Spanish Prank

Today the Spanish national team returned to celebrate with their fellow countrymen after winning the World Cup.

Amidst the parade and festivities, a few of the players had a chance to play a prank on midfielder Cesc Fabregas. Fabregas, who's been the center of transfer rumors linking him to Barcelona, was pulled out on stage by backup goalkeeper Pepe Reina. What happened next was comical, but I'm pretty sure it won't have those in North London laughing along with them.

What Does The World Cup Leave Behind?

First off, congratulations to Spain. They played the best soccer throughout the World Cup and deserved to lift the championship trophy.

But now that the tournament is over, what will it leave in its wake in South Africa? ESPN has a great video that discusses this point.

World Cup Final Breakdown

The World Cup will crown a first-time winner today. That much is guaranteed.

After yesterday's exhilarating third-place match which saw Germany outlast Uruguay 3-2, let's hope that today's final can be played at such a high level of excitement.

Here's my breakdown of today's match with a prediction that follows.

Making History

This summer's World Cup has been about rewriting the record books.

The soccer-rich country of the Netherlands have made a World Cup Final for the first time since 1978 and are still searching for their first WC trophy. Now that they have defeated Uruguay, the win also guarantees we will have an all-European final.

This means that for the first time, the World Cup will be won by a European nation when the tournament was not played in Europe.

Continuing further: The host country (South Africa) failed to advance out of the group stage for the first time EVER. The United States-Ghana match back on June 26 was the highest-rated soccer match on television in U.S. history. Germany's Miroslave Klose needs only one more goal to tie Ronaldo's (the fat one) record for World Cup goals, which looks extremely likely considering the striker's recent form.

See what I'm getting at?

It's crazy to think that Sunday's final match is almost here. For a month, the entire country was wrapped up in soccer fever, significantly more so than during previous World Cups. Will it continue to stay this way, in the forefront of the news media? Realistically, no. Not when things like LeBron James' one-hour free agent special on ESPN dominate front pages everywhere.

Regardless, this has been a memorable tournament. In my opinion, the best World Cup I have ever watched.

Hardest-Working World Cup Boots

Fact: The average field player runs between four and six miles in a soccer match.

Here's an article from Footy-Boots.com talking about which boots have covered the most distance at this summer's World Cup.

Goal Celebration Gone Wrong

My friend Mike sent me this video tonight. Have a look!

Quarterfinal Picks

Get ready folks! The World Cup resumes Friday morning with the first pair of quarterfinals set to kick-off.

In preparation for the games, here are my picks of who will advance into the semis. There are some tough ones to call, but here goes nothing.