Latest articles by Chris Flanagan
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
The greatest World Cup upsets... ever!
FourFourTwo revisits the 26 biggest upsets the World Cup has ever produced as Cape Verde add themselves to the list
Haiti: The team that can't go home
Curacao hosted some of Haiti’s World Cup qualifiers – Scotland’s group-stage opponents haven’t been able to play games in their own country since 2021
’It’s our duty to take that burden off Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku’ Jeremy Doku opens up on taking on more responsibility with Belgium at the World Cup
EXCLUSIVE The Manchester City winger is set to be a key player for the Belgians this summer
26 reasons why World Cup 2026 will be historic
Six-foot eagles, warmongering Peace Prize winners and Lady Gaga on pens? It could be quite the summer…
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
‘What happened at Spurs this year can never, ever happen again – they need people who can handle the pressure and really want to stay. A spine like Arsenal's, who will deliver every week’ Former Champions League finalist tells FFT how the club can rebuild
In an exclusive interview, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur star explains the essential ingredients to moving the team back up the league
‘Cristiano Ronaldo made me do the splits. I thought, ‘This can’t happen again.’ I didn’t want someone to take my career away from me’ Ashley Cole on his major tournament battles with the Portuguese icon
EXCLUSIVE England’s Cole was tasked with stopping Ronaldo at Euro 2004 and at the World Cup two years later
‘I don’t remember Pep Guardiola telling me before a game, ‘Jeremy, when you have the ball, do this and do that.’ He has given me a lot of freedom’ Jeremy Doku on the advice his former Manchester City boss handed him
EXCLUSIVE The Belgian joined Manchester City in 2023
‘There’s going to be a moment where England are under the cosh – to win the World Cup, someone is going to have to take the game by the scruff of the neck’ Joe Cole on what England need to do to win the World Cup
EXCLUSIVE The former West Ham and Chelsea playmaker was a part of England’s 2002 and 2006 World Cup squads
‘I spoke with Jurgen Klopp, with Sadio Mane, but signing for Liverpool didn’t feel right at that point’ Jeremy Doku on the Premier League move he turned down
EXCLUSIVE The Belgian playmaker almost moved to Anfield as a teenager
‘I spoke with Pep Guardiola, and obviously you don’t need a lot of convincing to go to Manchester City. He showed his interest in me, which made me comfortable signing’ Jeremy Doku on how his Etihad move came about
EXCLUSIVE The Belgian international made the switch to Manchester City in the summer of 2023
‘England aren’t the greatest team in the heat, but we got to the semi-finals in Italy in 1990 when it was hot – if you let the little things get to you, it’s all negatives’ Former England favourites open up on the challenge of the North American climate
EXCLUSIVE England will have to overcome the North American heat if they are to end 60 years of hurt this summer
West Ham United legend Michail Antonio exclusive: ‘I’ve been talking to a few clubs since leaving Qatar, but I’m thinking that I could possibly retire – I'm weighing things up, I’m going to make a decision by the middle or end of June'
The former Hammers forward made a comeback after a horrific car accident – at 36 though, he's considering whether to hang up his boots this summer
TV ace tells FourFourTwo about starting his career next to Brian Clough
The Nottingham Forest legend was known for sometimes doing the outrageous, but he became a friend to an up-and-coming commentator
‘I thought Arsene Wenger was crazy for not playing me in the FA Cup final, but we had an unforgettable night days later – we climbed a mountain that year’ Arsenal legend tells FFT about winning the double, days after his omission from a showpiece fixture
The Gunners won two memorable trophies in 2002 – clinching the title at Old Trafford, after a surprising change for the cup final in Cardiff
‘Too many teams try to just defend against Manchester City – in the FA Cup final, Chelsea have got to think “Where can we hurt them?” If that’s on the counter, pick a team with pace, even in midfield’ Glenn Hoddle tells FFT about his Wembley gameplan
In an exclusive interview, the former Chelsea and England boss explains how his old club can spring an upset at Wembley
‘Will James Trafford be England’s next regular goalkeeper? It’s all about timing – I’ll always be there for him as a friend, and the FA Cup final is another opportunity to shine’ Joe Hart lifts the lid on his chats with the Manchester City shot-stopper
In an exclusive interview, the former Three Lions keeper assesses Trafford's career so far, and is asked whether he might eventually succeed Jordan Pickford
‘Harry Kane will be spurred on by his penalty miss in Qatar. He’s almost unshakeable in his mentality’ Stuart Peace and Chris Waddle on what it takes to come back from spot-kick misery
EXCLUSIVE Pearce and Waddle both missed spot-kicks in the shootout against West Germany in the 1990 World Cup semi-final
‘Thomas Tuchel is a massive weapon for England in the big moments. He’s more decisive and that’s what wins you games’ Danny Murphy on the Three Lions’ difference-maker coach
EXCLUSIVE The German is preparing to lead England at this summer’s World Cup
‘When Cole Palmer scored in the Euros final, I don’t think I’d shouted as much in my life! It made me want to do it as well’ Morgan Rogers on watching his former Man City teammate excel on the biggest stage
EXCLUSIVE Rogers made his England debut shortly after the Euro 2024 final
‘People look at Trent Alexander-Arnold defensively and think that he’s not as good as others. I’d pick him every day of the week for what he gives you going forward’ Stephen Warnock on why the Real Madrid man must be picked for the World Cup
EXCLUSIVE The Real Madrid right-back did not feature in the March friendlies
‘There have been difficult moments, dark times where it hasn’t always gone my way and it’s been challenging, but that’s all part and parcel of football’ Morgan Rogers on the setbacks he overcame to make it to the top
EXCLUSIVE The Aston Villa star endured several loan spells before making it in the Premier League
‘I was next to Graeme Souness when he planted the Galatasaray flag in Fenerbahce’s pitch and was thinking, ‘Oh boy, this isn’t going to go down well’ Brad Friedel on Souness’ infamous flag plant
EXCLUSIVE The fiery Scot produced one of the most provocative acts in recent football history
‘People might see it as me, Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham competing for the number 10 spot, but we’re just trying to get the best out of each other for England’ Morgan Rogers on the Three Lions competition for place
EXCLUSIVE The attacking trio all rose through the England youth ranks together
