Jamie Gonzalez-Bradley flew from Glasgow to New York for the World Cup final with Spain on his mind. The co-owner of Malaga Tapas had the trip lined up as a family celebration too, because his brother Antonio turned 30 this week. But the clear split in the household came from Santiago, his four-year-old son, who turned up in an Argentina shirt and is firmly with Lionel Messi.

Jamie's Spanish roots and family trip

Gonzalez-Bradley said the trip fitted more than one occasion. "We flew out to New York on Saturday. We'll all be wearing Spain colours but my four-year-old absolutely loves Messi and says he'll be wearing his Argentina top," he told dailyrecord.co.uk.

His own background explains the pull towards Spain. He moved from Glasgow to Malaga at just six weeks old after his Spanish father Christobal and Scottish mother Susan relocated the family. That is why the final has become a family affair, not just a football one.

He also said, "It's my brother Antonio's 30th birthday this week, so a trip to New York to watch the final was the perf-ect way to celebrate. Hopefully all the Spain fans in Glasgow can join us afterwards for a winners' party."

The Spain and Argentina split

The football case is fairly clean. Spain won five consecutive World Cup matches heading into the final, including a 2-0 semifinal win over France. Argentina arrived with a perfect tournament record, five wins from five, so the family divide sat on top of two teams in strong form rather than one obvious favourite.

Jamie's son has picked the emotional side of it. Santiago is four, loves Messi, and wants the Argentina shirt on. For a restaurant owner who has travelled halfway across the Atlantic to back Spain, that is a neat little reminder that football loyalties in families rarely stay neat for long.

The Manchester of the story is not tactics or titles, though. It is what happens when a Spain-supporting father, a Messi-obsessed child and a 30th birthday trip all land in New York at the same time.

Jamie has also turned the final into a business moment. Malaga Tapas and La Cabra will both show the game, and he said they will give away a free drink every time Spain score. He added that the promotion has been used throughout the tournament and that staff will stay in Spain colours, just as they have all the way through.

Spain have scored five goals in the group stage, so the offer has a real chance of costing him more than a quiet viewing night. The bigger point, though, is simpler: the final is now a family event, a restaurant promotion and a football allegiance test all at once.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 7 outlets. How we work →