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Very rarely in life do we get an opportunity to say goodbye in real time.The end often comes before we know it's the case. But, as he enters his sixth and final World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo may well be saying goodbye to the footballing world.Five Champions Leagues. Five Ballons d'Or. Domestic success in four different countries. He has two Nations League titles and a European Championship as well.All that eludes him is the famous gold trophy.If he doesn't win it, the World Cup probably won't be his curtain call. His obsession with greatness means that he probably won't let go of the 1000 goals landmark that he is currently 27 away from.Imagine if he does do it, though. Could there be a better ending?Regardless, the most-capped international player will likely never feature on a global stage like this again. In that sense, this is a last dance for an all-time great.If it is to be the end, Ronaldo will leave behind an intriguing legacy at the world's biggest tournament. A legacy in which he could have several milestones to his name, yet is still rather unfulfilled.After this summer, only Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will have played at six World Cups. However, should he find the net at least once, he will do what he wasn't able to at the Euros two years ago and become the first player to score at six different World Cups.As for appearances in total, Messi currently leads the way with 26. Ronaldo is four behind on 22. It is impossible to think that Messi doesn't feature for Argentina. But on the slim chance the defending champions get knocked out in the group stages, he could only climb to 29 appearances.Ronaldo can surpass that tally if Portugal go all the way and he appears in every game.He could also surpass the Argentine in the rankings for the oldest goalscorer in a World Cup final. Messi is second behind Sweden's Nils Liedholm who was 35 years and 264 days old when he netted in the 1958 final.Ronaldo will be 41 years, 5 months and 14 days old come July 19, meaning he would smash the pre-existing record. That is also true to the oldest player in a World Cup final, with the current record standing at 40 years and 133 days courtesy of Dino Zoff.The final record he may have his eye on is the oldest goalscorer in the competition's history across all games, an accolade that currently resides with former team-mate Pepe.Let's say that Ronaldo claims all the aforementioned records. That will mean he has six records to his name. That's no mean feat. But to do that he has to reach the final. If he doesn't he can only claim three of them. Still impressive, but perhaps not enough to overshadow his relatively disappointing track record in this competition.Ronaldo has never made it past the semi-final. The only time he got to the final four was his first World Cup in 2006. Two decades ago.As for his record of scoring in five consecutive World Cups, when you take into account he has only scored eight and failed to score more than once in four of his tournaments, there is this sense of wanting more from the face of a generation.That's not all his own fault. Portugal's squads in 2010 and 2014 weren't particularly strong and were never likely to be pushing to reach the latter stages of the competition. But that's where you need your superstar to produce moments.What Ronaldo moments have there truly been at World Cups? Only two spring to mind. His unquestionably fabulous hat-trick against Spain in 2018. Other than that, all he really has is that infamous wink after Wayne Rooney was sent off in the 2006 quarter-final.Compare that to Messi for example. Not only has he gotten his hands on the trophy, he nearly single-handedly dragged Argentina to glory eight years earlier in 2014.It's hard to criticise Ronaldo in any aspect. Especially when it comes to international football. Nobody has more caps. Nobody has more goals. He was inspirational on and off the pitch in 2016. Yet, in World Cups, it has never happened for him. This is his final time to change that narrative, or it will linger with him forever.Regardless of his World Cup track record, Roberto Martinez had to include Ronaldo in his squad. Not doing so would've caused greater headaches.However, if there is an insistence on him still being the be-all and end-all of this group of players, it could become problematic. His chase and subsequent failure to score in the last Euros was the main talking point of the team's tournament.The reality is, with stars like Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha and Joao Neves arguably coming off their best seasons to date, the need to rely on Ronaldo is less than ever before.As Portuguese football expert Kevin Fernandes told Sky Sports: "Ronaldo will always be the star, but footballing-wise, is an asset for Portugal and not the main protagonist. For the benefit of his country, one of the most clinical finishers of all time should be concentrating on providing the final touch as an elite poacher, while not looking to disrupt the flow of Portuguese attacks with an incessant need for the ball."As strange as it sounds to say, Ronaldo should be seen precisely as an asset - not as untouchable, given his limitations in the press and the characteristics of team-mates to provide further dynamism in Portugal's attack."Is that the role Ronaldo will want this summer? No - that's not in his DNA. Truthfully, no one will care if it leads to glory.If he can score for a sixth consecutive tournament and then be pictured holding the trophy at the end of the it, no one will remember that he played an inferior role.All they will remember is that in his final act, Cristiano Ronaldo brought Portugal their first World Cup and, if this is the case, said farewell to the beautiful game with no stone unturned.

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Austria won their first World Cup game in 36 years with a 3-1 Group J victory over tournament debutants Jordan in San Francisco.Ralf Rangnick's side needed a late own goal and a Marko Arnautovic stoppage-time penalty to see off a Jordan side who were nerveless on their tournament bow.The Asian team nearly took a 90-second lead as captain Ehsan Haddad hit a volley into the side netting, but their positive start was punctured when Romano Schmid bent in a wonderful 21st-minute opener - Austria's only shot on target of the first half.But Jordan were not deterred by Schmid's stunner as Ali Olwan hit the bar just 113 seconds later with a glancing header.The debutants deservedly levelled early in the second half as Olwan produced a fine curling equaliser in off the post in the 50th minute.A triple change then shook up Austria, who thought they had restored the lead in the 67th minute through half-time substitute Arnautovic only for his close-range goal at a corner to be disallowed for a handball by Stefan Posch following a VAR review.Austria did eventually go back in front through a 76th-minute Yazan Al Arab own goal as the ball flicked off his back into the net at a corner.Jordan failed to trouble Austria, who made the win safe through Arnautovic's penalty in the 12th minute of stoppage time after a VAR review spotted Saleem Obaid had handled the ball when blocking the former Stoke and West Ham forward's shot.It was a pleasant return to the World Cup for Austria after a 28-year absence from the competition, but they will need to up it if they are to upset holders Argentina in their next Group J game on Monday (6pm UK time), especially after Lionel Messi's hat-trick heroics against Algeria, whom Jordan face next on Tuesday (4am UK time).2: JORDAN GO CLOSE! Haddad raids forward from a counter-attack to smash a low volley from the angle into the side-netting after just 90 seconds.21: GOAL! Schmid scores a stunning opener for Austria as he bends one home from outside the box to score with their first shot on target.22: JORDAN HIT THE BAR! Nearly an instant reponse as Olwan heads against the woodwork with a glancing header from a corner.50: GOAL! Jordan deservedly equalise early in the second half through a fine Olwan goal as he curls one in off the post for the country's first-ever World Cup goal.70: AUSTRIA GOAL DISALLOWED! Arnautovic's close-range goal from a corner is ruled out following a VAR review after Posch handled before the ball fell to him.76: AUSTRIA RETAKE THE LEAD! VAR doesn't save Jordan this time as Al Arab scores an own goal at the near post from a corner as the ball glances off his back while he battled with Arnautovic.90+12: AUSTRIA SCORE FROM THE SPOT! Arnautovic gets on the scoresheet this time as he buries a penalty home after a VAR review for a handball against Obaid, who had deflected Arnautovic's shot wide with his arm.Austria came into this World Cup having sailed through qualification, losing just one of their eight games and scoring 22 goals.Yet in San Francisco, it was tournament newcomers Jordan who looked like that team rather than the one who had been on a five-game winless run.It might now be six, but Jordan can be encouraged by their performance against an Austrian side containing players from Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.When Olwan scored Jordan's first-ever World Cup goal - and deservedly so - the Asian side were Californian dreaming of becoming the first debutant to win their opening World Cup match since Senegal's victory over France in 2002.Jordan constantly threatened Rangnick's side - they had the same number of shots (11) and shots on target (4) as Austria - and the ex-Manchester United boss needed his bench to save him.Half-time substitute Arnautovic made an excellent impact as he forced the own goal which restored Austria's lead and then struck the decisive stoppage-time penalty. His experience told.Jordan will now be hoping their newfound World Cup experience can earn them their first-ever tournament points in their next game against Algeria, who were hammered by Argentina.If Austria play like this against the holders, then Messi will massively fancy his chances of breaking the World Cup goals record in Arlington.

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Ivan Perisic has been representing Croatia for 21 years but his passion for his country burns as fiercely as ever."I feel a deep pride in representing Croatia and hopefully inspiring younger generations who dream of following the same path," he tells Sky Sports ahead of this summer's World Cup, having just won Eredivisie with PSV.It will be his eighth major tournament with the senior team and fourth World Cup. The 37-year-old - who first pulled on the famous red and white chequered shirt for the U17 team in 2005 - has experienced some incredible moments on the biggest stage.Perisic was a breakout talent in 2014, scoring twice in three matches. Four years later, he scored one and set up another as Croatia beat England in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. He then equalised against France in the final, where Croatia ultimately lost 4-2.At the 2022 World Cup he became Croatia's top scorer in major tournaments, scoring in the last-16 before a semi-final defeat to eventual winners Argentina. A third-place play-off win was secured with the help of a Perisic assist."It's difficult to choose just one moment," says Perisic, when reflecting on those wild World Cup days. "The entire 2018 World Cup was unforgettable."Reaching the final stands out the most. Even though we didn't win, it was a historic achievement for Croatia and a moment that united the whole country."That feeling, and the connection we shared with the people back home, is something I'll carry with me forever and especially right now."Those second and third place finishes - following the third place the country achieved in their first-ever World Cup in 1998 - are outrageous achievements for a nation made up of just 3.8m people. What is the secret?"Croatia may be a small country but we've shown that with passion, unity, and commitment, you can compete on the biggest stage," said Perisic, who has racked up 152 caps.It is a country blessed with talented players - Luka Modric and Josko Gvardiol are among the other star names lining up for them in North America this summer - but the sense of purpose the players feel wearing the shirt seems powerful, too."There's always a huge sense of excitement, but also responsibility," Perisic says about playing at a World Cup."You carry the pride and emotions of an entire nation with you. More than pressure, it brings gratitude. I often reflect on our journey as a country and what it means to stand on the world stage wearing the Croatian shirt. That feeling never loses its importance."Every World Cup feels special. No matter how many you play in, you never fully get used to the scale of it or what it represents.""There's a strong alignment between the values of Mackage and those of our team and country: discipline, precision, resilience, and quiet excellence. The collaboration came together very naturally because we share many of the same principles."This Mackage capsule collection reflects that perfectly. It feels authentic to me as an athlete, but also representative of Croatia's character: understated, confident, and strong."This one kicks off with a particularly significant fixture. It's England against Croatia on June 17 in Texas.The two teams have a storied recent history, from that 2018 World Cup semi-final, through England's Nations League revenge later that year to the opening-game win for England at Wembley in Euro 2020.Perisic has been at the heart of the contests and, having made 50 appearances for Tottenham between 2022-24, he has added connection, excitement and motivation for the fixture."Definitely," he says when asked if facing England holds extra meaning."Playing in the Premier League gave me a real appreciation for the intensity, quality, and culture of English football."There's a lot of mutual respect whenever we face England, especially after some important matches over the years."Those are always exciting games to be part of, and I'm really looking forward to this upcoming one."Mackage is the official off-field outfitter of the Croatia national team.

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England's World Cup campaign gets under way on Wednesday, 17 June, when they take on Croatia (21:00 BST).They then face Ghana on 23 June (21:00 BST) and Panama on 27 June (22:00 BST).With the Three Lions' tournament about to begin, it is time to test your knowledge of their previous opening matches.Take our quiz to see how well you know your history of England at World Cups.After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device.What information do we collect from this quiz?Related topicsFootballFIFA World Cup 2026England Men's Football TeamPlay more quizzesQuiz: Name every nation at the 2026 World CupWhich World Cup team are you? Take our quizWorld Cup quiz: Name every player in England's squadWorld Cup quiz: Name every player in Scotland's squad

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Plus: World Cup winners with no domestic honours, and why Australia are unofficial world championsMail us with your all of your questions and answers“In 1986, Gary Lineker scored six of England’s seven World Cup goals,” writes Brendon O’Mahony. “Has anyone scored a higher proportion of their country’s goals at a World Cup? Let’s exclude teams who were knocked out in the group stage or who scored three goals or fewer”A number of you mentioned Oleg Salenko, the Russian striker who matched Lineker by scoring six of their seven goals at USA 94. That included five in one game against Cameroon, which turned out to be Salenko’s last in international football at the age of 24. Russia went out at the group stage despite Salenko’s romp, so he doesn’t meet the criteria laid out in Brendon’s question.But there are dozens of net-botherers who do. Enormous thanks to Mirosław Skaczkowski, who has been through every men’s World Cup and confirms that Gary Lineker is indeed top of the list. In winning the Golden Boot at Mexico 86, Lineker scored 85.71% of England’s goals (Peter Beardsley scored the other one, in case you were wondering).Second on the list wasn’t even a centre-forward. Northern Ireland’s Peter McParland was rated by Jimmy Greaves as “one of the most dangerous wingers I have ever seen, cutting through defences at tremendous speed and finishing with cannonball shots”.McParland scored five of Northern Ireland’s six goals at the 1958 World Cup, including both in a 2-2 draw against the defending champions, West Germany, and two more in a 2-1 playoff win over Czechoslovakia. That took Northern Ireland into the quarter-finals, but it was their third match in five days and they were hammered 4-0 by France.Other players with at least 60% of their teams goals at a World Cup include Peru’s Teófilo Cubillas, insouciant destroyer of Scottish dreams in 1978, Chile’s Marcelo Salas in 1998 (remember his mighty leap against Italy?) and the Italian giant Christian Vieri. He looked irresistible in 2002 until a costly miss against the co-hosts South Korea. (Go to 89 minutes of this minute-by-minute report, or fire up YouTube.)Thanks again to Miroslaw for providing us with all the information needed for this list.85.71% Gary Lineker (England, 1986)6 out of 7 goals83.33% Peter McParland (Northern Ireland, 1958)5 out of 680% Marcelo Salas (Chile, 1998); Jon Dahl Tomasson (Denmark, 2002); Christian Vieri (Italy, 2002); Robert Vittek (Slovakia, 2010)All 4 out of 575% Luis Artime (Argentina, 1966)3 out of 471.43% Teófilo Cubillas (Peru, 1978)5 out of 766.67% Anatoliy Byshovets (USSR, 1970); Michel (Spain, 1990) Both 4 out of 662.50% Roberto Baggio (Italy, 1994)5 out of 8, including 5 out of 6 in the knockout rounds. Another Baggio, the unrelated Dino, scored two of Italy’s other three goals.“The German great Thomas Hässler won the World Cup in 1990 and the European Championship in 1996. His club career was considerably less glittering, netting only a solitary Intertoto Cup trophy with Karlsruhe. That means he won one more winner’s medal as a national player than with clubs. Has anyone exceeded his tally by two or more international honours?” wonders Kári Tulinius.A single Intertoto Cup is an unworthy legacy at club level for a player of Hässler’s mischievous brilliance. He came close to more significant honours on several occasions, most notably at the start of his career when Köln lost the Uefa Cup final to Real Madrid in 1986. But as Kalen Kasraie points out, he’s not the only late-1990s German footballer to win more trophies for country than club.“Hässler’s teammate Andreas Köpke won the same international honours he did but his only trophy at club level was the 2. Bundesliga title with Nürnberg in his last professional season,” writes Kalen. “Ramón Ramírez, the Mexican midfielder, won three Gold Cups and the 1999 Confederations Cup with his country, but only won one title at club level, with Chivas.Bettering all these achievements is current Atlético Madrid and Argentina full-back Nahuel Molina, who has won the World Cup and two Copa Américas with his country, not to mention the Finalissima against Italy in 2022. At club level, he has won nothing at all.” Molina came close to domestic glory last season, featuring in Atleti’s Copa del Rey final loss to Real Sociedad.As Dirk Maas points out, Tottenham’s Cristian Romero has won the same international tournaments as Molina with a single club honour to his name, the 2025 Europa League. Another of that triumphant Argentina team, Rodrigo De Paul, has a country:club ratio of 4:2 after winning the MLS Cup and Eastern Conference with Inter Miami. Gerónimo Rulli’s ratio is 3:1 after the keeper won the Europa League with Villarreal in 2021.Dirk also found three more examples from the back end of the 20th century: the Argentina pair of Sergio Vázquez (4:2) and Claudio Garcia (3:1), plus France’s Albert Rust (3:1).For the purposes of this answer, an Intertoto Cup counts the same as a Champions League – and the same applies at international level. “God bless the British Home Championship, which gives us a few very good answers,” writes Daz Pearce. “Sir Tom Finney runs away with it as he participated in 10 Home Championship-winning teams with England. The only trophy he won at club level was the old Division Two title with Preston.”“What’s this I hear about Australia being unofficial world champions?” asks Alf Mangle.This is based on the old winner-stays-on format, going right back to the first men’s international fixtures in the 1870s. A very long list of relevant matches – all 1045 of them – can be found here.Argentina ended Qatar 2022 as both official and unofficial world champions. Since then, the lesser, largely meaningless crown has changed hands as often as Ferris Bueller skipped school.Argentina 0-2 Uruguay (World Cup qualifier, 16 November 2023)Uruguay 1-2 Côte d’Ivoire (Friendly, 26 March 2024)Sierra Leone 1-0 Côte d’Ivoire (Afcon qualifier, 15 October 2024)Sierra Leone 1-2 Liberia (African Nations Championship qualifier, 27 October 2024)Algeria 5-1 Liberia (Afcon qualifier, 17 November 2024)Sweden 4-3 Algeria (Friendly, 10 June 2025)Kosovo 2-0 Sweden (World Cup qualifier, 8 September 2025)Kosovo 0-1 Turkey (World Cup playoff, 31 March 2026)Australia 2-0 Turkey (World Cup Group D, 13 June 2026)Australia’s next game is against the United States on Friday. For the love of sanity, nobody tell the White House that the USMNT could become world champions, unofficial or otherwise.“Mexico, Sweden or Germany could go out of the tournament despite winning two of their group games,” noted Paul Blandon in 2018 [In the end they didn’t because Germany lost to South Korea – 2026 ed.]. “Has this ever happened before? And on the flip side, who are the worst-performing teams to get out of their group?”Only one team has been eliminated after finishing third despite winning two of their group games: Algeria, whose loveable 1982 team were stitched up by West Germany and Austria. But this question is muddied slightly by the fact that, from 1986 to 1994, the four best third-placed teams also qualified for the last 16. Had only the top two teams in each group gone through, both Argentina and Belgium would have been eliminated in 1994 despite winning two of their three matches.As for the worst-performing teams to qualify, let’s start at the top: Italy, who finished second in their 1982 group after drawing all three games – and then went on to win the tournament.In 1986, two teams snuck through as one of the “best” third-placed sides after recording two draws and a defeat: Bulgaria and Uruguay after their infamous 0-0 draw with Scotland.Since the tournament went to 32 teams in 1998, and back to the old system in which only the top two teams qualified, Chile have the worst record of a team to reach the last 16. They failed to win a game at France 98 but got through with three draws.2026 update: at the last two men’s World Cups, no team has qualified for the knockout stage with fewer than four points or been eliminated with more than four. That may change now that some third-placed teams will go through to the last 32.“Sweden’s Yasin Ayari has a Tunisian father and chose not not to celebrate his first goal against Tunisia (he couldn’t resist celebrating when he scored later though). Declan Rice did something similar after scoring against the Republic of Ireland in 2024, but what is the earliest example of a player not celebrating a goal at international level because of a connection to the opposition?” asks Michael Pilcher.“Two questions on Dick Advocaat,” begins Luke Carruthers. “1. He has coached eight different men’s international teams – can anybody beat that? 2. He has managed the Netherlands men’s and women’s teams at senior level. How rare is this?”“The three goalkeepers in Scotland’s World Cup squad played a combined total of four league games in 2025-26. Even if you include cup games, they only managed seven appearances. Has a World Cup squad ever contained a complement of custodians with less collective game time?” asks Al Pollock.“New Zealand’s Chris Wood and Tommy Smith are playing at their second World Cup, 16 years after their first,” writes Alexander Scott. “Has any player had a longer wait between World Cup appearances?”“Morocco’s starting XI against Brazil were all born in another country,” notes Alexey Svirin. “Who were the first international team to field such an XI?”“Before signing Marc Cucurella, Real Madrid had no players in Spain’s squad, but 11 of their players are at the World Cup with other countries,” notes Tom Pinder. “Has any other club provided so many players at a finals, without a representative of the (participating) country where they are based?”We’ll have another World Cup Knowledge special next week. Send your World Cup questions and answers to knowledge@theguardian.com.

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Previously unknown players have gained millions of social media followers thanks to attention of tournamentBreakout talent emerges at every World Cup, but in 2026 these players’ actions are not confined to the pitch. Social media has become football’s parallel tournament, an arena where one viral clip can reshape an entire career. Here are some standout risers from the tournament so far.The Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha has become a global sensation after starring in his country’s stunning goalless draw with Spain on Monday. Before the match, reports suggested the 40-year-old had roughly 20,000 followers on social media – that figure now stands at 7.2 million and rising. It’s fair to say Vozinha could end up being one of the faces of the tournament.Payne arrived at the World Cup with a mere 4,715 followers on Instagram. After being picked out by the Argentinian influencer Valen Scarsini in a challenge to find the “least-known player” at the tournament based on social media metrics, the New Zealand defender saw that figure rise to an enormous 5.8 million. Caught by surprise at his sudden rise in social media popularity, Payne posted videos thanking Scarsini for his support. The pair have also subsequently met in the flesh.A couple of days before the World Cup started, the Australia defender saw his Instagram following jump from 3,000 to over 100,000 as part of an internet campaign instigated by the football content creator RubikayTV intended to make the 25-year-old the “the Cristiano Ronaldo of the World Cup” in response to Scarsini’s support for Payne. Trewin is now one of the most well-known players in the Socceroos squad despite not featuring in their 2-0 victory over Turkey on Sunday.A shoutout from the influencer FiagoBall catapulted Curaçao’s back-up goalkeeper from 1,606 to 45.1k followers on Instagram, which is some level of online support for a player who sat on the bench all season for VVV-Venlo in the second tier in the Netherlands and may not feature at all at this World Cup.The Morocco defender is not a viral star having gained a mere 2,000 followers since the start of the World Cup, but he very much remains one to watch after starring for Genk in the Belgian Pro League this season, registering eight goals and four assists in 34 appearances and subsequently being named the best player of African descent in Belgium’s top flight. What he needs now for his profile to truly soar is to play for his country at these finals – he was an unused substitute in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Brazil – and/or for a influencer to shoot him to social media prominence.

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For England, the thought is frightening but very real. This could be Harry Kane's final World Cup."It could always be my last because you never know what happens in football," the Three Lions captain said earlier this month. "But you know what I'm like, I want to play for a long, long time."Turning 33 this summer, this is unlikely to be Kane's last tournament with England, having already expressed his ambition to play at the European Championships on home soil in 2028.But given his age, this tournament feels particularly big for Kane on an individual basis. There are no guarantees he will appear at this tournament come 2030, when he will be almost 37.This is not just potentially his last dance at the World Cup. It is probably the best chance he will get for the Ballon d'Or.Kane is not the outstanding contender to win football's top individual prize, but he is certainly up there - and the World Cup is likely to be a key factor in determining its destination.England have not had a Ballon d'Or winner since Michael Owen in 2001 - and Kane has a real chance to end that run. He comes into the tournament as not just arguably the best player in the world - but the best version we've ever seen of him.World Cup 2026 fixture schedule - your day-by-day guideHis 67 goals for Bayern Munich and England this season - including 10 in his last 11 international games - is not just the highest season's goal tally of his career, but the most any player has managed in the season going into a World Cup.It means Kane is the most in-form player going into any World Cup ever, in terms of goals. "[The World Cup] is coming off the best season I've ever had," he said on the eve of the tournament."I've been scoring a lot more goals that I have in any previous season. But physically and mentally, the way the season ended for me was great - winning the league and the cup final, scoring three goals there. That gave me even more momentum coming into the camp with the boys."Kane has six more goals than Cristiano Ronaldo managed in 2013-14, before the Brazil World Cup. Ronaldo did not back that season up with international glory, scoring only one goal in three games as Portugal failed to get out of their group.But it was still enough for Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or, having won the Champions League and Copa del Rey that season. He also started the following season on fire.It would be a little premature to say it is now or never for Kane to win the award - he could win it next year, for example. But he has set himself up so perfectly to win this year's honour, and would do well to replicate a season like this.Translating this form from season to summer - especially at the end of a long season - is still a huge challenge for Kane.Take Euro 2024 as an example. Kane had a superb debut campaign at Bayern, scoring 44 goals across all competitions. But come the latter stages of the Euros, the England captain was exhausted - so much so that Gareth Southgate took him off in the second half in every game past the quarter-final.Thomas Tuchel has played down concerns that Kane will be arriving tired.Speaking earlier this month, Tuchel said: "Ideally we can take some minutes off him, but if the matches are close, do we really do this? Do we take our main goalscorer, our captain off? Maybe not."The most important thing is the shape Harry is in. He's in top shape, he is ready to go. He was the leading player who set the intensity in training today, on a defensive training day. He's used to high pressing, high intensity in the opponent's half with Bayern Munich."We don't have to be worried about him at all, even if it's hot and humid. We have some good [other] options but Harry is the main guy up front."Kane added ahead of the Croatia game: "From a physical point of view, I feel in great shape in the training sessions and matches we played."Throughout your career, you need a lot of things to go your way and fall into place at the right time. It has for this tournament. It's one of the best opportunities we all have as a team to win it."And Kane knows that - despite winning every domestic trophy possible with Bayern this season - a good World Cup ould be required to put him in the Ballon d'Or picture."I'd probably say I'll be up there for sure," replied Kane about his chances if he achieves glory with England this summer."With the season I've had, I think with winning the three trophies, the numbers I've reached, I think I'll be in that conversation. If I win the World Cup on top of that, you would imagine it would be one of the England players."When you look at some of the past winners of the Ballon d'Or, for sure it comes down to the big games, the big tournaments, and you add that on top of what I've achieved this year, I think I'll be up there."Kane has never finished higher than 10th in the Ballon d'Or voting dating back to 2017. But now is not the time for top 10s. This is about being No 1.

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Forward is one of four players who came to Australia as refugeesMabil has tried to be a ‘big brother’ to Mo Touré and Nestory IrankundaSocceroos forward Awer Mabil offered his trademark focus on Wednesday afternoon in Oakland speaking to the Australian media about this week’s clash against the United States. There was one distraction, however, he could not overcome.The winger lost his concentration when long-time SBS commentator David Basheer – in the US as part of the network’s coverage – asked a question during the press conference. “Sorry, David from SBS, right?” Mabil interjected. “I grew up watching you.”Mabil, the 30-year-old who is at his second World Cup, is one of the faces of this group of Socceroos. A refugee born in a Kenyan camp to South Sudanese parents, he told the story of his background as part of a video message about the team’s diversity that was released before the tournament.Mabil’s experience is similar to many migrant stories in Australia. “I forgot about your question, I just started reflecting,” he continued to Basheer, as the room burst out in laughter.“I grew up watching SBS as a kid, because it was free TV. So you doing the World Game, that’s where I used to see all of my highlights from all over the world of football,” he said. “So, first, thank you, you gave me good memories as a kid.”Basheer repeated his question, about the Socceroos’ younger players. Mabil said he has tried to be a “big brother” to the likes of Mo Touré and Nestory Irankunda – fellow refugees from Africa who grew up in Adelaide – as well as the other young players.“It’s something that’s special for me to see their growth over the last couple of years and their maturity has been amazing,” he said. “I can just only be there, allow them to be themselves, and protect them when they need protection.”The goal by Irankunda against Turkey became a lightning rod across Australia for positivity towards multiculturalism. It also triggered a new wave of those seeing, and then sharing, the video message released by the players the week before the tournament.The two-minute video began with the words of Mabil, and has now been shared widely on social media. “It was a moment to describe what Australia is, and Australia is a very multicultural country, and that’s what makes it the best country in the world, in my opinion,” Mabil said. “You have the whole world in one place and the Socceroos now are a representation of that. You have many different backgrounds representing one jersey.”The video was a simple collation of messages about where the Socceroos grew up and why they have pride in the jersey. “The reason why it went viral is because it was raw. It was not edited. It was just purely what the players wanted to say and all put together,” Mabil said. “It had an effect because individually Australians can feel and relate with it.”Coincidentally this week is celebrated globally as refugee week. Mabil said he wanted to thank Australia and do his best for a country that has taken in so many refugees over the years.“It’s a week that I would like to say to anybody that is misplaced all over the world that we are with you,” he said. “And we are on the world stage right now, a big tournament, and just to tell you everything is possible, so keep going.”

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Austria claimed their first World Cup victory since 1990 with a 3-1 win against debutants Jordan. Two late goals at the home of the San Francisco 49ers helped Ralf Rangnick’s side make the perfect start in Group J after Ali Olwan had equalised with Jordan’s first World Cup goal.Jordan started brightly and Alexander Schlager needed to produce a good early save to deny Odeh al-Fakhouri, but it was Austria, playing at the World Cup for the first time since 1998, who opened the scoring in the 21st minute.Romano Schmid picked up the ball on the edge of the penalty area, cut inside and sent an unstoppable shot into the top corner.Jordan almost equalised immediately but Olwan headed against the bar from a corner, while Schlager then kept out another effort from the lively forward.Olwan, Jordan’s top scorer in qualifying, was not to be denied five minutes after the break, though, taking advantage of the space he was allowed on the left to drive into the box and send a shot beyond Schlager.Austria thought they had scored again in the 67th minute when Jordan keeper Yazeed Abulaila made a mess of a corner and Marko Arnautovic tucked the ball away but Stefan Posch was penalised for a handball following a lengthy VAR check.However, Jordan did not learn their lesson and another corner in the 76th minute was headed into his own net by Yazan Al-Arab before, deep in added time, Mohammad Abu Zrayq was deemed to have handled following a second VAR check and Arnautovic found the bottom corner from the penalty spot.