Football Daily | Donald Trump gives himself starting role in the bigliest occasion of all

The White House has confirmed that Donald Trump will attend Sunday's World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at the New York New Jersey Stadium, despite having largely stayed away from the tournament otherwise. His only previous notable intervention was reportedly lobbying Fifa over a red card given to USA forward Folarin Balogun against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which led to the suspension being overturned. His presence at the final revives memories of last year's Club World Cup final at the same venue, when he remained on stage alongside Chelsea's players during the trophy lift, drawing mixed reactions including boos, which he characterised as mostly cheers.

The piece, a Guardian football newsletter column, also notes that Argentina's president, Javier Milei, will not be attending the final and instead plans to watch from home in Olivos, citing a superstition involving an oil company-branded jacket he wore during a previous match. The article additionally touches on the prospect of Lionel Messi and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal sharing a moment on the podium after the match, referencing a well-known 2007 photograph of a young Messi holding a baby Yamal for a charity calendar.