Innehållsförteckning för April 2018 från FourFourTwo UK

Young footballers get a bad press. The general perception of academy prospects trying to break through at the world’s biggest teams is often the same: they’re all obsessed with money and fame, and grow up with a sense of entitlement. In 99 per cent of cases, though, that’s simply not true. To make it as a footballer nowadays, you have to dedicate your life to doing everything just right. And only if you’re lucky, will you get there. The money and fame is what everyone sees: the sacrifice and dedication that goes into becoming one of the world’s best young players is something to be admired and a story in itself. A story we try to tell in this issue. In his first major interview, Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe…

 He is now a 35-year-old veteran of big-money moves, Champions League campaigns and World Cup finals, but Rafael van der Vaart could still give the young bucks in this issue of FFT some sage advice on coping with the strain of being a highly-rated youth. “I HAD A LEFT FOOT AND VISION LIKE NO ONE ELSE, BUT I WASN’T THE QUICKEST. IF I’D BEEN FASTER, I MAY HAVE WON THE BALLON D’OR” In 2003 he was the first ever Golden Boy, an award given by European sports journalists, and the field was especially competitive. “If I remember correctly, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo came second and third that year,” Van der Vaart tells us, with a cheeky smirk. Even as a senior pro, the Dutchman hasn’t lost his sense of…

 Hi Steph. Before we start asking you some silly questions about poets and snooker, what is the silliest question you repeatedly get asked by idiots? “SHAKESPEARE IS COOL, BUT IMAGINE A 147 AT THE CRUCIBLE. IT’D BE AMAZING” Hi. One I get asked surprisingly often at airports is, “So, you play football?” I’ll say yes, and they’ll say, “Women’s football?” I’ll say, “Well yes, because I am a woman.” What other kind of football would I be playing? My god! Moronic. We aren’t going to ask you that. But we are going to ask: would you rather get trapped in a lift with two absolutely massive dogs, or 15 average-sized cats? I’d avoid the cats, as that wouldn’t be nice. I’m much more of a dog person. You’re team-mates with…

“LIFTING THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TROPHY IN PARIS WAS ONE OF MY BEST MOMENTS. I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD HAPPEN” Real Madrid 4 Celta Vigo 0 January 22, 1995 La Liga “I had dreamt about making my debut in La Liga ever since I was a child. I can remember every single minute of that day, when I played my first match for Celta Vigo. It was special. I started my senior career at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Madrid, and funnily enough I went on to spend most of my career playing for that team, in that stadium.” Italy 2 Spain 2 November 18, 1998 Friendly “There’s one game that really changed my football career, and it’s this one. In my fourth appearance for the national team, we played against…

“I LOVE THE ANONYMITY, AND THE FACT YOU’RE COMING OUT OF THE PRESSURE COOKER OF PLAYING IN EUROPE” You’re starting your third year at the Tampa Bay Rowdies – how have things gone? Very well – I’m playing football and I’ve been really enjoyed it so far. We finished third last year so it was a decent season for the club, because we made the play-offs for the first time in five years. Did you have other offers before going to the US? I had enquiries from all over the place, such as Asia and India, but it was going to be a football decision and a lifestyle decision ahead of a money decision. This place ticked all the boxes. I get to play football, which I love, as well…

@NevilleSouthall What’s the point of skiing? You get a lift to the top of the mountain, just to come back down. Senseless @GalacticKeegan Sergio Aguero was incredible. I said to him after his four goals against Leicester: “For me, you’ve got an air of Jon Macken about you.” “Who?” he asked. I could’ve bloody lamped him @Carra23 Just woke up and saw this on my phone. WTF! #40 @PortTalbotTown 43’ – Temporary stop in play. A recorded earthquake in the area. Incredible. @KarimSMarcos I just can’t believe that we witnessed a day where an Egyptian is on the cover of FourFourTwo. The things he is doing across Europe are magnificent. What a pride, Mo Salah!…

“I WORKED AT A CAR WASH, SOLD POPSICLES AND MADE TRUFFLES, BUT I DIDN’T LIKE IT – PLAYING FOOTBALL WAS ALL I COULD EVER THINK ABOUT” Richarlison stares blankly at the miniature pool table waiting at his feet. “Could you pot one of the balls?” asks FourFourTwo’s photographer, in English. The Watford forward turns to a Brazilian member of the crew for an explanation in his native tongue, but clarification doesn’t cure the look of bemusement. Undeterred, he collapses his gangly 5ft 11in frame like a Transformer experiencing a malfunction, elbows and knees akimbo as he lines up his shot. As our snapper crouches to line up his own shot, Richarlison’s agent, plus his agent’s wife and a family friend, hang over the back of a sofa at the 20-year-old’s…

Who? It’s “Anders, Anders, Anders Limpar – he comes from Sweden and he’s a star.” Thus sang Arsenal fans in 1991, the same year that Limps picked up Sweden’s Guldbollen (Golden Ball) award. The Gunners’ original Super Swede lifted five trophies during his four-year tenure at Highbury, before signing for Everton. Time Lord Just don’t call him The Doctor. In 1997, Swedish TV pranked Limpar into thinking a plane was actually a time machine that had landed two years in the future. Ageing makeup was applied to his wife and their puppy was swapped for a dog. Seriously. That’ll put you off doing telly… You’d think. In 2015 he won The Great Adventure, a show featuring celebrities in the Scandinavian wilderness. In 2012 Anders co-founded Super Lock – which makes…

MATCH REPORT Football “World’s Champions” Western Daily Press / Gloucester Citizen, July 31, 1930 “Montevideo, July 30. Scenes of enthusiasm exceeding an English final were witnessed here, when 100,000 people assembled to watch Uruguay and the Argentine in the final of the World’s Association Football Championship. (It will be recalled that Uruguay and the Argentine fought out the Olympic final in 1928 amid amazing scenes. After a draw, Uruguay won in the replay by 2 to 1.) All the shops and offices were closed. Fleets of aeroplanes brought spectators from remote towns and 20 special trains unloaded thousands from up-country. Over a quarter of a million fans watched the tournament and receipts amounted to £45,000. Uruguay beat the Argentine by 4 to 2. Several minor riots, in which some…

1 Nicolai Müller @hsv “Swiss ball ‘stir the pots’ are a great exercise for targeting core strength,” maintains Goff, “which is exactly what footballers need to keep their balance.” 2 Robert Lewandowski @_rl9 “Every player should be performing activation work using bands before training sessions. Squatting with them places additional strain on your glutes.” 3 Leroy Sane @leroysane19 “Bungee cords or sleds are a great tool to boost your acceleration. I’d only recommend doing them once the correct sprinting mechanics are set up.” 4 Adam Lallana @officiallallana “The TRX back row will really target and strengthen your back muscles. This is a good routine to ensure players have a balanced posterior and anterior.” 5 DeAndre Yedlin @nufc “Barbell back squats increase your power. As the weight gets heavier towards the…

1 Plank walkout 4 X 30 SECONDS Hopefully you don’t spend too much time on your hands and knees on the pitch, but it’s a surefire way to strengthen your core. “This is an advanced version of a normal plank,” says Pepys. “By putting your hands out in front, you place more stress through the abdominal area.” 2 Cable press 3 X 12 REPS EACH SIDE Having a glistening set of abs isn’t enough if you want to bob and weave at speed. “This will work your anterior sling, which is a group of muscles from the groin on one side over to your abdominals on the other. It all needs to work together when you change direction.” 3 Frontal pallof hol 3 X 30 SECONDS HOLD EACH SIDE Sometimes…

Cyril Masson: The French snapper captured compatriot Kylian Mbappe for this month’s cover feature. Both are unflappable when the pressure’s on, which proved particularly handy on this shoot. “The clock was ticking, with Mbappe’s training session with PSG drawing closer by the second!” Andrew Murray: Our staff writer headed to the Liverpool starlet Trent Alexander-Arnold’s house. “Trent was an impeccable host, even interrupting a rerun of the Tottenham game to sit down for a natter. And it’s not every month a player’s mum offers us a cuppa.” Tom Watkins: The lensman went to Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes to shoot Spurs’ Harry Winks, with the aim of referencing cult classic film The Big Lebowski. “Harry got behind the counter and picked up a pair of shoes. That shot’s a little homage to…

1 GOODNESS GRACIOUS, MEE England Burnley There have been lots of iconic movie posters in the past: Jaws, Pulp Fiction, A Clockwork Orange, Saving Bernardo Silva. Hang on, Saving Bernardo Silva? When Ben Mee rugby-tackled Silva during Burnley’s clash with Man City, he was pictured virtually carrying his opponent over his shoulder, as if the ex-Monaco ace had been wounded in battle. Burnley mocked it up into their own version of the Saving Private Ryan poster, with boss Sean Dyche peeking at the back. Next: Jack Cork cycles to the moon mid-match to recreate ET. 2 CHEVRON BONANZA Nigeria Lagos Nigeria have launched their snazzy new kit range ahead of the World Cup – we haven’t seen so much zig and zag since the days of The Big Breakfast. The…

SICK NOTE Chertanovo Moscow’s Stanislav Manayev caused outrage by blowing his nose using a 5,000 ruble note, joking: “I could have given this to the poor, but I had a runny nose”…

COMPARED TO: Gabriel Batistuta – at least that’s how Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli sees him. Martinez begs to differ: “No, no, I want to be like Radamel Falcao.” THE STORY SO FAR: A natural No.9 and a lethal finisher. His goal record shows that when deployed centrally. Made his debut aged 15 at Liniers, moving to Racing Club a year later. In contention to make Argentina’s World Cup squad, he turned down a loan move to Real Madrid Castilla in 2016 and then looked set to join Atletico Madrid. He is now bound for Serie A side Inter this summer, having hit a hat-trick when one of the Nerazzurri’s directors went to see him. Arsenal were also linked. NICKNAME: El Toro (‘The Bull’), because of his strength. Celebrates goals by…

There can’t be too many songs inspired by the band’s singer unwittingly taking hallucinogens as he watched a soccer tournament in the Amazon. Love songs are more common. However, things are seemingly different for Manchester band The Maple State and their chief songwriter Greg Counsell, who experienced ‘football in hell’ (his words), with devilish beasts and fires everywhere, on a tour of Bolivia. The band had been invited to a village’s amateur football festival. Two beers in, Greg was handed a curious beverage, which he now thinks contained ‘spiritual medicine’ ayahuasca. “It was the dry season and farmers were burning all of their fields, so it was a surreal experience anyway,” Counsell tells FFT. “Then this stuff started to kick in. There seemed to be demon pigs on the pitch…

Title-clincher Scores against Man United on the day that Chelsea seal a second successive Premier League title in 2006. He’s also named in the PFA Team of the Year. World Cup volley Starts all five of England’s games at the 2006 World Cup and crashes home amazing long-range volley during 2-2 draw with Sweden, in man-of-the-match display. Best boy in blue Wins Chelsea’s Player of the Year award in 2008 after helping the club reach their first Champions League final, beating Liverpool over two legs in the last four.…

“AT BONDY MY FATHER WAS MY COACH AND HE PROBABLY SHOUTED AT ALL THE OTHER PLAYERS A BIT MORE THAN HE DID AT ME” “THIAAAAAAGO!” It’s a sunny afternoon over at Paris Saint-Germain’s Camp des Loges training facility, nestled in woodland to the north of the chic residential district of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, around 30 minutes west of Paris. Long-limbed and lithe, Kylian Mbappe has come bounding into the room and now he’s standing with his nose pressed up against the window, gazing out onto the first-team training pitches. They appear in pristine condition thanks to the sterling work of two groundsmen, who have only just finished pushing a pair of industrial-strength lawnmowers across the turf in perfect straight lines. Thiago Motta is doing some one-on-one fitness work with a member of…

THE CORONATION IS EXPECTED TO TAKE PLACE IN MANCHESTER LATER THIS MONTH. GIGI IS GONE. LONG LIVE GIGIO. On March 23, the Etihad Stadium will be the unlikely neutral venue for Italy’s first match since the international retirement of Gianluigi Buffon – a prestige friendly against Argentina. It will be the Azzurri’s first game since Sweden shattered Buffon’s dreams of bowing out in glory, at the World Cup this summer. A substitute that November night, as Italy were surprisingly beaten in a play-off at the San Siro, Gianluigi Donnarumma marched onto the field at full-time to embrace the tearful Buffon, his hero and the man who has been his lifelong inspiration. Now that the path is clear, a few months earlier than originally anticipated. Italy’s goalkeeping jersey is his. Still…

Pink is the colour... If his programme column for the 1985-86 campaign is anything to go by, fuchsia was Fergie’s colour. Hat’s amazing It’s cold in Scotland, so bobble hats are vital. Polka dot skirts, er, less so. Aberdeen: big in Zambia Top marks to sports shop Crombie in 1985, for sending a batch of Dons shirts to Chavuma for the local team to play in. Hands up if you love Stewart McKimmie! Heading for glory... ...which is pretty impressive, given that ball isn’t exactly the roundest we’ve ever seen. Old football, eh? Little Gordon’s alive! What better way to kill time in the airport departure lounge than with a prostrate model in Dons kit? Ace. Best. Illustration. Ever. Or worst, depending on your point of view. Anybody got any…

ESPADRILLE CHIC “Do it Calumin, do it!” bellowed Boca Juniors’ supporters when Pedro Calomino got on the ball. The exciting winger repeatedly circled the sphere with his feet from the point he invented the move in 1910. So old-school, he favoured espadrilles over boots. SCISSOR SKILLS Europe was first treated to the trickery when Law Adam fooled Belgium’s Nicolas Hoydonckx in an October 1932 friendly for the Netherlands. Nicknamed ‘Adam the Scissorsman’, his inspiration had come from watching speed skaters on frozen Dutch canals. JUMPING FOR JOY Italy forward Amedeo Biavati’s lollipops thrilled spectators and deceived opponents during the late-30s. “Biavati perfected the stepover,” said Azzurri manager Vittorio Pozzo. “At full speed he would execute a little jump as if he was going to do a backheel.” RIVAL CLAIMS “The…

This Is Football For a short period in ’99, this rivalled FIFA and PES as the No.1 football game on the PlayStation. Why? The ‘dive’ feature – instantly a winner. Drawstring shirts Man United sparked a mini-revival with their 1992-93 effort, but the originals are always best. Made out of cotton, they weren’t lightweight but looked amazing. Full Members’ Cup Backed by Simod and Zenith Data Systems, the tournament – held from 1985-92 – filled the European football void following the Heysel tragedy.…

LEV YASHIN “I played with some great goalkeepers in my career, like Bill Brown for Scotland and Alex Stepney at Manchester United. At the time, though, Lev was considered the best goalkeeper in the world. I can remember playing with him for a ‘Rest of the World’ team against England at Wembley in 1963 and was blown away by some of the saves he made that day.” DAVE MACKAY “Dave would mainly play in midfield, but he could also operate in defence or even as a sweeper. He was a proper all-round footballer. Even though we were Scottish team-mates and great friends, whenever it came to matches between Tottenham and Manchester United, everything went out of the window. Dave had absolutely no problem giving me a good battering if it…

Spurs vs Juventus March 7 After drawing in Turin, will Spurs knock out Juve and end Gigi Buffon’s Champions League career? Man United vs Liverpool March 10 Two of the Premier League big boys face off – their last four meetings have ended all square Aston Villa vs Wolves March 10 West Midlands rivals meet in a crucial game in the race for promotion from the Championship Rangers vs Celtic March 11 Rangers drew at Celtic in December – now they want a first Old Firm victory at Ibrox since 2012 Barcelona vs Chelsea March 14 Lionel Messi’s first-leg strke has given the Blues a huge task in the return clash at the Camp Nou # LA Galaxy vs LAFC March 31 The first ever MLS game between LA Galaxy…

Football clubs get under your skin – like Nigel Farage. But while no one with their marbles intact would get Farage inked onto their arm, Hertha Berlin are hoping the promise of a lifetime entry to the Olympiastadion will tempt one of their fans to make the skin sacrifice. Last month, the club announced a competition like no other. A tattoo of the club’s crest, complete with QR code that can act as a never-ending season ticket, will go to the fan who best demonstrates their devotion to Hertha. It sounds like lunacy, but the locals are loving it. “We’ve had more than 800 applicants with lyrics, photos and videos,” club spokesman Daniel Schmid tells FFT. “Hertha is a club full of emotion. We’re looking for somebody who’ll show his…

Josh Cook Communications executive, 22 Kayden Jackson Striker, 24 Q: In which year did John Coleman become Stanley manager? JC: 1999, no doubt. 6 KJ: Was it 2000? : 1-0 Q: Who scored the club’s first League Two goal in 2018? JC: I think it was Mark Hughes. 6 KJ: Not that long ago! Mark Hughes, nicely assisted by me from a new corner routine! 6 2-1 Q: In which year were the club promoted back to the Football League? JC: 2006, a true Stanley fan will know that. 6 KJ: I’ll go for 2006. 6 3-2 Q: Which round is the furthest Stanley have ever been in the FA Cup? JC: Not sure, but I think it’s the fifth round. : KJ: Not this season definitely! Third round? :…

ROBOTIC SUPERSTARS Media-trained players always spout the same phrases in interviews now – they no longer show their personality. Ben Conway CARVALHAL REVIVAL People say managerial changes ruin the game, but a new manager can bring a bit of spark. Just look at Carlos Carvalhal. Ben Grace STOP GAMESMANSHIP Football is supposed to be about entertainment, but players waste time and break up play too often. It spoils the game. Andy Evans CALL FOR MANUEL Why did Stoke appoint Paul Lambert as boss, when Manuel Pellegrini is in China and would love a job in England? Arthur Cornell MUSICAL CHAIRS West Brom sacking their chairman in February did not make sense – how was that going to help them avoid relegation? Jenny Bannon LAST MONTH’S SPINE LINE: “When I saw…

It’s rare that a teenager plying his trade in the Football League can be deemed a ‘sure thing’ – a player so likely to make a splash at the very highest level, that the biggest clubs in Europe are already salivating at the prospect of securing the starlet’s signature. FourFourTwo is in a warehouse-turned-football-showroom to not only witness the launch of England’s new kit for this summer’s World Cup, but also to meet Ryan Sessegnon, a player who just so happens to match the above description. Hordes of journalists and selfie-stick wielding YouTubers are hovering around Marcus Rashford, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Butland, but while all this madness is unfolding around him, Fulham’s teenage sensation sits calmly on a stool in the corner of the room. He may not be…

The business class section of a private jet, cruising through the air somewhere between the Algarve and Amsterdam, probably isn’t the setting you’d expect for a young footballer’s big break. As Ajax’s squad relaxed on their way home from a mid-season training camp in the south of Portugal last January, one of the younger members of the travelling party was beckoned to the vacant seat next to manager Peter Bosz. This had been the fresh-faced player’s first prolonged exposure to first-team training, and as such he was only just getting his head round the idea that he was a professional. Having taken a seat next to his gaffer, the youngster was told he had sufficiently impressed Ajax’s coaching staff and would from now on remain with the first team on…

On the evening of Sunday, July 13, 2014, an 18-year-old lad sat in the middle of a restaurant with his mates, both eyes fixed on the big screen in front of him. He had just completed his high-school studies at the Wirtemberg-Gymnasium in Stuttgart, and now he was ready for the greatest celebration of all time. He watched on as, 6,000 miles away at the Maracana in Brazil, Miroslav Klose made his 137th and final outing for Germany. Then he jumped for joy as Mario Götze volleyed home in extra time to win the World Cup for Die Mannschaft. That night, Timo Werner was just like every other football-loving teenager in Germany. This summer, it could be very different. It won’t be Klose leading the line as Joachim Löw’s men…

The late-90s was a glorious time for does-what-it-says-on-the-tin footballer sponsorship deals. If you were a frozen pizza company looking to increase your market share, for instance, all you had to do was give Gianfranco Zola a call. “I miss a real Italian pizza, so I have created my own,” cheered the Chelsea playmaker in August 1997. “It’s full of energy and just the job for budding footballers in your family.” A genius with a football, less so wearing chef whites.…

 You’re a Sheffield lad – what are your earliest football memories? “Rooney’s been helping me a lot with some little pointers. It’s the small things that end up making a big difference” I grew up in Hillsborough near Sheffield Wednesday’s stadium, but I’m a Blade. My family support United, so I grew up following them. I always went down to the local park as there was this concrete court where you could play football and basketball. I used to play on there with a group of mates against older players. We were pretty decent so we’d always give them a good game, but I remember a few times when I got smashed in the mouth by a flailing arm! Do you think cage football can help to develop young players?…

Mousa Dembele Tottenham’s in-form midfielder continues to give opponents the runaround. He is one of the game’s most underrrated players. Nike goalie gloves An innovative pair of strapless gloves with extra grip might give goalkeepers the edge during the World Cup. Gennaro Gattuso The fiery former Milan midfielder, now their manager, allowed all of his players to slap him on the head after a 2-1 win over Lazio. Oussama Tannane The Moroccan ended his season-long loan with Las Palmas after four months, and has said he couldn’t settle as he didn’t know the club was on an island. Nacional The Uruguayan outfit were fined after fans made ‘sick’ gestures about the plane crash in which Chapecoense players lost their lives. Tiemoue Bakayoko The France midfielder is having a tough first…

BEASTMODESOCCER Technical expert David Copeland-Smith shows you how to manipulate the ball with both feet, just like the world’s greatest players. Twitter: @BeastModeSoccer CALLUM HUDSON-ODOI Chelsea prospect The 17-year-old could be Chelsea and England’s next big star. Check out his Twitter page to see outrageous goals. Twitter: @Calteck10 DARREN BURGESS Arsenal performance director The Gunners’ sports science supremo offers cutting-edge insight on how clubs get pros in peak condition. Twitter: @darrenburgess25…