Messi’s red-card outburst the act of a desperate, hopeless man

Actions were pure human malice, a volcano of rage that was accumulating for years

Lionel Messi’s flame may be fading but the memories will never diminish

Barcelona great turns 32 on Monday but his place in the popular imagination is assured

Much love for a wounded Tiger, but Molinari steals hearts

Sunday saw more twists and turns – and shifting allegiances – than a spy thriller

World Cup Moments: Zidane’s rush of blood to the head

‘Sometimes words are harder than blows. When he said it for the third time, I reacted’

Euro 2016: the intellectual’s guide to football

‘There are intellectual football-lovers but those who go to stadiums and bookshops are different’

Euro Moments: Manuel Amoros nuts Jesper Olsen

France skipper lands a headbutt on Danish winger and misses rest of 1984 success

Zinedine Zidane returns to high table as world stands and waits

Real Madrid hoping he can superimpose his brilliance on bunch of misfiring superstars

Deschamps ‘a water carrier’ who can stir France’s footballing soul

The former French midfielder and captain is a clever, driven man and a French good-luck charm

Biting behaviour undermines World Cup thriller in Brazil

Italy - Team Profile

Second only to five-time winners and hosts Brazil in terms of tournament experience and honours

World Cup moments: West Germany v France 1982

Schumacher’s assault on Battison casts longshadow over one of the great encounters