The Italian official accused last week of favouring Argentina and Lionel Messi has been chosen to referee their World Cup final against Germany.

Long-standing issues throughout the Brazilian game have led to disappointment in their home World Cup, according to Gilberto Silva.

World Cup fanatic Rihanna posted a picture of herself and football legend Pele soon after she landed in Brazil ahead of Sunday evening's final. The Barbados-born singer, who has been tweeting her thoughts on the World Cup throughout the duration of the tournament, met the 72-year-old in Rio de Janeiro.

Robin van Persie and Holland may have had to settle for finishing third in the World Cup, but their army of supporters don't seem to be fretting too much about what could have been.

Holland goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen sparked a flurry of internet jokes after sitting against the post during Saturday night's third place play-off.

For plenty, the World Cup coming to an end is unwelcome after more than a month of explosive football on the biggest of stages.

It was a World Cup full of stunning goals, epic entertainment, brilliant performances and many shocks. Sportsmail's Chris Wheeler reflects on Brazil 2014 and lists 10 reasons why it was the best ever.

And then there was one, Germany the winners of Brazil 2014 following their victory over Argentina in the final at the Maracana. But what about the other numbers to emerge from the finals?

SPONSORED: Lionel Messi and James Rodriguez have lit up the summer with their silky skills and fabulous flair... but back home these football freestylers have impressed on a special pitch in east London.

Former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has ignored all of the furore caused by him posing with what appeared to be a gun on Instagram by going jet-skiing with his fiancee Fanny Neguesha.

I'm lucky to live at home with my parents so this is why I just need to earn around £100 a week to pay the bills I need to per month. But should I earn more to get in the system for the state pension?

Do I have the right to challenge the delay in forwarding the employees' contribution due to the detriment this may have to pension performance?

Longstaff is one of the top flight's lowest earners but has still put money towards the NHS' fight against coronavirus as part of the Premier League's 'Players Together' initiative.

KIERAN GILL: Amanda Staveley could be about to become the new First Lady of Football. She is thought to have a personal fortune of £115m-plus, and is no stranger to the limelight.

CRAIG HOPE: Newcastle United are in talks with Amanda Staveley over the sale of the Premier League club. So is this finally the end of Mike Ashley's 13-year reign as owner?

EXCLUSIVE BY CRAIG HOPE: Sources close to the £300million deal being brokered by Amanda Staveley say it would be 'wrong' to make an immediate managerial change.

Longstaff, who burst onto the scene when he scored the match-winner against Manchester United, is out of contract on June 30 and talks over a new deal have stagnated in recent months.

The prospective new owners - a consortium backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund - are on the cusp of tying up a £300m that would rocket the club to the top of the financial charts.

EXCLUSIVE BY CRAIG HOPE: Mike Ashley was hours away from confirming the £300million sale of Newcastle United last week only for the Saudi owners in-waiting to insist on a delay.

Newcastle United managing director Lee Charnley has reached an amicable agreement with Amanda Staveley's Saudi-backed group that will see him depart St James' Park.

Al-Rumayyan was headhunted n to run Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which is worth around $330bn and has been funding the nation's push to host a growing array of sporting events.

Keegan is adored by Newcastle fans having made 78 appearances for the club while enjoying two separate spells as manager, having nearly guided them to Premier League gold in the 1990s.

The Saudi Investment Fund's takeover of Newcastle United appears to be edging ever closer, as the COO of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has become closely involved with the deal.

LAWRENCE BOOTH IN MOHALI: England appeared to be losing their battle to stay in with a chance of series success after Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin helped India dominate day three.

Haseeb Hameed and Joe Root's admirable resistance proved too little too late as England lost the third Test by eight wickets. Here, Sportsmail's Lawrence Booth takes a look at the talking points.

England's first Test with India is on a knife-edge heading into day four at Edgbaston. Here, Sportsmail's LAWRENCE BOOTH takes a look at the major talking points from the day's play.

The Liverpool left-back was in the side which were brushed aside 4-0 by the Red Devils in a friendly at Hampden Park in September last year.

Manchester United held formal discussions with Inter Milan over the 26-year-old Belgium striker in London on Thursday, although it's understood that no formal offer has been made.

Romelu Lukaku was 'bored' at Manchester United and needed to leave for his own happiness, according to his international boss Roberto Martinez. 

Belgium's players relaxed between Euro 2020 qualifiers by completing an ambitious heading routine in a swimming pool. The squad are currently unbeaten after five games in Group I.

Former Everton star Kevin Mirallas has opened up on his turbulent time with the Toffees, which included an awkward meeting with Aaron Lennon after a move to Tottenham fell through.

The Belgium international has seen his Real Madrid performances come under scrutiny, most notably against Club Brugge when he was substituted at half-time after conceding twice at the Bernabeu.

Starbucks will temporarily switch to a 'to-go' model for many of its stores in the US for at least two weeks and it will shut down cafes in 'high social-gathering locations', including malls.

Meghan is self-isolating in Canada and is taking steps to protect her family from COVID-19, requiring 'everyone on their team to wear latex gloves at all times and are to follow a strict hygiene protocol'.

The couple shared a video dancing to Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It to the video platform. Their post comes on the same day People reported they were social distancing in the popstar's native Canada.

Dancing On Ice star Carlotta Edwards has reportedly fled the country amid the reports surrounding her husband Alexander Demetriou and his skate partner Maura Higgins.

Recreational pot sales were up 50 per cent from March 16 to 22, while medical marijuana sales rose 41 per cent year over year as customers prepare for long periods of isolation.

The scenes echo those from coronavirus-stricken cities in Spain and Italy, where locked down locals in Madrid, Milan and Rome pay tribute to their healthcare workers each evening

As millions of people around the world adapt to working from home, those with children shared their hilarious attempts at being productive on Twitter - including a laptop placed inside a child's cot.

A man furiously sprayed anti-bacterial disinfectant on his coffee cup before grabbing from the ledge of a drive-thru window at a Tim Horton fast food restaurant in Canada.

Former cam girl Bella French, of Montreal, Canada, explained sex workers enter the industry for a variety of reasons, including some who feel trapped by their parents' expectations.

Mark Weir had been out riding his snowmobile with friends in Newfoundland, Canada, when they saw the moose fall into a deep pit and decided to help it.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been unable to visit Meghan's 63-year-old mother as they continue to isolate at a secluded mansion in a private gated community due to the coronavirus.

Hailey Bieber has revealed she's relishing her self-isolation with the Grammy winner, 26, admitting the coronavirus pandemic has allowed the loved-up couple to spend some extra quality time together.

The family of Edmonton Oilers forward Colby Cave returned home to a heartwarming display in North Battleford, Saskatchewan on Monday following his death from a brain hemorrhage.

Meghan Markle's high school sweetheart Luis Segura was spotted in LA, DailyMail.com photos show. He's a real estate agent in Pasadena, where the royal couple are looking for homes.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY CRAIG HOPE: There are just two guests left in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Downtown Montreal amid Canada's coronavirus lockdown - Thierry Henry and Luis Binks.

Russia-born Valeria Lipovetsky is regularly asked if she's a teenager, and she's told she's doesn't look old enough to have three children, she revealed in a video posted to TikTok .

A new international clinical trial will examine if colchicine, a drug most often used to treat gout, can can reduce rates of hospitalization and death caused by the novel coronavirus.

Gunman Gabriel Wortman, 51, was shot dead by police after a 12-hour slaughter across the eastern province of Nova Scotia where he killed 16 people.