FourFourTwo UK

Back in July, with the season set to kick off, I wrote on these pages that I hoped you would all enjoy 2022-23. Of course, the beauty of football means that won’t have been possible for everyone, and if you did suffer heartache this year, remember that the next bit of success will feel even sweeter. And for those of you still partying, enjoy it! With awards season in full flow, we get in on the act and celebrate the players who have made this Premier League campaign one of the most enthralling – our list of the top 50 players this term features a plethora of familiar faces, and a few new ones too. This issue hits the shelves on the eve of the EFL play-off finals, so with…

Roberto Martinez has always been a very fast learner. You have to be, to walk into a pie shop near Wigan pier knowing precious little English. He tells FourFourTwo that when he said goodbye to his parents before boarding the plane from Spain to England, he said he would be home in two years. Some 28 years later, he remains a Spaniard abroad – a world-famous manager with a totally unique football education. Born in Balaguer in the heart of Catalonia, Martinez is, in many ways, as British as they come. He has left pieces of himself in England, Wales and Scotland. In the mid-1990s, he arrived in Wigan just a couple of weeks after his 22nd birthday, as part of the fabled ‘Three Amigos’ alongside Jesus Seba and Isidro…

PREDATOR ACCURACY BOOTS £200 adidas.co.uk From a gaffer-taped prototype in Craig Johnston’s garage to the feet of the future of English football (Jude Bellingham, right), the Predator has come quite a way in 30 years. This is the 26th iteration of the iconic boot. FFT would love to know what the Pred’s older brother, the Copa Mundial, makes of their sibling’s new paint job as part of the Adidas ‘Heatspawn’ pack… BALOTELLI SWEATSHIRT £30 itsafunnyoldgame.com Ah, Mario. He came, he saw, he burned down his bathroom with a firework and then Manchester United fans’ hearts with a brace in the derby the next day. The Why Always Me celebration is now folklore and therefore ripe for @Sid_Lambert (renowned hawker of retro social media content) to merch up. Sid’s stuff covers…

Calum Jacobs penguin, £10.99 The handful of black players in the 1970s were often left with little option but to ‘turn the other cheek’ towards the terraces’ white noise. Almost half a century later, English football is increasingly inclusive. This essay collection explores the myriad ways in which black players have helped to forge the modern game, and – in some cases – carve out successful careers for themselves once their playing days are finished, despite cultural and racial barriers. Keen to pursue a media career, Ian Wright was encouraged by Sir Trevor McDonald. “Just be yourself,” urged the veteran broadcaster when the late ’90s Friday Night’s All Wright chat show first aired to mixed reviews. For ex-England Women manager Hope Powell, following a career in the game meant ignoring…

THE BEAUTIFUL GAME “YOUR DRIVER’S NAME IS DIEGO” NAPLES, ITALY The only dampener was that ‘you know who’ wasn’t there to see it. Napoli’s first Serie A title since Diego Maradona & Co won the 1989-90 Scudetto came over two years after the local deity’s death, as Victor Osimhen’s goal in a 1-1 May draw at Udinese sparked frenzied celebrations. Bankrupt in 2004, the Little Donkeys’ 33-year wait was over, the US consulate warning of “heavy traffic, use of fireworks and alcohol consumption in the city”. Diego’s party 100 miles up will have been no less manic. Photo Laura Lezza/Getty TUNNEL OF DEATH MANCHESTER, ENGLAND Erling Haaland’s record-breaking Premier League haul earned the Norwegian goal-bot a guard of honour from his Manchester City team-mates after beating Alan Shearer and Andy Cole’s…

“TO WIN AT GOODISON IN THAT MANNER – SCORING A FREE-KICK IN INJURY TIME – WAS INCREDIBLE” Sheffield United 2-3 Leeds April 26, 1992 First Division “A lot’s said about the Leeds midfield of Gordon Strachan, David Batty, Gary Speed and myself, but we had great players all over the park: Mel Sterland, Chrissy Whyte, Chris Fairclough, Tony Dorigo, and John Lukic was a brilliant goalkeeper, too. Up front we had Lee Chapman, Rod Wallace and then Eric Cantona joined from Nimes in January, so it wasn’t just about a good midfield. It was down to a massive squad effort and team spirit. We weren’t a fancied side, even though we’d done well the season before, but Leeds are similar to Liverpool in the fact that once you get a…