WELCOME

It was June 1990 when I went from

RICARDO CARVALHO

“I don’t think Rooney tried to hurt  me on purpose in 2006. Once, he  stopped me in a match to wish  Chelsea luck against Liverpool...”

MEANWHILE IN …

...Portugal, when AVB said he was rallying around his country ahead of Euro 2020, he meant it very literally

GAMES THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

Italy 4 Estonia 1 March 25, 1995 European

REGGAE BOYZ 2.0

Jamaica have raided England for a Gold Cup recruitment drive

WARREN ‘HAVE A NICE DAY’ BARTON

The ex-Magpie berates John Beresford, rues razor blades and explains his favourite Americanisms

CLERMONT FOOT

Les Lanciers twice had a female boss – now they’re in Ligue 1 for the first time

REQUIRED READING

THE AWAY LEG Steve Menary, James Montague (Pitch,

STEVE LAMACQ

The legendary radio DJ remembers Bovril in china cups, punk night pals, ballads for awful left-backs... and the time Gordon Strachan put him in hospital

CRAIOVA vs CRAIOVA

After an ugly divorce, two bitter rivals are set to face off in Romania

STRANGE BUT TRUE

We asked our Twitter and Facebook followers to tell us their favourite hard-to-believe football facts – here are some of the best

LEE CLARK

The former Huddersfield manager headed south to Sudan for his latest challenge – the biggest issue has been sunburn

THE VIEW FROM THE STANDS

HARSH Guatemala are out of World Cup qualifying

50 SHADES OF GAZZA

There will never be another Paul Gascoigne – that bonkers, brilliant, side-splitting soul adored by generations. But perhaps it’s just as well: only one man could have gotten away with so many traffic accidents, shoot ’em ups, avian scraps and more. FourFourTwo celebrates some of the greatest tales of all

THE MONSTER WITHIN

He’s already transformed Chelsea into trophy winners, but Thomas Tuchel’s journey towards conquering Europe has been far from plain sailing. Brilliance has often collided with belligerence, to dramatic effect

POETRY IN MOTION

The boss who bested Tuchel in his first European outing is a quirky character

“FIVE HUNDRED QUID?! THE GAME’S GONE...”

Football’s transfer market has been abused and obliterated worldwide since the late 19th century – but not all of its record movers made too lasting an impression. Amid the high-profile hits were plenty more with some peculiar stories to tell

1998 DENILSON

£21.5M > > SAO PAULO REAL

EVER INCREASING RETURNS

The world-record transfer fee has mushroomed 197.99m per cent since the 19th century...

1968 PIETRO AnASTASI

£500,000 > > VARESE JUVENTUS When Anastasi’s

1990 ROBERTO BAGGIO

£8M > > FIORENTINA JUVENTUS The £8m

2000 HERNAN CRESPO

£35.5M > > PARMA LAZIO When Crespo

1952 HANS JEPPSON

£52,000 > > ATALANTA NAPOLI

1950 TREVOR FORD

£30,000 > > ASTON VILLA SUNDERLAND

1992 GIANLUIGI LENTINI

£13M > > TORINO MILAN Most great

1987 RUUD GULLIT

£6M > > PSV MILAN Gullit may

1922 WARNEY CRESSWELL

£5,500 > > SOUTH SHIELDS SUNDERLAND

1961 LUIS SUAREZ

£152,000 > > BARCELONA INTER After winning

1999 CHRISTIAN VIERI

£32M > > LAZIO INTER Blink and

1928 DAVID JACK

£10,890 > > BOLTON ARSENAL No one

1992 JEAN-PIERRE PAPIN

£10M > > MARSEILLE MILAN After four

IT'S GOOD TO BE DIFFERENT

Student, music critic, activist… footballer? Pat Nevin spent the early 1980s trying to define his life by everything other than his exploits on the pitch, leading the Chelsea favourite down some alternative roads featuring knife attacks, The Proclaimers and Saddam Hussein’s secret police

THE ALTERNATIVE CROWD

Pat Nevin has some company when it comes to footballers with music tastes that lean towards the eclectic…

BLACK AnD WHITE TOOn

Striker Callum Wilson was Newcastle’s shining light amid dark times last season, leading from the front even amid injury woes of his own. Goals are already back on his mind, but they’re a sideshow for the real area of celebration

WE PLAYED IN THE INTERTOTO

AND ALL WE  GOT WAS THIS  LOUSY TROPHY

SPURS VS JOSE?

THE RELUCTANT WAR FOR THE  EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE

BRONZE FOR GOLD

Too young for London 2012 and denied by politics for Rio 2016, Lucy Bronze is finally heading to her first Olympics this summer as Team GB’s outstanding talent in Tokyo. For the reigning Best FIFA Women’s Player, it’s time to see what all the fuss is about

“ANDY MURRAY IS AT THE EnD OF THE PHONE NOW. AT FIRST, I WAS JUST TRYING TO PLAY IT COOL...”

Manchester City’s Caroline Weir is one of only two Scots in this year’s squad – but her iconic mentor has proved that’s no obstacle to gaining Olympic glory

TEENAGE FLICKS

In 1946, RAF veteran Peter Adolph came up with an idea for a family-friendly football game to brighten life in post-war Britain. It wasn’t easy – and was often controversial – but 75 years on, Subbuteo’s legacy is assured through pop-punk, Paolo Di Canio and more

THE EYES HAVE IT

Footballers may have long swapped booze and Mars bars for barbells and speed ladders – though as Trent Alexander-Arnold is showing, the pursuit of perfection is never-ending. Not even planet football’s finest are improving their optics quite like this

MY PERFECT XI SYLVINHO

The ex-Arsenal, Barça and Brazil left-back compiles a line-up of former colleagues so good, Thierry Henry only earns a spot on the substitutes’ bench

AROUND THE GROUNDS

EFL • NON-LEAGUE • SCOTLAND

CASH AND THE LATICS

Wigan fans had every right to hate 2020 more than most, enduring an owner who almost killed their club. It’s taken a year – but the smiles are finally back

BEST&WORST IPSWICH TOWN

Rich Woodward, of the Blue Monday podcast, celebrates Weah-like wonders and triumphant arm-wrestles

BOY’S A BIT SPECIAL

IANIS HAGI RANGERS LOWDOWN Son of Romania’s finest

WHO ARE YA? | CRAY VALLEY PAPER MILLS

COULD BE Proud producers of cutesie greetings cards,

THE UNLIKELY LADS

SERGEI YURAN MILLWALL (1996) CREDENTIALS Yuran was a

IAN HOLLOWAY

As clubs prepare to be afflicted by transfer fever, FFT’s columnist regales tales of his greatest hits and misses – and one or two big ’uns who got away. It’s all about trust, time and the powers of persuasion, says ‘Ollie’

FRESHER THAN THE AVERAGE COACH

Ex-pro Jamie Clapham is in at Loughborough – but only allowed one promotion

CLAIMS TO FAME

BRADFORD CITY

“FERGIE WANTED ME TO SIGN FOR MAN UNITED. I TOLD HIM TO F**K OFF AND HUNG UP THE PHONE”

The outspoken Welshman on humble beginnings as a binman, glory days at Everton and telling Sir Alex to do one

“AT THE OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY In 1992, I LOOKED UP AND THERE WAS FIDEL CASTRO AND NELSON MANDELA”

America’s brilliantly bearded behemoth recalls starring on home soil at USA 94 and bringing Beckham to MLS

“COVERED IN MUD, I TRUDGED TO MY DENTIST AND SAID, ‘HI, CAN YOU SORT OUT MY FRONT TEETH?’”

The former England goalkeeper discusses a fascinating career from being an Olympic ball girl to training on an active volcano

“I WEIGHED EIGHT KILOS AT BIRTH – I’VE ALWAYS BEEN BIG, BUT CZECH MILITARY TRAINING MADE ME A BEAST”

The Ivory Coast powerhouse starred for Swansea before joining Man City, but injuries and malaria took their toll