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.

IAN LADYMAN AT THE MARACANA: Lionel Messi played well enough for 90 minutes, but when the defining chance came early in the second half he couldn’t take it.

It has been a month of high drama, stunning goals and a fair share of controversy. And with the World Cup over, Sportsmail asked its experts how they will best remember Brazil 2014.

BRIAN BARWICK: And so to Match 64, or the World Cup Final as you and I call it. And the two teams are rested, recuperated, and ready for ‘the big one’.

They are the bits of tournament television coverage we love to watch but which we also dread, and in the battle of the World Cup 2014 montages BBC just shaded it over ITV.

Diego Maradona took a swipe at Lionel Messi the day after his World Cup heartache by insisting the heir to his throne didn't deserve to win the Golden Ball award.

Lionel Messi's crowning as the World Cup's outstanding player shocked some prominent figures, but without his individual brilliance Argentina's goals dried up.

Gary Neville had barely digested his first breakfast under the new world order when he waded into an online debate with those who thought England should simply try to copy the way Germany produce footballers.

My wife was told she was not getting enough state pension as she was only getting 39 per cent of my payment when she should be getting 60 per cent.

Documents lodged last week and made public on Tuesday appear to be laying the legal framework for a deal to proceed. Sources close to the club say it is proof of talks being advanced.

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.

Should the Reuben brothers play an integral part in Mike Ashley departing Newcastle United, Ant and Dec might suddenly find they have competition as the Toon's favourite double act.

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.

Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik remains in talks over a new contract to stay at the club and reports linking to him an exit are 'only rumours', according to his agent.

beIN Sports shone a light on Saudi Arabia's involvement in the piracy of matches, highlighting the Premier League's unsuccessful attempts to take legal action against satellite provider Arabsat.

Faustino Asprilla has backed Steve Bruce to stay on as Newcastle United boss after the club is taken over by a Saudi consortium, despite links to high profile managers. 

Both bodies have their versions of 'financial fair play' (FFP), with the Premier League limiting owner-subsidised losses to £105million over three years and UEFA limiting three-year losses to £26m.

Even if Newcastle's takeover happens, spending restrictions in place at domestic level in the Premier League and at UEFA level will make it difficult for the club to spend high amounts.

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.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Alan Pardew could only sit and wait for the phone call. There was nothing else to do as the fate of ADO Den Haag's season was debated in a series of video conference calls.

The Saudi-backed consortium fronted by Amanda Staveley - who expect to complete their £300million Newcastle takeover imminently - feel that they need a world class manager right away.

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.

EXCLUSIVE BY CRAIG HOPE: Andy Carroll has beaten the mystery injury that was threatening to end his season - but is now sweating on the resumption of Premier League football.

TOP SPIN SPECIAL: England’s Ashes hopes are long gone, but here Sportsmail looks at five final Ashes Tests which were ‘dead rubbers’ but had ramifications beyond the result of the game.

Antonio Conte began life as Inter manager in style, romping to a 4-0 win thanks to goals from Marcelo Brozovic, Antonio Candreva and debut strikes from Stefano Sensi and Romelu Lukaku.

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.

Scotland captain Andrew Robertson has revealed that Steve Clarke's squad held their own crisis summit in the wake of last Friday's dismal home Euro 2020 defeat to Russia.

The winger joined Real Madrid in a £150million deal from Chelsea in the summer but has failed to meet expectations. He arrived in Madrid carrying extra weight and has struggled to shift it.

Russia have confirmed they will play their upcoming Euro 2020 Group I qualification matches in their old kit as their new strip inverts the country's flag.

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.

Shane Duffy is ready to reach Euro 2020 the hard way after the Republic of Ireland saw automatic qualification snatched from their grasp.

Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku declared that he has been 'a man on a mission' ever since Belgium's third-placed finish at the 2018 World Cup.

The Duke of Sussex was reportedly in Buckingham Palace yesterday for a series of meetings to plan his future work in the UK while wife Meghan returned to their son Archie in Canada.

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, 44, began displaying mild flu-like symptoms, including a low fever, on Wednesday night. She is currently self-isolating at her Ottawa home as she awaits test results.

Manny Ranga, 38, along with his wife Violeta Perez, 37, from Vancouver, Canada bought boxes of the wipes from their local Costco only to resell them at upwards of four times what they paid.

Many people have either cancelled or postponed their travel amid the coronavirus outbreak, however, that's not the case for Jana Kramer and her family.

Sony's comic-book adaptation Bloodshot, with Vin Diesel, grossed an estimated $9.3million from 2,861 venues from Friday to Sunday in the US and Canada.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to Canada in the nick of time as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada will close its borders to non-citizens on Monday.

Prince Harry, 35, had reached his limit before he and wife Meghan Markle, 38, decided to officially move to Canada, a source said, speaking to US Weekly.

In a gesture of gratitude to the frontline healthcare heroes, mass applause and cheering can be heard from a huge apartment complex in Vancouver on Wednesday evening.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex took a private flight from Vancouver, where they have been staying since stepping down as senior royals, to LA where they are setting up a permanent home.

Questions are now being asked about who will foot the bill for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's new Hollywood lifestyles, after they fled Canada to the US to start their new life in LA.

Sydney general practitioner and health coach Dr Jill Gamberg is pleading with people to stay home and stop hoarding protective equipment.

For over 20 years, Leah Hennel, a photographer and Calgary native, has been chronicling the longtime cowboy and cattle culture in the southern part of the province.

The Irish actor, 64, rushed to be at her bedside but didn't arrive until a day after her death on March 3, his sister and co-star Eilish revealed on Saturday.

Justin Trudeau has warned Donald Trump it is not in either of their countries' interests to engage in a coronavirus trade war after the US banned companies from exporting face masks.

The 23-year-old IMG Model and the 26-year-old Grammy winner have been holed up in their $5M, 101-acre Ontario mansion to ride out the coronavirus crisis since March 16

Arnold Pultra, an Instagram 'rich kid', claims that his eerie product is 'ethically sourced' from medical surplus in Canada.

The fossilised chunk of hardwood found near Vancouver Island dates back to the end of the Cretaceous period roughly 80 million years ago.

A small plane confused drivers as it landed on a highway in Quebec City. The pilot managed to safely land the plane and find a empty spot on the road to land without hitting any cars.