Key events
Kylian Mbappé scored his 50th international goal as France swept aside Germany 2-0 and claimed third place in the Nations League earlier today. Mbappé then set up Michael Olise for the second in Stuttgart, reminding us all that he’s still very much in the company of Lamine Yamal, Ousmane Dembele, Mo Salah and the other 2025 Ballon D’Or Contenders.
Preamble
The buildup to this game has concentrated less on the actual trophy at stake, and more on the clash between the GOATs of the past and (likely) future. It’s Cristiano Ronaldo versus Lamine Yamal! CR7 v Lamine The Dream! Oh, is that a piece of international silverware I see in the corner of my eye as well? I guess that’d be nice to win.
“I would like to take pressure off him and leave him alone,” said Ronaldo of Spain’s teenage sensation this week. Yamal, who somehow is still only 17, dubbed his opponent “a football legend”. It’s been an understandable love-in, fuelled by the fact there is so little else to talk about in the world of football right now. A rare lull such as this was always going to be filled with predictable GOAT chat.
Anyway, the action gets under way at 8pm (BST) in Munich this evening, with Spain looking to claim Nations League glory for a second successive time after their 2023 win. In fact, there’s never been a Nations League final in which one of Spain or Portugal haven’t competed. Portugal beat the Netherlands in the inaugural 2019 competition, while France edged past Spain in 2021. Let’s see who can become the tournament’s first two-time winners tonight.
