#Argentina clinch the World Cup after beating France on penalties.

The national team could teach its politicians a lesson

They began the World Cup by losing to Saudi Arabia, one of the least fancied teams in the tournament. Argentina’s footballers ended it as champions, beating France, the holders, in a penalty shoot-out after a thrilling 3-3 draw. When Gonzalo Montiel drove home the decisive spot-kick, millions of Argentines streamed onto Avenida 9 de Julio, in the centre of Buenos Aires, setting off firecrackers, chanting songs, and honking car horns. La selección, as the national team is known, took home Argentina’s third cup, and the first in 36 years.

Argentina expected, and in the end got, a ferocious match. When France took home the World Cup in 2018, their team was younger and their players more expensive than almost any other. Kylian Mbappé, then just 19, became the second youngest player ever to score in a World Cup final, after Pélé did so at 17 in 1958. This year the French squad is collectively worth over €1bn ($1.1bn), compared with Argentina’s more modest €645m, according to Transfermarkt, a website devoted to transfer fees.