,” he cackled before vowing to set the record straight on those 134 charges. “Until we have a ruling, I can’t say much. Once we have a ruling, believe me, we’re going to have a wonderful sit down together and I’ll say everything I’ve wanted to say for the last three years.”
Japan have had to change their GWC training pitch in Mexico after players were put off by a Hackney Marshes-style surface. “Yesterday’s pitch wasn’t very good, it was hard, there were holes … it wasn’t good,” blathered midfielder Take Cubo. “We had to change it because the players were afraid to start, to fight for every ball.”
Fifa has admitted a website error enabled 60 fans to purchase GWC tickets for free. The tickets have since been cancelled and the fans have been given the chance to re-purchase them for full price. Yikes!
And there was mildly alarming news for anyone who drew France in their GWC sweepstake when Didier Deschamps’ side lost 2-1 to Côte d’Ivoire in a friendly. Spain’s 1-1 draw with Iraq was a bit of an eye-opener, too.
Still Want More?
England’s heatseekers begin their GWC countdown with a Tampa test against New Zealand, writes David Hytner, while fanning himself.
Iraola’s dynamic football will energise Liverpool despite the worry over workload, reckons Jonathan Wilson.
The World Cup team previews continue with the aforementioned Cape Verde and New Zealand, plus there’s Iran, a nation and squad shrouded in uncertainty.
And the Lionesses will make next year’s World Cup if they avoid defeat to Spain. Tom Garry has the tough gig of reporting from Mallorca.
Memory Lane
There have been some great World Cup posters down the years, with a variety of styles and ideas making for an eclectic mix. There’s a selection of some them in the lovely composite image below – and here’s a gallery of them up to 2018.
‘We Need a Song/It’s in G Sharp’
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