FourFourTwo UK October 2022

It’s 28 years since Adrian Paz became the first South American to play in the Premier League – the Uruguayan didn’t have a big impact at Ipswich, but players from the continent have been lighting up the division ever since. Paz wasn’t the first South American to line up in England, of course. Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa helped Spurs lift the FA Cup in the ’80s, while Mirandinha moved to Newcastle. Juninho, Faustino Asprilla, Luis Suarez, Sergio Aguero and many more have gone on to delight up and down the land. This season, some of the biggest Premier League signings have been South American, whether it be Darwin Nunez leading the line for Liverpool, Manchester United rebuilding with Casemiro and Antony, or Richarlison and Gabriel Jesus heading to north…

David Dein is sat in the study of his north London home, showing FFT one of his proudest possessions. Framed on the wall is a letter featuring a parade of club crests and a short message: “To David Dein, a founding architect of the Premier League. With thanks, from 45 eternally grateful clubs, on the 20th anniversary.” The 79-year-old received that gift a decade ago. Now, in the league’s 30th anniversary season, the list has grown to 50 clubs, all beneficiaries of the actions of a select few, back in the early 1990s. Dein was the driving force of the breakaway league. The former sugar trader joined the Arsenal board in 1983 and became one of football’s most influential figures over the next 24 years, taking in roles with the…

1 IN HOT WATER If you’re anything like FFT, you’ve probably always dreamed of watching a nondescript Ligue 1 fixture from a hot tub – when Troyes hosted Rennes in the battle for mid-table, two fans did just that. Troyes have spent the past 20 years struggling to recapture the drama of the early 2000s, when they drew 4-4 at Newcastle in Europe, then lost 6-5 on aggregate to Leeds. They’ve since become a sister club of Manchester City, bought by the City Football Group in 2020, and returned to Ligue 1 last year. Now boasting stars like Pamela Anderson’s ex Adil Rami, things got even more exciting against Rennes, who fielded Welshman Joe Rodon – little wonder that two topless supporters grabbed some beers, headed to the jacuzzi that…

“AT THAT MOMENT, THE WHOLE WORLD WAS WATCHING – IT FELT LIKE A MOVIE” Corinthians 2 Santos 3 December 15, 2002 Brazilian Serie A final “For me, this game was a life-changing event. Back then the league had a different format: the best eight clubs qualified for a play-off competition, and my Santos team just made it into eighth on goal difference. We then reached the final against arch rivals Corinthians and sealed an unforgettable result to end an 18-year major trophy drought. Santos had an exciting crop of talent and I’m proud to have been part of it. We won the first leg 2-0 – in the second, Corinthians were 2-1 up after 88 minutes when I equalised at a full Estadio do Morumbi. We even scored an injury-time…

VISIT THE HOME OF THE FOOTBALL QUIZ fourfourtwo.com/quiz 01 Conor Coady sealed a loan move to Everton in August after seven years with Wolves. Which team’s academy did he graduate from? 02 Which Brazilian proved the most popular Fantasy Premier League player before this season began? 03 Which female Chelsea star is on the cover of FIFA 23’s Ultimate 03 Edition alongside Kylian Mbappe? 04 Real Madrid recently won a fifth European Super Cup, equalling the record for most titles. Which other two clubs have also bagged five? 05 The World Cup will kick off a day earlier than originally planned to allow Qatar to play the opening game. Who are their opponents? 06 Who is the only player in Premier League history to register at least 20 goals and 20 assists during the…

OOPS In Brazil, Esperanca goalkeeper Kainan thanked his girlfriend after a man-of-the-match display – then frantically apologised after calling her the wrong name In the 1970s, most club chairmen were straight-laced business types with a suit and tie, desperate to look serious at all times. Not Elton John. A boyhood Watford fan and cousin of Roy Dwight, Nottingham Forest goalscorer in the 1959 FA Cup Final, popstar Reg became the Hornets’ vice-president in 1973 and took part in a training session with Rod Stewart at Vicarage Road, before being dunked in the bath by the squad. Three years later he became owner of the club in the Fourth Division. On the advice of then-England manager Don Revie, he recruited Lincoln boss Graham Taylor, who rejected top-flight West Brom. As the…