category_outlined / Sports
FourFourTwo UK
June 2019Every month, our team deliver the biggest names, the finest features and the most respected columnists in football. FourFourTwo is the only magazine that truly reflects football in all its extremes. Spectacular, dramatic, hilarious, opinionated, authoritative, intelligent, quirky - from the grass roots up, if it's in the game, it's in FourFourTwo.
IN THIS ISSUE
editor’s letter
Three hundred magazines is a hell of a lot to read, never mind create, but I know many of you have loyally been with us since issue one in 1994, with its Terry Venables cover, colour supplement-style layout and fixtures listings. As the new editor in 2019, who remembers its launch 25 years ago, I can say that from day one FourFourTwo has been a class act, quality football writing. We couldn’t have gone anywhere without the support of our readers, so thank you.The staff and writers all live, love, breathe, eat and drink football (apart from Chris, our staff writer, who also lives off cheese and white bread).It clearly works, as he managed to get hold of Pele to talk us through some of the archive images we…
gaizka mendieta
CLUBS 1992 Castellon 1992-2001 Valencia 2001-04 Lazio 2002-03 Barcelona (loan) 2003-04 Middlesbrough (loan) 2004-08 Middlesbrough COUNTRY 1999-2002 Spain It’s a weekday afternoon in central London, and passers-by are being treated to an unusual sight: former midfielder Gaizka Mendieta playing the guitar in a first-floor window. “They’re probably thinking, ‘What’s he doing? Don’t jump!’” says Mendieta, laughing, as he poses for FourFourTwo. Soon he leaps high into the air, although thankfully he’d moved to the middle of the room first. He’s pretending to be a rock star, and with great enthusiasm.The Spaniard spent a good minute admiring the Gibson LP Gold Top that we brought along for this photoshoot in The London Edition hotel, Soho. He’s a huge rock fan, who once played the guitar on stage…
highs & lows
HIGH: 1999 Plays a pivotal role as Valencia win the Copa del Rey, their first major trophy in almost 20 years LOW: 2001 Beaten in a second Champions League final, despite scoring from the penalty spot against Bayern HIGH: 2002 Scores the decisive penalty as Spain beat the Republic of Ireland to reach the World Cup last eight LOW: 2002 Returns to Spain on loan at Barcelona, after unhappy debut campaign in Serie A with Lazio HIGH: 2004 Helps Middlesbrough lift their first ever major trophy, beating Bolton in the League Cup final LOW: 2007 Announces plans to retire from playing, having been frozen out by Gareth Southgate at Boro…
the mixer the best of football
OTLN X FC INTER STREET FOOTBALL JERSEY N/A@outline_studioMash-up football kits are all the rage in 2019, and while they don’t all hit the mark – we’re looking at you, Manchester City, and your ‘six seasons in one’ migraine inducer – this effort is a bona fide beauty. Released by Milanese design team Outline Studio, the FC Inter Street Football Jersey fuses the city’s fashion history with the Nerazzurri half of the football divide. “The first football jersey born on the streets,” they claim. Hopefully not the last. FRANCE CENTENARY KIT £75 prodirectsoccer.com Is it just us, or do France get the coolest kits these days? Perhaps the Tricolore lends itself to nice jerseys, or maybe the FA need to have a word with their design team. Either…
football notebook
Chris Flanagan’s 1 PUT A SOCK IN IT England Sheffield When Billy Sharp celebrated a goal by putting a sock on his hand, he probably didn’t imagine it would lead to a WWE legend posing in a Sheffield United shirt with ET. But that’s what happened.Sharp followed a goal by pretending to be Mr Socko, a sock puppet wrestler ‘Mankind’ uses to finish off his opponents. The wrestler, real name Mick Foley, heard about the stunt and was so impressed he flew in from the US for a Blades game, and was later given a shirt. 2 THANKS, DAD Germany Dortmund Borussia Dortmund’s Yellow Wall is well known for its tifos, and BVB unveiled a father-and-son special for their match against Wolfsburg.“As a kid…
what the fuchs?!
1 “WE’VE WON THE LEAGUE! GET THE SKULL…” When Argentine side Racing Club wrapped up the Primera Division title recently, one fan celebrated in the only way he knew how: he went and fetched his grandfather’s skull, then held it aloft as supporters partied on the streets. Fans gathered by Buenos Aires’ obelisk to cheer their team’s 18th league title, secured thanks to a 1-1 draw against Tigre. Captained by former Porto forward Lisandro Lopez, Racing won the league by four points, beating Defensa y Justicia into 2nd spot, with behemoths Boca Juniors and River Plate down in 3rd and 4th respectively. It was all too much for Racing fan Gabriel Aranda, who brought the family skull to the celebrations. Holding it up to the camera, Aranda…
