Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2021 i FourFourTwo UK

As we prepare to usher in another giant World Cup year, FFT assesses 22 starlets under the age of 22 who seem set to shine around the globe. Leading the way is Borussia Dortmund’s freakish frontman Erling Haaland – likely to be the most in-demand player in world football next summer when every behemoth battles to trigger his €75m release clause. It’s a fierce war that’s already begun. There are plenty of young Brits to get excited about too, though – not least Haaland’s thriving BVB colleague Jude Bellingham, plus Phil Foden, a returning Harvey Elliott at Liverpool, Chelsea’s Billy Gilmour and Bukayo Saka. Elsewhere, we sat down for a chat with Saka’s Arsenal ancestor of a decade ago, Jack Wilshere, to reminisce and discover what’s next for the former…

NO LOVE LOST Kilmarnock keeper Zach Hemming posted enthusiastically on Instagram following a win at rivals Ayr – setting his location as ‘s**thole’ In 1988, Larissa became the only club ever to clinch the Greek league from outside Athens or Thessaloniki. Today, they’re in the second division squabbling about cake. Things have been chaotic for the Queen of the Lowlands since they formed in 1964. Situated roughly halfway between Greece’s two major cities, they were denied promotion in 1966 after ending with seven fit players in a 6-0 late-season loss at Vyzas – not helped by a one being hit on the head with a ladder thrown from the stands prior to kick-off. By the mid-1980s, they’d won the Greek Cup and reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners’…

THAT’S TEA SORTED An Inter fan caught a fish during his visit to Sassuolo’s Mapei Stadium – the venue has a moat of water around the pitch Rangers 2-0 Parma August 11, 1999 Champions League qualifier “Parma had an excellent team, with past and future World Cup winners like Lilian Thuram, Gigi Buffon and Fabio Cannavaro – a couple of years earlier, they just missed out on the Serie A title. We won 2-0 at Ibrox and I got one of the goals, which was the third game in a row that I’d scored in! It was a huge achievement playing against one of the best sides in Europe. I still remember Ibrox rocking that night – it was a special atmosphere. Parma’s players stepped onto the pitch in disbelief…

The new Indian Super League season starts this month, so where are you at the moment? The whole thing is based in Goa again without any fans, like last season. It’s a lovely hotel that we’re in, but we’re not allowed to mix with other patrons. We’ve got part of the hotel to ourselves and can’t go in the swimming pool or anything. You’ve just got your room, the meeting room and a bit of grass out the front door. Other than that, it’s going to training, going to games and coming back again. So, you’re living in Goa without any of the advantages of living in Goa? Yeah, that’s probably a good way of describing it! It’s a challenge. From the mental aspect, that’s very difficult for the players.…

01 ERLInG HAALAnD Age 21 Club Borussia Dortmund Nationality Norwegian Position Striker A few years ago, a rare thing happened to Mino Raiola: he fell in love. The superagent turned on his TV to watch a young striker play for Molde, in Norway’s top division. Casual fans knew the kid was good. Raiola saw something more. He’d found the one. Soon, Raiola had become an advisor to Erling Braut Haaland and his dad, Alfie, a former midfielder for Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Manchester City. Since then, none of them have done too badly – going into 2022, Raiola and Alfie are gearing up for one of the bidding wars of the decade. A buyout clause will allow him to leave Borussia Dortmund next summer for €75 million, about half his…

1 REIGN IN SPAIN Motherwell are proud winners of the, er, Copa del Rey? Seriously: the Scottish runners-up of 1926-27 headed to Madrid for a post-season edition of the competition, beating, er, Swansea to set up a final with Real. They stunned Los Blancos 3-1 to lift a special trophy donated by King Alfonso XIII, then bagged the Barcelona Cup en route home after defeating, er, Swansea once again. 2 WELL GOOD Striker Willie MacFadyen fired the most goals in a single top-flight Scottish season – 52 in 34 matches in 1931-32 as his side sealed their first and only league title. It wasn’t quite Dixie Dean (60 in 1927-28), but MacFadyen was still putting up Messi-esque stats and left Fir Park having smashed 251 league goals. 3 FIR REAL?…

FFT GRABS A WORD WITH… GLENN HODDLE • HERMANN HREIDARSSON • FABIO AURELIO • TIM FLOWERS After spending your formative years in the Spurs academy, you made your first-team debut as a teenager at home to Norwich in August 1975. How much do you remember of that day? I came on as a substitute, and I remember my first action was an aerial challenge where I accidentally clobbered a centre-back and broke his nose. That wasn’t quite the player I was, but my adrenaline was flying. The ball went above him, so I jumped, headed it and then caught him with my arm, which I didn’t mean to. That was the first thing Spurs fans saw of me. [Laughs] They must have been saying, ‘Who’s this animal?’ One other thing I…

You played with Ronaldinho in Brazil’s 2000 Olympics team. Just how amazing was he? It was like something out of this world – he could basically do whatever he wanted with the ball. I’ve never seen a pure talent like his; it was great to play alongside him for Brazil. It’s a shame that we lost to Cameroon, who eventually won the gold medal. We had such a good squad and should have done better. You joined Valencia in 2000 and spent six years there. Why did Rafael Benitez have so much success as manager? I arrived before Rafa. Hector Cuper was still the manager and we came close to winning the Champions League – we lost to Bayern Munich on penalties in the 2001 final. Then Valencia brought in…

When you’ve lived Olivier Giroud’s life, it’s probably natural to think a higher power is guiding you. Shortly before his 22nd birthday, having just spent a year on loan in the third tier, the Chambery native was told that he didn’t have what it takes to play in Ligue 1. Three years later he was a France international; a year after that, a Ligue 1 champion and Golden Boot winner with unfancied Montpellier; and a year after that, a Champions League footballer with Arsenal. In 2018 came the pinnacle: winning the World Cup with Les Bleus, following a domestic season in which he had been forced to move clubs to find regular football. And that represents Giroud’s career in microcosm. The forward has been worshipped and scorned at club level,…

BAD TIMING A Houston Dynamo fan proposed to his girlfriend mid-match – but LA Galaxy then ruined their moment by scoring seconds later What was the first game that you ever attended? I don’t know the game, but I do know Peter Beardsley scored two goals, so it would have been in the early ’90s. You don’t forget that kind of noise when you see your team score for the first time. My dad was a Liverpool fan and my eldest brother was an Evertonian. I was a rebel and wanted to go against my father as always, just to prove him wrong. Once my brother took me to Goodison Park at about nine or 10, that was it. I 100 per cent believe that I was chosen because, let’s…

DON REVIE: THE BIOGRAPHY Christopher Evans (Bloomsbury, £20) Revered at Leeds but reviled by dugout rivals like Brian Clough and Bob Stokoe, Revie remains one of English football’s most controversial figures. Obsessive, superstitious and an inveterate worrier, his Whites sides were accused of bullying their way to glory – and Revie of treachery, when he stood down as England coach in 1977 and headed for the UAE. In this well-crafted biography, Evans does a fine job of delving into the Revie psyche. The death of his mother when he was 12 left him with a lifelong fear that things could go wrong at any point. Evans says this lay at the root of the meticulous dossiers that he presented to his players before matches, and which Peter Lorimer insisted led…

“I’M OFF” Denis Cheryshev’s dad quit as the coach of Swedish side Eskilstuna after just three hours. “He wanted to make lots of changes,” said the chairman WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST THING YOU’VE EVER SEEN SOMEONE BRING TO A MATCH? At a Chicago Fire game in MLS and simply bringing a drum wasn’t enough for this boy! @munro0007 I once took a bag full of laundry into Sparta Rotterdam vs ADO Den Haag, but due to necessity and not choice. @GoldenVision90 I refereed a Sunday League game and the away team brought their mascot, which was a goldfish in a bowl. Their captain got injured, so an ambulance was called out. Both captain and goldfish went to hospital together. @Snakeeyes7475 In the late ’90s, one of our site mods helped to…

The tunnel can feel lonely. It’s a place for reflection before a match, as you tune out the clink of studs in the darkness and rumble of expectation from outside. It’s lonelier still if the opponents you’re sharing it with are arguably the greatest side of all time. In February 2011, Barcelona were the visitors in north London. Jack Wilshere was just 19 years old, breathing deeply, but already an Arsenal regular in a team full of 20-somethings. To his right, looking a little more relaxed, were seven World Cup winners in the opposition’s starting XI. That didn’t even include Lionel Messi, Ballon d’Or holder for the last two years, and who didn’t even swing a glance at Wilshere. You’d forgive the midfielder’s heart for racing a little quicker. “I…

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‘PROFESSORS’ COLLECTION X AOF £40 art-of-football.com Forget everything you’re thinking of about Brian Clough and jumpers for a second. Art of Football have put a fresh spin on Old Big ’Ead and several other managerial greats with their ‘Professors of the Game’ collection, celebrating the mastery of Messrs Wenger, Bielsa, Ferguson and Shankly. Count FourFourTwo in for Freshers Week at the University of Football… BVB KNITTED JUMPER €44.99 bvbonlineshop.com Immediately throw all of your Christmas knitwear in the dustbin, then pick up something that you won’t be embarrassed to wear for more than 30 seconds instead. Crowd-pleasers that they are, BVB have released this glorious knitted homage to their ’90s glory in time for St Nick’s big day, making you cooler than Mats Hummels mid-calendar shoot. All right, so maybe…

Hi Dermot. When we interviewed Graham Poll, he named Uriah Rennie ‘Britain’s hardest referee’. Agree? Hi. Yes, it’s hard to look past Uriah. He’s a kickboxing champion and as strong as an ox, although he’s a gentle giant really. Who’d win the silver medal? I’d have to say me. I can look after myself. I’ve always had to do it, because I’m tiny and have been in an environment where you need to be both physically and mentally strong. Graham said, “Dermot isn’t hard, he’s a lovely fella.” Tell him poison comes in small bottles! Terrifying. Howard Webb once told us that he steals toilet rolls from hotel rooms. Have you committed a petty offence, Dermot? Driving too fast, especially when I was four hours from home after a midweek…

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08 PHIL FODEN Age 21 Club Manchester City Nationality English Position Attacking midfielder England had just taken a 3-2 lead in front of 66,684 in Kolkata, when their newest star turned his back to the crowd and pointed to the name on his jersey. The message was clear from Phil Foden: remember this name – you’re going to be seeing it pretty often from now on. Foden had dragged the Three Lions back from 2-0 down against Spain in the final of the 2017 Under-17 World Cup in India. He would score again before full-time to round off an emphatic 5-2 triumph, securing both the man of the match and the player of the tournament awards. Striker Rhian Brewster had bagged eight goals in six matches, including hat-tricks in both…

ERIK LAMELA ✔ RIVER PLATE, 19 Lamela was relegated at River in 2011, but Roma coughed up €14 million that summer. After two years, Spurs broke their transfer record in a £30m deal – worth it for the bamboozling rabonas. AARON RAMSEY ✔ ARSENAL, 20 Recovered from a horror injury at Stoke to become essential for Arsenal; helping them to a hat-trick of FA Cup wins was topped only by his major role in Wales’ dream run to the Euro 2016 semis. ADEM LJAJIC ✖ FIORENTINA, 19 “The one that got away for Sir Alex”? Nope. Instead, Ljajic got attacked by his own boss Delio Rossi in 2012, before replacing Lamela in Rome. He hopped around Italy – now he’s frozen out at Besiktas. ALAN DZAGOEV ✖ CSKA MOSCOW, 20…

INTERVIEW SOL BAMBA In May, you revealed that you were cancer-free following a battle with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. How did that feel? As you can imagine, it was a massive relief – but saying that doesn’t really do it justice. It’s actually quite difficult to put the words to my feelings at the time. Just imagine a big weight being lifted off your shoulders after five very tough months. It was hard – mentally, physically and emotionally – so to be told you’re in the clear is incredible. It was a fantastic feeling. Can you remember the actual words the consultant used when breaking the news to you? I can! It was very straightforward and very beautiful. She just said, “You’re all clear.” My wife Chloe was with me, and we…

CALVIN RAMSAY ABERDEEN THE LOWDOWN It’s not just England that produces top quality right-backs: Ramsay is only 18 but already among Aberdeen’s standout performers. The teen burst into the Dons’ team earlier this year and stunned onlookers with his maturity, laser-guided set-pieces and readiness to take on opponents. This being Scotland, he loves getting stuck in as well. Manchester United, Everton and Norwich are all readying scouting files, according to reports. HIGHLIGHT Fair-weather wonderkid? No, sir: Calvin gets better the further north he plays. The Dons have looked ropey this term, though two corner assists at Icelandic side Breidablik in Europa Conference League qualifying paved the way for a 3-2 triumph. THEY SAID… “I’m not surprised he’s getting attention because he’s been terrific – the names [of the clubs] are…

PREHISTORY DUMBARTON Who knew Dumbarton Rock was such a hotspot for the famous? Formed merely 340 million years ago, the future Middle Age stronghold is said to have been visited by luminaries like Mary Queen of Scots and Williams Wallace and Wordsworth. Far from a plush getaway, though, it was once a volcano – ‘all’ that remains now is its 240-foot basalt plug, worn down in the ice ages. The rock’s shape reminded people of an elephant, which became the town’s – and team’s – symbol. Dumbo for Dumbarton, if you will. THE NORMANS DERBY COUNTY The Derby Ram is an ancient folk song that even the USA’s first president, George Washington, enjoyed. It was William the Conqueror who introduced the right to hold markets as a way of rewarding…

DAVID DE GEA “David gave me peace of mind at Old Trafford – he’s like life insurance as a goalkeeper. He’s a guy with a lot of maturity who’s overcome some difficult moments at United, especially in these last two years with competition from Dean Henderson and criticism in the stands. Despite being questioned at times, he’s vital for the team.” ULISES DE LA CRUZ “We played together for the Ecuador national team, and he’d played in England before me with clubs like Aston Villa. As a defender he had great ability to lead by example, and was a player who transmitted that commitment.” RIO FERDINAND “Ferdinand and Vidic were the best defensive pair in the world for years. Rio brought a dose of calm in stressful situations, but he…