Innehållsförteckning för December 2016 från FourFourTwo UK

We first talked about doing a Manchester City cover feature at the start of last season, as we wanted to follow up our September 2010 story with the club. Six years ago, the Blues were looking to win their first Premier League title, while establishing themselves among the English elite. With both aims met, we wanted to know what was next? However, with the first team underperforming in the league and the future of manager Manuel Pellegrini unclear, going back didn’t feel quite right. Then a few things happened. City’s Under-16 and U14 teams enjoyed 9-0 wins over Manchester United and Liverpool, their women’s team secured a league (their first) and cup double and, oh yeah, they brought in Pep Guardiola. From top to bottom, the club felt revitalised. What…

“I’VE ALWAYS HAD A BIT OF A CAMP SIDE. AT THE HAIRDRESSERS’ I’D SHAMPOO THE OLD LADIES, DO THEIR PERMS AND PUT IN ALL THE ROLLERS” CLUBS 1980-81 Crockenhill 1981-87 Gillingham 1987-90 Millwall 1990-91 Aston Villa 1991-92 Celtic 1992-94 Chelsea 1994-97 Marseille 1997-2000 Nancy 2000 Red Star 93 COUNTRY 1985-99 Rep of Ireland DID MAN UNITED TRY TO SIGN HIM FOR £2 MILLION? WHAT WAS IT LIKE BEING IN AN ARMED ROBBERY? WHO WAS THE HARDEST PLAYER HE EVER FACED? Tony Cascarino has always been a bit different. During a life where he has experienced an armed robbery, fights with the police and aborted careers as both a builder and a hairdresser, he was a classic football hard man who was once asked by one of his managers to stop…

“ASTON VILLA MAY BE THE VILLANS, BUT THEIR BADGE FEATURES A LION - I LIKE THE IDEA OF A WOLF VERSUS A LION” Wolves decided to have a bit of a think over the summer, and came up with an idea. Why keep on putting the usual generic shot of a player on the front cover of the match programme, when you can have a massive wolf staring down at the opposition instead? It’s bad news for Danny Batth, Dominic Iorfa and David Edwards – their mugs will not be gracing the front of the club’s matchday magazine this season, as is the traditional style. But even they will surely agree that what Wolves came up with looks pretty good. The Championship club have ditched the standard player pictures in…

When Cagliari duo Fabio Pisacane and Federico Melchiorri stepped on to the field for a Serie A match recently, it signalled the completion of two remarkable tales. Thirty-year-old defender Pisacane was struck down by Guillain-Barre syndrome during his teenage years, unable to move a muscle and told hopes of becoming a footballer were all but over following a period in a coma. Striker Melchiorri, 29, played in Serie A for Siena aged 19, but saw his career come to a halt when he had to undergo brain surgery, after a tumour was found. But both players have recovered and worked their way up through the leagues until finally getting to play in Serie A this season for Cagliari. Pisacane wept as he spoke on TV after his top-flight debut in…

“I MISSED A FEW PATCHES AND ENDED UP WITH HAND-SHAPED SUNBURN ALL OVER MY CHEST” Hi Harry… Hello mate! Can you hang on a second or two? I’m in a shop at the moment. Of course. [Minutes later] Sorry, sorry. I was over at, what do they call it… bloody hell… B&Q. We had terrible weather down on the south coast yesterday, and my patio furniture blew away. All over the garden. You’ve been buying new furniture? No – something to tie it down with. The wife sent me out. Now I’ve got to sort out strapping down all this bloody stuff. Do you enjoy shopping, generally? I hate shopping. I don’t go shopping ever, ever, ever. Apart from just then. Good attitude. You’ve just written a book called…

The Bottom Corner Nige Tassell (Yellow Jersey, £14.99) In an era when the focus has increasingly turned towards the global game, it’s easy to forget that there are still remarkable tales to be told in non-league. The key is knowing where to look – and Nige Tassell does all the groundwork expertly, spending an entire season away from the Premier League. The author talks to a host of fascinating interviewees such as the manager of the worst team in the FA Cup (19 defeats in a row), the Philippines international playing at Ascot as well as the Gibraltar striker with Shaw Lane Aquaforce. Other highlights include his conversations with Tranmere’s ex-FA chief, Mark Palios, South Shields veteran Julio Arca and the Sutton man who once had to rush away from…

Youri Tielemans CLUB Anderlecht POSITION Central midfield VALUE £12.6m FOOT R HEIGHT 1.76m NATION BEL AGE 19 TECHNICAL “He astonished me with his splendid technique and the way he always seems to make the right decisions,” said Roberto Martinez when he added the teenager to Belgium’s senior squad. Tielemans excels at recovering the ball from opponents and swiftly moving through the gears to set up an attack. Regarded as the hottest Belgian prospect in years, his technique allows him to direct the pace of the game, playing one-touch and launching quick counter-attacks or calmly keeping the ball under pressure. Strong with both feet, Tielemans has a powerful shot and is a danger from free-kicks. MENTAL Closely guided by a team of psychologists since the age of five at Anderlecht’s youth…

@davidgold Carlos Bacca wouldn’t come for love nor money so the only other option was to kidnap him which is of course illegal. dg @rwnicholls Brilliant @ColinKazim article in the last @FourFourTwo mag. A British-born footballer doing what many players refuse to do; challenging himself. @VirginTrains With Di Matteo leaving, the next batch of potential #AVFC managers have just left for Birmingham New Street... @AVFCOfficial Would our managerial candidates actually get here for interview on time if they arrived via @VirginTrains? @VirginTrains We’ve had more trains arrive on time in the last week than you’ve had wins in 12 months.…

“I STEPPED IN TO DO COMMENTARY IN ’94; NOW I’M CALLED ‘THE VOICE OF OLDHAM!’” GORDON LAWTON 62 Oldham Athletic Media manager AT THE CLUB SINCE 1986 “My job title at the moment is media manager. It’s basically a glorified name for programme editor. I first arrived 30 years ago to launch a lottery in the commercial department. At the time, club lotteries did not really exist in football, but we managed to build it up to 14,000 members. Shops, old people’s homes, hospitals – everybody got on board with it. I know the on-pitch success came at that sort of time, but to get 14,000 people to stump up a pound every single week, in a place like Oldham, was absolutely phenomenal. When the National Lottery came into force…

MYTH BUSTER The word ‘soccer’ is an American invention In fact, in the mid-19th century it was more common than ‘football’ – the Yanks wanted to remain faithful Items supplied by the National Football Museum – visit nationalfootballmuseum.com for more info…

MEATY STUFF St Pauli have won an award for their vegan food, but meat was key to their history amid rationing after the war. Defender and butchers’ son Karl Miller lured stars to the club by offering free cuts. Anyone for a sausage party? GREENER GRASS Cool, edgy, punky St Pauli moved to the Millerntor (below) in 1960 as their home got taken over by the International Garden Festival. Rock on! BUILDING BIG Football’s foremost anti-fascists, St Pauli built the Millerntor next to a Nazi ‘flak tower’, designed as an air-raid shelter and anti-aircraft gun blockhouse during the war. It now hosts friendlier gatherings, such as music gigs. HOOKERS’ DELIGHT Prostitutes from the nearby Reeperbahn have formed a key part of the club’s anti-establishment support since the mid-’80s. The official…

“The Sheffield public were introduced to a decided novelty in football last evening – a match with the assistance of the electric light. The contest at Bramall Lane, between two teams selected by the Sheffield Football Association, was the first ever played in this country – or anywhere else, we believe – with the assistance of artificial illumination. The match was to commence at half past seven, and considerably before that hour the roads to Bramall Lane were completely besieged. The lights were conducted from temporary wooden stands fixed to each goal, elevated 30ft high. Everybody seemed highly pleased with the result, the light being most brilliant and effective. The red and blue colours of the two sides were visible, though it was difficult to discern movements at the top…

Age 27 Height 6ft 2in First Football League goal For Swindon at Carlisle in 2009 Favourite goal An extra-time tap-in for QPR to beat Wigan in the 2014 Championship play-off semi-final Pre-match playlist “Oasis, Drake and Bastille are three of my favourites” Favourite tune “I like Champagne Supernova by Oasis – hearing it means it’s time to get to work” Pre-match meal “Pasta, chicken and a bit of pesto. It’s boring, really” Treat food Katsu curry…

Juan Mata He held up the team bus to pose for a pic with disabled fan Alex Nield. Top man, Juan. Vitamin D tablets Studies suggest that one a day will protect you from diseases that include cancer and type 1 diabetes. Nick Cushing The Man City Women manager lifted the Continental Cup, then sped away to see his daughter being born. eSports If you spend your Saturday evenings watching grown men playing video games online, it’s time you got a new hobby. England The Three Lions were lucky to come away from Slovenia with a 0-0 draw thanks to Joe Hart’s efforts. Where can we watch some paint drying? Roberto Di Matteo Four years ago he won the Champions League with Chelsea; now he’s in the dole queue, having…

HE ANSWERS Alessandro Florenzi Roma and Italy’s Mr Versatile “As a full-back you have to run at top speed to get up and down the pitch, but you get more time to recover when the ball is over on the other side. The fitness demands of a central midfielder differ a lot. Full-backs run in straight lines, but in midfield your running is quite jerky: you have to run left and right and also stop and start very quickly. Midfielders rarely get a chance to rest.”…

Umbro UX Accuro Pro HG Representing the third iteration in the UX story, the Umbro Accuro Pro boots are lightweight and provide a quality touch on the ball thanks to their innovative and cutting-edge technology. adidas X16+ Purechaos FG/AG Part of the Stellar Pack, the adidas X 16+ Purechaos FG boots feature an innovative Techfit upper and Purecut sock system that is designed to enhance your speed on firm and artificial ground. PUMA evoSPEED II FG Created for players who rely on their pace, the PUMA evoSPEED SL II FG boots feature a lightweight upper and soleplate to enhance your acceleration in all directions on firm ground surfaces. Nike Mercurial Superfly V CR7 FG Along with Ronaldo-inspired graphics, the third chapter of the CR7 combines a lightweight contoured plate with…

Leon Csernohlavek: The snapper traversed the country to capture the lives of long-serving club employees. “I was happy to go and see the groundsman at West Brom. I’d recently laid some turf and wanted tips for my lawn. I just need a big mower now.” Stuart Manley: Our cover photographer “felt like a Belieber when Guardiola walked in. He has this aura, and I’d never seen so many people go quiet at a shoot. Raheem Sterling was such a nice guy and seemed genuinely happy to do whatever was needed.” Ben Welch: The Performance editor spoke to Alex Ferguson’s most trusted aides to find out what made him such a great leader. “Despite his public persona as a gruff Scot, he was a personable guy who made everyone feel important.”…

1 SUPERSTITIOUS BUSHES CONFUSE MENTALIST Chile Santiago Things haven’t been going so well on the field for Colo-Colo, but the Chilean giants had a solution: witchcraft. Club officials decided to plant eight ‘superstitious bushes’ and then smear eight litres of vinegar over the dressing room. One problem: Colo-Colo celebrity fan Yolanda Sultana, who describes herself on her Twitter account as an astrologer and “mentalist”, intervened to tell them they were doing it all wrong. “They needed garlic, too,” she said. And maybe some good footballers as well? 2 PIGS ON THE PITCH England Charlton Pigs stopped play at The Valley, where Charlton Athletic’s match at home to Coventry was halted for five minutes when fans hurled 3,000 of the mini porcine creatures onto the pitch. Supporters of the two League…

“MY SOLEMN PLEDGE IS THAT CREWE WILL WIN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE” Crewe Alexandra owner The Whitby Morrison Ice Cream Van Stand at Gresty Road has never seen anything like it. Flanked by his children Tiffany, Donald Junior, Thunce, Grebe, Prancer and Cupid, wife Melania and her $5 million Miniature Schnauzer, Donald approaches a lectern that’s emblazoned with the slogan “MAKE EAST CHESHIRE – INCLUDING THE NANTWICH AREA – REASONABLE AT FOOTBALL AGAIN” and addresses a grumpy-looking journalist from the Staffordshire Sentinel. “I’m twice as rich as Roman Abramovich, you know – he’s a dead-badger-bearded basket case,” he fibs. “We, The Railwaymen, will win the Champions League this year – that is my solemn pledge,” he adds, before being informed by one of his minions that The Alex aren’t in the…

Answers 1) 1989-90 (Milan); 2) 2014-15 (Cultural Leonesa); 3) 1995-97 (Ajax); 4) 1995-96 (Manchester United); 5) 1992-94 (Norwich City); 6) 1888-1900 (Preston North End); 7) 1991-93 (Arsenal); 8) 1999-2001 (Real Madrid); 9) 2007-08 (Liverpool); 10) 1986 (Argentina); 11) 1997-98 (Juventus); 12) 1994 (USA); 13) 1995-97 (England); 14) 2011-12 (Chelsea); 15) 1952-55 (Blackpool); 16) 1994-96 (Rangers); 17) 2006-07 (Celtic); 18) 1974-77 (Barcelona); 19) 2012-13 (Spurs); 20) 1978-81 (Coventry) DEBUT NUMBER 37 Journeyman striker Jefferson Louis completed the 37th move of a 20-year career when he signed for Oxford City having left Staines…

Harry Kane might have slipped off the top of the Premier League goal charts, but soon he could be shooting to the top of the music charts instead. OK, that might be ambitious, but the Shetlands-based Big Time Quell, who describe themselves as a comedy-rockjazz-folk-pop-synthreggae band, have been getting local airtime after penning a song dedicated to the Spurs striker. Back of the Net includes such lyrics as “he’s the man of the game, no two goals are the same” and “the odds are stacked, you’re playing to win, you have got the ball, now pass it to him”. Vocalist and Spurs supporter Jamie Hatch says: “We really wanted to do a tongue-in-cheek football song. I’d love it to be played at White Hart Lane.” He has been trying to…

“I WANT TO PLAY ATTRACTIVE FOOTBALL - IT IS THE DUTCH WAY. FORGET THAT I WAS A DEFENDER; I WANT TO ATTACK AND WIN GAMES” When you retired as a player back in 2007, you said that you had no interest in moving into management. Why did you change your mind? Yes, I admit I was completely wrong. At the time I finished playing, I thought I didn’t want all that pressure any more, but I had to do something – I’m not the type of person to sit at home and stare out of the window all day. I was offered lots of television work, including being on the Dutch version of Big Brother, but I didn’t want that. The truth is when I retired from football, I stopped…

WHAT DO THE BROADCASTERS PAY FOR? REAL MADRID, BARÇA, BAYERN, JUVE AND THE PREMIER LEAGUE’S SUPER-POWERS Every three years, the pattern repeats – three stages of destructive grief in the struggle for supremacy at the top of European football. Its twists and turns are familiar, an endless buzzing that forms part of football’s background noise. Stage One: the threats. As soon as discussions over the future of the lucrative Champions League – how it will work, who will qualify, where the money will go – loom on the horizon, noises start to emanate from Europe’s most powerful clubs. They grumble that change is necessary, murmur that the current format is not working, growl that if their demands aren’t met, they will have no choice but to break free of UEFA’s…

FREE-KICKS NOT RIGHT There’s a fundamental fault in the game. When a wall forms 10 yards from a free-kick, that wall should be curved. Daniel Twist NO TO SOUTHGATE Gareth Southgate isn’t qualified for the England job. Hiring him would be an admission that the FA have run out of ideas. David Wills FOURTH SUBSTITUTE If you had a fourth sub who could come on only for injured players, there would be fewer injuries because of tiredness. Tim Heberden LEICESTER DEFENDING Leicester’s title reader defence of hasn’t started well it’s , taken but what did people figure expect out ? What they pulled line off . last season was a miracle. Greg Rowan TICKET PRICES It’s ridiculous that there is a £30 cap to on away Premier League tickets, yet…

What now? When Sam Allardyce and the FA “mutually agreed” to end his reign as England manager prematurely at the end of September, two months into a two-year deal, that was the only question that the national team’s supporters could ask. As soon as footage emerged of the former Bolton, West Ham and Sunderland manager telling undercover Telegraph reporters that it was possible to circumvent third-party ownership rules – rules imposed by his employers – Big Sam’s departure seemed imminent. Just 67 days earlier, Allardyce had headed a shortlist of just one to succeed Roy Hodgson following his and England’s Euro 2016 exit. Gareth Southgate’s interim spell in charge of the team comes to an end in November, yet he seems the only viable native candidate to be given the…

To celebrate Israeli Independence Day in May 1957, 45,000 fans flocked to Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York, to watch a touring Hapoel Tel Aviv side overcome an American Soccer League XI 6-4. But the real fireworks came beforehand, as Hollywood queen bee Marilyn Monroe kicked off proceedings before leaving in a suitably glamorous Cadillac limousine. Some like it hot, they say, and she certainly raised temperatures among the Big Apple’s football fans.…

SALDANHA FIRES A WARNING SHOT With a World Cup on the horizon and the Brazilian team in a mess, journalist Joao Saldanha becomes boss in February. Despite wins in his first 13 games, he claims Pele can’t see properly, refuses to play striker Dario – Brazilian president-cum-dictator Emilio Medici’s favourite player – and hunts down one critic while armed with a pistol. As you do. THIS MEANS WAR Political tensions boil over in late June as El Salvador snatch an extra-time winner in neutral Mexico to beat bitter rivals Honduras in a World Cup qualifying play-off. It takes 5,000 armed police to separate both sets of fans. A fortnight later, the former invades the latter to spark a four-day ‘Football War’ between the two countries, with 3,000 casualties recorded. Leave…

Sensible Soccer Where would FIFA or Pro Evo be now without Amiga’s top-down angles and luminous pitch? They’d be nowhere. Pure ’90s brilliance. Adidas Copa Mundials First introduced in 1979 ahead of the 1982 World Cup in Spain, and barely altered at all since, boots don’t come much comfier. And just look at them. Kes Sure, it’s only one scene in a film about a schoolboy and his kestrel (that’s not a euphemism), but director Ken Loach’s harsh depiction of the caustic ruling PE teacher Mr Sugden is right on the money.…

FREE WEIGHTS We can’t quite put our finger on why, but there’s something manly about holding a pair of rusty old dumbbells in your hands. Plus, strength training using free weights won’t just satisfy the alpha male in you – it’ll also help to improve your physical performance out on the pitch. A 2008 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research noted improvements in acceleration, peak sprinting velocity and 40-metre sprint time in a group taking part in strength training twice a week for seven weeks. A further study published in February of this year showed that a group of young footballers who underwent a weights training programme suffered far fewer injuries during a season than a group who did no resistance work. 1 “Free weights’ greater range…

ADIDAS SEQUENCIALS RUNNING TIGHTS Climacool ventilation will keep you cool and dry, while the smooth material helps to prevent any chafing. Ace. Cost £32.95 Buy www.adidas.co.uk UNDER ARMOUR NO BREAKS LEGGINGS Stretch-fit fabric means these are comfy enough to wear all day. They even have pockets to store your phone and keys. Cost £40 Buy www.underarmour.co.uk NEW BALANCE ACCELERATE TIGHT Ankle zip openings ensure an adjustable fit, while the reflective logo makes you more visible if you’re running at night. Cost £30 Buy www.newbalance.co.uk…

The Messi 16 Space Dust collection continues the otherworldly narrative that has run through adidas releases including the most recent Stellar Pack. The different models all have features and benefits that help you utilise your agility to play the Messi way and dominate the opposition. The model he wears on the pitch, the Messi 16.1, featuring an ultra-flexible Agilityknit upper, provides all the agility Leo’s game requires in a different execution with a mono-tongue construction for strike-ready lockdown, superb support and optimum comfort. For the lowdown on the new adidas Messi 16.1 Space Dust boots Leo will wear in UEFA Champions League action, there was only one person to speak to. So Pro:Direct jumped on a plane to Spain to chill out with the man himself at the sports campus…

PAOLO MALDINI “I’ve got to have Maldini in my team – so much so, I’m going to have to leave myself out! He was a legend at Milan and a hero of mine when I was growing up. Since then I have come across him a few times in my career and he’s a real gentleman. He has got to be in my side.” RIO FERDINAND “Playing alongside him for England, I could see how he was one of the world’s best centre-backs on the ball. He was always so comfortable. As a defender, I think Rio had everything: composure, speed and he read the game well, too. He scored the odd goal as well. It was a real pleasure to play alongside him.” STEVEN GERRARD “People often spoke about…

Arsenal vs Tottenham November 6 North London rivals go head-to-head: will Spurs dominate and fail to secure victory again? Brazil vs Argentina November 10 South American grudge match, as Argentina bid to save flagging World Cup qualifying campaign England vs Scotland November 11 Last time Scotland visited Wembley, England’s winning goal was scored by, er, Rickie Lambert Dortmund vs Bayern November 19 The Bundesliga’s biggest battle as bullish BVB take on Bavaria’s best at Signal Iduna Park Milan vs Inter November 20 The Derby della Madonnina at the San Siro, as two Italian giants bid to return to former glories Barcelona vs Real Madrid December 3 Zidane won his first Clasico as Real Madrid boss – now he’s aiming for another Camp Nou victory…

Hartlepool United’s goal of the month award for September was as inevitable as a North Korean election result. After only winger Nathan Thomas found the net during Pools’ five games, it was simply a matter of deciding which of his hits was the best. “I hadn’t realised that nobody else had scored until our media guy put out the nominations,” Thomas admits to FFT. Bizarrely, the 22-year-old doesn’t entirely agree with the goal that won. “The winner, where I whipped the ball into the far corner at Yeovil, was decent,” he says. “But the first, a counter-attacking goal against Yeovil, was harder to score. I’d vote for that one.” He reckons he has got October’s award sewn up, as well. “I chipped the keeper against Grimsby – it was better…

DUNDEE UTD Scott Innes Lorry driver, 45 Lewis Toshney Defender, 24 Q: Who scored the club’s second and decisive goal against Barça at the Camp Nou in 1987? SI: Iain Ferguson! What a match that was! LT: I don’t have a clue! 1-0 Fan Q: Who is the club’s all-time record appearance maker? SI: It’s Dave Narey. LT: Paul Sturrock or Dave Narey... I’ll go Narey. 2-1 Fan Q: Who scored an injury-time equaliser at home to Dundee in March 2016? SI: I’m pretty sure that it was Billy Mckay. LT: I should definitely know this one. I think it was Billy Mckay? 3-2 Fan Q: In which year did the Tangerines last win the Scottish title? SI: It was definitely 1983. Happy days. LT: 1982? 1983? Er, I’ll go…

Goalkeeper Deren Ibrahim didn’t have long to savour the moment when he took to the field for his Gibraltar debut against Belgium. The Sidcup-born 25-year-old plays his club football in the National League South with Dartford, so was delighted to be given the nod between the sticks ahead of the more experienced Jordan Perez and Jamie Robba. That delight was short-lived, though – after Christian Benteke surged through the defence and lofted the ball over him to put Belgium 1-0 up after exactly 8.1 seconds, the fastest goal ever scored in a competitive international. Oops. “It all happened so quickly,” Ibrahim tells FFT. “Still, at least I can always say my international debut was a record breaker! Regardless of that goal, it was a massive honour to represent my country…

MANSFIELD TOWN STAGMOBILE If you’re a fan of League Two club Mansfield Town and you’ve got a spare £1,590 burning a hole in your pocket, we’ve got just the thing for you. Why not splash out on a mobility scooter daubed in the yellow-and-blue colour scheme of the Stags, that even sports the club crest? It has a 25-mile range and a top speed of 6mph – and, the club’s website says, you can call up for a free demonstration. We’re thinking of getting down there ourselves and taking it for a spin around Field Mill. We might pass on the price, though.…

Player of the year A shock 1-0 win over Ajax earns Stam a move from Willem II to PSV, where he wins the 1996-97 Eredivisie title and is named Dutch Footballer of the Year. Dutch master A month after a £10.75 million move to Man United made him the most expensive defender in history, he helps the Dutch reach the semis of the 1998 World Cup. Instant Treble Wins the Treble in his first season at Old Trafford, lifting the Premier League trophy and FA Cup before lining up in the famous Champions League victory over Bayern Munich.…

GORDON MILNE Besiktas 1992-93 The former Liverpool midfielder had won three successive Turkish titles, but his men bowed out to Gothenburg in the last 32. HOWARD WILKINSON Leeds 1992-93 A replayed victory over Stuttgart (who illegally fielded a fourth foreign player) brought Rangers in the last 16. Leeds lost. RAY HARFORD Blackburn 1995-96 King Kenny’s successor brought no success: only last place in a group with Spartak Moscow, Legia Warsaw and Rosenborg. BOBBY ROBSON Porto ’95-96; PSV ’98-99; Newcastle 2002-03 The only Englishman to manage in the European Cup more than once did not reach the last eight. HARRY REDKNAPP Spurs 2010-11 His Bale-fuelled side beat both Milan and Inter to make the last eight, but a 4-0 loss at the Bernabeu brought a humbling end. GARY NEVILLE Valencia 2015-16…

Ferenc Puskas was 29 when he died for the first time. On October 27, 1956, French news agency AFP announced that the greatest striker of his age had been killed in Budapest during the Hungarian Uprising. It seemed credible: more than 2,500 Hungarians would die – with a further 13,000 being wounded – in a doomed revolution against Soviet tyranny, and the country was in chaos. As exaggerated reports of Puskas’ demise spread, the Galloping Major was actually 40 miles north-west, at a training camp in Tata with the rest of the national team before an upcoming friendly against Sweden. With violence escalating, the game was eventually called off and the players headed home. Among the consequences of the Hungarian bid for freedom was the destruction of a great, innovative…

Who? You know him. The balding midfielder’s majestic header for minnows Bulgaria sent Germany home from the 1994 World Cup. Things started to go south, though, after he’d helped to recreate the goal for Baddiel and Skinner’s Phoenix from the Flames a year later. Oh dear… In 1997 he signed for Besiktas, but had quit the game six months later after refusing to pay a fine for turning up late from holidays, and FIFA banned him when he then played for Bulgaria without permission. He went back to CSKA Sofia in 2001, before retiring with his hometown team Sliven in 2004. And after football? Letchkov ran a hotel chain in Sliven, then became the mayor. He was voted out in 2011, accused of abusing his power to improve his hotels.…

1 DETROIT EXPRESS 1978, HOME Co-owner Jimmy Hill clearly believed the future to be orange, kitting out sharpshooting Trevor Francis in this hard-to-miss strip that accentuated the flame-coloured curls of team-mate Alan Brazil. 2 NEW YORK COSMOS 1975, HOME When Pele arrived in Manhattan from Santos in 1975, the Cosmos’ strip was an undeniably simple affair: a white shirt with modest green trim. But it was the distinctive club badge that gave the kit its iconic status, as well as the footballing royalty wearing it. 3 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS 1979, AWAY Adding maple leafs to the sleeves brought an immediate on-field impact for the Canadian outfit. Journeymen such as Trevor Whymark and Roger Kenyon became instant style icons and the Whitecaps romped to that year’s Soccer Bowl title. 4 PHILADELPHIA FURY…

“You can trick a defender by pretending to switch off. You’re playing a game of cat and mouse” Hi Charlie. What advice can you give us to help improve our finishing? Hi. It’s all about composure. When you’re in front of goal, don’t panic. I think a lot of people get into that position and then freeze and take too long. If you’re one-on-one with the keeper, it’s important that you don’t change your mind. If you feel like you’re going to go round him, go round him. If you feel like you’re going to take an early shot, then go and do it. If you want to chip him, do that. All of my finishing is about committing to it – relax, pick your spot and commit. What’s your…

What is it? The SIXPAD Abs Fit is designed to help give you a washboard stomach while you’re at work, carrying out household chores or just lazing about on the sofa. How does it work? Six pads stick to your abdominals and pump out electric waves, making your muscles contract. For best results, the user should undergo one 23-minute session every day for eight weeks. Who uses it? None other than Real Madrid star, Euro 2016 winner and owner of football’s most famous set of abs, Cristiano Ronaldo. The 31-year-old says the tech is an indispensable part of his daily training regime. Why is he using it? Possibly to earn a large sum of money from an endorsement deal. Even so, the technology does allow its user to directly target…

If you’re anything like FFT , you grew up with your mum and dad warning you not to skip breakfast or exercise on an empty stomach. In recent years, however, athletes from a number of sports have opted to ignore those cries and use fasted training to help them lose weight. That list includes three-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome. “Chris rides in the morning and then has breakfast,” former Team Sky nutritionist Nigel Mitchell tells FFT. “Leading up to a race, this gets him down to his optimum weight. “When you wake up, your body’s glycogen stores are depleted, so when you train you’ll use fat as a fuel and start to lose pounds.” Sounds simple – but could it work for pro footballers who…