WELCOME

Back in 1994, teams from the north west

PAUL GASCOIGNE

“God, the feeling when I scored against Scotland at Euro 96 was magnificent. It was pure instinct – you just can’t teach kids that”

GAMES THAT CHAnGED MY LIFE

ISSUE 334 APRIL 2022 “MADRID HADN’T BEEN

JULES BREACH

OPINION

THE ULTIMATE QUIZ

Test your knowledge of the past three decades of football with this selection of teasers, one for every year...

MY FOOTBALL

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

MEAN WHILE In…

...Tunbridge Wells, subbuteo came home – only for the Italians to whisk it away again

THE DEBATE

Is football better now than it was in 1994?

Gareth ’Gangsta’ Southgate

ASK A SILLY QUESTION

HAPPY 30TH ANNIVERSARY, FourFourTwo

Three decades ago when FFT launched, no one imagined it would lead to an all-nighter with Delia Smith, being abducted by an Israeli taxi driver and sending Bobby Robson bottles of HP Sauce through the post. We speak to every previous editor, to hear the full story of the ‘quite remarkable’ football magazine...

OVER THE TOP WITH BRIAN CLOUGH

The legendary former Derby and Nottingham Forest manager was a columnist for FourFourTwo from 2001 until his death in 2004 at the age of 69 – not all of his forecasts came true, though he was never short of an opinion…

EL TEL THE MAN WHO HELPED TO LAUNCH

Terry Venables was the cover star for FFT’s launch issue in 1994 – a year after his death, former players pay tribute to one of the finest managers Britain has ever produced

BECKS TO THE FUTURE

OK, we didn’t exactly nail how David Beckham would look in 2020, so let’s go again with the current crop of stars

RESPECT

That’s what women’s football demands more than anything. Its status has grown exponentially during FourFourTwo’s lifetime, but finally the long and arduous battle for recognition is starting to pay dividends

FINDING DIEGO

A little over a year before his untimely death at the age of 60, Diego Maradona was managing Mexican second-tier side Dorados de Sinaloa – FourFourTwo went deep into drug cartel country to track him down

THY SAID WHAT?! THY SAID WHAT?!

FourFourTwo have interviewed pretty much everyone in football over the past 30 years, leading to a range of eye-catching quotes – including revelations about the time Diego Maradona tried to lure a legend to Napoli...

30 OF OUR BEST FRONT COVERS

FourFourTwo’s long-serving art director picks out his favourites, via fake refs, ponytails and a man holding an axe

HOW THE 4-4-2 BECAME BRITISH FOOTBALL’S MOST ICONIC FORMATION

A system of playing inspired the name for this very magazine – on these shores, for numerous reasons, it’s football heritage

WHY 1999 WAS THE FINEST MOMENT FOR 4-4-2… AND SIR ALEX FERGUSON

Manchester United swept to a famous Treble thanks to the management skills of their legendary boss – and a formation that suited them perfectly

WHY MESSI’S ARGENTINA HAD TO GET ‘WORSE’ TO CONQUER WORLD

The Albiceleste didn’t have their most talented squad in 2022, and their star wasn’t at his absolute peak – but 4-4-2 helped them to win anyway…

MY PERFECT XI ERIC CANTONA

The Premier League legend picks an all-star side of players who have inspired him

JACK BUTLAND

EFL • NON-LEAGUE • SCOTLAND

GULLS GALORE

FFT studied Torquay’s empty trophy cabinet 30 years ago – they’re still gongless but with renewed hope at last

INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE

Sandy Sutherland from ICT pod The Wyness Shuffle relives the year from hell – but also Terry Butcher’s magic

AND THE WINNER IS…

FFT’s EFL Top 50 began in 2005 – future stars have triumphed, but Gareth Bale was snubbed for Jason Koumas

GETTING SHIRTY

Back in 2008, FFT made a long overdue move into the world of fashion... as the main shirt sponsor of third-tier Swindon...

“I’M PROUD TO BE THE FIRST AFRICAn In THE PREMIER LEAGUE – BUT LOOK WHO CAME LATER”

FFT chats to the three Boy’s A Bit Special stars of Issue 1: first, a humble hotshot on rejecting Arsenal and being ‘Nuddy’

“HODDLE HAD BEEN PLAYING FOR MONACO UNDER WENGER, SO WE COULDN’T BELIEVE IT WHEN HE JOINED SWINDON – HE WAS LIGHT-YEARS AHEAD!”

The tireless winger opens up on playing in his dad’s shadow and making the wrong kind of headlines at Sunderland...

“THE PLAYERS DIDN’T SEE KEVIN KEEGAN’S ‘MELTDOWN’ AS ANYTHING NEGATIVE. WE LOVED HIM FOR HIS PASSION”

The Geordie recalls King Kev’s rant, shares his love for Ossie Ardiles and reveals what it’s like to cross the Tyne-Wear divide

THE BEST OF FOOTBALL

KIT • FASHION • ART DESIGN • TECH

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