Spain vs. France at Euro 2024 is a battle for the soul of soccer

Spain and France meet in the Euro 2024 semifinals in Munich on Tuesday night .

La Roja have reached the Allianz Arena having barged doors open and then stormed through with laughter, music, joie de vivre .

France have played uninspired, joy-free, stingy and risk-averse stuff which, were you an alien who'd just arrived from a far-flung corner of the universe, would have you asking locals in Germany : "Tell me about this NFL you speak of.. or basketball, or rugby, or tennis or chess or anything except this excruciating soccer-thing I've been watching!" If Spain can shrug off the loss of Dani Carvajal .

The last time France and Spain met in a tournament, it was flair, fun, daring and attacking verve of Spain against the more percentage-oriented, "win however you can" conservative football.

Les Bleus won thanks to a goal from Kylian Mbappé that should have been given offside, but wasn't, ultimately leading to the International Football Association Board recalibrating the law.

Football needs the impish joy of Lamine Yamal to prosper; it needs Fabián Ruiz to thrive.