Latest articles by Chris Flanagan
How do Spain produce so many exceptional young players? FourFourTwo visited the Canary Islands to meet the country's wonderkids
Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Iker Casillas, Fernando Torres, Gerard Pique and Lamine Yamal are just a few of the greats who have shone at the Futures FC tournament, so we went to watch the latest edition
"The boys told me, 'Shut up, you’ll never do it' when I told them about the Homer Simpson celebration. It was quality" Michail Antonio on his iconic goal celebration
EXCLUSIVE The former West Ham man always had a host of brilliant celebrations in his locker
‘At West Ham, I told Slaven Bilic ‘I’ll never play at right-back!’ Mark Noble argued with me, so I stormed off and got a taxi home’ Michail Antonio on his shifting roles at West Ham
EXCLUSIVE West Ham's all-time leading Premier League goalscorer was not always used up front, and wasn't always happy about it
After his red card vs Argentina in 1998 David Beckham was the most hated man in England, but went on to have the greatest season of his life
BECKHAM On June 30, 1998, one petulant flick of a right foot changed David Beckham's life. His red card against Argentina sparked outrage across England. Well, everywhere but Old Trafford…
"I was looking out of my hotel room, seeing rockets fly past, the hotel would shake when they were getting blocked – that was scary, but it was fine other than that day" Michail Antonio on arriving to play in Qatar as Iranian missiles hit the state
The striker left West Ham after suffering a serious leg break in a car crash in December 2024
“Karren Brady offered me a £5k a week deal with the U21s, I said, 'The U21s are on more than that' Her response was, 'Well, they haven’t been in a car crash and shattered their leg' – I didn’t sign the contract” Michail Antonio on his West Ham rejection
EXCLUSIVE The striker was entering the final months of his West Ham deal when he was involved in a car accident in December 2024
‘At a young age, I liked to dribble – I got a lot of criticism from other parents because I didn’t pass the ball to their children!’ Jeremy Doku on his journey from the playground to the World Cup
EXCLUSIVE The Belgian winger is one of the game’s best dribblers
‘Rooney’s injury in 2004 was one of those sliding doors moments. If England are going to win the World Cup this year, they’re going to need those moments to go for them’ Joe Cole and Ashley Cole on the role fate will play this summer
EXCLUSIVE The former England duo have recalled Wayne Rooney’s impact at Euro 2004
‘The sliding doors moments didn’t go for us in 2006. A different pass here, a better refereeing decision there…’ Joe Cole’s England 2006 World Cup regrets
EXCLUSIVE Cole played in every game of England’s run to the quarter-finals in the 2006 World Cup
‘In this World Cup, everything needs to work. If the big man upstairs says it’s England’s time, then it’s England’s time’ Joe Cole on reflects on his 2010 Three Lions experience
EXCLUSIVE The former England playmaker believes luck and fate are needed for the Three Lions to end 60 years of hurt
‘That game changed my life. After, people would come up to me on the street, they recognised me and I became more popular’ Jeremy Doku on his first tournament experience with Belgium
EXCLUSIVE The Manchester City winger made his tournament debut in the delayed Euro 2020
John Arne Riise interview: Former Liverpool hero is backing his country to go all the way
Ex-Norway international believes his nation can challenge for the trophy for the first time ever
"Marco Rose asked to meet me – I thought 'Why?' He’d done his homework, he knew the history of the club, and he’s got an aura" Bournemouth legend on why he’s been impressed by the club’s replacement for new Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola
In an exclusive interview, a Cherries hero has been full of praise for the south coast side's arriving gaffer
Ranked! The 100 best football players of all time
RANKED! The 100 best football players who have ever lived: from Messi to Maradona, Cristiano to Cruyff and everyone in between
‘Back then, the media needed to be fed with pictures of the girls going for a run or something like that, and it was going on the front page’ Joe Cole looks back on how the press created the 2006 WAG culture
EXCLUSIVE England’s wives and girlfriends were front-page news during the 2006 World Cup in Germany
‘Missing in the Euro 2012 shootout killed me. I’d scored in the Champions League final shootout just a few weeks earlier’ Ashley Cole on his part in England’s 2012 penalty misery
EXCLUSIVE The Three Lions left-back missed from the spot at Euro 2012
‘I have no memory of my car crash. When the first responders got there one leg was a quarter smaller than the other because it was completely shattered’ Michail Antonio on his 2024 car crash
EXCLUSIVE The former West Ham striker suffered horrific injuries in a car crash in December 2024
‘When I look at Raheem Sterling, the amount of tap-ins he scored, just because he was in that position, that’s something I really look up to’ How Jeremy Doku has been inspired by the former England man
EXCLUSIVE The Belgian winger is looking to a former Manchester City man for inspiration
‘Fabio Capello stopped us from going swimming with sharks. I was fuming!’ Joe Cole on the England squad’s boredom at the 2010 World Cup
EXCLUSIVE The England squad missed out on a bucket list experience in South Africa
‘We lost a lot of shootouts from 1990 and it became a thing. You have to credit Jordan Pickford and the boys – they’ve turned that round’ Joe Cole on how England ended their penalty hoodoo
EXCLUSIVE England’s luck from the spot changed with a win over Colombia in the 2018 World Cup
‘When he was my coach, he reminded me a lot of Pep Guardiola. I’m not surprised he’s been so successful at Bayern Munich’ Jeremy Doku opens up on working with Vincent Kompany
EXCLUSIVE Doku worked under the former Manchester City skipper at Anderlecht
‘The 2002 World Cup was the first time I was around big names. It made me understand I was capable of playing with top players and at major tournaments’ Ashley Cole on England’s 2002 rollercoaster tournament
EXCLUSIVE Ashley Cole's first tournament saw England defeat Argentina before falling to Brazil
Pico Lopes interview: "Third place might be enough, football doesn't always respect the odds, there are upsets – this is the stuff of dreams!" Cape Verde's Irish hero speaks to FourFourTwo
First called up by Cape Verde via LinkedIn, the Shamrock Rovers defender may be the only Irish-born footballer at this World Cup. Spain down, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia await
