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This week, Lionel Messi played his last game for Argentina, while Arsenal reportedly committed £80 million to keep Mikel Arteta, and European football’s national associations continue pushing for changes at FIFA.
In other news, adidas has found another reason to bring back one of its most famous football boots, Manchester United is leaning into its city's culture, and women’s football is still trying to bring its basic infrastructure up to the standard of its players.
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6 DAYS REMAINING
1. Messi’s Argentina career ends in front of 85,000
El mensaje de Lionel Messi tras una "noche mágica y especial" en Buenos Aires, Argentina | Marcausa
Lionel Messi scored once and set up two more as Argentina beat Benin 3–0 in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, with more than 85,000 people at the Estadio Monumental watching him play for Argentina one last time.
It’s hard to imagine a better ending to his international career, especially given how complicated his relationship with Argentina once was. For years, Messi was compared with Diego Maradona and in some circles he was criticised for failing to reproduce his Barcelona success in an Argentina shirt. He even retired from international football in 2016 before changing his mind.
He eventually won the Copa América and then the World Cup in Qatar, which changed almost everything about how he was viewed back home. At 39, he’s leaving international football with that relationship looking very different from the one he had a decade ago.
Argentina now have to work out what comes next without him. Messi will still play club football, but replacing what he brought to the national team, both on the pitch and to the fans, will take considerably longer.
I was fortunate to see Messi play twice, at both ends of his career. Once in 2007, for one of Barcelona’s iconic teams at Camp Nou, where he came on as a sub to replace Ronaldinho and score a penalty, and more recently, in the World Cup semi-final against England, but we don’t need to talk about that.
Judging by the content circulating online, it’s starting to hit home across the football world that the Ronaldo and Messi era is coming to an end; hopefully, those who insist on arguing about who is better can soon look back with appreciation for both of them and what they’ve given the game.
2. European football’s associations want changes at FIFA
UEFA’s 55 national associations met in Berlin this week, with all but Azerbaijan backing proposals for reform at FIFA. The meeting also saw UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin confirm that he’ll seek another term, despite previously saying he intended to step down.
The disagreement, as you’re likely aware, focuses on how FIFA is governed and, importantly, how it handles the money generated by its competitions, sparked by the infamous proposal to involve private investment in a commercial company that would control competition rights.
FIFA and UEFA have been competing for influence over the football calendar and commercial opportunities for years, so the latest disagreement isn’t happening in isolation. Both organisations want to grow their competitions, and the biggest clubs and national associations are understandably interested in how that affects their own schedules and income.
Gianni Infantino is seeking re-election in March, and so far, former Switzerland international Ramon Vega has already declared his intention to challenge him. Whether the pressure from Europe produces meaningful reform is another matter, particularly with Infantino retaining strong support from other confederations.
This will be an interesting process to watch because one thing we know about people in power is that they don’t like giving it up. I’m sure Gianni is on a heavy campaign trail behind the scenes.
3. Arsenal are reportedly paying more than £80m to keep Arteta
アーセナル、ミケル・アルテタ監督が笑顔のトロフィーリフト。22年ぶりのリーグ制覇を喜ぶ 最終節でC・パレスを撃破しCLへ | フットボールチャンネル
Mikel Arteta has signed a new Arsenal contract running until 2030, with reports suggesting the four-year agreement is worth more than £80 million. It’s an enormous amount of money for a manager, but Arsenal have spent the past few years building a team and a club around him.
Arteta arrived in 2019 with no first-team management experience, and Arsenal backed him through some difficult periods; he rebuilt the squad and eventually won their first Premier League title in 22 years. The new contract is a considerable reward for that work.
Arsenal have recruited players for Arteta’s football, invested in his coaching structure, and given him significant influence over the team's direction. Losing him would mean replacing far more than just a coach, and I think the £80m reflects that.
Arsenal’s owners clearly believe keeping the structure together gives them the best chance of winning more trophies. It wasn’t easy for Arsenal to get back into winning ways, but becoming champions sets new expectations with fans, and the hard part now is staying at the top.
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4. Adidas has brought back Beckham’s Predator, 25 years after that free-kick
Adidas has released a special-edition David Beckham Predator to mark 25 years since his free-kick against Greece sent England to the 2002 World Cup. Beckham helped design the new boot, which features the adidas Trefoil logo for only the second time ever on a Predator, and adidas has also released a remade Predator Precision.
The original moment remains one of the most recognisable goals in England’s recent history; as an England fan, it’s etched into my soul. After he was sent off against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup, he spent years dealing with the fallout, which was an insane amount of pressure. That free kick was a statement, and a reminder to certain sectors of the English fan base that he was our guy, drawing a line in the sand of a difficult period for Becks.
Adidas can revisit moments like this because Beckham and the Predator are so closely associated; even youngsters who may not have watched him play know the boots, and many buying this collection will be too young to remember the Greece match.
That, to me, is fascinating about football culture: how football equipment becomes valuable long after it served its original purpose. The Predator was designed to help players perform, but some of its most recognisable designs are now being sold as nostalgic pieces of football history.
5. Manchester United’s latest adidas collection is about Manchester as much as football
New release: United x SPZL | Manchester United
Manchester United and adidas launched their latest SPZL F.C. collection this week, bringing together Bryan Mbeumo, Dominique Janssen and former United forward Dimitar Berbatov for a campaign inspired by Manchester’s football and music culture.
SPZL has a long association with the clothing and footwear worn by football supporters, particularly the terrace styles that developed around British clubs. United gives adidas a direct connection to one of the game’s most iconic clubs.
What interests me about collections like this is that the club badge becomes part of a wider clothing range that people might wear without ever going near Old Trafford. For some, the attraction will be Manchester United. For others, it will be the adidas designs or the connection to Manchester’s music scene.
Football clubs have been selling casual clothing for decades, but collections built around a particular cultural identity are a different proposition from putting a crest on a standard hoodie.
6. Women’s football is growing, but its referees still won’t be full-time until 2029
Women’s Super League clubs have agreed to increase their investment in refereeing, although they don’t expect to introduce full-time officials until the 2029–30 season. Most WSL referees currently work another job.
It’s surprising, given how much has changed elsewhere in the competition. Leading clubs now employ professional players, invest heavily in facilities and compete for major sponsorship and broadcast deals, yet the people responsible for officiating their matches don’t have the same opportunity to prepare professionally.
Full-time refereeing won’t eliminate controversial decisions. The men’s game has proven that. But it would give officials more time for training, analysis, and development, which seems a reasonable expectation for a league with the WSL’s ambitions.
The increased funding is welcome, but another three-year wait feels a long time when the competition is already operating as a professional league.
7. Durex has gone into non-league football
Last week, Durex announced a season-long partnership with Woodley United, with Sean Dyche and comedian Steve Bracknall involved in a campaign McCann London developed. It’s an unusual football partner, especially for a brand that could easily have spent its budget on a familiar celebrity-led campaign.
The appeal is that Woodley United has a real season to play, results to chase and a community around it. Durex can build its campaign around those things rather than buying a brief appearance alongside a famous footballer. Whether the jokes remain entertaining over a full season is another question, but the idea gives the partnership something to follow.
Here’s one of the promotional videos.
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