Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2017 i FourFourTwo UK

Hola and welcome to FourFourTwo (or should that be FourThreeThree?!). My first interview with the magazine was way back in January 2006, and since then I’ve been interviewed a few more times. But this is the first time that I’ve been guest editor of the magazine, and what a privilege it is too. As well as the interview, in which I discuss a selection of my career highlights, there’s a piece on the other members of the 500-goal club (which I had the great honour of joining during the week that I edited the magazine) and a look back at the La Masia team I played in, featuring Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique to name but two of a host of team-mates who were brilliant on and off the field.…

“THE FREE-KICK AGAINST ENGLAND? WE’D PRACTISED IT FOR FOUR YEARS! ORTEGA WAS SUPPOSED TO SHOOT, BUT AS IT HAD NEVER WORKED BEFORE, I HAD A GO AND IT WENT STRAIGHT IN FIRST TIME” In a professional career that spanned more than two decades, Javier Zanetti has seen it all. Even since hanging up his boots in 2014, he’s been pretty busy: setting up a non-profit foundation that helps more than 1,000 kids in Argentina, becoming Inter’s vice-president as well as opening a steak restaurant in Milan. El Gaucho has a long table saved for special guests: then-Inter boss Stefano Pioli, his assistant Walter Samuel and the rest of the Nerazzurri coaching staff are coming over for dinner – and their host naturally wants everything to be perfect. “This will be…

“AS A UNITED FAN, SCORING AGAINST THEM HURT. MOURINHO TOLD ME TO CHEER UP OR I WOULD NEVER PLAY FOR HIM AGAIN” Ajax 5 Vitesse 0 August 19, 1997 Eredivisie “As a young man from the gangster ghetto of Hanover Park in Cape Town, it was beyond my wildest dreams to play in Europe, so I came on with a burning desire to show everyone watching why Ajax had signed me. This game changed my life: at 19 I wasn’t meant to be part of the first team, but they threw me in at the deep end and I was able to swim.” South Africa 4 Namibia 1 February 16, 1998 Africa Cup of Nations “If we’d lost to Namibia we’d have been eliminated, but I had my scoring boots…

Football has been subject to all kinds of odd interruptions over the years, but an angry mum on a school night might be a new one to us. Derby City were taking on the Tartan Devils in a US Open Cup clash when the furious mum came marching onto the pitch to moan that the rowdy fans were keeping her children up by singing and banging on drums. “There are houses at the one end of the field and she must live in one of them,” Derrick Mills, a fan at the match, tells FFT. “We have had kids try to come onto the pitch in the past, but never an adult,” adds Eric Major, a member with the supporters’ group at Derby City. So what happened once the infuriated…

TO MANY, FOOTBALL ISN’T ABOUT COLD CALCULATION, BUT PASSION AND ENERGY: IT IS TOO FLUID TO BE MAPPED OUT IN PIE CHARTS When even Arsene Wenger is using the jargon, you can safely assume that the battle is won. A couple of years ago, the Arsenal supremo was being asked about his decision to move Aaron Ramsey into a more central role. Had the Welshman finally managed to persuade his manager that he deserved a go in his preferred position? Or was it, perhaps, enforced by injury? (At Arsenal, then as now, many things are enforced by injury). No, Wenger said, it was all to do with his Expected Goals. Ramsey had a better Expected Goals value when he played centrally than he did when deployed on the right. He…

GOOD ON KERR It was really great to see Shelley Kerr featured in FFT 275 – if a woman’s got talent, why can’t she be in the men’s game? Fraser Matheson ALL HAIL THE EXILES Hartlepool – and Jeff Stelling – dominated the headlines, but Newport’s survival in the Football League was miraculous. Andy Jones WRONG PUNISHMENT Man City and Liverpool’s ban from signing English youngsters isn’t good for England – won’t they just recruit overseas players? Stephen Baker FA CUP GOING STRONG It’s wrong to say reader that the of magic of the FA it Cup ’s taken is dying. We’ve seen figure great out matches this year line , . with Lincoln in the quartn that Kit Parsons be a top-six struggling TIME TO GO, TIM Sherwood ,…

Despite all of the titles and glory that have come during his time with Barcelona, there is one game, one derby, that Lionel Messi still dreams of playing in before he calls it a day. It’s a derby he has played in his mind hundreds of times as a kid on the streets of Rosario, with and against his cousins and friends. Because Newell’s Old Boys vs Rosario Central isn’t any normal derby. One look at the stands will tell you that. As the two teams get ready to rumble in their latest meeting, local radio stations start their live broadcasts at 8am, a mere seven hours before kick-off. It isn’t long afterwards that Newell’s supporters start to congregate in the Parque de la Independencia, a large public park in…

Steve Ogrizovic was held hostage in Kazakhstan “With recent science breakthroughs, I must’ve been cloned,” said the former Coventry keeper of the hoax Items are kindly supplied by both the National Football Museum and English Football League For more info, visit nationalfootballmuseum.com…

DI STEFA-NO DEAL In August 1964, Bhoys boss Jimmy McGrory and centre-half – and languages graduate – John Cushley went to Spain to offer Alfredo Di Stefano £30,000 for a year-long contract. Sadly, the 38-year-old had already left Real Madrid for Espanyol. DENTAL CARE In the 1967 European Cup Final, goalkeeper Ronnie Simpson kept the team’s false teeth in a little bag behind his goal. In the uproar that followed Celtic’s victory over Inter, the bag was almost lost. MINOR CHARACTER In 1976, 17-year-old defender Roy Aiken had to report to the East German police so they could check that, as a minor, he was being properly looked after on the trip to Sachsenring Zwickau for a Cup Winners’ Cup clash. BHOY FROM BRAZIL John Barnes brought in Rafael Scheidt…

The Football Man Arthur Hopcraft’s anxious love for the game’s future amid managerial sackings and negative publicity is a fascinating ode to 1968 football life. Dortmund kit 1992-93 Dortmund’s iconic yellow and black colours have long been classics, but the blurry shoulder artwork is a glorious early-90s variant on their theme. Classy. Super Sidekicks Made for 1990s Japanese arcade console Neo Geo, this football-Street Fighter mash-up made an art form out of the bicycle kick – Emre Can must have had it.…

GYMAHOLIC Want to bulk up? A virtual assistant will demonstrate how to perform an extensive library of weights workouts. Cost: £3.99 Buy: App Store, gymaholic.me FITSTAR Take the stress out of exercising with ready-made training routines that will help you to hit all of your fitness goals. Cost: £5.99 per month Buy: App Store NIKE+ TRAINING CLUB You can cycle through more than 100 drills created by Nike trainers, including 15-minute options if you are in a hurry. Cost: Free Buy: App Store, nike.com…

Ready to take to the pitch this summer, the adidas Dust Storm Pack featuring the revolutionary Nemeziz worn by agile players like Lionel Messi will swarm stadiums with flashes of radiant colour. Speed plays a major part in today’s game – just ask Barcelona’s Luis Suárez. It instantly creates havoc for defenders and like the previous version, the new who operate within the heart of the engine room for the Red Devils, the boot’s laceless upper eliminates distractions and ensures his first touch is perfect as he orchestrates attacks. Sharing the same colour palette as the X, the COPA 17 fuses the DNA of the legendary Copa with X 17 features subtle changes to augment the boot’s reputation for lightweight performance in a sleek and minimalist silhouette. Ready to dominate…

Widely considered to be one of the best keepers in world football today, Hugo Lloris has enjoyed yet another sterling season in between the sticks for Tottenham Hotspur. And his consistent performances have been helped by his unerring faith in his gloves; he’s worn Uhlsport since the beginning of his professional career. So trust Hugo’s judgement and check out his glove of choice – the Speed Up Supergrip HN – online now.…

Andy Mitten: The Barcelona-based scribe discussed career highlights with the new FFT gaffer. “The first time I met Lionel his fringe was so heavy I couldn’t see his eyes. Now the hair’s on his face, which suits him much better. He has always been very friendly and grounded.” Stefan Hobmaier: The German lensman was on hand to capture us speaking to Xabi Alonso before he hung up his boots. “He’s totally relaxed and so professional at the same time – just as you’d imagine Xabi to be from watching him stroll around a pitch for so many years.” Mattia Zoppellaro: Our snapper visited Javier Zanetti’s restaurant to shoot him for One-on-One. “I’m based in Milan but support Juve so feel guilty meeting Inter stars, but with Javier I didn’t. He…

1 TEMPER, TEMPER Argentina La Plata We’ve seen players rip off their shirt in anger, but never a manager. Ex-Arsenal defender – and recent FFT interviewee – Nelson Vivas, however, is known for the odd temper tantrum. He resigned from his first managerial role with Quilmes after punching a supporter. This time Vivas’ ire was at a referee. Upon being sent up to the stands, the Estudiantes boss ripped off his smart shirt in one movement, kicked a water bottle and marched off. He is already a better Incredible Hulk than Ed Norton. 2 DON’T HAVE A COW, MAN (PT.I) Spain Madrid For no apparent reason, Real Madrid’s advance to the Champions League final this season resulted in not one but two massive Bart Simpsons rocking up at the Bernabeu.…

Grimsby Town are renowned for their away-day exploits, and inflatables are always a favourite. But after one of the oddest court cases in English legal history, when a steward at Barnet sued after a tap on the head from a tiny shark, blow-ups were banned. Trevor Hewson, Grimsby fan, fought the fun police. “The ban was just comical,” he tells FFT, “so I got on Twitter and suggested taking something mad to the next game there – a tree, or an ironing board. We settled on a mariachi band and it’s spiralled. I got in too deep and realised that I had to do it.” An online fundraiser secured in excess of £1,800, more than enough pesos to hire Beato Burrito for the fixture at The Hive (the rest of…

The Greatest Comeback: The Story of Bela Guttmann David Bolchover (BiteBack, £20) Before taking Benfica to European Cup wins in 1961 and ’62, Bela Guttmann managed in Italy and Romania, where the post-war food famine meant he insisted on being paid in vegetables. With Benfica, Bela signed a 19-year-old Eusebio after he had a chance encounter with an ex-Sao Paulo colleague while inside a barbershop, then – only two years later – placed a 100-year ‘curse’ on the Eagles after leaving due to a pay dispute. He’s also the blueprint for modern globetrotting coaches, saying “the third season is fatal”. Yet Bela’s life was marred by tragedy. Guttmann hid in an attic near Budapest as fellow Jews were sent to concentration camps, where family members perished, and he later made…

ARGENTINA 2-1 BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA WORLD CUP, GROUP STAGE June 15, 2014 I’d had to wait eight years for my second World Cup goal. We wanted to have a great tournament and started off with a win against Bosnia, and I scored our second goal. It all happened very quickly. I picked the ball up near the halfway line and tried to burst towards their penalty area. I played a one-two with Gonzalo Higuain and then shot from the edge of the box. Luckily it all came off. We’d performed brilliantly in qualifying and sealed our place in Brazil with a couple of games to spare, then demonstrated that we were a great team by reaching the fi nal. We didn’t quite manage to win the tournament, but we’d done…

IF EVERY EU PLAYER IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE APPLIED FOR A WORK PERMIT TOMORROW, THREE-QUARTERS OF THEM WOULD FAIL The year is 2015. The scene: a large, yet stuffy meeting room. On one side of a desk sits a panel of FA bods in intimidatingly smart suits, who decide whether to approve a foreign player for a work permit from the Government. On the other side of this desk sit the supplicants: a Premier League club seeking a permit for their prospective new signing. And outside this room, an alternative universe in which the United Kingdom had left the European Union years ago. “So, this player’s French, is he? Has he played in 45 per cent of France’s competitive matches over the past two years?” “Not quite, no.” “How many’s…

If Spurs fans wanted to discover Jurgen Klinsmann’s whereabouts in 1994-95, all they needed to do was look for a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle. Driven from Monaco all the way to north London by a club employee, Klinsi’s beloved battered ride helped him to deal with the capital’s traffic. “You’re not going anywhere fast,” he later told FFT, “so if you have a Porsche instead of a Beetle it doesn’t matter.” So speaks a man familiar with the North Circular during rush hour.…

The Graphic April 7, 1883 “The great game between the Old Etonians (holders) and the Blackburn Olympic – to decide who were to hold the Challenge Cup this year – came off at Kennington Oval on Saturday. Perhaps on no former occasion have more people been present for a football match in the south of England, and all the cognoscenti were to the fore. A splendid game was witnessed. But unfortunately, after obtaining a goal, the Etonians lost one of their best men, who left the field, and two more were almost useless through the hard kicks they had got, so the Blackburn Olympic team had a great advantage. At ‘time’ each side had scored a goal. The extra half-hour gave an additional one to the Olympics, who thus for…

YOGA This ancient practice involves posture and breathing exercises that improve flexibility. Manchester United stalwart Ryan Giggs credited yoga with helping him play on into his 40s – and a study last year illustrated exactly how it can aid physical performance. Twenty-six participants went through a 10-week yoga programme that featured two sessions each week, and all of them displayed a significant improvement to their flexibility and balance when performing a range of movements after the programme, compared to their efforts prior to the study. Make it a part of your training regime and you might be able to extend your playing days. 1 “Being supple boosts speed, recovery and sharpness of movement, and yoga improves all of these,” said Giggs’ yoga teacher, Sarah Ramsden. 2 “Stiff through your hips?…

If you fancy yourself as the next Pep Guardiola but don’t have the time nor money to study for your coaching badges, we’ve got good news – you can train up a future star from your lounge. Tom Byer, world-renowned coach and head technical advisor to the Chinese FA, is the author of Football Starts at Home, with his philosophy educating parents about how they can coach their children as soon as they learn how to walk. “I believe you can start to nurture children’s football skills when they are one or two,” Byer explained at the Soccerex Football Convention. “Kids should not learn to kick the ball first, they should learn how to roll and manipulate it.” Byer’s methods are the result of a 25-year coaching career and he…

On Saturday 3 June 2017 the world will bear witness to a classic case of an irresistible force meeting an immovable object as Los Blancos face the Old Lady in Cardiff for the opportunity of lifting the most coveted prize in club football: the Champions League trophy. For Juventus, it’s a (second) chance to complete their path to redemption, rising from the indignity of relegation in 2006 to potentially being European champions in just over a decade. And for Real Madrid, under the watchful eye of the legendary Zinedine Zidane –himself a former Juve great – it’s a chance for the current crop of players to write their names into the history books by being the first team to successfully defend the Champions League title. Ultimately though, it all comes…

Scotland vs England June 10  The old rivals meet for a World Cup qualifier at Hampden after England won 3-0 at Wembley Mexico vs USA June 11  It’s a World Cup qualifying grudge match. Gate receipts will help pay for the wall, presumably Fluminense vs Flamengo June 18  Rio de Janeiro’s fierce rivals go head-to-head in the famous Fla-Flu derby in Brazil’s Serie A New York Red Bulls vs NYCFC June 24  MLS presents the New York derby: Patrick Vieira’s City have won only one of five meetings thus far Under-21 Euro 2017 final June 30  Will England be at the showpiece in Krakow? Not if Spain, Italy or, er, Macedonia stop them Confederations Cup final July 2  Germany and Portugal will start the tournament as favourites. Saint Petersburg is…

It’s been a boring old month in Japan, apart from one of the country’s top clubs welcoming back former players and letting zombies ambush them. You know, the usual. Kashima Antlers’ home ground was the venue for Robbie Keane’s late leveller against Germany at the 2002 World Cup. But that was bland compared to recent events, like allowing a bloodthirsty mob to maraud around the venue, hunting down fans and any beloved ex-players. This odd occasion was a collaboration between Kashima Antlers, local video game developers and haunted house producers, as part of an ‘escape room’ craze that’s popular in Japan right now. Fans were invited along and told their task was to escape the zombies – and that they’d be joined by former Kashima players Koji Nakata and Yutaka…

It’s been a weird 12 months for India’s Aizawl FC. Relegated last season, they somehow ended up national champions this year, only to be told they were being relegated yet again. They were second from bottom in the 2015-16’s I-League and went down due to last-placed DSK Shivajians’ immunity as a ‘corporate entry’ (it’s an odd league). Aizawl got a reprieve, though, when three clubs withdrew from the division for the 2016-17 campaign – and then surprised everyone by finishing top of the standings, despite their budget being dwarfed by those of traditional giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. Aizawl’s reward? A place in the Asian Champions League – and relegation. The I-League is merging with the India Super League and so the minnows are not glamorous enough to make…

BAYERN Ingo Drewitz Art director, 42 Rafinha Full-back, 31 Q: Which club did Bayern sign Arjen Robben from in 2009? ID: Real Madrid. ✓ R: Real Madrid. ✓ 1-1 Q: Who scored Bayern’s opening goal in the 2016-17 Champions League campaign? ID: Lewandowski scored it, at home to Rostov. ✓ R: I don’t know. It was against PSG or Rostov. ✗ 2-1 Fan Q: How many league games in succession did Bayern win at the start of the 2015-16 season? ID: I’m sure it was 11. ✗ R: I have no idea! ✗ 2-1 Fan (Correct answer: 10) Q: Who were the first club to defeat Bayern in a European Cup final? ID: It was Aston Villa: ’82 European Cup final. ✓ R: This is a very difficult question! Er...…

Tom Davies  CLUB Everton POSITION Midfielder VALUE £20m FOOT R HEIGHT 1.80m NATION ENG AGE 18 TECHNICAL Davies has proved to be a versatile midfielder who is especially effective when going forward. Some deft through-balls, bursts of mazy dribbling and rapid decision-making are all key parts of his repertoire. While his ball distribution and creativity are among the best assets, accuracy when playing long passes does require fine-tuning. He’s established himself as a key player ever since breaking into the Toffees’ senior line-up – starting in all but one of Everton’s games during 2017 – and his pair of Premier League goals include a cute chip in a man-of-the-match performance at home to Pep Guardiola’s Man City. MENTAL The teenager’s displayed maturity beyond his years since progressing through Everton’s youth…

@DavidMeyler7 Finally finished the Lego Mini Cooper. It takes patience to complete them, I’ve spent the best part of five hours doing it @richardosman May v Corbyn is like the year Cardiff and Portsmouth got to the FA Cup final @sfcswh Latest FourFourTwo is very good: brilliant spread on Gabbiadini and how he’s taken to life in England @gavoleeds On route to Wigan – Garry Garry Monk, Garry Garry Monk! @GaryLineker Lost a tooth at White Hart Lane once. If it turns up hopefully someone will let me know @the_itch1980 There’s a football team called Eyüpspor, from the Eyüp district of Istanbul. Eyüp borders Nöwthen, Howüdoinğ and Alriğhtpal…

566 GOALS GERD MULLER Bayern Munich, 1964-1979 Much fanfare followed Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski winning the Bundesliga Golden Boot in 2015-16 with 30 goals, a tally nobody had reached in three decades. All year long, Lewandowski’s progress was measured and pundits debated whether or not he – or his rivals, Thomas Muller and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – could finally hit the landmark. Nobody even mentioned the more magical number, though. That’s because it’s a given for German football fans that the league’s single-season goal record will never be broken. No one will match the 40 goals Gerd Muller scored over 34 games in 1971-72. A few of Muller’s records have been bettered over the years, most recently in June 2014 when Miroslav Klose scored the 69th of his 71 Germany…

MARC VALIENTE Defender Part of Spain’s 2006 Under-20 World Cup-winning team, Marc appeared in only one first-team game in the Copa del Rey. Had five seasons at Real Valladolid; now playing for Maccabi Haifa. MARC PEDRAZA Midfielder The box-to-box man left Barça at 15 for city rivals Espanyol, where he became a B team regular. Spent three years at third-division Hospitalet; now with second-tier Numancia. TONI CALVO Winger Joined the cantera in 2004 from Gramenet and featured regularly for both Barcelona C and B before spells in Greece, Bulgaria and Cyprus. Spent 2016-17 at Greek side Veria. ROGER GIRIBET Defender Played for Terrassa, Balaguer and Asco in the fourth division, before going back to Balaguer as the academy head in 2012. Roger’s also sporting director of Pedro’s charity foundation. VICTOR…

Who? The ex-Real Madrid goal machine, who notched 38 La Liga goals in 1989-90 to equal a record that had stood since the 1950-51 season. The Mexican helped Los Blancos capture five successive titles from 1985-86, plus the ’86 UEFA Cup, and he led hosts Mexico to the quarter-finals of the World Cup that year. Oh, and he’d always perform a somersault whenever he scored. That’s 487 somersaults... It is. His gymnast sister represented Mexico at the 1976 Olympics, so it was in the blood. A man of many skills – with his acrobatic bicycle kick the party piece – Hugo trained to be a dentist and would later star in a bizarre set of adverts made for Colgate – to urge good dental hygiene. So does he still practise?…

1 RAY PARLOUR 1995 The words “larking around with prawn crackers” aren’t often used in court. But the Arsenal man heard ’em after drunkenly exiting a Hong Kong club, tipping his snack on a taxi, then thumping the driver. 2 JEFF ASTLE & BOBBY MOORE 1970 The England squad’s visit to Colombia ahead of the World Cup in Mexico did not quite go to plan. After captain Moore was wrongly accused of nicking a bracelet, the trip ended with a drunk Astle being carried through the airport draped in a cape. 3 CHARLIE NICHOLAS 1987 “Mr [George] Graham – half of your team have been arrested for attempted murder,” read the message to the Arsenal gaffer during a team break to Portugal. Six players had argued with US Marines, and…

 You’ve played off the striker this season – how have you found it? “I loved watching Ronaldinho and Henry, but these days I try to take bits from Pedro and Willian and use them myself” It’s been a good learning curve for me. I’ve mainly played as a winger in my career, but the manager has asked me to play in a more central role this season and it’s something I have enjoyed. If I’m able to play in any position across the front four, it means that I give him more options. What attributes must you have in order to become an effective No.10? You need to be the link man between the midfield and attack. It’s important to stay close to the striker as well and play around…

BEAT THEM  With the skills to pay the bills, you’ve always got your opponent’s number, beating them with either a bit of trickery or just outright speed. BOSS THEM  You’re the leader on the pitch, taking control for your team and influencing the game with your ability on the ball to pick out defence-splitting passes. FINISH THEM  You’ve got ice running through your veins and when you’re through on goal there’s no doubt where the ball is ending up – back of the net!…

CARLES PUYOL “Puyol will always be my captain. He was not only a great defender, but also a person who is way above the average you’ll usually find in football. His loyalty is unparalleled. When people say Barça turned into an even more special team because of tiki-taka, they often forget that success is also about role models, trust and loyalty. Without my captain there would be no Barça as we know it. After I left to join Milan, he still made me feel welcome at the Camp Nou.” LIONEL MESSI “Even during my time at Barcelona, when Lionel was 18 or 19, I believed that he was the very best – and I still do now. These days, nobody compares to him. His skill to drag the ball so…