MESSI HAS DONE IT!!!! Unbelievable scenes. Is he the best ever? Is it even a debate? I know one thing––Ronaldo fanboys are awfully quiet these days... It was absolute bedlam in Argentina after their first World Cup win since 1986. Fans jumping off bridges, swarming Messi's house, and one massive hungover nation on Monday. 

Now we're back into club footie, so let's see what's in store...

A huge congratulations to Chris McKenna, who won our World Cup bracket challenge by a single point!! Congrats my friend, and a free jersey for your troubles. 

REMINDER: We are still running the referral challenge as well! First to 10 referrals also gets a free jersey of their choice. It's super simple: click your personalized referral card, send that link to someone you think might like Straight Red, and all they have to do is enter their email and you get a point on the board. Happy hunting!

Let's get straight into it.

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It):

You only missed one thing in the footie world this past week, and if you did I feel sorry for you––although I'm willing to bet you didn't. 

Lionel Messi and Argentina beat France in the World Cup final, 3-3 (4-2 pens). It was the greatest World Cup final we've ever seen. Argentina jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and were largely dominating the game. That was until France came out of nowhere and bagged two goals in minutes (80', 81'), to shock everyone and bring the game level. Messi then scored again in extra time, before Kylian Mbappe leveled once more in the 118th minute. Just insane. Kolo Muani then had a massive chance, a one on one with Argentina keeper Emi Martinez, but was denied in the 123rd minute. Argentina then took it on penalties, after a couple of poor France misses. 

It was crazy, just crazy, a brilliant advert for those not entirely into soccer. It suffocated any assertions of the sport as 'boring' or 'mundane.' We've seen crazy games down the years, sure, but on this stage? The biggest stage of all? It was end to end, big chance after big chance. 6 goals, 2 in extra time, before penalties decided it all. 

Messi was the star, the special one, but how about a word for Kylian Mbappe? He may be the best the world currently has to offer, and bagged a hattrick in a losing effort, including two late equalizers when pressure was peaking. He's a world beater, one of the best we have today, and unfortunately a teammate of Messi who will have to endure his winning glow when they meet up again in Paris. 

It was a special World Cup, with underdogs like Japan showing out, Morocco reaching a semifinal, and the biggest stars ultimately showing up on the biggest stage. The World Cup comes stateside in 2026, and we can only hope to pickup right where we left off. 

If you haven't seen the game, do yourself a favor and watch the highlights here:

Quiz Of The Week

How many countries have won the World Cup? 

(Answer at the end of the letter) 

Can the Title Charge Hold? 

Monday –– 3 PM ET

Arsenal (-205) vs West Ham (+550)

It's time to get the Premier League back underway, and while other leagues take their winter breaks, the PL pushes on. BOXING DAY!!!

Arsenal are top of the league by 5 points. It's astonishing considering they haven't even finished in the top four since 15/16. Can Mikel Arteta's men pick up where they left off? One blow is striker and leading man Gabriel Jesus picked up an injury with Brazil that will see him out for up to three months. That's bad news for an Arsenal side who have a top notch XI, but not much depth. Eddie Nketiah figures to slot in for the time being, but will Arsenal dip into the market in January? Perhaps a cheeky loan deal? One thing is for sure, this derby Monday will be a chance to plant a flag in the ground and send a message going into the second half of the season––that this Arsenal title charge is here to stay. 

West Ham, on the other hand, are reeling at the moment. After back to back seasons of European qualification under David Moyes, the Hammers sit just a point above the drop at about the halfway mark. Moyes this week said their goal is still to challenge for Europe, but that seems unlikely. They should instead focus on one game at a time and try and move up the league. 

Top 4 Hopefuls vs Top 4 Nearlys

Monday –– 10 AM ET 

Perhaps an under the radar matchup but a goodie nonetheless. Newcastle are currently in the top four and will push for Champions League football, while Leicester are enduring one of their worst seasons in the Rodgers era. 

Newcastle are flying at the moment, and Eddie Howe's boys are getting the job done. It's surprising because we didn't think this squad would have what it took to do so well, but here they are. It will be tough to continue in such a vain but the cohesion and quality in the team at the moment could very well carry on. 

Leicester are the team that nearly qualified twice for the Champions League but didn't. Twice losing their spot on the final day in consecutive seasons, heartbreak fell upon the East Midlanders back to back years. Rodgers has been the best thing to come to Leicester since, of course, Claudio Ranieri, but things have stalled this season. The club backing has stalled its investment seemingly, and it's showed on the pitch. Even calls for Rodgers' job have come out already this season. But, and there is a but, Leicester have won 3 of its last 5 in the PL, and only lost to Man City. Not too shabby, and we think they can make a push up the table second half of the season. 

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all! Look forward to seeing you all bright and early on Boxing Day...

Quiz Answer: 8 countries have won the World Cup: Brazil (5), Italy (4), Germany (4), Argentina (3), France (2), Uruguay (2), England (1), Spain (1).

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