Chris Flanagan

Chris Flanagan

Senior Staff Writer

Chris joined FourFourTwo in 2015 and has reported from more than 20 countries, in places as varied as Ivory Coast and the Arctic Circle. He's interviewed Pele, Zlatan and Santa Claus (it's a long story), as well as covering the World Cup, AFCON and the Clasico. He previously spent 10 years as a newspaper journalist, and completed the 92 in 2017.

Latest articles by Chris Flanagan

"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

By Joe Mewis Published

EXCLUSIVE The former West Ham man always had a host of brilliant celebrations in his locker

EXCLUSIVE
‘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

By Joe Mewis Published

EXCLUSIVE West Ham's all-time leading Premier League goalscorer was not always used up front, and wasn't always happy about it

EXCLUSIVE
David Beckham Manchester United 1998
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

By Chris Flanagan Last updated

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…

BECKHAM
"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

By Ewan Gennery Published

The striker left West Ham after suffering a serious leg break in a car crash in December 2024

Player
“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

By Joe Mewis Last updated

EXCLUSIVE The striker was entering the final months of his West Ham deal when he was involved in a car accident in December 2024

EXCLUSIVE
‘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

By Joe Mewis Published

EXCLUSIVE The Belgian winger is one of the game’s best dribblers

EXCLUSIVE
‘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

By Joe Mewis Published

EXCLUSIVE The former England duo have recalled Wayne Rooney’s impact at Euro 2004

EXCLUSIVE
‘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

By Joe Mewis Published

EXCLUSIVE Cole played in every game of England’s run to the quarter-finals in the 2006 World Cup

EXCLUSIVE
‘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

By Joe Mewis Published

EXCLUSIVE The former England playmaker believes luck and fate are needed for the Three Lions to end 60 years of hurt

EXCLUSIVE
‘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

By Joe Mewis Published

EXCLUSIVE The Manchester City winger made his tournament debut in the delayed Euro 2020

EXCLUSIVE
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - JULY 05: Erling Haaland #9 of Norway celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Brazil and Norway at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 05, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
John Arne Riise interview: Former Liverpool hero is backing his country to go all the way

By Chris Flanagan Published

Ex-Norway international believes his nation can challenge for the trophy for the first time ever

Person
Leipzig's German head coach Marco Rose looks on ahead the German first division Bundesliga football match between RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund in Leipzig, eastern Germany on March 15, 2025.
"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

By Chris Flanagan Published

In an exclusive interview, a Cherries hero has been full of praise for the south coast side's arriving gaffer

Person
Ranked! The 100 best football players of all time
Ranked! The 100 best football players of all time

By Mark White Last updated

RANKED! The 100 best football players who have ever lived: from Messi to Maradona, Cristiano to Cruyff and everyone in between

7 Comments
RANKED!
‘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

By Joe Mewis Published

EXCLUSIVE England’s wives and girlfriends were front-page news during the 2006 World Cup in Germany

EXCLUSIVE
‘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

By Joe Mewis Published

EXCLUSIVE The Three Lions left-back missed from the spot at Euro 2012

EXCLUSIVE
‘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

By Joe Mewis Published

EXCLUSIVE The former West Ham striker suffered horrific injuries in a car crash in December 2024

EXCLUSIVE
‘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

By Joe Mewis Published

EXCLUSIVE The Belgian winger is looking to a former Manchester City man for inspiration

EXCLUSIVE
‘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

By Joe Mewis Published

EXCLUSIVE The England squad missed out on a bucket list experience in South Africa

EXCLUSIVE
‘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

By Joe Mewis Published

EXCLUSIVE England’s luck from the spot changed with a win over Colombia in the 2018 World Cup

EXCLUSIVE
‘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

By Joe Mewis Published

EXCLUSIVE Doku worked under the former Manchester City skipper at Anderlecht

EXCLUSIVE
‘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

By Joe Mewis Published

EXCLUSIVE Ashley Cole's first tournament saw England defeat Argentina before falling to Brazil

EXCLUSIVE
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

By Chris Flanagan Published

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

Player
The greatest World Cup upsets... ever!

By Chris Flanagan, Ben Hayward Published

FourFourTwo revisits the 26 biggest upsets the World Cup has ever produced as Cape Verde add themselves to the list

Competition
Haiti: The team that can't go home

By Chris Flanagan Published

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

Team
’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

By Joe Mewis Published

EXCLUSIVE The Manchester City winger is set to be a key player for the Belgians this summer

EXCLUSIVE
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