“I’d give Lio the sky, but when it’s not deserved and it’s just marketers who want to make him win something he didn’t win, it’s unfair,” Maradona said Sunday after Argentina lost the World Cup final to Germany 1-0.

Pope Francis did not watch his native Argentina play Germany in the World Cup final as “a matter of neutrality,” the Vatican’s chief of ceremonies Guillermo Karcher said Monday.

Germany basked in the glory of their fourth World Cup title on Monday after a nail-biting 1-0 victory against Argentina crowned them the first European team to win football’s top tournament held in South America.

The just-ended Brazil 2014 has proven to be a social, mobile FIFA World Cup as more than a billion fans were able to join in across FIFA’s official digital platforms.

Germany’s Mario Goetze said scoring the winning goal in Sunday’s World Cup final win was the crowning glory on a difficult first season following his high-profile move to Bayern Munich.

Argentines reacted with tears, cheers and violence after the dream of a third World Cup title slipped through their fingers Sunday, as clashes between hooligans and police ended a massive street party.

Germany captain Philipp Lahm hailed his side’s collective ability as they downed Lionel Messi’s Argentina 1-0 to win the World Cup for fourth time in Rio de Janeriro on Sunday.

Argentina’s 1-0 defeat by Germany in Sunday’s World Cup final prevented Lionel Messi, who was named Player of the Tournament, from cementing his place in the pantheon of the truly great.

Mario Goetze’s superb 113th minute volley gave Germany their fourth World Cup title and their first since they became a unified country with a 1-0 win over Lionel Messi’s Argentina at the Maracana on Sunday.

Germany and Argentina named unchanged teams for Sunday’s World Cup final at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, with midfielder Angel di Maria on the bench for Argentina.