PIPPO INZAGHI

WELCOME

The year 2020 was a strange one for

MEAN WHILE IN …

WEIRD WORLD OF FOOTBALL

GAMES THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

“MAKING MY LIVERPOOL DEBUT WAS ONE OF MY

THE ULTIMATE QUIZ

Try out these testers, featuring an old-school boss and a popular dinosaur. No, neither answer is Neil Warnock…

THE CELLINO ZONE MORTADA MANSOUR

The jailed Zamalek chief has vented his ire at Al Ahly, Mark Clattenburg and robots

MY FOOTBALL

The presenter on Zamora, Mitoma and Keegan’s eggs, before her new FFT column

“PLAY ON , LADS!”

Gareth Southgate’s reign will be depicted at the National Theatre in June

MARCOS ROJO

After seven years at Old Trafford and a hefty fine from Louis van Gaal, the 33-year-old is back home in Argentina with Boca

WHAT’S THE LEAST IMPORTANT THING IN FOOTBALL THAT STILL ANNOYS YOU?

The way players put the ball right on

W HO NEEDS CRISTIANO RONALDO?

Since CR7’s Manchester United exit in November, a revitalised Marcus Rashford’s form has gone stratospheric. The journey to this point hasn’t been easy, though, via penalty shootout heartbreak and a brush with Boris

50 THE TOP FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYERS

As the season’s run-in approaches, it can only mean one thing: with help from our readers, it’s time for FFT’s annual list of the finest stars outside the top flight

MY FOCUS WAS O NJOIN INGARSEN AL, THEN JOSE CALLED – IT WAS JUST A NO-BRAIN ER

Tammy Abraham has loved life under Mourinho since moving to Roma in 2021, and while the striker is in no hurry to leave Serie A – or pesto – behind, he’s not ruling out a Chelsea return…

TED TALK

Love it or loathe it, seen it or saved it, we need to talk about Ted Lasso. The award-winning show kicks off a third – and likely final – season having captivated TV audiences in both the UK and US, even if you could fill two internets with what Ted doesn’t know about football...

MESTALLA MISERY

Valencia won two Ligas, the UEFA Cup and reached two Champions League finals at the turn of the century, but a half-built stadium, Gary Neville in the dugout and Peter Lim’s toxic ownership threaten Los Che’s very existence

100 YEARS OF WEMBLEY

England’s national stadium celebrates its centenary in April. Ever since it opened in 1923, it’s hosted great football history, from the iconic to the downright weird...

THE WSL HAALAND

Manchester City boast this season’s deadliest strikers in the men’s and women’s top flights. Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw tells FFT how carrots, peri-peri chicken and lots of patience have taken her from Jamaica to a possible Golden Boot…

SUGAR DADDY

Alan Sugar faced El Tel in court and angry fans in the stands during an eventful nine-year spell as Spurs chairman, which featured plenty of chances for him to hone his “You’re fired!” catchphrase...

DANNY ROSE

The left-back earned 29 England caps but opts for a Spursy side in picking a dream team of his former team-mates – though there is room for a current Chelsea star...

AROUND THE GROUNDS

EFL • NON-LEAGUE • SCOTLAND

ROAD TO RECOVERY

Kevin McDonald required a life-saving kidney transplant from his brother in 2021 after a long-term condition worsened. The Exeter midfielder loves being back...

CAMBRIDGE UNITED

Under the Abbey Stand’s Owen Kiernan and Jordan Worland on the Irish Messi, Beckball and Perez’s perm...

BOY’S A BIT SPECIAL

MALIK TILLMAN RANGERS (ON LOAN FROM BAYERN) THE

! KIT CRIMES | YORK CITY, 2002-03, HOME

Little known fact: the ‘Y’ on the front

THE UNLIKELY LADS

JEAN-JACQUES EYDELIE WALSALL (1998) CREDENTIALS Midfield anchor Eydelie

THE GAME’S GONE WIGAN 8-0 HULL, 2020

Nobody saw this annihilation coming – and nobody saw it in the ground, either

CLAIMS TO FAME KILMARNOCK

1 CURSE OF THE CUP Killie played

“ AT THE START, IT WAS JUST A COLD. IT N EVER CROSSED MY MIN DTHAT IT COULD BE CANCER”

The Bulgarian powerhouse takes FFT on a journey from Celtic’s winners to Villa’s nearly men, his leukaemia and recovery

“ OF COURSE IT WAS UNFAIR OF NEWCASTLE TO FIRE ME, BUT I’D SEEN IT COMING”

The mild-mannered manager recalls his ‘shock’ Tyneside exit and the real shock of Brighton binning him for Graham Potter

“ TO STOP MARADONA, YOU HAD TO BE AGGRESSIVE. IF YOU DECIDED TO PLAY CLEAN, YOU HAD NO CHANCE”

The Nigerian destroyer discusses Serie A’s glory days, the power of Dortmund fans and winning Olympic gold in 1996

“MY BOSS AT VILLA DIDN’T LET ME PLAY FOR AUSTRALIA, SO ENGLAN DCALLED ME UP IN STEAD. I MADE THE BEST OF IT...”

The reluctant international and Leeds title winner talks Italia 90 and King Eric’s aura