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- Torres makes last-ditch plea for starting role
Fernando Torres last night pleaded with Spain boss Vicente Del Bosque to let him start the World Cup final.
The Liverpool striker, hero of Spain’s Euro 2008 victory, fears he will miss the biggest match of his life.
Out of form Torres was dropped for the semi-final and Del Bosque is set to name an unchanged t View more »- Finalists head Golden Ball nominees
Ten players have been shortlisted for FIFA's player of the tournament award, including three from Spain and two from fellow finalists Holland.
The player will be announced after Sunday's final based on votes from journalists accredited for the World Cup.
The 2010 shortlist - which does not include a single goal View more »- Busquets - We can contain Sneijder
Sergio Busquets believes Spain are more than capable of dealing with the threat of Wesley Sneijder when they take on Holland in Sunday's World Cup final in Johannesburg.
The Holland playmaker has been one of the stars in South Africa so far but Busquets feels the Spanish can neutralise the threat of the Inter Mila View more »- Robben happy to win ugly
Arjen Robben would be delighted to win ugly in the World Cup final on Sunday.
The present Dutch squad is constantly living in the shadow of the much lauded 'Total Football' era of Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff which reached two World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978 and lost both.
So, having won plaudits but no pri View more »- Alonso hails Spain quality
Xabi Alonso regards himself as a lucky man to get the chance to play alongside a team full of stars with Spain.
Alonso will line-up with brilliant Barcelona duo Xavi and Andres Iniesta on Sunday when his country look to win the World Cup for the first time against Holland at Soccer City.
The 29-year-old knows h View more »- We do not fear Spain - Van Marwijk
Holland boss Bert van Marwijk admits Spain play a more attractive brand of football than his team - but insists the Dutch do not fear them.
The two European countries will both be bidding for their first World Cup success when they meet in the final on Sunday.
Van Marwijk said: "At this moment I think Spain pla View more »- “Team Sushi”: Spain National Team Secrets
Not sure we'd class the recent revelations by Sopitas.com about the Spanish National Team as “secrets”. To us, that would mean information about which bedtime stories Sergio Ramos reads to Pedro, and whether David Villa is buying S, M or larger-than-medium-but-still-not-Large-size underpants.
Still, we View more »- Time Xavi took his rightful place on the stage
World Cup 2010: Spain's Xavi should be recognised as a true modern great
We've all written crap headlines trying to be funny. It's a fine line. But the above effort, I've always thought, was a bit more than just another lame gag.
I don't know who wrote it (though I do feel sorry for Matt Lawton, the Mail's bylined View more »- Alonso: We learned from England's World Cup disaster
Xabi Alonso has revealed England's World Cup disaster served as a warning to Spain.
Former Liverpool midfielder Alonso says Spain saw what happened to Fabio Capello's men and it made them realise they are just one bad performance away from defeat.
Spain clinched their place in Sunday's final with a brilliant footba View more »- Dutch legend Johan Cruyff shocks Holland by insisting: I want Spain to win
Dutch legend Johan Cruyff last night risked alienating his own country by insisting he wants Spain to win the World Cup Final.
Cruyff, the keystone of Rinus Michel's Total Football side of 1974, has long been a resident of Barcelona.
But while Holland is already planning a ticker-tape parade along the canals of Ams View more »
