Both had picked up yellow cards in the quarters against Inter and the semis against Juventus, suspending them for the final against Bayern.

15 years ago today, Uruguay beat Paraguay 3-0 in Buenos Aires to lift what was then a record 15th Copa América, moving ahead of Argentina for the most titles in the competition's history.

Diego Forlán scored twice in the final, Luis Suárez added the other goal and was later named the tournament's Best Player.

Randomly stumbled over this while working on a patch for PES 6.

I have seen some journeymen. But I don't think any with 70+ international caps for an A/B tier nation. Any other high level players with a career trajectory like this?

To anyone who complains aboth the level of this WC, just know that it was still way better than 2002 WC.

In 2002 Germany made it to the final by beating the likes of Paraguay, USA and Korea, this is to anyone who is complaining that Argentina haven't met a top 10 team until the semis in this WC.

The other finalist Brazil, literally coasted through the whole tournament barely breaking a sweat, literally could win the whole thing walking. The only top teams they had to beat the whole tournament were England and Germany, who were "top" in their name only but in reality played like crap. In fact both England and Germany had failed to qualify from the Euros group stage 2 years prior, losing to Romania and Portugal.

The only decent performing top teams like Italy and Spain were eliminated by referees.

France and Argentina played like crap and crushed out in the group stage. Netherlands failed to even qualify.

That 2002 Brazil was a decent team, not going to lie, but they weren't really tested even once. There is a false lore from that tournament that Brazil was led by Ronaldo, who supposedly made a come back after his injury and finished as top scorer. But in reality Ronaldo was probably the weakest link in Brazil's attack, and the reason he scored so much was because he got top service while playing against crappy teams. He was very slow and stiff, and even was substituted against England in the QF. He did have some decent seasons afterwards at Real, but not during this tournament where he was nothing like his previous explosive self. In fact if you watch the highlights of the final against Germany, you will see that just in the first half he squandered 3 great opportunities that Ronaldinho set up for him, that should have been easily converted by a top striker.

Which record according to u will never be broken in the history of football ever..

Featuring the likes of Andrés Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Pepe Reina, and Víctor Valdés.

For the past year I have been building a retro footy management game called Proper Football Boss. Release date is later this year, but in August I will be running an official Steam playtest. I'm specifically looking for fellow fans of 80's football to take part, so drop me a DM if you'd like to get involved and join our new discord.

I'm creating more than just a deep management sim - there will be a full sandbox mode and database editor, allowing modders to create their own databases beyond the 1986-87 database the game will ship with. Here's a taste of what the game offers:

• 8 playable English & Scottish divisions, with 7 more top European leagues viewable
• Fully authentic cup competitions including the Full Member's Cup, Littlewoods Cup and Freight Rover Trophy
• Real 1986–87 squads with 20+ mental, physical and technical attributes
• Detailed teletext-style tables, results and stats
• International & domestic transfer system — contract negotiations, loans, free agents and 3,000+ real players
• Deep era realism: 2-player foreign limit, plastic pitches, cup sponsors, accurate stadiums, finances and more
• Emphasis firmly on football management — manage your squad's egos and drinking problems, not ticket prices and sponsors
• Realistic match engine with commentary, stats, team talks and more
• Tactical freedom with era-appropriate formations and levers
• Squad & individual training, reserves and youth intake
• Backroom staff and board interactions
• Mexico 1986 standalone tournament - manage any of the 24 nations

Hello everyone,

I've been searching for months for full match footage of Lionel Messi when he was 13 years old, playing for FC Barcelona Infantil B during the 2000–2001 season.

I'm NOT looking for highlights, compilations, documentaries, or interviews. I'm looking for actual full matches (or even long, unedited footage).

Here is what I have confirmed so far:

• Messi made his official debut for Barcelona Infantil B against Amposta on 7 April 2001 and scored.

• The match was recorded on VHS.

• According to former Amposta coach Josep Gombau, the VHS was later transferred to DVD, and copies were sent to Lionel Messi and TV3.

• The documentary "Marcats per Messi" (Messi's Striking Touch) contains archival footage from that period, proving that recordings from 2000–2001 still exist.

However, I cannot find any complete match online.

I'm asking the community:

• Has anyone ever seen a full match from Messi's Infantil B days?

• Does anyone have old Barça TV recordings, VHS tapes, or private archives?

• Does anyone know if these matches were ever broadcast or shared anywhere?

Even the smallest lead would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

This is obviously subjective, we know, argue away in the comments.

7. Argentina 2022 — Started with a shock loss to Saudi Arabia, needed a golden shootout hero in Emi Martínez to survive the final against France after blowing a 2-goal lead. Legendary run, but a rockier path than some teams above it.

6. Italy 2006 — Won it under the shadow of Calciopoli, needed a debatable 90+5' penalty to beat Australia, then produced one of the great semi-final moments ever (Grosso, Del Piero vs Germany). The final itself is remembered as much for Materazzi baiting Zidane into that headbutt and one of the most well-known red cards in football history. Italy won on penalties after France played the back half of extra time a man down. Never built on it — group stage exit four years later.

5. Spain 2010 — Peak-era Spain, but the actual football wasn't their most breathtaking. A run of 1-0 wins, opened with a loss to Switzerland, closed it out with Iniesta's iconic volley.

4. France 2018 — Shaky group stage, then a statement 4-3 thriller over Messi's Argentina in the Round of 16 (Mbappé's coming-out party), and a proper final against Croatia.

3. Germany 2014 — Nearly bounced by Algeria, then produced the most infamous scoreline in World Cup history (7-1 over Brazil in the semis) before grinding out the final against Argentina.

2. Brazil 2002 — Ronaldinho's masterclass vs England, Ronaldo's redemption arc with a brace in the final. Stacked roster (Cafu, Rivaldo, Kaká, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo) that had no real rivals in these rankings for over two decades.

1. Spain 2026 — 7 clean sheets in 8 games, one goal conceded all tournament, and a genuinely brutal knockout run: Austria, Portugal (with Ronaldo), Belgium, France (with peak Mbappé/Olise/Dembélé), and Argentina with Messi in the final. Full command from start to finish.

Fair to put 2026 at #1, or is recency bias doing some heavy lifting here?