Chuck your links to the better features, opinion pieces and essays in here.

I liked Barney Ronay's take on football celebrity culture:

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/jul/02/neymar-james-rodriguez-brazil-colombia-world-cup-2014

There is perhaps a purely sporting angle to all this, another side-effect of the collapse of Spain’s supremacy at this tournament. That great team were above all a force for tactical collectivism, a team in which – despite their high-grade talents – the ball was always the star. In its absence there is naturally a sense of bracing contrast at the sight of thrillingly expressive individuals driving on a clutch of often rather flawed teams. It is, in part, Spain’s gift to this tournament. The grown-ups have now left the building. In their absence we can enjoy the ragged edges, games decided by moments not method, the rebirth of the lone star.

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