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FourFourTwo
January 2021
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Other Articles in this Issue


FourFourTwo
DIEGO MARADONA 1960 -2020
In the history of football, no player has
YOU ASK...
NICKLAS BENDTNER
Interview Sam Pilger “I don’t regret wearing those
UPFRONT
MEAN WHILE IN …
…Cologne, the RheinEnergieStadion has remained without supporters – but sad clowns have been allowed in
GAMES THAT CHAnGED MY LIFE JAMIE CARRAGHER
HE’S GONE WHERE? Ex-Arsenal and Barça star Alex
JERSEY’S YEAR FROM HELL
Bulls won every game, but ended up lower than they started
THE ULTIMATE QUIZ
Remember anything about 2020 other than what your living room looks like? There’s only one way to find out
LAURA WOODS
The talkSPORT breakfast host and Sky Sports screen star on Welsh cakes, Belgian mosh pits, a topless Ray Parlour and turbo Tinder-swiping at the Emirates
THE HISTORY MAKER
In 2020, an African manager won a European league for the first time
HILTON
The Brazilian centre-back may be 43 years old, but he’s still playing against Mbappe & Co in Ligue 1 – a decade after being threatened at gunpoint
THE VIEW FROM THE STANDS
ASKING FOR TROUBLE Maskless fans crowded around Santos’
FEATURES
NO BALLON D’OR? NO PROBLEMNO BALLON D’OR? NO PROBLEM
Football’s glitziest individual award has been scrapped this year – but it won’t stop FFT crowning our own king and queen of a mad 2020. With votes from 128 journalists in 102 countries, we discover who’s been robbed
“LEWAN DOWSKI DOESN’T CARE ABOUT SCORING BEAUTIFUL GOALS – HE JUST WANTS TO SCORE”
A runaway winner in 2020 – ranked top by 87 of our 101 voters – no one else even came close to FFT’s No.1 than Lewy after a stunning year in front of goal
HEN DO: HUGE IN SOUTH KOREA
They saw, they voted: 101 journalists from 101 nations on six continents handed FFT their picks for 2020’s top players, and their winner was clear
“I’M SURE SOME MALE PLAYERS ARE LIVIN G ALMOST TWO LIVES – THAT’S REALLY SAD”
FFT’s No.1 female player of 2020 isn’t just a superstar on the pitch: Chelsea’s Pernille Harder is also using her status to fight for equality in a changing world
OUR SIX POINTS GO TO…DENMARK!
Harder, though, didn’t need neighbourly love in Scandinavia to come top
AFTER 30 YEARS OF WAITING, U’RE ENTITLED TO MAKE A NIGHT OF IT
While the world collapsed in 2020, Andrew Robertson lifted Liverpool’s first top-flight title for three decades, then helped to finally end Scotland’s 22-year wait for a major tournament appearance as captain. And, boy, did he make the most of it – even if it meant (briefly) donning a Chelsea shirt, as he tells FFT
“I’M EVEN MISSING THE ABUSE I USED TO GET!”
Neil Warnock has fought off coronavirus to save Middlesbrough from relegation and boss his 1,500th game in 2020. With that twinkle in his eye still there, he tells FFT that retirement talk will have to wait
HEY JUDE YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR
At  17, Jude Bellingham has already dazzled for a season in the Championship, made Champions League history and settled seamlessly into his new surroundings with Borussia Dortmund. Toppling Bayern Munich? No worries
BUNDESBRITS
Only 35 players from British shores have plied their trade in Germany’s top tier – but some left a lasting impression
IT’S ALL GONE LOCO IN LA CORUNA
Twenty years ago, Deportivo La Coruna became Spanish champions – now, they’re languishing in the third tier for the first time since 1981. How on Earth did things get so bad? FFT goes in search of answers
IBRA-CADABRA
Bravado follows Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but why change when you back it up? Now 39, the Swede retains his magic
IN MEMORIAM GIANT JACK
In July, football mourned after losing one of its greatest ever characters; a man loved in not one but two nations thanks to his outstanding work as both a player and manager. Now, FFT remembers the everlasting laughs of Jack Charlton with those who knew him
9 REASONS WHY LEEDS LOVES BIELSA
It needed a madcap Argentine to scratch Leeds’ 16-year Premier League itch. The Square Ball’s Daniel Chapman explains why El Loco is now a Yorkshire idol
VARDY THE PARTY NEVER ENDS
Leicester’s main man may be approaching 34, but the tearaway continued to embarrass backlines – and confound dieticians – during a chart-topping 2020
NOW YOU KNOW  JACK
The brilliant Brummie has merely proven what Aston Villa fans knew all along in 2020. Finally, England boss Gareth Southgate and an entire nation are on board the Grealish bandwagon
DIAMOND LIGHTS
Like Grealish, these stars from history frequently stood on their team-mates’ shoulders to shine brightest in the sky
35 CRAZY THINGS YOU MISSED THIS YEAR
Well, 2020: you’ve been awful. Thanks for that. But as we wave goodbye to this bizarre and arduous year, we do so with a chuckle – Lord knows there’s been plenty to go at…
MY PERFECT XI PAUL PARKER
Thirty years after steering England to the semi-finals of Italia 90, will the full-back choose Lions or trophy-toting team-mates from Old Trafford? His tactics matter
THE PLAYERS LOUNGE
“WHEN I PUT US 1-0 UP AT HOME TO QPR, I THOUGHT I’D BE THE HERO – THEn AGUERO GOT THE CREDIT...”
The full-back became a Manchester City fan favourite, even if his goal didn’t turn out to be a Premier League title-clincher
“GAZZA STRIPPED OFF, MUMMIFIED HIMSELF IN TOILET ROLL AND THEN JUMPED INTO THE SWIMMING POOL”
The ex-electrician will always remember Italia 90, for many reasons, but he eventually got his redemption against Spain
“WHEN I JOINED RANGERS, I SAID I LIKED YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE. THE FANS YELLED, ‘YOU BASTARD’”
After an unfortunate start at Ibrox, the Dutch defender helped the Gers taste plenty of success – to the delight of Sean Connery
“IF ROY KEANE HAD BEEN IN THE TEAM, I REALLY THINK WE COULD HAVE GOT AS FAR AS THE 2002 WORLD CUP FINAL”
The former Sunderland and Everton wideman came close to glory in Japan, after being the butt of Graham Poll jokes