WELCOME

James Andrew X @JamesAndrew_ E james.andrew@futurenet.com

UPFRONT

THE BEAUTIFUL GAME

DUNCAN FERGUSON

“Some of my red cards were ridiculous – I don’t see myself as that person. One of them was for singing to a referee!”

THE ULTIMATE QUIZ

Put your football knowledge to the test with our questions concerning beach balls, monkeys and Lionesses

JULES BREACH

The TNT Sports presenter gives her verdict on the successes from this Premier League season

GAMES THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

LIVERPOOL 2 BLACKBURN 1 Premier League, 1995

WILL TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD BE REMEMBERED AS A LIVERPOOL LEGEND WHEN HE RETIRES?

BEN MARSDEN DIGITAL WRITER @BenMarsden03 Tell us what

ALLY McCOIST

Asked to name figures past or present who he’s always looked up to, the pundit’s picks include his Rangers mentor and a cycling great

ANDREW CUSHIN

The Geordie singer-songwriter on offering Shay Given a job and being taught a lesson by Noel Gallagher...

THE 50 BEST LEAGUE PLAYERS PREMIER

From warhorses to Wor History-Makers, FFT ranks a half-century of talent from 2024-25 – has your man made the cut?

LIAM DELAP

IPSWICH

KAORU MITOMA

BRIGHTON

ELLIOT ANDERSON

NOTTINGHAM FOREST

JEAN-PHILIPPE MATETA

CRYSTAL PALACE

MORGAN ROGERS

ASTON VILLA

MATHEUS CUNHA

WOLVES

12 BRUNO GUIMARAES

NEWCASTLE

PREMIER LEAGUE 50

11 DECLAN RICE ARSENAL The Gunners shelled out

PREMIER LEAGUE 50

04 CHRIS WOOD NOTTINGHAM FOREST The ’90s are

01 MOHAMED SALAH

LIVERPOOL

Farewell to the Grand Old Lady

Just shy of its 133rd birthday, Goodison Park hosts its final Everton match this month – English football’s last link to a bygone era will go with it...

DUNKERQUE SPIRIT

Under sporting director Demba Ba, the minnows have been a sensation this season, pursuing promotion to Ligue 1 and facing PSG in a Coupe de France semi. FFT went along to see it – along with fans from, er, Grimsby?!

“IN ISTANBUL… WE WON IT FIVE TIMES”

Liverpool’s victory over Milan remains the most remarkable final in Champions League history – in the 20 years since, Steven Gerrard, Rafael Benitez and more key protagonists have recounted their memories to FFT …

“HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED THE GAME, REF?”

They have, if you must know, so FFT travelled to Warwick to meet the 10 former footballers aiming to make it as match officials – via a World Cup and a stint as a US Open golf caddy…

Golden Balls’ jubilee

As David Beckham hits the Big 5-0, FFT talks to former team-mates to hear their memories of playing alongside the midfielder, from busting bleep tests to white-tie-and-diamond parties...

MY PERFECT XI THOMAS HITZLSPERGER

‘Der Hammer’ fuses a horde of Premier League all-stars with legends from his Germany and Bundesliga days

AROUND THE GROUNDS

• EFL • NON-LEAGUE • SCOTLAND

STENNY’S NORSE SUPPORT

Thirty years after taking Stenhousemuir to their hearts, nutty Norwegians are crossing the North Seas to cheer the Warriors’ latest promotion quest

ROCHDALE

Lifelong Dale diehard Dean Smith remembers pink pants, vanishing hair tricks and the legendary Craig Dawson…

FOOTBALL POOLS RELAUNCHED

The staple of British football culture once turned fans into millionaires – now the Pools have a digital reboot…

WRINGING THE BELLES

Red tape has put Doncaster Belles on the brink of the fifth tier. What next for the women’s game’s former giants?

“I WAS ANGRY NOT TO BE IN THE WORLD CUP SQUAD IN 2006. I DIDN’T WATCH A SINGLE GAME THAT SUMMER”

The French winger on watching Lionel Messi emerge at Barcelona, toppling Arsenal in Paris and why speaking to Raymond Domenech “isn’t worth it”

“WHEN WE WON THE EFL CUP FINAL, I WENT BANANAS. THE REST JUST SAID, ‘BOSH, ONTO THE NEXT ONE’”

The fun-loving gloveman recounts being spotted by Alex Ferguson, shocking Arsenal at Wembley with Birmingham and why he’s a huge Roy Hodgson fan

“WE WOULD’VE WON USA 94 IF DIEGO HADN’T BEEN BANNED. WE LOST OUR LIGHTHOUSE, OUR LEADER”

The Argentine defender opens up on winning the Scudetto with Sven, losing an Olympic final to Nigeria and the nightmare of marking Marco van Basten

THE MIXER

THE BEST OF FOOTBALL

SAN DIEGO LOYAL AWAY 2022

FFT ’s resident shirt expert plucks another pearler off the rail that epitomises just how deep and meaningful jerseys can really be