Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2022 i World Soccer

Great reasons to subscribe • Pay just £39.99 for 13 issues of World Soccer – saving 49% • You will receive our World Cup 2022 special issue* (*if you subscribe before October 2, 2022) • Never miss an issue with FREE UK delivery direct to your door • Receive the World Soccer e-newsletter Subscribe before October 2, 2022! Don’t miss your ultimate guide to all 32 teams at Qatar 2022, including squad pen pics, tactics, analysis and interviews. Subscribe online now at shop.kelsey.co.uk/WSCP1122 or call 01959 543 747 quote WSCP1122 Calls charged at your standard network rate. Lines are open 8.30am-5pm Monday to Friday. Terms and conditions: UK offer only. You will pay £39.99 for13 issues (1 year). Discounts are calculated on the full cover price. For overseas rates please…

9 Goals scored by both Celtic and Liverpool at the end of August in thrashings over Dundee United and Bournemouth respectively. 4 Year contract handed to Wales manager Rob Page ahead of the 2022 World Cup. 185 The previous record for most Premier League goals scored at a single club, before Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane broke Sergio Aguero’s tally for Manchester City. €1.2bn Valuation of Milan following their takeover by American investment group RedBird Capital. 20,000 Olympiakos fans that greeted former Brazil and Real Madrid left-back Marcelo after his unveiling at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. 8 Clubs fined by UEFA for breaching Financial Fair Play rules: Paris Saint-Germain, Milan, Internazionale, Roma, Juventus, Besiktas, Marseille and Monaco. 4 Bids to host the 2030 World Cup after Egypt, Greece and Saudi Arabia…

THE INSIDER Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been commonly labelled, in headline-writers’ shorthand, as “Britain’s richest man.” How anyone knows this for a fact in a financial world awash with hidden ownerships, nominee appointments and tax havens is a mystery. However, the mere mention of his name in the same sentence as that of Manchester United was enough to fire the rumour mill into overdrive. Most likely the Ratcliffe flurry will end up as a minor footnote to the season. After all, the Glazers draw down £20 million each year from their leveraged buyout of United. They also have skins as thick as their wallets. United’s overall income stream remains sky-high, whether Premier League champions or not. Why should they sell up? No reason. Yet if nothing else the Ratcliffe mirage…

MAKING OF MESSI As Messi mania swept football, World Soccer was there every step of the way, and this special 100-page bookazine tracks Leo’s amazing journey with club and country. GREATEST RIVALRIES From Rome to Cairo, Glasgow to Buenos Aires, Milan to Shanghai and Budapest to Rio de Janeiro, this edition showcases some of the biggest rivalries in football. FACE TO FACE This issue features a collection of interviews with footballing icons, including Maradona, Kaka, Zidane, Xavi, Ronaldo, Cruyff, Sacchi, Pele, Klinsmann, Shearer and Wenger. HISTORY OF THE EUROS Published specifically to coincide with the European Championship’s 60th anniversary, World Soccer chronicles the history of the Euros, from 1960 through to 2020. PEP TALK The greatest manager of all time or a flawed genius? You decide after reading this special…

In January Team Melli were the first nation from Asia to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. The draw that was made back in April could barely have been more dramatic with a group containing England and the United States. It has been suggested that the prospect of facing these two countries that have loomed so large in Iran’s modern history and current international situation has contributed to the summer of chaos in Tehran, one that ended with former national team coach Carlos Queiroz returning for a second spell in charge. The United States and England, as well as Wales who qualified later, all have homegrown coaches in the form of Gregg Berhalter, Gareth Southgate and Rob Page respectively. All in Iran know that November’s games will be politically charged…

Perth, the largest city in the state of Western Australia, is one of the most isolated major conurbations on the planet. Geographically it’s closer to Jakarta in Indonesia than it is to Sydney, Australia’s biggest city. Home to around two million people, Perth is famous for its pristine beaches and fantastic architecture, as well as a burgeoning community of multi-millionaires. The two wealthiest neighbourhoods in the country are in Perth, populated largely by people who’ve made their money from the mining sector. As anyone from Perth will attest to, it’s also a city that’s mad about sport. The Eagles and the Dockers, two of the country’s most popular AFL teams, are based there, as are the Perth Wildcats, Australia’s most decorated basketball team. Daniel Ricciardo, one of the biggest names…

ALPHONSO DAVIES (Canada) About to take part in their first World Cup in 36 years, Canada continue to rely heavily on players with a Vancouver connection. Back in 1986, the last time the Maple Leafs reached the FIFA main event, long-serving Vancouver Whitecaps servant Bob Lenarduzzi was the team’s trusty right-back and now, in a distinct Pacific remake – albeit left-footed and on the other flank – the wingback berth is splendidly occupied by skilful Bayern Munich speedster “Phonzy” Davies, who started his professional career with the Caps only six years ago. The Bundesliga-based Davies, who will only turn 22 a couple of weeks before the finals, normally plays left-back for Bayern. However, Canada coach John Herdman prefers his most important asset to run free, ostensibly lining up on the…

It is probably just a coincidence that Auckland’s Aotea Centre staged Macbeth shortly before it hosts the Women’s 2023 World Cup draw on October 22, but maybe someone thought William Shakespeare’s cautionary tale about a powerful, ambitious woman would be a suitable precursor. More appropriate would have been one of his many plays in which women had to disguise themselves as male to be accepted, such as Rosalind in As You Like Itor Portia in The Merchant of Venice, as that is what many female footballers had to do when younger. That still applies in some countries, but increasingly few as the qualifying campaign to reach the World Cup – to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand in 2023 – has illustrated. A record172 nations entered, a rise of…

Morocco have kept up a time-honoured pre-World Cup African tradition and looked to shoot themselves in the foot, just months before the kick-off of the tournament in Qatar, with the sacking of Vahid Halilhodzic. Dismissing a coach on the eve of the World Cup finals seems pure folly, and previous panicked changes by African countries ahead of the 2002, 2006 and 2010 tournaments have verified this. Halilhodzic’s departure was not unexpected, it had been brewing for almost a year, making the lateness of the decision by Morocco’s powerful football federation president Fouzi Lekjaa even more ludicrous. Coach and employer had been at odds on several occasions and, by all accounts, Halilhodzic did not run a happy camp. The issue of star man Hakim Ziyech’s exile from the Morocco team, in…

After a year bedevilled by COVID, teething problems with the new broadcast deal, and a campaign in which almost half the teams were displaced for one reason or another, the A-League (Men’s) is hoping for a smoother ride this coming season. Western United were the surprise champions last season, a success based upon some smart recruitment by new coach John Aloisi. Can lightning strike twice? History suggests not. Only Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC have won consecutive titles in the modern era, and Western have already been dumped out of the renamed Australia Cup by semi-pro Sydney United. Still, Aloisi has retained much of the squad that saw off Melbourne City in the Grand Final, and has added ex-Socceroo James Troisi to replace the departing Rene Krhin. They will again…

With just one month to go until Qatar 2022 kicks off, and in the final issue before World Soccer’s renowned World Cup special goes on sale, this edition presents us with the perfect opportunity to highlight the players to watch at what will be a ground-breaking tournament. This World Cup will be an historic occasion for many reasons – it will be the first winter World Cup (for northern-hemisphere nations), the first to take place in the Middle East, and the first since the second edition back in 1934 to feature hosts never to have appeared at the finals previously. It will also be particularly poignant for England supporters to hear the Three Lions proudly sing, “God Save The King” at a World Cup finals following the momentous passing of…

ANTONY By joining Manchester United on the final day of the transfer window, the Brazilian became the most expensive deadline-day signing in history, and took the Premier league’s total spending to somewhere near £1.9 billion for the summer – beating the previous record of £1.4bn, set in 2017. Antony is also the third ex-Ajax player to move to old Trafford this summer, following Lisandro Martinez and Christian eriksen. It is a price that has been baulked at by many observers – the 22-year-old scored eight and assisted four goals in last season’s Eredivisie – but the left-footed winger will undoubtedly add plenty of skill, invention and entertainment to United’s attack. Wesley FOFANA The French centre-back threatened to rival Cristiano ronaldo and Frenkie deJong as the summer’s biggest transfer sagas that…

EVERYBODY ROUND MY HOUSE FOR A PARMO! By Phil Spencer (Pitch Publishing, £16.99) This is the story of the most successful era in Middlesbrough’s history. From Marinelli to Mendieta and Vidmar to Viduka, this ‘small town in Europe’ went from relegation fodder to cup winners on the cusp of European glory in the space of just three seasons from 2003 to 2006. It is one of modern football’s greatest fairy tales, but even the greatest successes come with their fair share of struggles. NEWCASTLE UNITED THE GREAT DAYS By David Potter (Pitch Publishing, £16.99) Newcastle United have a football-mad city all to themselves and fans as passionate as you will find anywhere. Yet their recent record is mediocre at best and poor at worst, with every fan painfully aware that1955…

SUMMER 2022 LATE TRANSFERS £85.5m Antony Ajax to Man. United £72.36m Wesley Fofana Leicester City to Chelsea £63m Alexander Isak Real Sociedad to Newcastle £45m Cristian Romero Atalanta to Tottenham £38.66m Lucas Paqueta Lyon to West Ham United £20.7m Fabian Ruiz Napoli to PSG £18.1m Umar Sadiq Almeria to real Sociedad £16m Hassane Kamara Watford to Udinese £15.5m Carlos Soler Valencia to PSG £15.4m Sasa Kalajdzic Stuttgart to Wolves £15.4m Sofiane Diop Monaco to Nice £15.1m Manuel Akanji B. Dortmund to Man. city £15m Wout Faes Reims to leicester city £15m Neal Maupay Brighton to Everton £14.4m Rasmus Hojlund Sturm Graz to Atalanta £13m Leander Dendoncker Wolves to Aston Villa £13m Emerson Chelsea to West Ham United £12.9m Amine Gouiri Nice to Rennes £12m Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Barcelona to Chelsea £9.9m Jorgen Strand Larsen Groningen to Celta Vigo £9.6m Armand Lauriente Lorient…

At the end of the 2021-22 campaign, Barcelona president Joan Laporta claimed the club had been “clinically dead” when he was elected in March 2021. Ahead of the summer transfer window opening, he warned that they “remained in the ICU”. Two months later, Laporta proudly proclaimed Barca were “out of the hospital” as he unveiled new signing Robert Lewandowski – who, despite celebrating his 34th birthday in August, remains one of football’s genuine superstars. The Poland international was among seven summer arrivals at the Camp Nou, carrying on from a busy January transfer window that saw eye-catching deals for Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (the latter subsequently joined Chelsea, while the former has already been linked with a return to the Premier League). The Catalan club’s debt last season stood…

Dwight Yorke scored 123 Premier League goals, starred in Manchester United’s historic treble in1999 and won the domestic Golden Boot the same season. Yet despite his impressive CV in English football, Yorke has travelled halfway around the world to land his first managerial role, taking the reins of Australian side Macarthur FC ahead of the new A-League season. Many retired players have walked into high-level management careers off the back of far less glittering on-field achievements, but Yorke feels such opportunities are not being afforded to aspiring black and minority managers like himself. “It hasn’t just happened overnight,” Yorke tells World Soccer of the difficulties prospective black managers encounter in the game. “Something has been going on. We talk about inequality and that’s what it is. The picture paints itself.…

It’s somewhat surprising that a team blessed with Erling Haaland’s goalscoring touch, Martin Odegaard’s finesse and a collection of promising elite-level players will be absent from Qatar. But failing to qualify for the best competitions is the norm for Norway. It’s a habit that dates back to Euro 2000 and will continue until 2024, if not longer. Scandinavian counterparts Denmark and Sweden have continually made the grade, while Iceland and Finland have recently entered the frame too. For their Nordic neighbour, though, the wait goes on. After two decades of mediocrity – epitomised by previous coach Lars Lagerback’s three-year tenure – former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Stale Solbakken is now at the helm and leads a team brimming with talent. Many squad members are familiar to English fans – Joshua King,…

Senegal’s joyous march to the last eight of the 2002 World Cup – the west African nation’s best-ever performance in the competition – was feistily spearheaded by effervescent forward El Hadji Diouf, a trash-talking player whose attachment to gamesmanship so often left him alienated and unloved. Two decades on, the Lions of Teranga, reigning African champions and a solid bet to go deep at Qatar 2022, boast a totally different type of standard-bearer: the unassuming and humble character that is deluxe frontrunner and national team talisman Sadio Mane. Growing up in his hometown of Bambali in southern Senegal, the young Mane was entranced by Diouf’s flair and directness. But there was never any chance of Sadio embracing his idol’s provocative on-field persona, the sort of blatant opponent baiting which Diouf…

World Soccer’s next edition, on sale October 19, is our renowned World Cup special collector’s issue. A one-off 148-page bumper issue, you’ll get the expert guide to all 32 teams including squad pen pics, tactics, analysis, coach profiles and the view from local journalists, pundits and former players. With the inside story on how each team qualified, interviews with all 32 coaches, 832 player profiles and a World Cup stadium guide, this is the only tournament preview you’ll need for Qatar 2022. The issue also comes with an A2 World Cup wallchart* so you can follow your country’s journey in the Middle East this winter. Don’t miss it! Print £6.99 Digital £4.99 ORDER NOW shop.kelsey.co.uk/WSC22 Or Call: 01959 543 747 *Australia copies will not include the 2022 World Cup wallchart.…

A gainst all the odds, national team football has revived and found a new rhythm. This is a massive relief for all those fans and federations who feared, for many years, that the power of international club competitions had rendered redundant the old structures of national prestige. Remember that world federation FIFA had been created in1904 simply as a networking tool, in modern jargon, to facilitate international fixtures. The roaring success of the World Cup from the1930s onwards and then the European Championship provided the anticipated glittering shop window for national teams. But the age of the jet engine delivered a simultaneous explosion of international club competition, not only in Europe but in Africa and South America. The result was angry pushback from resentful, possessive clubs over player release. National…

On August17, FIFA banned the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Nine days later, the ban was lifted. It may have been short – certainly compared to the 15 months that neighbouring Pakistan served before their punishment was lifted in July – but there were real worries that had it gone on any longer, it could have had a hugely negative impact on the game on the subcontinent. It came, as it often does, because of “undue influence from third parties”. It started with AIFF CEO Praful Patel staying on too long. He had taken over in 2008 and should have stepped down in 2020 after three terms of four years. The ambitious Patel, who became a member of FIFA Council in 2019, said that there were constitutional issues that still…

The second season of the UEFA Europa Conference League has again offered a handful of opportunities to clubs from smaller European countries, and Vaduz are the first side from Liechtenstein to play in the group stages of European competition. For a club that had only managed to win through to the third qualifying round of European tournaments just twice in 27 appearances previously, becoming the only second-tier club to play in the group stages of UEFA competition this season was a sensation. “We are a small club, achieving this goal is already extraordinary,” says Francesco Pargalia, Vaduz’s assistant coach. “We tried and succeeded, but surely it would have been unreal just to think about it in July.” That was when Vaduz, the only full-time club in a country of just…

AT THE HEART OF THE GAME The kid was special; anyone could see that. He was just17, still at school, but already the finest footballer in the Danish first division when I first saw him in the summer of1982 playing for Brondby in a1-1 draw with B93. Michael Laudrup was the name – and this magazine was the obvious place to announce his talent. So, I tapped away on a typewriter, put a stamp on the envelope, and posted the article to World Soccer where it appeared 40 years ago this month. A generation of magnificent talent from Denmark was just emerging, and it was my good fortune to be able to chronicle the ups and downs of the Danish Dynamite team of Soren Lerby, Preben Elkjaer, Allan Simonsen, Frank…

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING Arrigo Sacchi won his first major title, the league with Milan, in1987-88 and led Italy to the World Cup final in 1994; his career at the very top lasted seven years. Brian Clough won his first major title, the league with Derby County, in1971-72 and his last, the European Cup with Nottingham Forest, in1980. Bill Shankly won his first major title, the league with Liverpool, in1963-64 and his last, the FA Cup with Liverpool, in1974. Vicente del Bosque won his first major title, the Champions League with Real Madrid, in1999-2000 and his last, the Euros with Spain, in 2012. Even the very best managers rarely have much more than a decade at the very top. A study in The Independent in 2020 calculated the span of the elite…

(Sporting) “His body and the way that he plays – remind a little bit from the beginning of Messi,” said Mauricio Pochettino of a young Edwards as he emerged from Tottenham’s academy. It is a description that has followed the Englishman ever since, raising the expectations of him at Spurs to unattainable levels. Despite the fact that his style is reminiscent of the Argentine genius – diminutive, left-footed, low centre of gravity and close ball control – it was an unhelpful comparison, as Edwards struggled to make an impression on English football. Fast-forward a few years and, in September, he became the fifth Englishman to score a Champions League goal for a non-British club in the last four years. A poster boy for spreading your wings and taking on challenges…

Can Charles De Ketelaere become the new face of Belgium’s next generation? With the era of Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard et al. soon coming to an end, that is the challenge for the new Milan signing, alongside Everton’s Amadou Onana, Southampton’s Romeo Lavia and Nottingham Forest’s Orel Mangala. Since the Belgian football revolution in the early 2000s, the Premier League has become a regular destination for some of the country’s best players. Hazard dazzled at Chelsea, Vincent Kompany captained Manchester City before De Bruyne became the club’s midfield metronome. They have all added to the rich history and tapestry of the English top flight. Linked with Leeds United, De Ketelaere has taken a different direction. He moved to Italian champions Milan from Club Brugge for €35 million. It was…

Marko Livaja’s story is an incredible one. The forward was only17 when he was snapped up by Internazionale, recruited from Hajduk Split’s academy and whisked off to Italy, hyped as Croatia’s next big talent. Now, 12 years and nine clubs (across five different countries) later, he is finally living up to the hype, and back at the club where it all started for him. Livaja returned to Hajduk, his hometown club, in 2021. With 28 goals (the highest return since former Arsenal striker Eduardo’s 34 for Dinamo Zagreb in 2006-07), he was the runaway star of last season’s Croatian top flight – a stat made all the more remarkable considering he’d never even hit double figures in a league campaign before. The early years of his career saw him marked…

JAN 2012 Makes his senior professional debut for Metz in the French second tier after joining from Generation Foot. JUN 2012 Scores on his international debut in a 3-1 win over Liberia in 2014 World Cup qualifying. AUG 2012 Starts every match as Senegal reach the quarterfinals of the 2012 Olympics, losing 4-2 after extra-time to eventual champions Mexico. NOV 2013 Starts the second leg of Senegal’s crucial World Cup qualifying play-off against Ivory Coast, as they lose 4-2 on aggregate and miss out on Brazil 2014. SEP 2014 Joins Southampton from Red Bull Salzburg for a fee of £11.8m. JAN 2015 Misses the start of AFCON 2015 with a calf injury, before taking part in Senegal’s group-stage exit. MAY 2015 Scores three times in just two minutes and 56…

How is life in Qatar and how much have you been enjoying it out there? It is really busy. I have been working here for three years at the Aspire Academy across all different sports – not just football. It is something I have embraced since retiring. I went through the processes of getting my UEFA coaching licences, and studying for diplomas and management courses to better myself academically. It has been a long journey working with FIFA, the footballing federations and assisting domestic club teams as well. I still have a relationship with Everton too, and now we are closing in on the greatest show on Earth. Tell us a little bit more about your role at the Aspire Academy. I work across all sports, so we have different…

Bazil’s domination of the Copa Libertadores continues, with the country providing both finalists for the third consecutive year. And for the third time in four seasons, one of the finalists is Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo, whose collection of attacking talent has blown away all comers in the competition, with 12-goal centre-forward Pedro especially impressive. Flamengo go into the final after a campaign of11 wins and a draw. In the quarter-finals they beat compatriots Corinthians home and away, weathering some awkward moments in the first halves before making their superiority count after scoring the first goal. Their semi-final was barely a contest. Velez Sarsfield were the last Argentine club standing, having followed up a shock win over River Plate in the last16 with another triumph over compatriots in the quarter-finals,…

It is understandable that attention is fully focused on the World Cup, but just over a thousand miles to the northwest of Qatar there is plenty of pride in Palestine at the exploits of their football players. For a national team representing a federation that only became a full member of FIFA in1998 to qualify for a third successive Asian Cup, as they did in June, is quite an achievement. Their first appearance came in 2015 when a place at Asia’s biggest event was secured in an unconventional way. The AFC Challenge Cup was a competition that existed for eight of Asia’s “emerging nations” and, in 2014, Palestine defeated the Philippines1-0 to lift the trophy and book a place in Australia. Arriving to compete down under, they were well supported…

SEASON RANKINGS Cumulative votes through the season GOALKEEPERS Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) 5 Yann Sommer (B. M’Gladbach) 2 Diogo Costa (Porto) 1 Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund) 1 Mike Maignan (Milan) 1 Rui Patricio (Roma) 1 Geronimo Rulli (Villarreal) 1 DEFENDERS Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich) 6 David Alaba (Real Madrid) 5 Joao Cancelo (Manchester City) 3 Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur) 3 Eder Militao (Real Madrid) 3 Pau Torres (Villarreal) 3 Gabriel (Arsenal) 2 Roger Ibanez (Roma) 2 Kim Min-jae (Napoli) 2 Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United) 2 Toby Alderweireld (Royal Antwerp) 1 Marc Cucurella (Chelsea) 1 Danilo (Juventus) 1 Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) 1 Oscar De Marcos (Athletic Bilbao) 1 Ruben Dias (Manchester City) 1 Achraf Hakimi (PSG) 1 Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich) 1 Theo Hernandez (Milan) 1 Reece James (Chelsea) 1…

EUROPE 2022-23 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Group a Sep 7 – Amsterdam Ajax 4 (Alvarez17, Berghuis 32, Kudus 33, Bergwijn 80) Rangers 0 Sep 7 – Naples Napoli 4 (Zielinski 5 pen, 47, Zambo Anguissa 31, Simeone 44) Liverpool1 (Diaz 49) Sep 13 – Liverpool Liverpool 2 (Salah17, Matip 89) Aax1 (Kudus 27) Sep 14 – Glasgow Rangers 0 Napoli 3 (Politano 68 pen, Raspadori 85, Ndombele 90+1) Group b Sep 7 – Madrid Atl Madrid 2(Hermoso 90+1, Griezmann 90+11) Porto1 (Uribe 90+6 pen) Sep 7 – Brugge Club brugge1 (Sylla 42) Bayer leverkusen 0 Sep 13 – Porto Porto 0 Club brugge 4 (Jutgla15 pen, Sowah 47, Skov Olsen 52, Nusa 89) Sep 13 – Leverkusen Bayer leverkusen 2 (Andrich 84, Diaby 87) Atletico Madrid 0 Group C Sep 7 –…