Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2017 i FourFourTwo UK

It’s sometimes easy to forget that Paul Pogba is 24, only one year older than Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku. While two of the Premier League’s finest young frontmen have started to realise their full potential over the past couple of seasons, the Manchester United midfielder already has four league titles, a global fanbase and a world record transfer fee to his name. That’s not to downplay either the ability or the achievements of Kane and Lukaku, but to highlight how much Pogba has accomplished in his career to date and the pressure this brings to his role with the Red Devils. As we discover (p36), all he has to do to make a success of his time at Old Trafford is emulate Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Paul Scholes.…

“LASAGNE›GATE? THE GAME SHOULD HAVE BEEN POSTPONED. FIVE OR SIX PLAYERS WERE SO ILL THEY COULDN’T WALK” CLUBS 1999-2004 West Ham 2000-01 Bournemouth (loan) 2004-08 Tottenham 2008-09 Portsmouth 2009-14 Tottenham 2014 Toronto FC 2015- Sunderland COUNTRY 2004- England FourFourTwo has never been so cold. It’s Games of Thrones cold, with each breath vaporizing in the air. We’re up north, but we’re not trudging around Westeros – we’re inside Sunderland’s indoor training facility. Just as we start to wish that there was a fur-covered Jon Snow to huddle up to, the next best thing bounces in through the door: Jermain Defoe. We tell him an academy goalkeeper is coming to face some of his shots for the photoshoot, “He’s in trouble,” he chirps. The England international spends the next 10…

How do you guarantee some good karma for your brand new football book? Put the Dalai Lama in it and get him to write the foreword. If that doesn’t shift copies, nothing will. You wouldn’t begrudge the author, Michael Nybrandt, a bit of good luck for his graphic novel, Dreams in Thin Air, as he certainly had to climb over a few hurdles to finish it. It tells the tale of an historic game he fought to arrange in 2001 that irritated the Chinese government, the Danish FA, a lot of Tibetans and the Greenland shrimping industry, too. “There was a lot of pressure on me,” Nybrandt tells FourFourTwo. “It was the classic little man against Goliath.” Nybrandt – a Danish writer – cycled around China-occupied Tibet in 1997 and…

In this modern era when football clubs have got everything from training-kit sponsors to noodle partners, what next: someone hiring their own tattoo officer? Well yes, actually – MLS side Philadelphia Union are doing just that, having posted a job advert online. “At first I had to make it clear it’s a genuine partnership,” Doug Vosik, the marketing vice-president of the club, explains to FFT. The idea first came up after Vosik started chatting to Union’s new signing Giliano Wijnaldum, younger brother of Liverpool’s Georginio. “I noticed that he had tattoos,” says Vosik. “As I was wearing a dress shirt, he wasn’t aware that I had some, too – it was a cool bonding moment as a player and a guy working in the front office could connect over tattoos.”…

Shades Of Blue David White (Michael O’Mara Books, £18.99) David White used to cut a dashing figure in the English game during the early-90s and the dawn of the Premier League era. Along with his fellow Man City youth-team graduates Paul Lake and Ian Brightwell, White seemed to be destined for a golden future in football, but he wasn’t quite able to fulfil his potential. On the one hand, Shades Of Blue – that has been co-written with Paul Lake’s wife, Joanne – is a lively account of White’s eventful Maine Road career. However, it’s the sexual abuse he suffered during the early-80s that looms large throughout. It’s harrowing stuff, and White is unflinching as he talks about the damaging long-term effects – the erosion of his self-confidence and his…

How do you up your fanbase if you’re only a small club in Brazil’s top flight? Well, Serie A outfit Avai have been trying to tap into the larger catchment area down south by honouring all 295 municipalities in the Santa Catarina state. How so? Since 2011, the ‘Team of Bravery’ goalkeeper has worn a different jersey in each match, with each containing some pretty pictures representing a local area. These designs have included food, landscapes and even a herd of cows – we presume in a bid to make them first pick for all bovine-loving football supporters. “The first city was Chapeco,” the Avai license coordinator Jorge Daux Neto tells FFT. Chapeco is just 550km inland from Florianopolis. “It was really popular so we decided to honour other cities…

Welcome, Amigo Stars as Wigan win Division Three and Football League Trophy, after joining Latics as part of ‘Three Amigos’ with his compatriots Isidro Diaz and Jesus Seba. Swans revived In his first role in management, guides Swansea City to League One title in 2007-08, returning them to the top two divisions for the first time in 24 years. Cup glory Masterminds one of the biggest FA Cup final upsets, as Wigan stun Manchester City in 2013 to lift the trophy for the first time in the club’s history.…

Footballers spend a lot of time in hotel rooms. Andrea Pirlo used to hide in Gennaro Gattuso’s cupboard on away trips, bursting out to his Milan and Italy team-mate’s eternal annoyance. Another way to pass the time, as Gordon Strachan found in September 1980, is to invite a photographer in. To celebrate scoring the only goal in Scotland’s 1982 World Cup qualifier against Sweden the night before, Strachan provided a topless treat. Rise and shine, Gordon!…

“Remarkable scenes were witnessed on the football fields on Saturday. At Preston, Notts County players behaved anything but sportsmanlike. Both Drummond and Oswald came to blows and were ordered off the field. Afterwards, referee Lockett told them to return. Drummond did, and kicked two goals, but Oswald received a severe kick in a dangerous part of the body. Six of the Notts team left the field at the instigation of their captain. The remaining five men stuck to their work, and only two more goals were scored. At Burnley against Blackburn, a good deal of bad feeling was shown. Stewart and Lofthouse were ordered off the field. Several of the Rovers team followed, and goalkeeper Arthur was the only man left for Blackburn. The ref tossed up the ball and…

Francis Kone The Togolese striker saved a player’s life – the fourth time he’d done this in his career. The injured opponent had got knocked out. Amateur referees More than 2,000 of them went on strike over the abuse they receive from players. Manchester United Each fan’s £120 visa to go and watch the team in Rostov was covered by the club. Wayne Shaw The pie-eating Sutton United keeper made a mockery of the U’s’ FA Cup Fifth Round tie against Arsenal. Islam Feruz The Chelsea starlet was docked £3,000 after getting caught riding in an £80,000 Porsche while being banned from driving. Leandro Bacuna The Villa midfielder was banned for six games after barging into an official over a throw-in decision.…

Chris Flanagan: Our staff writer was up at 3.45am, ready to travel to Belgium with Charlton fans as they protested against the owner, Roland Duchatelet. “I even ended up on the Daily Mail website – they used a picture of me getting onto the bus and mistook me for a fan.” Ed Smith: The snapper was given access all areas at Stirling University FC to highlight Shelley Kerr’s talent as the first female boss of a UK men’s senior team. “Although a defeat was tough to swallow, spirits were lifted in true Scottish style with a pizza after.” Bill McConkey: The illustration guru and Newcastle fan always likes a challenge when it comes to creating our Ask A Silly Question imagery. “It’s fair to say that only for FFT do…

1 LIZARD OF THE DRIBBLE Spain Cartagena FourFourTwo welcomes all sentient beings that wish to participate in the beautiful game, and photographer Fernando Trabanco had a novel idea for helping participation: get a gecko and let it dribble a football around. Boasting a low centre of gravity and scuttling speed of 30mph, we’d stick it on the wing up against a lumbering monitor lizard. But even the newbies need to abide by the rules: the picture clearly shows the gecko handling the football, although have geckos even got hands?! Let’s move on, shall we... 2 KING RAT Netherlands Breda There’s much to admire about NAC Breda, the Dutch second-tier outfit called the Rats, and their flare-loving ultras are always good for a laugh. For a fixture with Volendam, they put…

“I DON’T DO MONSTER MUNCH. I LIKE FISH AND CHIPS, BUT THE WORST FOOD IS JELLY” Hello Djibril. The best moment of the 2005 Champions League Final was not Jerzy Dudek’s jelly legs or the penalties – it was when you danced with the trophy, grinding against it in tiny underwear. How did that occur? Ha! It was a special night and it needed something special. I don’t know how it happened, really. It was something in the moment that I wanted to do. It came into my head and it was fun. Do you often ‘romance’ inanimate objects – such as trees or wheelie bins – when the mood takes you? Er, not really. I like music a lot. I love to dance, although I’m not the best. But…

“A FAN SAID HE’D BEEN WATCHING MILLWALL FOR 60 YEARS AND NEVER SEEN AN OPPOSITION PLAYER GET A STANDING OVATION” Liverpool 0 Arsenal 2 May 26, 1989 First Division “It doesn’t matter if you support Halifax or Accrington, if you’re old enough, you know where you were that night. To win the league at Anfield was unbelievable. Liverpool were the best club team I ever faced. I still think it was a miracle to win 2-0 with the very last kick of the game.” Arsenal 2 Sheffield Wed 1 April 18, 1993 League Cup final “Scoring in a cup final at Wembley was special. I like seeing the goal back but I don’t like seeing my barnet, as I had a wave that went horribly wrong into a sh**ty perm!…

VILLARREAL MEN’S THONG FFT have admired Villarreal since the days of Juan Roman Riquelme, but there’s one thing we’ve always wondered: do they sell branded thongs? Well yes, yes they do, as it happens. Demand surely can’t be vast in one of Spain’s smallest cities – so we can only presume that football fans travel from far and wide to buy the fetching garments in the colours of the Yellow Submarine. Female thongs are available too, as well as a selection of briefs. Buy your men’s thong today for just €4.…

Sure, Pele scoring 1,000 goals may have been pretty impressive, but that was nothing compared to Mark Rapsey’s feats. The 49-year-old hit the back of the net for the 2,000th time in his career while bagging for Wadebridge Town in their Cornwall Veteran’s League tie with Lanreath, after a long wait to finally achieve the notable landmark. “I was on 1,999 in October but then I injured my knee,” Mark reveals to FFT. “A consultant told me to give it all up. I said, ‘I can’t, I only need another goal!’” Like Pele’s 1,000th, Rapsey’s milestone strike was a penalty, although unlike Pele, Rapsey’s total does not include friendlies. He has starred for a host of non-league sides like Falmouth and Truro – his best season was 1991-92, when he…

GIGIO’S TALL TALE I enjoyed the article on Gianluigi Donnarumma in FFT 274 – the fact he was 6ft 2in at 11 years old was just insane! Jacob Motton GUNNERS DECLINE Arsenal lost at Liverpool recently without much of a fight – sadly results like that are now customary for a once-great club. Andy McCormick BARÇA GOT LUCKY The praise for Barcelona after their historic victory over PSG ignored the fact at least three Barça men should have been sent off. Lawry Price CROWDS ON THE UP Soccer fever is stronger reader of than ever in the it USA ’s taken – Atlanta and Minnesota figure out had great attendances line. in their first MLS g On that Jun Kaloustianbe a top- ORIENT DEPRESSED What’s happening , so at 262…

BRYAN ROBSON 1981-82 “With this player you’re not taking a gamble – you are buying pure gold,” said United manager Ron Atkinson as Robbo inked a British-record £1.5 million deal. And he wasn’t wrong. From his debut in the Manchester derby three days later, Captain Marvel immediately displayed the aggression and passing ability that made him a legend. He was almost the perfect midfielder in an imperfect United side that ended his debut year in third place. ERIC CANTONA 1992-93 First campaigns don’t come any more special: Cantona’s skip across the Pennines from Leeds United proved “the catalyst” for United’s push to win their first title in 26 years, according to Alex Ferguson. Lying eighth on the day he signed, King Eric’s artistry had an immediate impact. A month later…

HOW DID WE DO IT? Recent events may suggest democracy isn’t all its cracked up to be, but here at FFT we still believe in giving you, the fans, a voice. We polled supporters of every Football League club – from Newcastle United to Newport County – in order to accurately identify the 50 players most deserving of a place in our annual list. You named the top five players in your club’s division based on their performances throughout 2016-17. Points were then allocated according to each fan’s vote – five points for 1st, down to one point for 5th – which, thanks to our state-of-the-art supercomputer (or, if you prefer, a Staff Writer who studied maths at Oxford University), gave us the completed list. Enjoy…

BETWEEN 1979 AND 1984, IAN BOTHAM TURNED OUT 11 TIMES AS A CENTRE-FORWARD FOR SCUNTHORPE IN THE OLD DIVISION FOUR “The Fry household had got as much interest or understanding of sport as a potato has of the Riemann zeta function. There was no contempt, just absolute indifference and incomprehension.” Before he fell in love with the game of cricket and Norwich City Football Club, Stephen Fry’s appreciation of sport was non-existent. This was all despite the rich sporting heritage of his ancestry, in particular the hugely talented polymath C. B. Fry. C. B. excelled at a range of different sports, especially cricket and football. At the former, he captained England on several occasions, while he also represented his country at the latter as well as starting for Southampton in…

Who? Dutch defender Ken ‘the model’ Monkou split his early career equally: walking the channels on catwalks and marshalling the back post on a pitch. In 1990, six months after joining Chelsea, he became the Blues’ first-ever black Player of the Year. But after three campaigns and Zenith Data Systems Cup glory at Wembley, Monkou moved on to Southampton, where he spent seven years. And when his sashaying days were all done? Monkou purchased a pancake house in the small Dutch city of Delft and then ran it alongside his mum from 2007-10. During a standard lunch shift, Ken would flip batter across six burners in front of around 150 mesmerised diners. We’re not even joking. Is he still, er...? A tosser? No, no. He is back in football now…

1 PAT VAN DEN HAUWE Evertonians called him ‘Psycho Pat’, team-mate Andy Gray called him “evil”. The Welsh-Belgian once punched QPR’s Simon Stainrod, had gangster links, wed socialite Mandy Smith and now runs the Blues’ walking football team. ‘Colourful’ is the word. 2 JOAO MORAIS Portugal’s Morais could play: in 1964 he helped Sporting secure the Cup Winners’ Cup by scoring from a corner. But Joao became infamous two years on, viciously omni-hacking Pele out of the World Cup. 3 RON HARRIS The nickname ‘Chopper’ was due to his on-field exploits, but you’d be forgiven saucier variants. Ron prowled Stamford Bridge in the 1960s and ’70s when Chelsea was crawling with models and singers. Chopper was more interested in taking out wingers. 4 CLAUDIO GENTILE Italy’s dirty trickster was obsessed…

“The ball is, and always will be, my friend. I need to touch the ball and I suffer if I don’t have it” Describe the Javi Martinez way. The ball is, and always will be, my friend. I need to touch the ball and I suffer if I don’t have it. When the opposition have got the ball, then it is my job – whether I’m playing as a central defender or a defensive midfielder – to fight to win the ball back in one-on-one situations. My role is a defensive one, to help my team-mates all of the time and to give them what they want: the ball. What drills should a youngster be practising to dominate a match while playing in the pivot role? Above all else, your…

COCONUT OIL The clean-eating brigade have long highlighted the benefits of cooking using coconut oil, but is it the key to better health or simply another fad? The so-called superfood is higher in saturated fat than butter – however, it contains medium chain fatty acids, which can increase the levels of good cholesterol in the body. Coconut oil also has a relatively high smoke point (177 degrees), meaning it won’t begin to burn and release free radicals while you cook. And best of all, it could aid weight loss: a study in the American Journal of Nutrition found it boosted the number of calories burnt at rest by 28 women who’d supplemented their diet with the oil for four weeks. 1 “Several studies have hailed the weight loss benefits of…

PROMIXX MIIXER Vortex technology blends your protein shake like a NutriBullet, while a USB port will even charge your phone. Cost: £25 Buy: promixx.co.uk KING SHAKER This all-metal shaker doesn’t absorb nasty odours, so it won’t pong like a blocked-up drain after using it. Cost: £14.99 Buy: kingshaker.com SMARTSHAKE It’s called smart for a reason. Store extra portions of powders, pills and snacks in separate compartments. Cost: £9.99 Buy: smartshake.co.uk…

RAFAEL MARQUEZ “I had to pick one Mexican player and Rafa is special – one of the greatest in the history of our country and an example for others to follow. I’d always call him ‘cold blooded’ but in a good way, as he was calm all of the time. Rafa never lost composure. He was a smart player, great with positioning and vision on the field. He knew how to be a leader at the back.” RONALDINHO “In my opinion, he is one of the two most creative players of all time. I think that Ronaldinho is underrated – he was a magician and so belongs with the elite group of the greatest footballers. Ronnie could do whatever he wanted with the ball. He had everything: skill, speed and…

Dortmund vs Monaco April 11 Gather round, hipsters – two of Europe’s most exciting teams meet in the Champions League Newcastle vs Leeds April 14 Good Friday fixture as the two Uniteds try to move a tad closer to a Premier League return Leicester vs Atletico April 18 Champions League second leg – can Leicester shock another Spanish giant at the King Power? Arsenal vs Man City April 23 FA Cup semi-final, aka Arsene Wenger’s last chance to salvage something from this season Real Madrid vs Barcelona April 23 Barça travel to the Santiago Bernabeu for what could turn out to be an El Clasico title showdown Middlesbrough vs Sunderland April 26 The North East rivals fight for Premier League survival in a midweek clash at the Riverside…

WHY ALWAYS HIM? First a bib, now this: Mario Balotelli missed the first two minutes of Nice’s clash with Nantes because he’d tied his laces too tight – staff had to help…

MORECAMBE David Freear School inclusion manager, 54 Barry Roche Goalkeeper, 34 Q: In what year did the club play their last game at Christie Park? DF: The final match at Crusty Pie! 2010. 6 BR: I played! 2010? 6 1-1 Q: Which manager took Morecambe into the Football League? DF: Sammy McIlroy! 6 BR: Sammy Mac! No problem with that. 6 2-2 Q: Who scored the club’s Boxing Day winner at Mansfield this season? DF: A good win that, Andy Fleming got it. 6 BR: I know we won 1-0. I’ll say Andy Fleming? 6 3-3 Q: Which team did the Shrimps defeat in the 1974 FA Trophy Final? DF: I was there that day! We beat Dartford 2-1. 6 BR: That’s a question… no idea. Braintree? : 4-3 Fan…

Kylian Mbappe CLUB Monaco POSITION Forward VALUE £50m FOOT R HEIGHT 1.78m NATION FRA AGE 18 TECHNICAL Blessed with an excellent touch, superb dribbling ability and an eye for the spectacular, Mbappe has developed into one of the European game’s most sought-after teenagers over the past six months. Playing as either a winger or forward for the team who have been leading the way in Ligue 1, he’s caught the eye in both positions. His pace and skills can take him away from opposing defenders in a flash and he’s pretty handy when through on goal: the teenager netted in both legs of Monaco’s Champions League win over Manchester City. His second-leg strike was his 17th goal of the season. MENTAL Mbappe’s stellar display against Man City showed just how…

Last month, it was a urinating keeper, now it’s fans peeing all over the place. Hot on the trail of Garry Whyte being sent off in a Scottish lower league match for going for a slash mid-game (FFT 274), Hamburg have been using social media to warn fans that ‘feral pissers’ will not be welcome inside the stadium. Meanies. Restlessness has been growing at the struggling German club and some fans are now taking their displeasure out on the Volksparkstadion, by having a number one on the terraces. It’s not even the first time Hamburg has faced a urinary crisis, with walls in the northern city being decorated in hydrophobic paint back in March 2015. “The peeing issue has been going on for quite a long time now,” the Hamburg…

 You became Belgium boss in August – how has the transition to national team coaching been? “WIN THE WORLD CUP? WHEN YOU TAKE A JOB YOU NEED TO HAVE THE DREAM OF WINNING OR IT’S JUST POINTLESS” It’s been a real learning curve. After the intensity of day-to-day management for 10 years, it’s been different – learning about all of the players from afar, without any contact – but it’s very enjoyable. Did you envisage being an international coach? No, I never had it in my mind but it came at the right moment. I was intrigued by the enormous talent in Belgian football – the amount of players they have in the British game and players I have coached, like Marouane Fellaini, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas. Today, it…

@ToniKroos Happy Birthday legend! @robbiewilliams @FCBayernEN What time is it? Yep, it’s ten to! @davidcowlishaw The Champions League has been so good lately that I’m going out and buying all the Continental Tyres I can afford. I don’t even have a car. @BoKrkic Every day I’m discovering something new about the city of Mainz. Today, it’s all about its carnival! @Yokhin Bayern’s home matches against Hamburg since 2011: 6-0, 5-0, 9-2, 3-1, 8-0, 5-0, 8-0. 44-3 on aggregate. Insane. @MichaelJS23 Yes, FourFourTwo asked Damien Duff my question! Loved him as a player and love the magazine!…

SCANDI SCRAP Swedish stars Freddie Ljungberg and Olof Mellberg were never best buds. In an open training session before the 2002 World Cup, the Aston Villa defender’s knee-high reducer sparked inevitable throat-grabbing. Then, in 2006, they clashed once again after a drab goalless draw with Trinidad & Tobago. And they say Swedes are sedate and neutral... SHOTS FIRED Following a 2010 training ground argument at second-division Dutch outfit Almere City, 18-year-old hothead midfielder Rene Osei Kofi – on loan from Ajax – nipped out to his car, pulled out a gun and put it to the head of colleague Christian Ghandu. “We’ve fired him,” announced Almere officials a few hours later. Just as well he hadn’t at Ghandu, really. NO CLUCKS GIVEN What would you do in protest at your…

OMAR BECKLES ACCRINGTON DEFENDER AGE 25 His debut season at this level, the centre-back has made the transition to League Two look easy. Composed and a very good tackler. DAVID DAVIS BIRMINGHAM MIDFIELDER AGE 26 A squad player in previous years, but now first choice in the engine room. He has made huge improvements to his game tactically. SAM GALLAGHER BLACKBURN FORWARD AGE 21 The loanee striker has carried the fight for the majority of a difficult season. Southampton have surely got a future star on their hands. BRAD POTTS BLACKPOOL MIDFIELDER AGE 23 A creative midfielder who at 6ft 2in has proved to be a consistent danger operating in a wider area. Provides both goals and assists. DAN BENTLEY BRENTFORD GOALKEEPER AGE 23 A series of impressive displays at…

MYTH BUSTER Sol Campbell was in the Guy Ritchie film Snatch “You can watch the entire movie and, I promise you, I’m not in it,” the England defender tells FFT. So there Items supplied by the National Football Museum For more info, visit nationalfootballmuseum.com…

SCREEN LEGEND The Magpies’ official snapper, Gladstone Adams, had to stop so often while driving home in a snowstorm from the 1908 FA Cup Final that he invented a device to help him clear the screen – the windscreen wiper was born. OFFSIDE LORE In the ’20s, full-backs Frank Hudspeth and Bill McCracken could play the offside trap so well that the law changed, cutting the number of defenders between a forward and the goal from three down to two, to inspire attackers. EARLY BATH Roy Bentley was living in a flat owned by the sister of a club director, George Martin, in 1948. The striker wanted the bath replacing; Martin said it needed a lick of paint. An outraged Roy demanded to be sold and moved to Chelsea. DANCING…

Rattles Nothing could really beat the rackety old soundtrack to many a match during the first half of the 20th century... until the vuvuzela went and ruined everything. The Glory Game Afforded free rein to report on Spurs’ UEFA Cup-winning ’71-72 campaign from within their changing room, Hunter Davies is able to delve into a club’s machinations for this fly-on-the-wall treat. Mitre Delta 1000 ball Before Sky invented football in 1992, this was the arrow-heavy sphere that Sunday League players would aspire to kick about. It’s simplistic, while curiously futuristic.…

Childhood hero My brother, Alvaro Superstition Visualising the game Favourite sport – other than football I’m a basketball fan Dream Bayern Munich signing Nobody! We’ve got the perfect squad Favourite flick Untouchable – it is a French film Favourite music I like listening to Ryan Adams a lot Dream coffee date The New York Knicks’ Derrick Rose (above) If you hadn’t made it as a footballer... I would have been a basketball player Best friend There’s too many in football to mention Foible I can’t get to sleep without reading first Best school subject – aside from sport I was good at history…

What is it? Have you ever wondered why the guy running on the treadmill next door to you is wearing a Hannibal Lecter-style mask? Well, the idea of it is to simulate the effects of training at high altitude, so you can work out like an elite athlete without climbing up Kilimanjaro. How does it work? The mask restricts the amount of air that is available to your lungs during exercise. That forces your respiratory system to work much harder, adapt and then become stronger. It’s like doing resistance training especially for your lungs. Who uses it? Arsenal and England midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has posted some videos of himself with a mask on during his gym sessions, while Manchester City full-back Gael Clichy and former Chelsea attacker Salomon Kalou have…

Football players have already got TV cameras, GPS monitors and flashing phones following their every move – and now even their clothes are being designed to ensure that they stay on the straight and narrow. Barcelona’s players have started to wear hi-tech cycling shorts that can measure how hard their quadriceps and hamstrings are working in each leg, to detect any muscle imbalance. Janne Plyvas, CEO of Myontec – the Finnish company who are rolling out the shorts – explains to FFT: “Overuse injuries, like thigh or hamstring strains, can happen if a player is favouring one leg more than the other. By correcting their running style, they could reduce the risk of more injuries.” The next generation cycling shorts use electromyography technology to transfer signals from the muscles. They…

Are you that guy who goes for glory from an impossible angle rather than passing when your team-mate is completely free in the six-yard box? Well, the next time you spank the ball over the crossbar, we’re going to tell you to detox your ego. Don’t worry, we’re not talking about flushing toxins out of your system with a kale smoothie. We mean it’s time you learnt how to put the team’s interests in front of your own. This is the message that sports psychologist Steven Sylvester is preaching in his book Detox Your Ego to help players to fulfill their potential. “Being selfish out on the pitch is a disastrous mindset,” he tells FFT. “We want players making the right decisions under pressure and then thinking about how they…