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Kylian Mbappe says he is very "impatient" "holds grudges" and is also "direct"- finds it "very surreal" to be closing in on Miroslav Klose's world record of 16 World Cup goals when he is only 27 years. He accepts the fame and the drawbacks of being who he is. He is mature and well rounded for his age, knows what he wants and not afraid to play for it, yet humble. In an intervew with Vanity Fair he says just being home some days doing nothing is all he wants to do, and being with a friend who does not care for soccer thats ok. He also loves to cook , and loves the cooking in Spain, as well as France. He likes life in Spain and is getting to know Spanish culture through Ronaldo, the all time Portuguese great who spent years with Real Madrid. His comment about Spanish culture - they eat late, just chill. And they use the words "muy tranquilo" meaning its all OK, its all OK, that he says is the Spanish cultural attitude to life, and which shrugs off the pressures. ...

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Vanity Fair video interview with Kylian Mbappe Captain of French Bleus team at World Cup Soccer 2026 and just 2 goals short of all time 16 goal record of Miroslav Klose.

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Cabo Verde, Haiti,  Bosnia and Curacao, all qualify for World Cup Soccer 2026 but what about Italy, China and India?  WSJ looks at China and its efforts under president Xi over the last decade to play in the World Cup, to host the World Cup and win the World Cup. This report says Italy's Serie A soccer inspired soccer in China. What happened? In comparison to S. Korea and Japan which sent players to Europe, China kept most of its players at home in China, and had more success with its women's team that reached the finals of the World Cup Women's soccer. The difference with South Korea and Japan is that Korea and Japan invested heavily in youth development as a pipeline for new players which is lacking in China and in India. Corruption has also affected the management of the soccer leagues in China. 

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Captain Kylian Mbappe of French Bleus team and coach Didier Deschamps in World Cup Soccer 2026- Kylian is only 2 goals behind Miroslav Klose's 16 goal record in World Cup competition after his 2 goals in the 3-1 win over Senegal. How does the 57 year old manage a player like Mbappe? Didier Descamps says his experience helps and he lets Kylian be Kylian, but also shields his players from all the media attention so as not make it a distraction. “My priority is to protect my players.” About his style as a coach he says- “I speak to [Mbappé] very often and he’s a world-famous player even in the US but it’s his life. He manages himself. Kylian is Kylian. The younger generation, the less younger, love him everywhere in the world, but that doesn’t mean he’s not normal when he plays and when he’s in the group. This has got nothing to do with why he is not here today.” (referring to a pre-game discussion with reporters). Kylian has stood up for the children growing up in the suburbs of Paris in working class suburbs in densely built housing and talked about how the game of soccer has offered them a window to the world. And about his personal experience -the dignity of soccer and the dignity of the players. ...

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Kylian Mbappe's 2 goals in win over Senegal in brilliant second half World Cup Soccer openers 2026. Didier Deschamps talks to his players after a slow first half and gets things going.

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Big changes are expected in energy markets after 2026 following the end of the war with Iran, the naval blockade and the Hormuz straits closure. Even when the Shipping returns to Hormuz there will be continued uncertainty and prospect of conflict. As a result China, India, Japan and the US and EU will look for new sources of supply in Latin America for oil and gas including in Guyana, Brazil, Argentina, and in Venezuela. This NYT Analysis  confirms the shift to renewables will accelerate after 2026 with 2-3 years return on investment for renewables, and in 2026 wind+solar+nuclear now generating more electricity worldwide than gas. OPEC stranglehold on oil prices is weakening with UAE's exit from OPEC, and the US+ Venezuela+UAE expanding production. This will benefit poorer countries in the world in Asia, Africa and Latin America, Middle Income countries like China and India, as well as US and EU through lower prices for the new overall energy mix, with a higher component of renewables from every year 2027-2030. Lower priced component for oil possibly at $50 a barrel holding steady to 2030. From this perspective Hormuz's importance will decline over this period to the point that the world's wealth sucked up for far too long in the Middle East through the twin mechanisms of  high oil prices and decades of wars will be shifted back to infrastructure in the EU, US, India and China, Brazil and Indonesia. For the poor countries like Pakistan, India, Indonesia, China and others this is a big deal because instead of the wealth going to princes in the Persian Gulf  it will benefit people in Egypt, Arab countries such as Morocco and Tunisia,Turkey, Pakistan and India, China. Long delayed infrastructure rebuilding in US and European Union can now take place.The shift and trend to renewable energy as a major component of the energy mix of over 50%-60% in India could be expected by 2030 and have a major impact on climate change. (India has already crossed 50% of its energy from renewable sources). China will have installed half of the new renewable energy capacity added by 2030 and this too will add to the fight against climate change. Overall this combination of events and changes underway are overwhelmingly constructive and are not anticipated in this way by most of the world's media including the NY, which see slower growth when the opposite is now the case with accelerating and steady growth expected 2027-2030, and 2030-2035. For the US and EU it could not come at a more opportune time with the determination to invest at home and reindustrialize, build new infrastructure, for India to build a modern country by 2040, and for China or Japan not to get stuck in middle income status with continued modernization to 2040. For the poorest countries to work with these major nations to improve standards of living. For the US it also means the end of the border migrations flows that happened in 2025 taken to the next stage in 2026 and 2027 ending all drug flows across its borders with Mexico- as more lives are lost to fentanyl and other illegal drugs substances (1.25 million since 1999) than were lost in the Korean War (36,000 deaths), Vietnam  War (58,000 deaths) and World War 1 (116,000 deaths) World War II (418,000) all 4 wars combined. Issues of unfair trade deindustrialized the US. This coupled with drugs destroyed small towns and communities (that were based on manufacturing and lost factories) across the US for over 3 decades. The tackling of these issues will also add to the general sense of well being of the people in the US- and also in the European Union. The modernization underway in China and India+Indonesia+Brazil is also part of these changes, promise a rising tide that will lift all boats if we continue together to carefully select the right path ahead and chart the course clear eyed and clear on purpose. ...

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Soccer is played in only a few states in India - W. Bengal, Tripura, Mizoram, Punjab, Kerala, and Maharashtra. There is no careful youth development in India for soccer as happens in Spain, Italy, France and Britain. Cricket dominates as the most important sport. This still does not explain why Cabo Verde and Curacao succeeded and India and China did not make it. India did not make it to even the Asian cup.

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Coaching help at hydration breaks that turns a soccer game around.

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Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais makes 8 saves in opener against Uruguay- Saudis and Egypt gain draws against Uruguay and Belgium.

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German World Cup soccer fan FreddyLA7 and his wanderings across America 2026. FreddyLA7 has no last name shown and attract 600,000 followers on X as he visits games across America.

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Each World Cup team in US had a pick of 62 locations- Spain chose Chattanooga, Tennessee. Everything is being done in the city to make the team of 26 players, their families and the staff comfortable and at home.

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Goalkeeper Josimar Dias of Cape Verde holds Spain scoreless for 90 minutes - World Cup openers 2026. A 40 year old journeyman who plays for a second tier Portuguese club describes his emotions after the game.

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More than a retreat it gives the US, EU, India, China and the nations in Asia and Africa, Latin America most affected by higher oil prices and lower economic growth a time to pause and rethink dependence on the Gulf region for oil supplies. It is not mentioned in the media yet there has to be a link between the US president's visit to Beijing and Beijing's support for a normalized US China relationship, and offering its support for a settlement. This gives EU, China, India, Japan, and poorer nations in Africa, Asia, such as Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia and Brazil, some relief from reduced access to oil supplies. US is also planning a supply from Venezuela to India to take pressure off oil supplies in Asia by offering Venezuela as an alternative source. China is in many ways joining the US to bring about a denuclearized Middle East, doing it in a quieter way with Iranian public opinion making a shift to put its economic development ahead of missile development. As the two sides have different interpretations and it is still only a Memorandum of Understanding it is not a situation where the US is sending billions of dollars to support the military in Iran as Obama had done. Attention will shift to the Iranian economy over the next 12 months.  US conveys that it has nothing to gain from wrecking the Iranian economy or nation as the Iranian people if avote were held today would clearly choose putting the economy first by huge margins considering the widespread protests in Iran in 2025 that started this crisis. The US naval blockade was effective and is always an option, with US and partners having greater experience in the situation presented by the narrow straits in Hormuz. Arab partners also acted with restraint and is itself an opportunity for Iran to change direction. China's making cuts of 3 million barrels a day in oil supplies from Hormuz is itself along with acceleration of renewable energy in both China and India is one of the dividends of this crisi. Another is the gradual shift to alternative supplies from other regions of the world so that Hromuz region can no longer dictate oil prices in the world. Accelerating Venezuelan and UAE, US, other oil and gas  supply growth will also put increase supply and renewables reduce  demand growth as a result of the crisis to break the hold on oil prices of the oil cartels of Qatar, and Saudis. As a transition fuel oil can be be kept below $50 a barrel, not at prices at the whims of the princes in the Middle East at the expense of the people of the Arab world from Egypt the most populous and Tunisia, Morocco, to the Muslim nations such as Turkey and Pakistan,Iran itself which bore the brunt of this Hormuz crisis. The US has several priorities including in its relations with oil cartels dominated Mexico that  brings drugs and people across US borders, with other nations in EU and Asia that have benefitted through deindustrialization in the US leaving it poorer across a vast part of America. Advancing objectives in one area such as denuclearization does not mean not addressing priorities at home and in relations with other regions. China shares American interest in denuclearization of the Middle East this should now be put to the test. It is an entirely different situation in 2026 than what weak leaders from Bush to Obama allowed to happen by  wars in the Middle East - the US naval blockades of 2025/2026 are entirely different in cost in terms of men and dollar investment and used to convey America's determination not to waste vital resources of the Nation. The best policy is not to pursue policy for absolute wins but make intelligent choices and in some situations pause to reflect on the best course of action and other ways to reach goals. By getting China and the US as world powers for denuclearization even though this is not vocally said, both gain and both will come up with solutions. ...

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Patrice Lumumba look alike and soccer fans in the Congo 2026. A post independence hero in the Congo returns to the US through African soccer fans.