The beauty of sharing the first World Cup with your child

Four years ago, any effort to watch a game together was met with the same stubborn toddler resistance as suggesting a midday nap. Suddenly, here we are, knee-deep in Panini swapsies, reeling off an all-star French attack, pointing out the flags and badges of all 48 nations. Shiny Brazil! Of course, the medium through which he is engaging with this World Cup is different from our childhood experiences, which in turn are different to our parents'. "Grandad saw Pele at Goodison Park?" Poignant for Grandad because he's an Evertonian, impressive for the little one because his favourite YouTuber - Chuffsters - pulled a 99-ranked Pele icon card. This isn't a bedtime-friendly World Cup for those this side of the pond - we've not yet stayed up late and there's no dashing into school early, class teacher wheeling out a chunky television to catch Senegal shock France. Instead, this World Cup is about climbing into our bed at first light with his little brother, listing yesterday's fixtures and predicting which star player is going to score - a thirst fulfilled through highlights packages. A hearty hit of goals before breakfast. Waking up last Wednesday was like Christmas morning. Every clip unwrapped the gift of another stunning display. Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, LIONEL MESSI GOT A HAT-TRICK! Because, despite being the same age as most of their parents, it's still Messi who resonates for today's kids - his shirt dotted across Sunday morning playing fields. …