Premier League and Bundesliga champions Arsenal and Bayern Munich will face off in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, but the latter side will be without Joshua Kimmich.

The Bayern Munich veteran will be unavailable after experiencing a death in his family, missing the Champions League clash for personal reasons.

The Bundesliga champions penned a statement in support of the midfielder, writing: “Due to a death in his immediate family, Joshua Kimmich is not in the squad today for the match against Arsenal in London.”

Joshua Kimmich to miss Bayern Munich vs Arsenal after death of ‘immediate family member’

The statement continued: “On behalf of the family, we ask that his privacy and grief be respected, and that further inquiries and reporting be refrained from.

“In deep sympathy, the entire FC Bayern stands by Joshua Kimmich’s side,” concluded the club’s writing.

It was already established on Tuesday evening by assistant manager Aaron Danks that Kimmich would likely be unavailable to face the Gunners.

In a pre-match Champions League presser, Danks revealed: “For Joshua, it is personal reasons. I am not sure what it means for [the Arsenal game].”

Danks was reporting for media duties in light of Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany being unavailable through illness.

“Vince has a virus, and it is important for him to rest,” revealed Danks. Whether Kompany will be present in Wednesday’s match is unclear, but the Belgian’s assistant manager clarified that he “will play his role in the game, whether in the Allianz Arena or not.”

Elsewhere, Bayern Munich will be without Michael Olise, who saw red in last week’s 3-3 draw versus Viking FC in the Champions League.

In a pre-match press conference, during which Mikel Arteta responded to “cheating” allegations directed at Bukayo Saka, the Arsenal boss then turned his attention instead to Bayern Munich’s right-hand side. Jamal Musiala is also absent with a thigh injury.

“I don’t want to say who is the best player in these kind of games… [Olise] is out, but when you look at the starting possible XI… how incredibly well coached they are.

“The mindset that they have, the competition that they have in every action, and the individual quality moments… that’s the opposition we will be facing,” concluded Arteta.

For Arsenal, their injury woes extend to a trio in William Saliba, Christos Tzolis and Piero Hincapie, none of whom are expected to participate versus Bayern Munich.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is set to miss the remainder of the 2026-27 season after enduring an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

PSG prevailed against Barcelona in a 4-2 win. After nearly 80 minutes, Lamine Yamal tied the scoreline at 2-2; two late strikes from Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz won the game for the Parisiens.

Kvaratskhelia collided with Barcelona’s other goalscorer, Xavi Espart, after 59 minutes, and was carried off the field by PSG staff in the aftermath.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia suffers season-ending ACL injury with PSG

It has now been confirmed by the club that Kvaratskhelia will undergo surgery on his right knee “in the coming days” as the first step of the Georgian’s rehabilitation.

"Having suffered a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during yesterday's match against FC Barcelona, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will undergo surgery in the coming days,” read a statement issued by PSG.

A date for the PSG winger’s return has not yet been revealed; ACL injuries typically lead to sidelining periods of, at least, nine months.

As such, Kvaratskhelia, who has been hyped as a possible 2026 Ballon D’or winner after his dominant run of individual performances during PSG’s title-retaining Champions League win last season, will likely not play again in 2026-27.

2025 Ballon D’or winner Ousmane Dembele was also withdrawn against Barcelona through injury, as was club captain Marquinhos.

PSG also shed additional light on the nature of their injuries, revealing that the pair, who are suffering with thigh issues, “will remain under treatment for the next few weeks.”

For Kvaratskhelia, his best hope will be to mimic the abnormal return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic from an ACL injury in 2017.

The Swede recovered from a similar setback in just seven months, two months ahead of the likely nine-month rehabilitation period.

In this scenario, the Georgian’s best case, he would still only make it back to play in PSG’s final league game of the season, versus Toulouse in May 2027.

Should the Parisiens make it back to the Champions League final for a third successive time, Kvaratskhelia would also be available, should his body recover as well as Ibrahimovic’s did.

It's often an eye-rolling experience checking who the top goalscorers in the Premier League are, and sometimes I give my own award for the 'non-Haaland' top goalscorer.

Erling Haaland is one of the world's best, most deadly finishers of all time, to the point that it's boring.

But how many of those league goals are scored after winter? It always feels like he slows down each season after January, so I looked into things...

January blues

As you will see in the table below, in every single season since signing for Manchester City, Erling Haaland's goal rate slows down from January.

The last two seasons in particular have produced a stark drop-off, with Haaland adding just eight goals from January to May in the 24/25 and 25/26 seasons.

So what's going on? Does Haaland feel the winter pinch? Is it always exhaustion? Let's take a look at things season-by-season?

2022/23

Goals till January: 21 in 16. Goals till May: 14 in 22.

During the 22/23 season, teams were simply blown away by this physical specimen that arrived in the league. On top of that, the team built around him at the time was Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva. Anchored by Rodri in midfield. All facilitating attackers that cook chances wide or centrally, with Rodri in his prime controlling midfield.

Haaland was the centrepiece of a treble-winning team, though there was some drop-off as teams started to cut off supply lines to him by choking the middle; but he still came good with 14 goals till the end of the season. Four of them may have been against Southampton and Leicester, but by that point it didn't matter; Guardiola had City in free-flowing mode when Haaland's initial burst till January ran dry slightly.

2023/24

Goals till January: 14 in 15. Goals till May: 13 in 16

Okay, so the drop-off here isn't pronounced, but looking beyond the stats paints a different picture. Haaland missed five games in December, and it took him a while to hit the ground running again after winter, scoring four goals in nine games. In fact, if it wasn’t for scoring four goals against Wolves late on in the season, his tally goes down to nine after December.

It becomes an even more intriguing season when you realise Kevin de Bruyne was out until after the winter and Haaland found joy with Julian Alvarez behind him, Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden as wingers, with Rodri and Bernardo Silva controlling midfield before De Bruyne returned. There was a plan in place for the team that was working up until the Belgian got injured; then Guardiola was trying to figure out how to reintegrate the former Wolfsburg midfielder again. After January, Haaland scored five goals in ten games; and though City won the title, he struggled with an injury in December and took time to reconnect with a returning De Bruyne.

2024/25

Goals till January 14 in 19. Goals till May: 8 in 16.

This season I find to be one of the most interestibg. The former Borussia Dortmund striker scored ten goals in the opening five matches; after that? Four goals in fourteen, even before the post-January slump. He once again got injured after December, as City had played in the exhausting Club World Cup and the matches seemed to catch up with him.

But the main reason for a drop-off throughout the season was the injury to Rodri. Haaland is not a creative player; he is the man who can gobble up goals after a chance or half a chance is created for him. Rodri was out all season, and Guardiola tinkered incessantly to the point of playing Jack Grealish as a central defensive midfielder. It was City's first 'slump' since Haaland signed, and they created fewer big chances for him and were soft in the centre without Rodri; in addition to this, it was the most games he missed through injury.

2025/26

Goals till January: 19 in 18. Goals till May: 8 in 16.

Though he picked up his form towards the end of the season as City challenged Arsenal for the title, in Haaland's post-winter decline this time, the barren spell read as three goals in thirteen games beginning at the end of December till the middle of April. Incredible. Guardiola was busy building a new team with club legends like Kyle Walker, De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan departing. Once again, you have to point to a lack of service and chance creation. City were also ripped apart in games where teams hit them on the counter in notable matches like Bodo/Glimt or the Manchester Derby.

Haaland was also rested at one point in February because Guardiola spoke of him being exhausted, and he also complained of tiredness. Towards the end of the season, as Rayan Cherki became more prominent, the Norwegian returned to form with five goals in five starts. City began to peak at the right time, but for most of the season, they leaked goals and lacked creativity in the winter period.

After analysing each season, it’s clear that to get the best out of Haaland you need to build a team of creators around him. He may soon be appearing on the top ten list of all-time Premier League goalscorers, but his New Year attacking slump hinges on making sure he's well rested and fit, but also (more importantly) that the parts around him are presenting him with enough chances. His goal-scoring is heavily dependent on that.

Peterborough United manager Robbie Savage was unequivocal after his team’s 4-1 loss at Huddersfield Town that it was the Terriers’ third goal that ‘finished the game’ at Accu Stadium.

Savage was justified in that view. Posh had just pulled a goal back after going 2-0 down in a scruffy League One match that struggled for quality but was punctuated by exactly that. It was, said Savage, a game of moments.

Peterborough went on to halve the deficit but it was Huddersfield’s second goal that switched the valve on the tension in the stadium. Both were scored by Joe Taylor, a striker who’s young yet proven in the third tier and destined to join Savage among the ranks of Wales’ full internationals.

Joe Taylor is Huddersfield’s prodigal signing

The 23-year-old, formerly of Peterborough, joined Huddersfield in January 2025 after a prolific loan spell in League One with Lincoln City. Taylor scored on his debut but injury soon curtailed his progress and the Terriers’ soon started to cycle through managers.

Players left and players arrived; Huddersfield’s squad is unrecognisable from the one Michael Duff inherited in 2024. Taylor is one of a few players who’ve done both and has experienced the upheaval as directly as anyone in the current squad.

Pick the ultimate 4-4-2 line-up from players in FourFourTwo's definitive Top 100 List

At the same time as Lee Grant was dismissed as Duff’s permanent successor in January, Taylor left Huddersfield on loan and spent the second half of 2025/26 scoring goals in their division for Wigan Athletic.

When Huddersfield and Wigan meet on Saturday, Taylor will line up for the Terriers. After a tumultuous spell of goalless runs, misuse and exile, the striker is finally enjoying the platform he needs to be the signing Huddersfield wanted him to be.

On a miserable night in West Yorkshire that was illuminated by four moments of genuinely excellent finishing, Taylor’s two goals won the game. That’s what Taylor does, and it’s what Huddersfield missed out on until Martin Drury reintegrated him and helped to unleash his goal threat at the club that invested in it some time ago.

Their win moved them into the top two and Taylor’s brace put him on eight league goals in 10 matches. Only Kyle Wootton of leaders Stockport County has more, and both Taylor and teammate Derensili Sanches Fernandes match Wootton for overall goal contributions.

Taylor’s shooting numbers and performance against expected goals suggest that he’s capable of outstripping Wootton over the course of the season, but there’s data on paper and there’s data in observation.

The real value of Taylor’s two goals against Peterborough, beyond the three points, is that neither he nor Huddersfield were at anything like their best and he produced a couple of goals anyway.

Spinning wins from scraps is exactly what Huddersfield need

He’s had better all-round matches and been unable to take advantage but these goals were everything Drury could want from his leading hitman. They were pure Joe Taylor.

The first was all his own doing. He pinched a loose ball in midfield and raced clear to slot the ball past Posh goalkeeper Alex Bass. The second was made by his movement and finishing to convert a terrific cross from substitute Marcus Harness.

These were the moments Savage acknowledged and the moments that made the difference. The ability to spin an evidently tired performance in the brutal Saturday-Tuesday rhythm of the EFL into two match-winning goals is not common. There’s a reason Drury hugged Taylor like a returning son when he was substituted to a standing ovation.

Drury said after the match that Huddersfield have given too much attention to outside expectations since they were relegated from the Championship, and that they’ve done so at the expense of holding themselves accountable internally.

It was a damning assessment of what came before him but the need to return to second-tier football is as acute now as it was under Duff two years ago.

Having a striker who can turn draws into wins, who can turn an ugly 1-0 lead into 3-1 in just a few minutes without playing all that well for an hour beforehand, is the kind of strength that might just take them there.

Former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, whose reign at Old Trafford ended in October 2024, has opened up about the impact of Cristiano Ronaldo’s behaviour on “toxic culture” at the club.

The Dutchman described issuing sanctions in matters related to player discipline, to the likes of Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, then confessed that a similar situation emerged with the Portuguese #7.

In an interview with The Athletic, the ex-Manchester United manager claimed: “[Ronaldo] let me down… I respected him a lot,” before revealing the Red Devils icon’s behavioural issues.

Erik ten Hag claims he “respected” Cristiano Ronaldo but was “let down… he let the team down” at Manchester United

On “toxic culture” at Manchester United, the Dutchman claimed that power is given to the players who enact such behaviour, ‘fuelling the cycle.’

“They are continuing the toxic culture, they fuel it. They give power to the players… sometimes, you have to make corrections,” claimed Ten Hag.

The Dutchman then explained how he felt he had to play ‘bad cop’ with players to raise standards, while grappling with the reality of having to pick certain personnel to win Premier League matches.

Ten Hag claimed that Ronaldo’s poor work ethic led to sub-par fitness levels, leaving the No.7 unable to press or play as hard as the Dutchman required him to.

“He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him,” claimed Ten Hag. “I flew out to Portugal to speak with him about what I was aiming for before I came to United.”

According to the Dutchman, the now 41-year-old pulled out of training sessions, didn’t get his heart rate raised to sufficient levels during training, and completed just two of the three scheduled laps that Ten Hag infamously made players do after a torrid 4-0 defeat to Brentford in August 2022.

“Obviously, he’s one of the best in football history. I respected him a lot. But at that time, as a manager, I had to make a rational decision and keep the players I admire in.

“I confronted him with this. Many times I say, ‘Ronnie, everyone wants to work for you to bring you in the right position, but if you can’t bring yourself in the box, you can’t score.’

“He was not capable of this. It’s the wrong idea to put this to me that I expected him to do the pressing, that he’s exhausted. But he couldn’t. He ran neither in possession nor out of possession. The reason was because he didn’t prepare himself,” revealed Ten Hag.

“Every top team has to embrace the top player, but the top player has to work for the team. He was telling the players, ‘Save your legs at the training.’”

“I understand it when you are top fit - you have sessions, you can save the legs. But first you have to train yourself to get into the right fitness levels.”

Ten Hag hasn’t returned to management since his brief stint post-Manchester United with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. Cristiano Ronaldo, whose return date, fine and suspension period for Portugal has now been revealed, is enjoying time in the Saudi Pro League, as he chases 1000 career goals.

Bayern Munich host Arsenal this week in the Champions League, but Die Roten have been dealt a major blow.

Both teams are among the favourites for the trophy this season, as Arsenal were beaten in last season's final, and Bayern Munich reached the final four last time out – with both suffering defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.

But while plenty will suggest that this week's battle between the two sides is essentially meaningless given that they will both likely qualify for the knockout stage, there's a huge incentive to get a result at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern Munich struggling with a virus outbreak ahead of Arsenal clash

As Arsenal proved last season by finishing top of the league phase with eight straight wins in the first stage of the competition, racking up 24 points from 24 can help pave the way for a preferable route to the final.

Mikel Arteta's men faced Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting and Atletico Madrid on their side of the draw, with each of their home ties coming second in the knockout stage – so Bayern will want to replicate that and look to avoid the likes of PSG, Barcelona and Arsenal themselves until the latter stages of the competition.

The Bavarians have a problem, however, with Sport Witness relaying reports of a virus that Vincent Kompany is suffering from.

“According to BILD, the Belgian underwent another thorough examination on Monday by the team doctors,” the report states, adding, “Internally, the illness is not being taken lightly, as Kompany was clearly feeling unwell around the time of the resounding victory against Leipzig.

“Although he delivered the team talks in the locker room, he had to lie down briefly on his sofa in his coach’s room at the Allianz Arena both at halftime and after the win.”

Sport Witness notes that his “close proximity to the players and other coaches is a cause for concern,” as the Bundesliga champions look to avoid a crisis ahead of Wednesday's clash – in which they are already missing Michael Olise.

The French international was dismissed against Viking for two yellow cards in quick succession: the first for tugging at Zlatko Tripic to stop a transition on the right flank, before immediately throwing the ball into the Norway international's face to receive his marching orders from referee Georgi Kabakov.

The moment of madness came back to haunt Olise's side, as Bayern were leading 3-2 in Stavanger – after going 2-0 down in the first half – before Kompany's 10 men were pegged back to 3-3 for a shock draw by the minnows.

Arsenal have been given a boost of their own, with defender Piero Hincapie having returned to training on grass following an injury picked up before the international break.

The champions of England against the champions of Germany is one of 18 clashes as Champions League action resumes this week.

Rio Ngumoha has downplayed the strength of transfer links to Arsenal, amid a series of dominant individual performances being delivered by the 18-year-old at Liverpool.

Arsenal, Bayern Munich and even RB Leipzig have all emerged as contenders to try and lure the English wonderkid away from Anfield; however, Ngumoha has now insisted that such transfer talk is “all with my agent now.”

The 18-year-old appeared off the bench in Liverpool’s comeback 2-1 win versus Brentford at the Gtech on Saturday, then discussed his future on Merseyside post-match.

Rio Ngumoha tells Liverpool fans transfer talk is “in the back of my mind” amid Arsenal and Bayern Munich links

Ngumoha has appeared in five of Liverpool’s first seven Premier League outings this term, looking to turn a corner with new boss Andoni Iraola after a torrid final season under Arne Slot.

The 18-year-old has also appeared in two Champions League matches versus Atletico Madrid and LASK, and started in Liverpool’s 3-1 Carabao Cup win against Spurs.

Ngumoha is yet to open his account for the season, after two three goals and notching an assist under Slot in 2025-26, playing 19 Premier League games for a total 582 minutes.

Links to Arsenal arrived through David Ornstein, who claimed in an article for The Athletic last month that the 18-year-old is “well-liked” at the Emirates.

After his 38-minute cameo versus Brentford, during which both of Liverpool’s comeback strikes arrived, the England international said: ‘To be fair, that is all with my agent now. I think it is all going well. I am not too sure. I just let my football do the talking at the end of the day.

Ngumoha further downplayed the possibility of an Arsenal transfer, claiming: “‘I enjoy playing, and all of that stuff is in the back of my mind really. I just play for the club, and hopefully I can carry on doing well.

‘I am enjoying the challenge and to be able to play off both sides is important,” continued the 18-year-old, who has appeared on both the right and left flanks at Liverpool after the club lost Mohamed Salah last summer to Super Lig contenders Trabzonspor.

“Do I have a favourite position? No, not anymore. I am getting to grips with the right wing now, and I am liking it. It gives me a bit more unpredictability. I have been working hard on the training pitch.

‘I went away with England and I was playing on the right, so I learned a lot there as well. Watching the likes of Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka. I took on board some of the stuff they told me, and it’s really helpful.

Ngumoha then sung the praises of new manager Iraola, revealing that his received directive has been to take on players more frequently in one-v-one duels.

“I am enjoying working with him and enjoying improving,” said the England international. Whether I start or come off the bench, I have the same mentality. I know the club is just trying to look after me. We have some of the best attackers in the world, so competing for places is not easy.

"It is all about healthy competition and we all just want to make the team win at the end of the day. So whatever minutes we get, we can’t be sulking, we just have to go out and show what we can do."

Ngumoha’s current Liverpool contract runs through until 2028; for now, talk of transfers elsewhere appear to be out of sight and out of mind for the 18-year-old.

Plenty of Arsenal players haven't gone on to better things after leaving the club.

Nicolas Anelka became the Gunners' record sale when he departed for big things in the 1990s, but despite his journeyman career, perhaps never reached the heights that some thought he would during his Arsenal days – while Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Marc Overmars can all safely claim to have given their best form in North London after big moves to Europe.

Now, one Gunner from that era has admitted as much.

Former Arsenal star admits, “I would pay good money to go back to those days”

While the likes of Ashley Cole, Serge Gnabry and Robin van Persie have all enjoyed silverware post-N5, Emmanuel Petit has now reminisced with FourFourTwo about his time as an Arsenal player.

The Frenchman is still the only Gunner to have scored in a World Cup final, and after signing for mentor Arsene Wenger in 1997, enjoyed phenomenal success at Highbury, winning a league and FA Cup Double in his first full season.

“I have some very good memories. When I first came to England, I really loved the tradition over there,” Petit tells us now, courtesy of Betfred.

“I loved it. Back in the day I loved everything. The football, the speed, the total football at times. You never give up and that’s something I learned in England. Never give up until the end.”

The midfielder ended up leaving in 2000 for Barcelona – moving back to the Premier League just a year later to return to London with Arsenal's rivals, Chelsea.

Reflecting on that time now, Petit says that the connection he had with the English supporters was stronger than that at Camp Nou – and that he regrets even moving to Barça in the first place.

“I loved the link with the fans in England and I would pay good money to go back to those days because I miss that sometimes,” he says, adding, “I do believe that my biggest mistake was leaving Arsenal to move to Barcelona.”

Petit failed to win anything in Catalonia, appearing 31 times under manager Lorenzo Serra Ferrer's failed tenure as manager after Louis van Gaal left in 2000.

The World Cup winner retired in 2004 after three years at Stamford Bridge.

Arsenal take on Bayern Munich as Champions League action returns this week.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended by the Portuguese FA and fined less than £250 after the Portuguese maestro walked out on the national team following a row with Jorge Jesus.

That occurred during the last round of international games, during which Ronaldo exited the Portugal camp in Copenhagen prior to their Nations League clash versus Denmark.

Jesus, new boss in Portugal and former manager to Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League, was accused of breaking his word twice to Ronaldo; now, the #7 will serve a 30-day suspension.

Cristiano Ronaldo issued under £250 fine and 30-day suspension period with Portugal

When receiving his punishment from the disciplinary council, it was not specified whether time already served under a provisional suspension would be removed from Ronaldo’s 30-day period.

As a result, it is unclear as to whether the 41-year-old’s punishment will extend to Portugal’s upcoming Nations League clashes in November; however, further information has since emerged.

According to Sky Sports News, the suspension began on the day of Ronaldo’s walk-out, September 30, making him eligible to face Denmark on November 14.

The news arrives after the #7 took to Instagram and asked the Portuguese FA to spare him any leniency, while revealing the details of his row with Jesus.

The 41-year-old also published a bullet-pointed list of ‘validated’ claims he signed off on Jesus saying in a post-match Nations League presser, which Jesus never read.

“I made the mistake in having someone of the stature of Pele or [Diego] Maradona warm up today and then not putting him in the game. If it were today, I would not do it,” read one point.

The Al-Nassr forward then clarified that Jesus broke two promises made with him, before offering an apology to his Portugal team-mates.

“The consequence of this act of mine must be assessed and punished by the Portuguese Football Federation… Regardless of each person’s status, the rules are the same.

“The Federation wants to give me [a dignified farewell]... I can promise all my fans, naturally and especially the Portuguese people, that we will have one or more farewell matches,” concluded the 41-year-old.

It appears that Ronaldo is set to return versus both Denmark and Wales next month; whether that will be the 41-year-old’s farewell with Portugal is still unclear.

Arsenal star Mikel Merino has opened up about the moment that he believed the Gunners would win their first Premier League title in 22 years.

The Spaniard picked up a serious injury in January that looked to rule him out of the season, but miraculously fought to play in Arsenal's final league game of the season and earn a place in Luis de la Fuente's World Cup squad.

Speaking now to The Player's Tribune, Merino has reflected on his 2026 and cited a reaction after the disappointing draw away to Wolverhampton Wanderers as the moment he truly realised that his side would become champions in May.

“In my view, that was the day we won the title” Arsenal's Mikel Merino on Wolves reaction

After going two goals up against Wolves in February, Arsenal conceded a late equaliser, courtesy of a mix-up between David Raya and Gabriel – with Merino claiming that the players sought to repair the damage among themselves to take the strain off manager Mikel Arteta.

“One slip, and all we heard was ‘same old Arsenal,’” Merino said. “To be honest, there were doubts inside the team too. Giving away a 2–0 lead should never happen.

“But the day after the game, the players had a meeting inside the dressing room, without the boss. Everyone spoke up. Nobody talked about tactics. This was about how a group of human beings handle adversity together.

“I spoke about how I saw the team from the outside, and I said that this was something we as players had to handle, because the boss couldn’t do everything for us. When one person has so many tasks at one club, you need leaders who can figure things out on their own.

“Well, at this club, we do. In my view, that was the day we won the title. Even when we lost to Bournemouth and City, that meeting kept us together.”

With social media permeating the inner sanctum of the Gunners' London Colney base, Merino also revealed that his team-mates used the criticism towards them as fuel to end the club's long title drought – including one Manchester City fan who was pictured with an Arsenal bottle.

“We were bottlers. Runners-up. Second, second, second. Boring. Set-piece team. Couldn’t score from open play. Couldn’t handle the pressure. When they questioned our professionalism, we grew even closer,” Merino continued.

“The guy with the bottle on TV? We just laughed. ‘Bantah,’ like the English say.

“The boss was on fire. Every team talk, he reached into our hearts. He spoke about looking out for one another, like a family. The culture we have is thanks to him. Even when the world expected us to collapse, I felt confident that the title would be ours.”

Arsenal travel to Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, as Champions League action continues at the Allianz Arena.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Season 5, Episode 7. The Gang Wrestles for the Troops. Frank “The Trashman” Reynolds wins by accidentally taking out his opponent, Rickety Cricket, with a sharp-edged trash can. He stands in the middle of the ring, sheepishly raises his arms to the air in celebration as the crowd goes wild.

It was an unintentional success. Danny DeVito’s character looked almost embarrassed by the victory. It was impossible not to draw similarities with Dominic Solanke, who headed in a stoppage-time equaliser at Old Trafford last weekend.

Roberto De Zerbi took his Tottenham Hotspur squad to Manchester United, and they dominated from the outset. Solanke himself should have put the north London side ahead with just two minutes on the clock. He fluffed his lines one-on-one with Senne Lammens. He missed a second guilt-edged chance shortly after the restart. Two ideal opportunities to put Spurs in front in a Premier League match for the first time this season.

Maybe it was a lack of confidence on Solanke’s part. Maybe the pressure from Lisandro Martinez was enough to put the 29-year-old off when Savio played the ball across goal. Not that it mattered when Solanke headed Sandro Tonali’s late cross into the bottom corner to silence the United crowd.

Either way, it was a performance that, again, wasn’t good enough from Solanke. It’s become a running theme this season. That De Zerbi named him captain was also incredibly disrespectful to the supporters who paid their hard-earned money to make the trip to Manchester for a Saturday evening kick-off.

You might say it’s one of the worst decisions that De Zerbi has made during his six months in the capital.

This, after all, is the same Solanke who missed a home North London Derby earlier this year due to a sore throat. One who has scored four league goals across 19 league appearances in 2026. A forward who has been trusted to lead the line while last season’s top scorer has been omitted from Spurs’ Premier League squad.

The issue really is that Solanke hasn’t shown enough to warrant the chance to lead out the team. De Zerbi did reveal that he entrusted the former Bournemouth man with the responsibility that comes with captaining a Premier League side. The duty of skippering one of England’s biggest clubs at one of the country’s most recognisable stadiums.

“After the last game, the criticism, I wanted to put him captain to show my confidence and the confidence of the team,” De Zerbi revealed in the week. Had none of the squad’s leadership group been available, then fair enough.

Archie Gray started at right-back. Micky van de Ven was in the matchday squad. The decision was one that left fans scratching their heads. For a team that needs a striker firing on all cylinders, there isn’t much faith in Solanke to carry out the duty. After all, he’s a forward who has scored in back-to-back games just once since his 2024 arrival from Bournemouth.

And a player of his stature who should offer plenty, doesn’t really offer much of anything on the frontline. Solanke has managed just nine shots in the Premier League this season. Just three have been on target. He’s made as many unsuccessful touches resulting in a turnover of possession. Fire the ball into him and, chances are, it’ll bounce away like a trampoline.

In addition, the former Cherries man has won only two of 12 contested aerial duels. Spurs’ No.19 has created just two chances and completed zero dribbles.

This isn’t what Spurs need right now. They require consistency in the final third. A striker to tuck away the goalscoring opportunities they are creating. A player to hold up the ball if required to bring teammates into play. Not one who is desperately out of form and has shown few signs he is capable of turning his fortunes around.

Maybe the goal against United will – finally – kick Solanke into gear. The late header could be a catalyst for better things to come. Lord knows Spurs could do with a fit and firing frontman to haul them away from danger.

Either way, the decision to name Solanke captain at United was a gamble by De Zerbi. He hasn’t shown the requisite consistency, both in terms of availability and performances, to warrant the armband. If he fails to build upon the late equaliser at United, then it will have been a failed experiment by the Spurs boss.

The pressure is now on for Solanke to justify his manager’s decision. More expect him to crumble under the responsibility rather than shoulder the burden.

With five league titles, two Champions Leagues and a host of domestic cup winners' medals in her collection, Chelsea midfielder Keira Walsh has won just about everything there is to win in women's football.

This success also extends to the international scene, where the 29-year-old was part of England's two European Championship successes in 2022 and 2025.

However, there is one notable trophy missing from her CV - the World Cup.

Walsh on her World Cup dream

Walsh played both legs of England's 8-1 aggregate win over Greece, which secured their place in the two-legged World Cup play-off against Ukraine in November, the winner of which will seal their place in Brazil for next summer's tournament.

This play-off run has come after Spain pipped the Lionesses to top spot in their qualifying group on goal difference, underlining just had challenging even making the finals is.

"The same way we'd approach any game," Walsh told FourFourTwo about the team's play-off test.

"It’s difficult to qualify now in the initial stages because there’s two or three top teams in each group, so it's really, really difficult."

This is a point emphasised by the fact that England were paired with world champions Spain, who defeated them 1-0 in the World Cup final back in 2023, as Walsh came agonisingly close to completing her set of major honours.

But rather than dwell on the past, the former Barcelona midfielder is fixated on her side's next match.

"For us in the next stage, it's the same as any game," she continues.

"We want to win, we want to go to the World Cup and we know what we need to do to get there. We know what we need to improve as a group and as individuals. So I'm excited to meet back up and hit the ground running."

And what about adding that elusive final trophy to her collection?

"Yeah, literally! And that definitely gives me motivation. I'm getting on a little bit as well so I'm aware that it could be my last World Cup. So it's a big year."

Throughout the second half of the 2010s, Britt Assombalonga made his name as one of the Championship's most prolific strikers.

After making his senior debut at Watford, he would work his way through the divisions, scoring goals on loan at Wealdstone, Braintree Town and Southend United before making a permanent move to Peterborough, where a 33-goal season earned him a move to Nottingham Forest.

When he made this 2014 switch, the Congolese forward was returning to the club that had rejected him as a teenager.

Assombalonga on his Forest return

Assombalonga had a trial at the City Ground when he was just 14, but was not able to earn himself a permanent deal. The experience, however, left a lasting impression on the youngster, meaning his change to finally pull on the famous Garibaldi red shirt meant even more to him.

From the colour and noise of the City Ground to the bitter rivalry with Derby County, Assombalonga's spell back at Forest was a career-defining stint for him.

"I’d actually been on trial at Forest when I was 14 and, while it didn’t work out, the club left a massive impression on me," he admits to FourFourTwo.

While this trial did not work out for him, the 10-time DR Congo international refused to bear a grudge.

"I’d always dreamt of going back and proving them wrong," he continues. "Not that I ever held it against them – these things happen – but I felt I had unfinished business there."

When Assombalonga joined Forest for a £5million fee from Peterborough in 2014, he immediately fell for the team, the fans and their famous stadium.

"The City Ground is amazing, honestly," he adds. "When the crowd is behind the team and the place is rocking, there are few atmospheres like it."

Never is this atmosphere so raw as when Forest play their most bitter rivals.

"Especially when we played Derby – I can always remember how fierce the atmosphere was in those games due to the history between the clubs and the fact they’re so close.

"I really felt like I was playing for a massive club that had historical importance to English football. I loved my time at Forest and I’m really proud to have scored the goals I did there."

Over the past five decades, Barry Hearn has made a habit out of turning sporting outsiders into major attractions.

But for all his success in darts, snooker and boxing, the former Leyton Orient chairman has never been one to settle for past glories.

The former Matchroom supremo is now back in football, having bought a stake in non-league Brentwood Town, relishing the challenge of building something special.

Why Barry Hearn is back in football

“I’m not the type to sit on his arse all day, you know?" Hearn tells FourFourTwo as he opens up on his latest venture.

"We staged 700 sporting events in the past year alone,” he adds proudly. “I followed them all religiously.

"After every single darts and snooker event, I update my world rankings by hand. I’m a sad, sad bastard. My wife likes to remind me of that.”

Hearn can also be found at Matchroom’s other sporting ventures, from ten-pin bowling to carp fishing.

“If the world was ending in an hour, Geoffrey Boycott would have a turn in the nets, Steve Davis would play one last frame, and Barry Hearn would have a quick glance at his latest spreadsheet,” he adds. “That’s what people like us do.”

Was there a family vote when it came to buying a stake in Brentwood? “No, I just said ‘Bollocks to the lot of you’,” Hearn laughs. “They all think I’m mad, but it’s not a lot of money. It’s a commitment in time that’s much more important than how much money you put in.”

Hearn will be using his time in the short term to drum up interest in the club, but insists that Brentwood will not be getting their own version of Club For A Fiver.

“There’ll be no Netflix series here,” he says. “Wrexham have done that and good luck to them. We need to make our own noise. I shall use what influence I have. I will fight the good cause to my last breath, and I will, in some way, win. I can promise you that.”

It’s hard to imagine otherwise, given the extraordinary energy that Hearn throws at every project he takes on. “I could be drinking champagne on a beach all day, with staff topping my glass up every five minutes,” he winks.

“But where’s the buzz in that? I’ll make a success of Brentwood Town or I’ll die trying.”

This time next week, two sons of Merseyside could be about to go head-to-head in the biggest club fixture in world football.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Anthony Gordon were born barely a couple of miles apart, in West Derby and Norris Green respectively, and both joined Liverpool’s academy when they were in primary school.

Of course, Gordon was released by the Reds and ended up coming through at Everton, with the pair facing each other in a Merseyside Derby for the first time in June 2020. They are now on opposite sides of another rivalry, but as Alexander-Arnold’s Real Madrid prepare to face Gordon’s Barcelona in El Clasico, their careers are on different trajectories.

Why this is a huge season for Anthony Gordon and Trent Alexander-Arnold - but for different reasons

Next Sunday’s meeting between Barcelona and Real Madrid happens to fall on the 10-year anniversary of Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool debut, which came against Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup fourth round in October 2016.

He scored his first Reds goal on his Champions League bow 10 months later, curling home a classy free-kick against Hoffenheim that served notice of his outstanding dead-ball ability.

Alexander-Arnold was picked for England’s 2018 World Cup squad when he was just 19 and became a key figure in Jurgen Klopp’s great Liverpool sides, redefining the right-back role with his vision, passing range and technical ability.

As well as winning six major trophies at Anfield, the defender posted some incredible individual numbers, including claiming double figures for assists across all competitions in all but one season between 2018/19 and 2023/24.

When Alexander-Arnold left his boyhood club for Madrid in summer 2025 - a decision that saw him booed by sections of the Liverpool fanbase during a draw with Arsenal - he was expected to thrive at arguably the biggest club on the planet. But it hasn’t worked out that way.

The England international’s debut season was hampered by injuries, as separate hamstring and thigh issues ruled him out for a total of four months. When he was fit, he struggled to make his mark in an underachieving side that ended the campaign trophyless, not helped by the change of manager from Xabi Alonso to Alvaro Arbeloa in January.

Alexander-Arnold failed to make England’s World Cup 2026 squad and he has been similarly overlooked in two of Madrid’s biggest games this season. He was an unused substitute in last month’s derby defeat by Atletico Madrid in La Liga and Wednesday’s victory over Roma in the Champions League, with head coach Jose Mourinho selecting summer signing Denzel Dumfries instead.

It means there is no guarantee Alexander-Arnold gets on the pitch at the Nou Camp next Sunday, when he could be up against Barcelona left-winger Gordon. In contrast, the former Everton man looks increasingly likely to start after beginning the season in promising form.

Despite starring for Newcastle United in a three-and-a-half year spell after leaving the Toffees in January 2023, eyebrows were raised over the £69.3m fee Barcelona paid for Gordon earlier this summer.

The 25-year-old has responded with an excellent few months individually, starting five of England’s World Cup games and scoring in the semi-final defeat by Argentina. He claimed two assists off the bench on his Barcelona debut, against Elche, and notched his first goals for the club in the wins over Getafe and Galatasaray in the past eight days.

Gordon has become a regular starter for European football’s form team and has risen to the challenge of playing alongside the likes of Lamine Yamal and Rodri every week. Ultimately, he has already kicked on following his move to one of Spain’s superclubs, whereas Alexander-Arnold’s career has stalled.

This is also evident in their international prospects. While Gareth Southgate failed to get the best out of Alexander-Arnold when he was England manager, he did at least continue to select him. Thomas Tuchel has largely ignored the right-back completely.

The defender was recalled for the first time since his Madrid debut for the recent batch of Nations League fixtures, although even that was hardly a ringing endorsement from Tuchel. It is unlikely he would have made the cut if Reece James or Tino Livramento had been fit, while Jarell Quansah started the Three Lions’ biggest game of the international window, against Spain.

Essentially, Alexander-Arnold is further down the pecking order with England now than when he was at Liverpool, which seems crazy for a player of his ability and age, having just turned 28.

The ex-Red did start both matches against Czechia and provided the assist for Gordon’s opener in Prague, one of three goals in as many games scored by the winger in the international window. Gordon appears to have more of a swagger now he is a Barcelona player and looks a certain starter for England when fit.

It is already shaping up to be a hugely important season for both players, but for different reasons. Gordon has made an excellent start to his Barca career and if he maintains that level over a whole campaign, he will establish himself as one of the best wingers in world football.

Meanwhile, Alexander-Arnold is at a crossroads. He certainly has the talent to turn his Madrid career around, but another inconsistent season would amplify the nagging doubts that his move to the Spanish capital may have been a mistake.

His inability to nail down a place with England was arguably a red flag ahead of joining Madrid, who tend to appoint head coaches that take an approach to management often seen in international football. Just look at Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane, who would trust the club’s superstars to win them games, rather than leaning on complex tactical plans.

Alexander-Arnold may even have been better suited to Barca, where he could now be linking up with Gordon in the same way that they did for England against Czechia. Instead, they will be El Clasico foes next Sunday - and that night at the Nou Camp will offer a clue as to what is in store for both players, this season and beyond.

You don’t have to be over 60 to know about Alfie Conn, but one look at any picture of the Scotsman in action will carbon date his heyday firmly to the 1970s.

Long curly hair flowing over his collar, huge sideburns plus a ’tache to die for, shirt hanging outside his shorts – Conn was the epitome of a rock’n’roll footballer in an age when the Bay City Rollers and the Faces were riding high in the charts, and fashion trends on Top of the Pops translated to the terraces.

At Tottenham back then, one fan was seen wearing a white butcher’s coat with “Gilzean is King of White Hart Lane” written in blood, a unique tribute to the club’s Scottish forward Alan Gilzean. In 1974 though, Gilzean was replaced in the affections of Spurs supporters by his compatriot, when Conn arrived from Rangers for £140,000, a huge sum at the time.

“We’ve got our own George Best,” was the sentiment on the Shelf and the Park Lane end at White Hart Lane, and there could be no higher praise. Best was football’s first bad-boy superstar, long before Paul Gascoigne, Eric Cantona and Mario Balotelli.

Conn looked the part too, played in a similar devil-may-care way, and quickly won over Spurs fans who’d grown up during the Bill Nicholson era, when the club won eight major trophies in 12 years playing stylish, attacking football. Nicholson’s final signing before stepping down fitted the bill in terms of what fans loved in a player, but it wasn’t all plain sailing.

Now 72, polite, softly spoken and mostly bald, it’s hard to marry the Conn of today to the image of a player who infamously taunted Billy Bremner and Norman Hunter by sitting on the ball during a game against Leeds, and prompted graffiti that proclaimed “Alfie Conn is God”, still seen in parts of north London long after he’d left Spurs.

“George Best was my idol, although I was never going to reach those heights – if I had an ounce of his ability, I’d have been quite happy,” he tells FFT now. As a youngster, he’d seen the Northern Irishman up close when Best played in a charity match to raise funds for victims of the 1971 Ibrox disaster. Best and Manchester United team-mate Bobby Charlton were guests in a combined Celtic/Rangers team against a Scotland XI, and Conn trained with them. “Just to see him up close was unbelievable,” he says.

At the time, Conn was still traumatised by the events of January 1971, when 66 Rangers fans died and more than 200 were injured in a crush at the end of an Old Firm game. “I’d just turned 18, played in the game and had no idea what had happened until later that evening, when my mum phoned to check if I was alright,” he explains.

Rangers officials and players spent days and weeks visiting survivors in hospital and attending funerals. “Sometimes we went to three a day – one was for five young brothers, who lived down the road,” Conn says. “It turned out to be one of the worst events in my life. I lost over a stone in weight.”

Conn started his career at Rangers, even though his father Alfie Conn Sr had played more than 400 games for Hearts and once for Scotland. “I was a fan from the first time I went to Ibrox as a kid, seeing the big red brick facade,” Alfie Jr explains.

He was thrown into his Rangers debut in a Fairs Cup game against Dundalk at the age of 16. “I had no nerves, no fear,” he admits. “You don’t at that age.” Conn went on as a substitute for Alex Ferguson, then the Rangers centre-forward. “I had no idea he’d go on to be one of the best managers ever, but you knew he’d succeed in whatever he did because of his nature,” Conn says now. “He was always up for a battle.”

A year after the low of the Ibrox disaster, Conn experienced the club’s greatest success, winning the 1972 European Cup Winners' Cup at Camp Nou. The Barcelona Bears, as they became known, beat Dynamo Moscow 3-2 in front of 35,000 fans. “It was over 34,000 Scots and two Russians,” Conn quips.

Crowd trouble in the city centre and two pitch invasions led to headlines around the world and a chaotic final. “We'd gone 3-0 up soon after half-time, but whether it was the heat or the occasion getting to us, we were shattered, out on our feet,” he says. “Dynamo got two goals back and to be honest the second pitch invasion did us a favour, it gave us a breather.”

The pitch was cleared in time to allow the players back for the final minute, before another invasion. “We were hit by police batons as we tried to get down the tunnel,” he says. “It was chaos.”

UEFA decided not to risk having a trophy presentation on the pitch, so the cup was presented in a small room inside the stadium. “John Greig, our captain, was taken to a wee room by UEFA officials, given the cup and told to get the hell out of there,” Conn says. “That was a real disappointment not to be able to celebrate with our fans, but it was one of the greatest nights of my career.”

The following year, Conn scored as Rangers beat Celtic 3-2 in the Scottish Cup final in front of 122,000, the last time Hampden reached that capacity before being downsized.

A year later he was off to England, having fallen out with manager Jock Wallace, but he was surprised to be joining Tottenham.

“I’d spoken to Tommy Docherty the week before and it was agreed that I’d join Manchester United,” Conn explains. “But then I was told to meet at the airport for a flight south, and thought I was going to meet him again in London. So imagine my surprise when I heard the Cockney voice of Eddie Baily, Bill Nicholson’s assistant, saying ‘Welcome to Tottenham’.

“As soon as I met Bill and he told me what was on offer, I said ‘Where do I sign?’ He was a great manager, one of the few who had that special aura which commanded respect, like Jock Stein, Bill Shankly and Don Revie.”

Conn’s wages more than trebled from £60 to £200 per week, plus a ‘crowd bonus’ for cup games – £3 per thousand fans, once the crowd reached more than 29,000. It was a huge incentive to pull in the punters, and Conn certainly did that once he’d established himself, which took six months.

He had injuries as Spurs struggled at the start of the season, before Nicholson quit and was surprisingly replaced by Terry Neill. The former Arsenal defender lasted less than two years at Spurs, before leaving to manage the Gunners. “The fans all thought he was using Spurs as a springboard to manage Arsenal, and we didn’t see eye to eye, but at least he gave me my chance,” Conn says.

His full debut, in January 1975, couldn’t have gone better. Away to Newcastle and needing a win, Spurs were 4-0 up by half-time and ended up winning 5-2, with Conn scoring a hat-trick. “My dad and grandad came down from Glasgow, and I went back up with them afterwards,” he remembers. “We all had a few drinks on the train back and when the ticket inspector came round, my grandad said we were celebrating my hat-trick, then ended up taking over his duties!”

Conn quickly became a fans’ favourite at Tottenham, taking over the King of White Hart Lane title from Gilzean. “I couldn't believe it the first time I heard it – that sort of thing makes your chest stick out,” he says. “I got on great with the fans, and to this day I still think of Tottenham as my club.”

But that result was an outlier as Spurs went on a run of eight defeats in nine games, and in their final game of the season, needed a win to avoid relegation. They were up against Leeds, a club he’d almost signed for as a teenager, now preparing to face Bayern Munich in the European Cup final.

Inspired by one Conn goal and two assists, Spurs raced into a 3-0 lead. He then, however, decided to sit on the ball and taunt Bremner, Hunter and Co. What was going through his mind? “Nothing!” he laughs now. “I don't know why I did it, but as soon as I looked round and saw big Pat Jennings shaking his head, I thought ‘What have I done?’ The Leeds players suddenly turned it on and within 15 minutes it had gone from 3-0 to 3-2. It was a relegation battle for us and I could have been the villain rather than hero. Fortunately we got a penalty, won 4-2 and stayed up.”

“I thought I'd better apologise to the Leeds players,” he adds. How was it received? “I don’t know – I popped my head round the dressing room door, said ‘Sorry lads’ and got out as quick as I could!”

The incident cemented Conn’s place in Tottenham folklore, but he still couldn’t nail down a regular place. Keith Burkinshaw replaced Neill but also had little time for the maverick Scot. Spurs continued to struggle and by the time they were relegated in 1977, Conn was gone.

“I was playing the reserves and got a call to say someone wanted to see me,” he explains. “It was Jock Stein. It’s fair to say that no-one else could have tempted me away, but he was different. I needed no persuasion, even though it meant going to Celtic, which I knew would be difficult.”

Stein had just one special condition. “He told me all the best players wore their hair short and were clean shaven, so would I mind a haircut?” Conn says. “It wasn’t a problem and he said ‘Good, I’ve got you booked in at the barber’s tomorrow!”

The newly clean-cut Conn went on to experience success at Celtic, winning two titles and the Scottish Cup, but as the first man to cross the Old Firm divide since World War Two, his move was not without trouble. “An old friend, the best man at my wedding, was a diehard Rangers fan and never spoke to me again,” he says. “People would come up to me in pubs and at social occasions, and give me grief. On rare occasions they still do, unfortunately.”

Conn’s career took him from Celtic to America, playing professionally in an indoor seven-a-side league and then for San Jose Earthquakes, before a brief return to British football. He retired to run a bar in Scotland, with his former Rangers team-mate Willie Henderson. On the opening night they promised a special guest, and the locals were stunned when the great Stanley Matthews walked in. “Everyone wanted his autograph, including me,” laughs Conn.

There’s great sadness in his eyes when he talks about losing his wife Sue to motor neurone disease in 2021, and he now raises funds for MND charities through events and royalties from his recent autobiography.

He has few regrets from a colourful career that was blighted by injuries and some managers' mistrust of mavericks like him. He won just two caps for Scotland and wishes he could have featured more for Spurs. “If Bill Nicholson had stayed on, I would have played a lot more and stayed longer,” he says.

Conn appeared just 49 times for Tottenham, scoring 10 goals, yet his impact was about more than just pure statistics. With his swagger, sideburns and long curly hair, for many of the Spurs supporters who watched him play, he’s still the King of White Hart Lane.

Conn’s book What’s It All About? The Alfie Conn Story is available now

Like many retired footballers, the competitive itch remains for Michael Owen.

But rather than drop down the leagues or enter the dugout, the former Ballon d'Or winner has turned away from football to indulge his post-playing competitive instinct.

At Manor House Stables, his training operation in Cheshire, Owen has built a business that combines his love of horse racing with the same drive that saw him become one of English football's most prolific goalscorers.

Owen on his drive to make Manor House the best

"I don’t really like just taking part – I want to be at the very top table," Owen tells FourFourTwo when asked about the scale of his ambition for the stables.

"We’re mixing it now but there’s a long way to go to be one of the best. Being the best is possibly an impossible thing when you think of the superpowers, but we’ve definitely got room for improvement.

"What do we need to do? We need more horses, better quality horses. How do you get more horses? You need more owners, wealthier owners I suppose if you want to be brutally honest about it. How do we do that? We need results and a facility to look after people that want to have a good time. And how do we do that? We have to be at the cutting edge of science and get out there when there’s a big event on and there might be potential owners there.

"You’ve got to get your arse off your comfy chair and start pressing flesh. You have to have drive and ambition, you have to be here at the crack of dawn, learning your business, getting the best out of your staff, motivating them. It all starts with a target, which is to be the best in the business.

"If you’d seen us 20 years ago, when I set this place up, and at any stage in between, it’s been constant progress. That can’t stop and won’t stop while I’m here – and I’m going to be here for a very long time hopefully."

Owen's focus at Manor House is on flat racing, which precludes a crack at the Grand National, but does he dream of winning one of the other big races one day?

"The Derby, absolutely, although people ask me what’s the dream, and having this business, employing all these people, in many ways I’m living the dream now," he continues. "And it’s like saying ‘If you win the league or the Ballon d’Or as a footballer, is that the dream, is that it then, you’ve achieved it?’ No it’s bloody not, I want to do it again and again. Who the hell wants to do something that’s so good once and doesn’t want to do it again?

"If I won the Derby, I wouldn’t put ‘For Sale’ signs up. So yes, it is a dream to win it, but this place isn’t stopping regardless of what we achieve. I will die doing this, whereas I had to stop at football at 33. I can continue running this place forever, trying to be successful, and the beauty is you really enjoy it along the way.

"It’s a constant joy – following horses, going to Royal Ascot for a week, Glorious Goodwood, I might go to the Breeders Cup in Kentucky or the Melbourne Cup in Australia, travelling the world seeing your horses running. It’s just the most incredible business.

"I don’t have to run around for 90 minutes any more – blood, sweat and tears. I can just enjoy it."

All six episodes of Meet the Owens are available now to stream on Amazon Prime Video

Thomas Hitzlsperger enjoyed a distinguished career, turning out for Germany at the highest level and playing for the likes of Aston Villa, Stuttgart and West Ham.

But in January 2014, several months after hanging up his boots, his decision to publicly come out as gay had a profound impact far beyond the football pitch.

The former midfielder became one of the most high-profile former footballers to come out, speaking candidly about his sexuality in an interview with German newspaper Die Zeit, at a time when male homosexuality remained a largely taboo subject in professional football.

Hitzlsperger on his experience of coming out

More than a decade has passed since then, with Hitzlsperger reflecting on the response he received and his message, and his advice for those still struggling with their identity.

"My estimation is that 95 per cent of the reactions were positive," he tells FourFourTwo. "The overall sentiment from people was that it was great that someone had spoken up. They said to me it was powerful that someone who’d played at the highest level could share his experiences.

"When I was contemplating the idea of going public, there was fear involved," he admits. "You’re thinking ‘What are people going to say? They may not like it and will criticise me’. I was dealing with my perception of what the world was like at the time, and my own fear of rejection.

"But having gone public, I realised that all my worries were unjustified and it felt like the world wasn’t such a bad place. At times, the media painted the picture of a hostile world, but then you speak up and think to yourself ‘Why is this not happening, why is the world so much better and why are there so many lovely people?’

"That’s why I say we have to tell more positive stories and not focus on a narrative that’s so sad and tragic. We have to talk about everything, but in general my ambition is to be positive and say “Life can be pretty amazing – if you don’t think you fit in, wait until you tell people and you’ll find many who will support you.” You can’t see what’s in front of you until you tell your story and live your truth.

"I spoke about a real sense of community during my childhood from a familial sense, and now I’m part of another community – the gay one. Meeting new people has expanded my horizons. Instead of focusing on people you might lose because of rejection, rather look at all the new and wonderful people who you wouldn’t have met before, if you’d kept quiet. The best part of coming out is not having to worry any more. I now focus on my job – as a shareholder, a CEO and a TV pundit – and my personal life, and nothing else.

"Whatever I do in life I want to be successful, but if you constantly live with fear, then you can’t be your best self. I knew that not living my truth couldn’t go on and I had to make a statement for my own benefit. If it helped others, even better."

Hitzlsperger adds that his experience can help others who are struggling with their identity.

"What would I say now to those who may be struggling with their sexuality and think the world is a bad place?" he asks. "I’ve been supported by so many people and live my life now without any fears, when it comes to my personality. I was delighted to get that affirmation as well from people I worked with in the game and those that just followed my footballing journey. I was very grateful and appreciative to everyone who said something positive publicly.

"After the newspaper interview I did with Die Zeit was published in 2014, my former team-mate Lukas Podolski described my coming out as “brave” and “an important sign of our time”. My former national team boss Joachim Low said I “deserved respect from every side.”"

Football v Homophobia is a year-round initiative tackling anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, building inclusive communities at all levels of the game around the world. For more info and support, visit footballvhomophobia.com

During his 18-year career, Toby Alderweireld would clock up more than 600 appearances, winning league titles in three countries and racking up 127 appearances for the Belgium national side.

But everyone has to start somewhere, and for Alderweireld it was something of a baptism of fire when he was handed a brutal introduction to the professional game.

The centre-back had come through Ajax's famed academy and was used to mixing with the best players in his age group, but that did little to prepare him for the test of going up against two of his generation's best and most physical strikers in his first senior match.

Alderweireld on face Adriano and Ibrahimovic

The future Spurs man's first taste of the men's game came in a pre-season match against Inter Milan, who featured Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Adriano in attack, with both strikers at the peak of their powers.

Alderweireld learned a valuable lesson that day - even if his first reaction was to wonder whether he would be able to mix it at the highest level.

“My first game for Ajax, in the pre-season Amsterdam Tournament," the Belgian tells FourFourTwo.

"There were two games in two days – our first team played against Arsenal, then our second team played against Inter," with the teenage defender being given the opportunity to impress against the Italian side.

"I was young and played at centre-back against big guys, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Adriano."

At that time, Ibrahimovic was in his pomp, combining physicality and a 6ft 5in frame with technical brilliance, while Adriano was renowned for his explosive power and fearsome left foot. It soon became clear that a test like this was nothing his time in the Ajax academy could prepare him for.

Alderweireld initially attempted to take this levelling up in his stride, but was soon handed a reality check.

"I thought ‘OK, this is professional football, this is a different level’," he continues. "After 20 minutes, I was like ‘This is not for me’, but sometimes you need to have your head against the wall to become better.

"It gave me a lot of insight – I thought ‘I need to get stronger’. I played a good game and it wasn’t like we lost 5-0, but physically against those two in their prime, it was a good reality check.”

And while the young Alderweireld endured a testing afternoon, those first 20 minutes would prove to be vital in helping him become the defender he wanted to be.

Alderweireld was speaking in association with BOYLE Sports 2 Goals Ahead

Football has always had its mavericks, but some players couldn't help but take things to another level.

From wild nights out and outrageous antics to long hair, leather jackets and a love of loud guitars, these were the footballers who brought a genuine rock ’n’ roll spirit to the beautiful game.

FourFourTwo runs down some of the players who proved that football and rock ’n’ roll were a match made in heaven...

Frank Worthington

At Baileys nightclub in Leicester in 1975, Frank Worthington dressed up as Elvis Presley and belted out the hits of the King of Rock’n’Roll.

The iconic forward worshipped Elvis and did his best to emulate that rock’n’roll lifestyle throughout a career in which he netted more than 250 goals and was idolised pretty much everywhere he went.

Hailing from Halifax, Worthington defied the stereotype of the no-nonsense northerner, displaying sublime skills on the field for Huddersfield Town, and living a flamboyant life off it, turning up for an England under 23s match in cowboy boots.

A 1972 move to Liverpool collapsed after he was found to have high blood pressure, with Bill Shankly initially sending him off to Majorca for a week to sort himself out. How did he use the time? He consorted with five different women, including a former Miss Great Britain, before returning to Merseyside with even higher blood pressure, and failing the medical again.

A notorious womaniser, he later named his autobiography [i]One Hump Or Two?[/i] “I was living a bit too much in the fast lane,” he admitted. Not always heading in the right direction, either: once, he had four court appearances in a year because of his driving – one was for doing a U-turn on the motorway in his Ford Mustang.

Defenders had no more of a clue which way he was going – after starring for Leicester, he scored a memorable goal for Bolton against Ipswich when he picked up the ball with his back to goal outside the area, juggled it, flicked it over both his own head and the head of a bamboozled Terry Butcher, then volleyed it into the net, all in one motion. Trotters boss Ian Greaves labelled him ‘the working man’s George Best’.

Greaves had also been his manager at Huddersfield – once growing tired of Worthington playing Elvis tapes on the team bus, ejecting the cassette and throwing it out of the window. It didn’t curtail the forward’s love of the King – when he moved to Sunderland, he’d turn up at training dressed as Elvis.

Despite his talent, Worthington earned only eight England caps – the cowboy boots at the under 23 game didn’t endear him to Alf Ramsey, and he irritated future Three Lions boss Don Revie with some showboating against Leeds, amid a perception that he wasn’t committed enough. “I admit that I used to get about a bit, but I’m quieter these days,” he insisted in 1978. “Instead of going out seven nights a week, I keep it to six."

Eric Cantona

Liam Gallagher claimed that Cantona “ruined my life in the ’90s”, so brilliant was he for Manchester United, the big rivals of Gallagher’s Manchester City.

Yet the singer’s respect for him was so great that he later invited King Eric to star in the video for his 2020 single Once, dressed in full regal attire.

Cantona always created magic on the pitch, but he was banned for a kung-fu tackle on an opponent during his time at Auxerre, then infamously repeated it on a fan at Selhurst Park. This led to the

Frenchman’s lengthy ban and enigmatic musings about seagulls and trawlers.

In true rock-star style, he abruptly quit in his prime, at the age of 30. “Cantona was the last rock ’n’ roll footballer,” declared Gallagher, still going at 52.

Leighton Baines

The left-back may not have been a flair player like Worthington, but he became something of an indie icon during 15 years in the Premier League.

Baines became known for taking a guitar with him on England away trips and even penned a regular music blog for Everton’s official website, hailing the likes of Tame Impala, The xx, Can, Lana Del Rey and The Black Keys, some before they became bonafide superstars.

Like former Evertonian Pat Nevin before him, Baines had his finger on the pulse, and also adopted the sideburns of a mod for some of his career. “He’s a quiet lad, but as I got to know him, it became clear he was a massive music fan,” explained singer Miles Kane, having become pals with the defender. “We started talking music, listening and swapping tracks. He put me on to Tame Impala before they hit it off.”

Now assistant manager at Everton, the full-back even inspired Irish band The Baines to name themselves after him. There can be no greater rock’n’roll credential.

Gunter Netzer

In an era when most German footballers were still listening to banal schlager music, Netzer was paying closer attention to The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan.

A rebel from the start, Netzer’s long flowing locks were unheard of in the Bundesliga in the late 1960s – no-one could match his passing ability either, as the playmaker spearheaded Borussia Monchengladbach’s rise from the second tier to two German titles, earning the nickname Karajan, after a famous Austrian conductor. Netzer was also the star as West Germany took England apart at Wembley during qualifying for Euro 1972, before helping his country win the tournament that summer.

An aversion to authority meant he didn’t always see eye to eye with club boss Hennes Weisweiler: keen to conserve his energy for the key moments during games, rather than worrying about things like running around or tackling, he’d also worried his manager by opening a nightclub. “This is the end,” Weisweiler groaned, concerned about the distractions it would lead to. Previously, Netzer had nearly killed himself after crashing his yellow Ferrari, ruling himself out of the 1970 World Cup.

When the midfielder agreed to join Real Madrid in 1973, an irked Weisweiler dropped him for the DFB Pokal final – Netzer refused to come on as a half-time sub, then told the exhausted Christian Kulik to go off ahead of extra-time. “Now I’m playing,” he told Weisweiler, having subbed himself on, before scoring the winner.

Unwilling to cut his hair when he moved to Madrid, he twice won La Liga during three years in Spain but once took advantage of a two-week injury lay-off to covertly fly to Las Vegas without permission, after being invited to the wedding of Frank Sinatra’s daughter Tina. Obtaining a second passport and sneaking through Madrid airport in disguise, he was sat alongside Sammy Davis Jr and Neil Diamond at a Sinatra concert on the night before the wedding, while his team-mates were playing a game against Real Murcia that weekend.

Back in Madrid days later, oblivious team-mate Ignacio Zoco asked Netzer if he’d watched any TV that weekend. The German said no. “Sinatra’s comeback show was on TV,” said Zoco, who was engaged to singer Maria Ostiz. “Maria swears there was a guy in the audience who looked just like you – you must have a doppelganger.” It would be decades before Zoco found out the truth.

Petr Cech

The legendary goalkeeper didn’t just use his hands to keep out some of the world’s best strikers – he also developed a talent for drumming.

The Czech Republic star launched his own YouTube channel, featuring videos of himself drumming along to System Of A Down, Coldplay, Thirty Seconds To Mars, Rammstein and others. Asked by FFT which band he’d join if he had the chance, past or present, he said: “Nirvana or Foo Fighters – I was always a fan of Dave Grohl.”

Cech did join folk rock band Wills & The Willing for their song Iceberg, and even released a charity single with Queen’s Roger Taylor. He’s got rhythm.

Slaven Bilic

After eschewing an umbrella at Wembley to defeat The Wally With The Brolly and guide Croatia to Euro 2008, Bilic promptly recorded his own song for the tournament, too.

The former centre-back was a guitarist in the rock band Rawbau, having fallen in love with the genre as a child. “I couldn’t imagine my life without music,” he once told FFT. “For my birthday when I was 10 or 11, my father took me to a shop and bought me my first record: Highway to Hell by AC/DC. For me it was Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, then Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Guns N’ Roses.

“My brother is three years older, and you get everything from your brother. The guitar was in the corner of our room, and I’d pretend to play it like I was Angus Young of AC/DC.”

In 1996, by then a Croatia international defender, Bilic joined West Ham from German side Karlsruher. “I knew every word of every Iron Maiden song, and they’re big West Ham fans,” he explained. “After I signed, I went to the players lounge one day and thought ‘My god, is that Steve Harris?’ Ian Bishop had invited him because they were friends. We spoke and I was almost shaking.

“The first time I saw them live was in Manchester, and they invited me backstage after the gig. I thought ‘Oh, it’s going to be like what you read about in those autobiographies, with the parties and everything’. But when I opened the door, one of the band members was blow-drying his daughter’s hair! We’re still friends and text each other.”

Music helped him cope with life after playing, too. “When I had to retire early, I wasn’t in a good place,” he said. “I was into the guitar, though, and wrote some songs, lyrics, riffs – then I felt good again. I had some friends in music and we started jamming, then recorded some songs. Then Hajduk Split asked me to take over and the rest is history.”

Seven years later, Bilic had guided Croatia to the Euros when his band released the song Vatreno Ludilo (Fiery Madness). The title summed up their tournament: they thought they’d scored a 119th-minute winner in the quarters against Turkey, only to dramatically concede in the 122nd minute, then lose a penalty shoot-out.

Bilic has since had spells as manager of West Ham, West Bromwich Albion and Watford – sacked by the trigger-happy Hornets after less than six months. Fire-y madness, in that instance.

German Burgos

Burgos wasn’t content to be a guitarist – the former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper wanted to sing.

A huge bloke with long unkempt hair, who sometimes took to the stage topless, it’s perhaps no surprise that his vocals were a little rough and ready at times. He wasn’t about to challenge Adele for any awards, but the shot-stopper looked the part on stage, releasing five singles with his bands The Garb and the Burgos Simpatia (‘Burgos Sympathy’), drawing on influences from AC/DC to Guns N’ Roses.

Nicknamed Mono (‘Monkey’), he even performed songs on TV shows during a playing career that saw him represent Argentina 35 times, before becoming Diego Simeone’s long-serving assistant manager at Atleti. Bad cop and even badder cop – scary stuff.

Stan Bowles

When FourFourTwo asked Pete Doherty which former QPR player he’d bring back to play for the Loftus Road club’s current team, he didn’t have to think for long.

“Stan Bowles,” explained the Libertines wild child. “I always wonder how someone like him would fit in today’s game. I’d love to see him drifting around scratching his leg on the halfway line, give him the ball and see what the 24-year-old Stan Bowles could do. They thought it was funny back then when he’d take a programme off a fan and read it halfway through the game, but now he’d probably get fined and banned for two matches.”

Bowles left QPR in the year that Doherty was born, but his legend lived on – he was later voted the club’s greatest ever player.

Born in the north west, he started his career at Manchester City before a nightclub row with boss Malcolm Allison, then a spell at Bury, where manager Ernie Tagg remarked that “if he could pass a bookies as well as he passes a football, he’d be a very rich man”. The gambling addict was said to sometimes pause during games and ask fans with transistor radios whether they knew the latest horse racing results.

He possessed supreme ability, though – as a Carlisle player, he remarkably helped them beat Roma in the Anglo-Italian Cup at the Stadio Olimpico, angering the home crowd by doing keepy-uppies mid-match. The replacement for Rodney Marsh at QPR, he won five England caps and claimed to have deliberately sent the FA Cup trophy flying during a match at Sunderland. Days after the Wearsiders had won the cup, it had been placed pitchside by the halfway line for a Second Division fixture.

“There were a couple of us who had a bet on who could knock it off the table with the ball,” he said. “With the ball at my feet, I tore off straight across the park. The whole ground knew I’d done it on purpose.”

A spell at Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest wasn’t successful – he walked out on the 1980 European Cup final after the manager left him out of John Robertson’s testimonial match, but his rock’n’roll lifestyle resulted in a song that reached number 36 in the charts.

"It was about Stan and my mate Peter Doherty,” explained Dominic Masters of The Others, after releasing the song [i]Stan Bowles[/i] in 2004. “Pete Doherty is the Stan Bowles of the music world, and Stan Bowles was the Pete Doherty of the football world.”

Gaizka Mendieta

The Spaniard met FFT in central London in 2019 – immediately grabbing a guitar, leaping into the air and demanding that we took his photo.

OK, that might not be quite how it happened – we’d actually hired the Gibson LP Gold Top from a nearby guitar store for the photoshoot, after hearing he was a huge rock fan. He’d even played guitar on stage alongside band Los Planetas at the Benicassim Festival in his homeland.

“I like Wolf Alice at the moment,” he explained, after spending a good minute just admiring the guitar we’d brought along. “British music is so rich. When I played in Spain, no one had the same taste in music as me. They’d put on rap in the dressing room and I’d think ‘OK, come on, that’s enough now!’”

Dani Osvaldo

Long before Osvaldo quit football to take up music, he was displaying true rock’n’roll credentials – just by generally acting like a nutter.

The Argentina-born Italy international was suspended by Roma in 2011 for punching team-mate Erik Lamela in the face during an argument – well, he did have one of those faces – then was sold after rowing with caretaker boss Aurelio Andreazzoli and refusing to attend an awards ceremony.

It led to a £12.8m move to Southampton, where he turned Vincent Kompany inside out then chipped the goalkeeper against Manchester City, but was soon banned for three matches for a touchline fracas, then headbutted team-mate Jose Fonte during a training ground incident and never played for the club again.

At Inter, he fell out with Mauro Icardi (not exactly a stranger to falling out with team-mates himself), and was suspended for not turning up for training. At Boca Juniors, he had a contretemps with the manager for smoking in the dressing room, and was fired.

His response? To quit football at 30 and focus on music. “People look at me like ‘You're crazy, you played in some of the best teams in the world and you decided just to quit to do this?’” he admitted. “They don’t understand – it’s my passion.”

Months later, Jorge Sampaoli tried to persuade him to change his mind and sign for Sevilla, but was unsuccessful. “He told me ‘Dani, I’m not asking anything of you, you can do what you want on the pitch and off it, but I need a striker’,” Osvaldo explained. “I said ‘But boss, there’s the Cosquin Rock festival!’”

The Rolling Stones fan played gigs in Barcelona as the frontman of his own band, Barrio Viejo – with a beard, tattoos and often a look of Johnny Depp, he also later appeared on Italy’s version of Dancing With The Stars. "There are so many rules in football, and I’m not good with the rules, I like to be free,” he added. “I was going crazy and decided to live the musician’s life instead.”

Osvaldo did return to football to join Banfield on a one-year contract in 2020, but lasted only six months. At least he got out of there without headbutting anyone…

Alexi Lalas

The ginger-haired goatee king was the stand-out character of the USA team that played the 1994 World Cup on home soil, and has also released not one but eight solo albums over the past three decades.

An avid fan of glam metal band Ratt, Lalas shot to fame thanks to his unusual look and his goal in the USA’s shock win over Graham Taylor’s hapless England in 1993 – everything about the centre-back absolutely screamed ‘early Premier League years transfer to Coventry City’, but sadly a move to Highfield Road fell through after the World Cup, and they had to settle for Cobi Jones instead.

Lalas meanwhile concentrated on opening for Hootie & The Blowfish during their 1998 European tour, with his band The Gypsies, and releasing a never-ending list of albums – Far from Close, Ginger, So It Goes, Infinity Spaces, Shots, Sunshine, Look at You and Melt Away

Gareth Ainsworth

Few managers celebrate promotion by posing for photos at the training ground, using a corner flag as a microphone. But Ainsworth has always been a little bit different.

When the long-haired former Preston, Lincoln and Wimbledon winger moved into management with Wycombe, he wasn’t about to don a tracksuit on the touchline – instead, he favoured an open-necked shirt and even red cowboy boots during the Chairboys’ successful League One play-off campaign in 2020. “I don’t want to copy anyone else,” he insisted, of his managerial style. “If I did, it would probably be Jim Morrison or Michael Hutchence.”

Ainsworth has always been a rocker at heart, continuing as the lead singer of a band while managing in the EFL. “We’re keeping the Cold Blooded Hearts going and recording our own stuff,” he told FFT in 2020. “It’s been difficult because football takes over – it was much easier when I was playing and in the band Dog Chewed The Handle. Monday night is rehearsal night these days – although if we get a Monday night game on Sky, I may have to change that.”

He’s now manager of Gillingham, via a spell at Shrewsbury and a stint at QPR, where he went left-field in a different way, bringing in a Maori performer to do a performance for the squad at the training ground, in full traditional costume. Many of them were baffled.

Later asked by FFT for his opinion on the greatest rock album of all time, Ainsworth thought carefully. “I have an all-time favourite band, which needs mentioning before we get to the album – I’m such a massive fan of The Doors,” he explained. “I was a teenager when the 1991 documentary about the Doors came out and I was blown away, so anything by them is basically my idea of heaven.

“But if I’m just picking a single album, and I’m in a real rock‘n’roll mood, I’d actually have to pick a different band. In 1987, I went down to my local record shop in Blackburn and I picked up a vinyl copy of Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and it’s still one I reach for to get the blood pumping. I have to put that down as my number one all-time album.”

Did the album title inspire his use of 16-stone human wrecking ball Adebayo Akinfenwa at Wycombe? We may never know.

Fausitino Asprilla

Colombia’s early 90s side was one of the most rock’n’roll teams in history – take your pick from afro-meister Carlos Valderrama, rampaging goalkeeper Rene Higuita or Asprilla, who was 50 per cent genius, 50 per cent madman.

Having earned himself a move to Serie A with Parma, Asprilla then conspired to miss out on playing in a single minute of the 1993 European Cup Winners’ Cup final, after injuring himself kicking a bus door during a trip back to Colombia. “A bus driver smashed into my car – when I got out to get onto the bus, he shut the door on me, so I kicked it,” he later told FFT.

“I was furious. If I’d got into the bus, I would have hit him, but he escaped. I’m a bit calmer nowadays.”

Mere months after that 2008 interview, the former Newcastle striker displayed his new zen state, by being arrested for allegedly firing a machine gun at security forces near his farm. He’s been involved in rather less controversy in recent times, instead focusing his time on teaching his horse how to play football, by riding it while wearing a Tyrannosaurus Rex costume – there’s video footage and everything. Never change, Tino.

Merlin Röhl, Everton’s super-bright midfielder and occasional full-back, talks so passionately and intelligently about the importance of footballers training the eye to improve their game that it was no complete surprise to discover his mother is a doctor specialising in the eye. It is also no complete surprise that Röhl’s finely-tuned eye helps him develop as a photographer with a newly-published book of his work.

Röhl was walking back into the dressing-room at Finch Farm on Thursday morning when he noted two of David Moyes’ assistant managers, Leighton Baines and Billy McKinlay, chatting with a couple of players. The tableau immediately appealed to Röhl on two levels: the obvious camaraderie amongst Moyes’ squad and also the image attracted his photographer’s eye. So he got his Leica M6 out and snapped away. Staff and players are used to this now, not least because Baines himself is a talented photographer.

“We were coming in from training,” Röhl recalls, “and just sitting in front of the dressing room, a few lads, and Leighton and Billy were telling a story. They were laughing the whole time, pointing at each other. This situation meant so much to me. The connections between people. I took 20, 30 photos.”

Finch Farm has a family feel and Baines is almost a mentor to Röhl, who joined Everton on loan from Freiburg last year, impressed, and has now signed permanently. “When we talk about the mental side, and I was saying, ‘my mind works a lot’, it's sometimes the same for Leighton. We can be quite similar in certain thoughts, we share them, and then we help each other to find a balance in our life.

Röhl has a very active brain. “I would say so. There are certain days where I come home from training and think about so many things, my past and the lives of other people. Something needs to help me to live a life where I can help my brain to calm down a little bit – so I pick up a camera, do some photos.

“Leighton was talking the other day about ‘something has a significance, and sometimes the same thing has an insignificance’. When you’re injured, of course, the significance of your injury is so high, but also it's maybe just a small adductor injury and compared to some real health problems is nothing. That helps to put something into perspective, to just enjoy life. That helps me a lot.”

Baines and Seamus Coleman encouraged Röhl’s lens work. While providing opportunity for photography, injury has impeded some of his impact but Röhl is clearly a well-regarded team-mate. It’s why the players have accommodated his picture-taking. Rohl certainly gets close-ups. In his new photo-book, “Life with Everton”, one picture of Michael Keane and Vitaliy Mikolenko playing chess in the dressing-room captures the defenders utterly absorbed in their game and utterly unaware of the camera.

It’s in black and white, which Rohl loves, also reflecting his admiration for a photographer famed for his black-and-white work. “The most famous one is Henri Cartier-Bresson! Legend! In the beginning, I looked at his photos and was like, ‘nice photos’. As soon as you know more about photography, you know more how brilliant he was. When I look at his photographs, step by step, I find something I was never thinking about, see how much detail you can put into a photo from composition, and how perfect his photos are.

Röhl mentions one in particular. “There’s a picture where it was really about the background - a really small reflection of a bicycle.” Taken by Cartier-Bresson in 1932, the photo is titled “Hyeres, France” but also known as “The Cyclist”. “He was completely aware of how to put those little things in. That’s what fascinated me about his pictures.”

Should it be so strange? Footballer as photographer? Eric Dier has a passion for photography as does Baines. Alfie Whiteman, the former Tottenham Hotspur keeper, has already had an exhibition of his photos. Players often talk about having “pictures” in their head, snap-shots of where team-mates are on the pitch.

Röhl nods when I mention he’s used to framing images on the field, scanning where everyone is, especially when he plays in midfield. “As a footballer, you need to do that framing. I'm a player who is visualising a lot, thinking, dreaming, about certain patterns, images and situations. And if there's another connection to being a photographer, you also need to have imagination.”

Which is why Röhl’s favourite player is a Brazilian legend. “Kaka is the most famous player that I really loved to watch. He had a joy of playing, the speed and technical ability. That's something I'm still dreaming about getting on the pitch.” Starting out, Röhl played as a 10 at times in Germany. “A lot of players have a technical ability. But when your physical output is so high, when you're running so much, you're pressing, then it's so hard to be very good technically in those very important moments. It was there that Kaka was one of the best.”

Of the current generation, Röhl name-checks a player he encountered in the DFB-Pokal. “When I was in Germany, I played against Jude Bellingham,” Röhl recalls of when his first club, Ingolstadt, visited Borussia Dortmund in 2021. “Oh, wow, I really enjoyed that.” Rohl played more of a no.10 role in that game and saw Bellingham close up. “The ability to keep the ball in difficult situations is something where he's incredible. He's rarely losing the ball. That puts him, really, as a stand-out player from a lot of the players at the top. He can play every position, is just so versatile, just keeps the ball - and then he scores.”

Röhl was only 19, playing for the Bundesliga.2 side before moving to Freiburg the following year. He’s always wanted to be a footballer. Röhl grew up in a home in Potsdam where his parents encouraged him to explore all his potential, academic and sporting, and self-development. “Both my parents are doctors. The situation at home was they created something where I can do whatever I want. A lot of people normally have ‘you need this job or that job, you need to earn the money’. My parents gave me love, freedom and all the opportunities to pursue a little bit of an artistic way of living my life.

“Just having people giving you trust and love for the whole life, and putting you in a position where I have the courage to do certain things, to share my thoughts, and to express myself be on the pitch. That’s something that my parents gave me, and that's something I really, really love.”

His parents were keen on their son doing his Abitur, the German equivalent of A-levels despite the demands of football. “At Ingolstadt, where I was becoming professional, it was quite difficult at that time. The manager wanted me in the first-team squad, and played me, but my school was not completely matched with the training schedule. The manager was just saying, ‘Merlin, I cannot move the training. You need to be out of school. Because you will be a professional football player, and you don't need the school’.”

That didn’t go down well at home. “My parents were like, ‘No, it's the most important thing in life: go to school, get your Abitur’.’ I didn't play for a few games. I got my Abitur. Afterwards, I was playing. It worked out. I had the dream in my head. I was 16, 17, I want to be a midfielder. I want to play in the Premier League.” To develop, he analysed those in his position. “I watched players that had some similar attributes or I wanted some attributes in my game. I watched (Ryan) Gravenberch in the beginning. He takes on the ball a lot, has great turns in the middle, and also very tall.” Röhl himself is 6ft 3in.

“Football opened up a new life for me, where I'm financially so stable, where I have something that I have such a big passion for. If I wouldn't have football, it would be really hard for me to find something where I would have that passion. Also the pressure of earning money would be there.” What might he have done? “Maybe medicine would be interesting. Neuro-science would be something I'm really interested in to understand our brain and how we see the world.”

He’s only 24 but has already thought about his post-playing career, including studying and teaching how even elite footballers can find an extra edge. “Eye exercises,” Röhl says. “I played in the middle a lot, and both eyes need to turn a lot, even the head needs to turn about. In the beginning, when I switched the first few games to right-back, I had a weird sensation in my neck, because my neck was always being in one position, but never doing this (swivelling). Not a lot of people are aware of that: if the football changes, your eye needs to change.”

He’s done different vision exercises, training the muscle, since his early days at Ingolstadt and Freiburg. “It's something I really believe in. It’s massive. Quite a few clubs have a trainer who teaches you.” They taught him certain routines. “A lot, yes. I have a stick with numbers on it.” He focuses on each number in turn to strengthen his field of vision. “Your eye needs to go from far to very near. I also do a lot of eye switches. I have a metronome. It goes 100 beats per minute, and then your eyes switch like this (Rohl moves his eyes quickly left to right, right to left). It's training a muscle. If you have fast eyes, you can track the ball faster and then switch faster to the player where you want to play the ball.”

An option for Moyes in midfield and full-back, Röhl is loving being in this Everton squad. “We got now a little bit smaller group than last year, but very strong characters, very good players. It's something that shows in training and in the games, we have people that step up in big moments, and that's very special.”

Everton are currently fifth, heading into a challenging game on Saturday against Chelsea at a noisy Hill Dickinson Stadium. “Everton fans always support us. They demand a lot from us, and that's something that creates a lot of energy between the team and the supporters, and a lot of intensity on the pitch. We fight to get (deliver) the expectations of the fans. It's something that's very special.

“I always have the feeling we need to win every game so we meet expectations. I like the feeling of work as hard as possible and then you get the best outcome. I find that much, much better than just to say, ‘maybe we just try to be in the middle of the table and see what comes when we play’. I really like the pressure. I really like the expectations.”

And Röhl really likes Hill Dickinson Stadium. “It's big. It's loud. It's a stadium where we had last season a great moment when we drew Manchester City (3-3 in May, Röhl came on). It was very special for me that day. When we, as the players, perform it’s like the stadium explodes.

“I'm starting to realise how big this club is. I'm sometimes trying to explain it to German people. I even tried to explain it to a German journalist last week, because I felt that he was not aware of how big Everton is. He was like, ‘yeah, you have this big club in your city. How does it feel to have Liverpool in your city?’ And I was trying to explain to him how big Everton is in this country, and how famous this club is, the history, the expectation. Some people just need a little bit of a reminder, so I'm happy to express that.”

Röhl seen quickly that Everton are more than a club. They are embedded in the community, doing vital outreach work in some of the poorer parts of the country. “Step by step, I will have a deeper connection to the community work here, and try to be connected more to the club, and what they do all around the city, and to understand the city more, and the people that live here. You mentioned poor areas. This club means so much to the people and can help people to get away from certain things (in life) that are really, really hard.” Röhl donates a large chunk of the proceeds from his book to Everton Multi-Academy Trust, because of his passion for education.

Blessed with a huge curiosity for other people, Röhl thinks about the mental challenges facing others. “A normal person with a normal job, there goes so much on in the brain like trying to work out the bills, thinking about the kids, and then there's so much anger inside of so many people, because everything is so hard. That's where the brain is sorting everything out.”

Röhl is conscious, almost very self-conscious, of his privilege in being a professional footballer. “Football opened up a new life for me, where I'm financially so stable, where I have something that I have such a big passion for. If I wouldn't have football, it would be really hard for me to find something where I would have that passion. Also the pressure of earning money would be there.” What might he have done? “Maybe medicine would be interesting. Neuro-science would be something I'm really interested in to understand our brain and how we see the world.” Through strong eyes.

Merlin Röhl, “Life with Everton” (Buxton Press) is out now.

Aston Villa essentially signed a brand new starting XI over the summer - they almost had to.

It was a period of substantial change for the Villans, who lost Amadou Onana to an ACL injury during the World Cup, Youri Tielemans to Manchester United, Ezri Konsa to Arsenal, Ollie Watkins to Al-Hilal, and Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Martinez to Chelsea. The spine of the squad was ripped out.

With a raft of outgoings and incomings, there was always going to be a period of transition. A time where the new players need to get up to speed with new teammates and the demands that come with working under a new manager. This, of course, is reflected in Villa’s league position.

Aston Villa upgraded on Ollie Watkins this summer

After the opening six games, Villa sit 16th with just five points to their name. In truth, it mirrors their start to the 2025/26 campaign, where they earned six points across the same period. That said, this is new ground for Emery and Villa. Such squad upheaval was always going to present teething issues.

And while Taylor Harwood-Bellis isn’t of the same standard of Konsa, and Joao Gomes is a different profile to Tielemans, there’s an argument to be made that Villa upgraded in the final third.

Nicolas Jackson moved to Chelsea in 2023. The Senegal international had enjoyed a fruitful second season in Spain with Villarreal, where he scored 12 and provided four assists despite starting just 16 league matches. A direct goal involvement every 100 or so minutes was a solid return.

It’s fair to say that Jackson’s Stamford Bridge spell didn’t go quite according to plan. Granted, across two Premier League seasons, he bagged 24 goals and provided 10 assists. However, ill-discipline marred his time in west London. A loan stint with Bayern Munich hardly did the 25-year-old many favours. Well, when you’re playing second fiddle to Harry Kane, that’s to be expected.

Even so, eight goals and one assist across 1004 minutes of Bundesliga action is not to be scoffed at. However, Jackson never really looked quite at home in Bavaria. He needed a club where he’d be first choice to rediscover his best form, and while it’s early days yet; the Senegalese hitman looks right at home on the Villa frontline.

Filling Watkins’ boots was always going to be easier said than done. The England star scored at least 15 league goals in each of his last four seasons at Villa Park. The 30-year-old endured a tough start to the 2025/26 campaign, scoring just three league goals before Christmas, but recovered for the second half of the season, ultimately netting 16 times in his final year at the club.

Even so, Jackson has scored more goals after six league outings this season (2) than Watkins managed after his opening 13 Premier League appearances last term (1). He’s scored three times across two Champions League games for good measure, too.

The summer signing is also offering more in the final third than Watkins did in the previous campaign. That’s not to say Watkins underwhelmed last season. On the contrary, his goals and assists were vital as Villa secured a top-four finish and claimed Europa League glory at the expense of Bundesliga side Freiburg.

The difference is that Jackson offers a little more on the ball than Watkins in a key area. Whereas the latter operates as a low-touch finisher, waiting for chances in the opposition box, the former is happy to drift across the frontline, drag markers out of position and, in the process, open up space for teammates to exploit.

This is particularly effective given the signing of Johan Manzambi, the Swiss a dynamic, box crashing midfielder who has scored one and provided two assists in the league.

As such, it’s hardly a surprise that Jackson is averaging more touches per 90 this season (33.7) than Watkins was last (28). Even then, the former is only averaging marginally fewer touches inside the opposition box per 90 (5.4) than the latter in the 2025/26 campaign (5.6). Jackson may pull away to the flanks, but he’s just as active in the penalty area as his predecessor.

He’s also prepared to pull the trigger more frequently than the former Villa man, with Jackson’s shots per 90 higher (2.8) than Watkins (2.2). With more successful dribbles per 90 (2.6 to 0.8), chances created per 90 (0.9 to 0.7), passes per 90 (16.1 to 15) and a better pass success rate (80.9% to 72.7%), Emery has a more rounded forward to call upon in his favoured 4-2-3-1 setup.

Watkins’ departure was a tough one to swallow for Villa fans. He’d become a mainstay for the Midlands side following his 2020 arrival from Brentford, and a nigh-on ever-present given his impressive injury record.

Yet the departures of Tielemans, Rogers and Watkins required a tactical rethink. Emery needed a forward who’d offer the directness of Rogers and the goalscoring capability of Watkins. In Jackson, he has the best of both, affording Emery the relevant attacking flexibility that’ll amplify Villa’s offensive unpredictability, whereas with Watkins, it was a little more one-dimensional.

For that reason alone, Jackson can be viewed as an upgrade on Watkins. Time will tell if the club-record signing truly exceeds the standards set by Villa’s recent leading marksman.

Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has delivered an explosive post-match interview after yet another defeat with the Red Devils to Atletico Madrid

Michael Carrick's side lost 2-0 at the Metropolitano, and Martinez – criticised at the weekend for his part in a late Dominic Solanke equaliser – came out to face the music at full-time, and delivered an honest assessment of Manchester United's form at the start of this season.

The Argentine didn't hold back either, with a last of investment and, in particular, technical director Jason Wilcox, referenced by the centre-back as reasons for the club's stagnation on the pitch.

Real Madrid want to sign David Raya from Arsenal

Gabriel Clarke: Lisandro, a tough result. First of all, how do you sum up the performance?

Lisandro Martinez: Really, really poor. I have to control myself a lot. But it's a reflection, a mirror of how our club is. Fantastic season last season. We expect more from, from the top, from us. The players to compete, because many teams [have them]. And today, also, Atletico, they have an amazing team. And they deserve to win today.

GC: So this is not a Champions League-quality squad, Manchester United?

LM: I expect more, honestly. I expect more.

GC: But what you're saying is you expected more investment in the squad in the summer?

LM: Yeah, 100 per cent. [I] expect more from our technical director; I have to be honest, you know. And also, as the players, we have to do more. But it's just important when you make a strong squad to be ready for this kind of night…

GC: In which areas? In defence, in attack? Because obviously there was money invested in midfield.

LM: In general. In general. I think last season we did everything; we created the base to build an amazing team and to prove something, you know? Yeah, it's annoying, disappointing, to come here and not see my team trying to get an amazing result; it's disappointing.

GC: The manager, of course, gets a lot of the criticism. Is the problem the manager wasn't backed enough in the summer in terms of investment?

LM: I don't think so. I don't think so. He does his best. But every season is different. You can't stay with what you did last season? The [opposition] knows you, knows how you play. The teams know every detail, you know, and if you don't change, next season… it's a big problem.

GC: Often in this situation, it's the manager who is the one who is removed. You can't necessarily go…

LM: You start changing, changing, changing manager, but what about other areas? I can't, I can't say more.

GC: No, we, we appreciate you being so frank tonight. Of course, it's two wins from nine...

LM: ...Because also tonight, it's easy to say the coach, it's easy to say the players, but also we have to see others, other areas.

Jamie Carragher has found himself at the centre of an online storm after previous comments of his about sporting integrity have resurfaced in the wake of Manchester City’s Premier League rule-breaking.

Following the historic verdict by an independent commission that found Manchester City guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial regulations across a nine-season period, Carragher emerged as one of the club's fiercest critics.

Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Liverpool defender questioned the legitimacy of City's decade of domestic dominance.

Awkward Jamie Carragher podcast clip resurfaces

"I do think Manchester City's titles they've won in this time, or trophies, should be taken off their list," Carragher declared during his analysis on Sky Sports. "What Manchester City have done is, they've not just hurt their own players in terms of no one looks at their trophies and medals now in the same way...

"I've been very lucky to win a few medals. I never look at the medal years later. But my mind goes back to a moment, I get a feeling in my stomach. I remember the referee blowing a final whistle of a big game. Those players will never get that feeling and it was robbed by Manchester City. That's what they haven't got. I don't think any player will care if you go and give them a medal, and he puts it in the house, in his trophy room, he'll never look at it."

The pundit lamented the collateral damage for top stars, suggesting their title-winning legacy has been unfairly tainted because the club broke spending regulations.

However, football supporters have pointed out a stark contrast between Carragher’s current stance and a previous confession. During an interview on Steven Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO podcast in 2022, Carragher discussed his competitive nature and reflected on his obsession with finishing on the winning side.

Carragher offered an unapologetically candid admission, revealing that he would rather "cheat and win than not win."

"I'd rather cheat and win, than not win - and I don't think I'll ever be any different.

"That's why I think football has taken me to places in my life that almost brings a tear to my eye," the Liverpool legend said in a clip which is currently doing the rounds on social media.

The resurfaced clip has circulated rapidly, highlighting the difference between his current position and the win-at-all-costs mentality he held as a player.

While his podcast remarks were not directly in reference to Manchester City's charges, and more geared towards the mindset often found in dressing rooms, the two conflicting perspectives sit uncomfortably alongside each other.

Carragher clarified his previous comments, stating: "I’m talking more about Luis Garcia’s ghost goal than 900M in fake sponsorship!"

The Manchester City scandal has provoked debate over wider ownership issues in English football. Where once it was common for clubs to be controlled by a boyhood fan, that has become much rarer in an era of nation-states and American private equity. Only four of the Premier League’s 20 teams are led by people known to have grown up supporting them.

Two are Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace, the arch-rivals who will renew hostilities at the Amex Stadium on Sunday (the others are Manchester United, where Sir Jim Ratcliffe runs football operations despite owning just over a quarter of the club, and Brentford).

Tony Bloom has been the chairman and majority owner of his beloved Brighton since 2009, while Crystal Palace have been run by lifelong supporter Steve Parish since 2010. Parish remains responsible for day-to-day affairs at Selhurst Park despite having seen his stake diluted to around 10 percent in recent years.

"Brighton’s rise feels deliberately engineered, honed by algorithms and dispassionate decision-making"

Under Bloom and Parish, Brighton and Palace have enjoyed the most successful periods in their respective histories. There is no love lost between the two teams, whose unusual rivalry dates back to the 1970s.

Yet for all the hostility, Brighton and Palace have reason to admire what the other has achieved. Catch their fans at a quiet moment and you might even detect a flicker of envy.

Brighton have attracted admirers far and wide. Despite consistently losing some of their most important players, they have finished in the top half of the Premier League in four of the last five seasons.

In recent years Brighton have been forced to sell the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo, Joao Pedro and Carlos Baleba, yet they have continued to go from strength to strength. The club’s use of cutting-edge analytics has helped the Seagulls assemble the most eclectic squad in England. In a 5-0 thumping of Coventry City last month, they broke a Premier League record by fielding 15 outfielders of 15 different nationalities.

Brighton have not only replaced players without missing a beat, but managers too. Chelsea poached Graham Potter a few weeks into the 2022/23 season. No matter: in came Roberto De Zerbi, who took the team to sixth place, the club's best-ever finish. He left in 2024, and despite a rocky spell last term, Fabian Hurzeler has proved an able successor. You suspect Brighton already have a shortlist of contenders to replace the German should he leave.

If Brighton’s rise feels deliberately engineered, honed by advanced algorithms and dispassionate decision-making, Crystal Palace’s approach is a little more chaotic. Brighton have not sacked a manager mid-season since 2014; Palace have done so five times since then.

You are more likely to see deadline-day deals at Selhurst Park than at the Amex. While Brighton appeared to know exactly what they wanted when they appointed De Zerbi and Hurzeler, Palace cast a much wider net following Oliver Glasner’s summer exit. Pierre Sage ultimately got the nod, but Palace looked at Andoni Iraola, Frank Lampard and Thomas Frank - three quite different managers - before that.

Like their adversaries, Palace have unearthed some gems in the transfer market. They made profits on Ebere Eze, Michael Olise, Maxence Lacroix and Daniel Munoz, all of whom made significant contributions in south London. Marc Guehi, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Adam Wharton were excellent additions too.

However, all those signings were made when Dougie Freedman was sporting director. Since his move to Saudi Arabia in March 2025, Palace’s recruitment has been much more mixed. Whereas Brighton’s model kept delivering the goods even after Chelsea prised key staff away, Palace have struggled to replace the man who was the most important figure in their backroom operation. The systemic continuity Brighton have cultivated would be welcome at Selhurst Park.

Yet the lessons do not run in only one direction. Brighton have finished above Palace in four of the last five seasons, yet it is the Eagles who have claimed the more tangible rewards. Between May 2025 and May 2026, Palace won three trophies under Glasner: the FA Cup, the Community Shield and the Conference League. That was painful to witness for Brighton, who are yet to win major silverware. The Seagulls have the model, but the Eagles have the medals.

Back when Bloom and Parish were still new in their jobs, Brighton appeared to have more momentum behind them. They moved into the Amex in 2011, a year after Palace almost went out of business. Yet it was Palace who triumphed in the first ever meeting at Brighton’s new ground. In 2013, they won 2-0 at the Amex in the Championship play-offs on their way to promotion, a feat they achieved four years before Brighton. Palace have won three of the last four meetings between the pair, while Brighton have triumphed just twice in the last 14.

Palace have shown that you do not always need the neatest process to thrive. Sometimes, it is about seizing the moment. Brighton should bear that in mind as they target a trophy this season. And if Palace want to ensure the Glasner era was not a glorious one-off, they could do worse than study Brighton’s ability to sustain success over multiple managerial regimes.

For the first time in his Arsenal career, Bukayo Saka is being questioned – and certainly not over his ability or his commitment.

This is a player who set an Arsenal record for the most consecutive starts – notching 100 goals and assists in the top flight in his first 200 games for his boyhood club.

No one can criticise him – they're simply asking if it's all starting to catch up with him.

Has Bukayo Saka really lost his pace and explosiveness?

Saka was actually the sixth-youngest player to 200 games in the top flight – and excluding the superhuman endurance of James Milner and Gareth Barry, there are cautionary tales in the other three players ahead of the Hale End graduate. Wayne Rooney was essentially finished at the top level for his country after Euro 2016, aged 30 – and that was the age that Cesc Fabregas enjoyed his ‘twilight’ in the Premier League, winning the title in 2016/17. Raheem Sterling's latter days need no explanation.

The common conception is that Saka is next. If you listen to critics, he's lost a turn of pace and lost his ability to beat a man.

Take the game against Leeds United on Saturday, in which Saka's performance was boiled down to two moments. In the first half, in one particular duel against Ao Tanaka, the Japanese held his own – leading to criticism of Saka for not bursting past his opponent and doing something with the ball – while on the stroke of full-time, Saka had a one-on-one with James Trafford, only for Tarik Muharemovic to catch up, seemingly putting him off from slotting it home.

Statistically, it's a little more interesting. As per data from Gradient Sports, Saka is in the 99th percentile for tackle resistance in Europe. That means two things: firstly, he's a glaring target for the opposition (obviously). Secondly, he's better than anyone else in Europe at keeping possession despite that.

Only Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham have a higher tackle resistance score than Saka, meaning that the Arsenal man is top of the Premier League when it comes to protecting the ball, laying it off to someone else and recycling play. That certainly suggests that not only are full-backs getting tight to him, he's evading them somehow – as he did on every other occasion on Saturday, either to win a foul, clear the ball or recycle it.

And while from 2022/23 season to 2026/27, Saka's average top speed has dropped by 0.61km/h – he's actually running more. This season, Saka has made an average of 76.5 sprints per 90 minutes (that's runs reaching 20-25 km/h): compare that to the 66.7 per 90 in 2022/23, when Arsenal were playing a far higher tempo brand of football – or the 65.8 per 90 he managed at the World Cup during the summer.

Is it possible that his game has just… changed?

Arsenal have changed over time… but so has Saka

Saka looks a bit slower for a few reasons. Arsenal as a whole are a lot slower than they were when he first broke through: if he's not sprinting into space several times a game… well, that might be because there isn't much when teams sit deep and Arsenal don't break with much pace.

And then there are the injury issues. Saka had a serious hamstring tear a couple of years back – last season saw him battle with persistent knocks, with a school of thought forming that, like team-mate Declan Rice over the international break, he may just need a month or so off for his body to fully recover.

Yet Saka himself confirmed at the World Cup that he was fit and ready to go. He didn't miss the World Cup semi-final through anything other than a selection decision.

And perhaps this is the new normal for a little while. Saka has changed physically: he's a lot stronger than when he broke through, and instead of needing time on the sidelines to wait until he's the player he was five years ago, maybe instead he needs time on the pitch to adapt to the player he is today.

Ultimately, perhaps Saka was misprofiled by some fans from the start. While he was always quick, he was never a Madueke-type winger in his youth: his game has always been defined by his decision-making. From making his debut as a left-back, to filling in as a central midfielder in lockdown, he never reached the top level after growing physically, but taking on more responsibility. He never needed to grow a couple of inches taller: he just needed the ball to show what he could do.

That's why fans shouldn't worry. Statistically, Saka is doing everything right. His game will adapt over time as his body changes – but whatever his pace and power look like, he has the IQ to still affect games at an elite level.

Data via Gradient Sports

With time running out in the January 2024 transfer window, Brentford appeared to have pulled off a significant coup.

The Bees were closing in on the £25m signing of Club Brugge winger Antonio Nusa, a highly-rated 18-year-old who had held talks with Tottenham Hotspur and attracted interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, among others.

But the deal suddenly collapsed, reportedly over an issue with the teenager’s medical, and Nusa stayed in Belgium. As time goes on, the failed transfer looks more and more of a missed opportunity for the West London club.

Pick the ultimate 4-4-2 line-up from players in FourFourTwo's definitive Top 100 List

Why Antonio Nusa will leave Premier League clubs rueing a missed opportunity

The following August, the Bees signed another 18-year-old winger called Gustavo Nunes. The £10m-plus fee and six-year contract showed what they thought of the former Gremio youngster, but injuries have restricted the Brazilian to just five first-team appearances. In his most recent outing, Nunes was hooked at half-time during Brentford Under 21s' 7-1 defeat at MK Dons in the EFL Trophy earlier this month.

A fortnight before Nunes joined Brentford, RB Leipzig signed Nusa for €21m (£18m) on a five-year deal. The Norwegian was already a full international with Champions League experience and his career has gone from strength to strength. Now 21, he has 34 Norway caps, impressed at this summer’s World Cup and is a key figure for one of the Bundesliga’s top teams - and that is just the start.

Brentford’s decision not to sign Nusa - and ultimately bring in Nunes instead - now seems like a bad call, although that is easy to say in hindsight. There is the cruel irony that they supposedly backed out of one deal due to issues with the medical, only for the player they recruited in that position to be plagued by injuries. It is also ironic that they rejected the ‘Norwegian Neymar’ to sign an actual Brazilian who has barely featured.

Nusa’s comparisons to the former Brazil No.10 aren’t just down to his flair, trickery and dribbling ability. He grew up watching YouTube videos of Neymar and tried to replicate his skills.

“My favourite [player] has to be Neymar,” he told FourFourTwo in March 2025. “I can’t mention a hundred guys I watched, but yeah, maybe he was the guy that I got my most inspiration and joy from.”

The vast majority of players dubbed the next Neymar, Messi, Ronaldo or whoever else fail to reach those heights, but Nusa has the potential to be world class. Despite primarily playing on the left wing he is equally effective on the right, which keeps defenders guessing over whether he will go inside or out, shoot or cross, stand a player up or go past them.

He has the tricks of a showboater, but the numbers to back it up. Nusa has registered 19 goal contributions (nine goals and 10 assists) in 34 appearances for Norway, including a brilliant curling strike against Ivory Coast in the last 32 of the World Cup.

The wide man has four goals and three assists across seven games for Leipzig this season, while he has completed the joint-most successful dribbles (15) in the Bundesliga, level with Michael Olise and almost twice as many as Luis Diaz. As wingers go, he is the full package.

Nusa has thrived since stepping out of Yan Diomande’s shadow at Leipzig, after his fellow winger moved to Real Madrid in August for a deal rising to £120m. If he continues to improve, there is no reason why he can’t command a similar fee in the coming years.

But this begs the question: why did none of those Premier League clubs mentioned earlier sign him when he was relatively cheap?

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs were linked with Nusa in summer 2023, when he had already scored in the Champions League for Brugge. The winger reportedly even rejected a move to Chelsea as he wanted to stay somewhere where he was guaranteed regular minutes, accelerating his development.

That is fair enough, but the fact that Nusa was set to leave for £25m in January 2024 suggests those clubs missed out on a bargain deal for a future superstar. They could have paid even less that summer, but Leipzig took the plunge.

The German club’s decision has certainly paid off. Any fears over Nusa’s fitness have not been realised, with the winger playing in 61 of a possible 73 Bundesliga games since his arrival.

This summer, Leipzig’s asking price for Nusa was reportedly €60m (£51m) - almost three times what they paid two years ago - amid links with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Spurs. Even that could represent a bargain compared to what the winger may be worth in the future, but he stayed put.

Admittedly, Arsenal, Villa and Newcastle ended up signing young wingers for less money, bringing in Christos Tzolis, Ibrahim Mbaye and Bazoumana Toure respectively. But Spurs paid up to £85m for Savio, who scored two Premier League goals in two seasons at Manchester City. Nusa would have cost less and arguably has a higher ceiling than the Brazilian, potentially giving him a greater sell-on value.

The Scandinavian still has three years left on his Leipzig contract, which reportedly has no release clause - allowing the Bundesliga side to continue raising the asking price as his star rises.

Right now, that star is rising every week: Nusa built on his eye-catching domestic displays by impressing during the international break, sharing the spotlight with Norway’s two top dogs, Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard.

The duo are among a host of Premier League players in Stale Solbakken’s squad. Nusa’s familiarity with them, and the high-tempo style favoured by Norway, would help him adapt quickly to England’s top flight.

It is surely only a matter of time until Nusa follows the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Josko Gvardiol and Dani Olmo in leaving Leipzig for one of Europe’s elite clubs. Whoever signs him will have a potential world-beater on their books - and leave several Premier League teams rueing a missed opportunity.

Everton ended the summer transfer window with Thierno Barry as their only recognised senior striker. It raised eyebrows, to say the least.

Relying on a young, developing forward as the focal point of a Premier League attack seemed like a bit of a high-wire act for a club that had had their fair share of run-ins with the Premier League plughole in recent seasons.

Understandably then, it might be jarring for Toffees fans to see Barry leading the entire division in big chances missed - but that's actually a really good sign.

Thierno Barry is a dark horse in the 2026/27 Golden Boot race

On paper, it's a pretty damning headline metric, all but confirming Barry is a raw centre-forward, not quite at the level of an elite Premier League striker yet.

Beneath the surface of that negative stat, though, is a compelling case for Evertonians to feel optimistic about their frontline.

The gap between Barry and the rest of the league is stark, that much is true. His 10 missed big chances is double that of the trailing pack, with Erling Haaland, Dan Ndoye, Igor Thiago, Gonzalo Garcia, and Bryan Mbeumo all sitting tied on five.

The gulf between elite and developing becomes clear, too. Haaland's shot conversion rate currently stands at 27.3% - exactly double Barry's 13.6%. That disparity highlights the dividing line between a world-class finisher in a dominant side and a young striker still finding his feet in the Premier League.

Context is everything, though, and to understand why Barry’s metric is actually quite encouraging, one only needs to look back at the precedent set by Manchester City’s talisman. Last season, Haaland missed 30 big chances in the Premier League - a full 10 clear of the second-placed player in the division.

Haaland’s numbers illustrated the following things about modern centre-forward play. First, even the most lethal finishers miss good opportunities with regularity. Finishing is a volatile skill, subject to myriad factors such as execution, and opposition goalkeeping. Second, and most importantly: you cannot miss a big chance unless you have the movement, anticipation, and physical presence to get into those positions in the first place.

For Everton, that second point is everything. A true nightmare scenario for a team playing with a solitary senior striker isn't a forward missing chances, it’s a striker who is invisible. Barry is not guilty of that, and being incapable of registering high-quality opportunities is the far greater crime.

Evertonians have backed him with their lungs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium; they're willing to be patient and hope he comes good. Only the aforementioned Haaland has accumulated more Expected Goals (xG) than Barry in the Premier League season, even if his finishing and goal tallies are doubly as good. Barry is making the runs, pulling defenders out of shape, and putting himself in positions to generate high-xG chances consistently. He's doing the hard part.

Eventually, regression to the mean will take over, which means Barry should begin finishing his big chances. Doing so at even an average conversion rate will greatly help Everton - who remain unbeaten after six games and have conceded the joint-fewest goals in the division.

The headline stat might look frustrating on the surface, but for Everton, Barry's high volume of misses is actually the clearest sign that goals are just around the corner.

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has asked to be removed from Manchester City games, until their future is resolved.

Last month, an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of breaching financial rules in the Premier League over a nine-year period, with the club now at threat of a points deduction or worse.

With the Citizens returning after the international break to thump 10-man Liverpool 3-0, Neville had his say on the charges clouding City's future.

Gary Neville: I don't want to cover Manchester City

Manchester United legend and lifelong Red Devils fan Neville covered the game yesterday for Sky Sports alongside Peter Drury and Jamie Carragher in the commentary booth, as City extended their winning run at the start of the season to six games.

This is despite talk of the club facing heavy sanctions from the Premier League – with the question of whether this Big Six clash will even matter come the end of the season.

“This is the first Manchester City game that I have done today since the charges or guilty verdicts were handed out a few weeks ago,” Neville said after the game..

"We were just doing the podcast then and said if you could take me off Manchester City games moving forward for the next few months until the verdicts have been heard, I would be absolutely delighted.”

The former right-back – a one-club man at local rivals United – was keen to give praise to the players on the pitch, but noted that “just recognised” how bad a look City's emphatic result at Anfield was for the Premier League.

“To come and win at Anfield is really difficult, we should be eulogising over them without a but or any hesitation,” Neville continued, “But there is that thing in the back of your mind.”

“They have done a brilliant job here today. They have dominated the game in the last 20 minutes, from the red card onwards.

"At the end of the game, it is quite hard because you are imagining basically if these guilty verdicts are confirmed in January or February, then Manchester City are not going to be in the position they are in and there is going to be a huge cloud hanging over the whole league.

"Which is not good for the Premier League right now, and that is what I have just recognised today. Really bad for the Premier League, and it is going to continue for a few months."

City face Paris Saint-Germain as Champions League action returns this week.

European nights under the floodlights have a habit of hitting harder than your usual run-of-the-mill domestic encounter.

For former Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld, the 2019 Champions League semi-final against his old side Ajax certainly falls under that category.

Spurs arrived in Amsterdam on the back of a 1-0 defeat in the first leg and soon found themselves with a mountain to climb after shipping in another two goals before half-time.

Alderweireld on Spurs’ Ajax comeback

Goals from Donny van Beek and Matthijs de Ligt meant that Spurs were staring down the barrel going into the final quarter of the tie, and even Alderweireld doubted that this would be Tottenham’s night.

“We lost the first leg of the semi-final 1-0 at home, then were 2-0 down at half-time in Amsterdam,” he recalls to FourFourTwo.

“We needed to score three, and we weren’t playing well – I thought ‘I want to go home, this is not going to happen’.”

Tottenham came out of the half-time period needing an immediate response, with boss Mauricio Pochettino turning to striker Fernando Llorente as Spurs changed their approach, swapping intricate football for a more bruising style of play.

“Then Fernando Llorente came on and we played some power football with long balls, because we were a physically strong team,” says Alderweireld. This tactical shift put Spurs on the front foot and gave them a puncher’s chance of forcing a remarkable comeback.

“Lucas Moura scored the first, and the second,” Alderweireld adds. That left Spurs with 30 minutes to find a third, which would give them the advantage on away goals.

Time was almost up when Moura completed his hat-trick to vault Spurs into their first-ever Champions League final and complete one of the greatest comebacks in the competition’s history.

“When he got the third in the last minute, it was unbelievable,” the Belgian adds before admitting that the victory was somewhat bittersweet, given the nature of the opponents.

“To kill the dream of my former club was a strange feeling,” he admits. “They gave me my education and made me a pro, so I’ll always be grateful.

“But football is like that, and I was happy – I was going to a Champions League final.”

Alderweireld was speaking in association with BOYLE Sports 2 Goals Ahead

During his quarter-of-a-century career as a footballer, Tony Adams won a string of trophies, capained his country and has even seen himself immortalised with a statue outside of Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

After hanging up his boots in 2002, the former centre-back saw his future as a manager, but he quickly discovered that success on the pitch does not necessarily translate to success off it.

One man who was quick to point this out to Adams was Jose Mourinho, whose managerial success came after he spent years studying the profession, with the Portuguese handing the former Gunners skipper a blunt assessment that has remained with him to this day.

Adams on Mourinho’s managerial lessons

Mourinho’s message to Adams was a simple one: being a world-class footballer does not automatically make you a world-class coach.

“He always called me Simon,” Adams somewhat bizarrely recalls to FourFourTwo. “He said ‘Simon, you’ve been a footballer for 25 years, I’ve been studying for 25 years, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do’.

“I thought ‘Yeah, he’s right’. I had to learn coaching, I had to learn management.”

Adams would soon take this advice on board when it came to his managerial career. While most would look at a manager’s CV and remember the clubs, Adams would rather remember the lessons.

“Holland, Spain, China, Azerbaijan – they all taught me something,” he continues before recalling what went down during his spell in charge of Azerbaijan Premier League side Gabala.

“In Azerbaijan, the owner said to me, ‘I want the best academy in Azerbaijan, I want the best facilities in the former Soviet Union, if we qualify for Europe that’ll be unbelievable’. I said ‘Well, you need an international airport’.”

While the owner laughed at this suggestion, Adams’ wider vision would soon be realised.

“He laughed too, but he built one. We laid seven top-grade grass pitches, the very best facilities.

“We brought Dutch coaches over because, for me, they were the best youth developers in Europe. We wanted to build something that would still be there years later – 85 per cent of the Azerbaijan national team now come through that academy.”

For Adams, that early lesson from Mourinho hit home, as he would quickly realise that being a great footballer was only the beginning of the journey to becoming a coach.

Adams’ book 1996: Reflections On The Year That Changed My Life is available now

During his 17 year playing career, Michael Owen broke a litany of records, lifted a host of major trophies and was crowned as the Ballon d’Or winner in 2001.

But now, more than a decade after hanging up his boots, the former Liverpool and England striker gets his kicks out of another sporting pursuit.

Owen’s Manor House Stables is a sprawling 170-acre racing operation, south of Chester, where he houses almost 150 racehorses. Among the famous owners are former England team-mates and Premier League stars, but for Owen, the real fascination lies in the horses themselves.

Owen on his Manor House Stables

“I could name them all – every owner, every mother and father, every racing record,” he tells FourFourTwo during a guided tour of the site. “I’m a geek.”

The horse in the swimming pool, he informs us, is called Box To Box – so named because it’s owned by Owen’s former BT Sport colleagues Steve McManaman, Paul Scholes, Owen Hargreaves and Andy Townsend. Not only did they work as pundits on the box, but they were also largely box-to-box midfielders. “He’s seven years old and he’s won six races,” Owen says of the animal.

The former Real Madrid man also shows us horses owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, Anthony Gordon and James Milner. “He’s the luckiest owner,” Owen jokes of the latter. “Every horse he buys turns into a superstar, and sells for a lot of money. He’s had six horses here – I think the most he’s paid for one is about £80,000, and the least he’s sold one for is £360,000.”

In a nod to his highest individual honour, another of Owen’s horses is called Balon d’Or, with Owen reserving that name for a thoroughbred with particular potential, although self-deprecatingly admits that, yes, he’s since realised he spelt the name wrong.

Owen believes he has put around £13million into the facility since he purchased the land at the age of 23 when he was still terrorising defences in a Liverpool shirt. Even then, he knew his love for horse racing was so strong that he knew what he wanted to do once his playing days were over.

What was originally a farm was converted into stables, which have grown and grown ever since, and are now among the best in the country. Owen employs around 50 staff, many of whom work here every day and train the horses – we see some of them being taken for a gallop by riders on an all-weather track.

He doesn’t actually own most of the animals, though – the business model sees him purchase them at auctions (he estimates he’ll spend £2m to £3m to buy around 40 in the next few weeks), then sell to people who come in as owners and pay a monthly training fee. Darts duo Luke Littler and Stephen Bunting also have a horse here called Bunting Mental, but not every owner is from the sporting world.

The costs of operating the facility are not small – Owen has made huge progress over the past two decades, but needs additional outside investment to achieve his ambitions of kicking on even further and becoming one of the most successful stables in the country.

With that in mind, as well as welcoming FourFourTwo, he recently allowed the cameras in for a six-part Amazon Prime Video documentary called Meet The Owens, made by the Whisper production company that was co-founded by ex-Formula 1 racer David Coulthard.

For Owen, his post-football life is every bit as ambitious as his playing career.

All six episodes of Meet the Owens are available now to stream on Amazon Prime Video

Dimitar Berbatov seemed to be running harmlessly towards the Old Trafford corner flag, when he unleashed the skill he’d been working on in his living room at home.

Sprinting to stop Anderson’s pass going out for a goal kick, Berbatov stopped the ball with his right foot, spun 180 degrees, then flicked it past James Collins, all in a split second. The West Ham defender didn’t know what had just happened, but Berbatov was suddenly sauntering into the penalty area unattended, expertly squaring for Cristiano Ronaldo to tap home.

The Bulgarian had been a Manchester United player for just a month – already he’d delivered a moment that fans would remember, performing his spin on near enough the same blade of grass where Fernando Redondo had backheeled his way past Henning Berg for a famous Real Madrid goal eight years earlier.

Berbatov’s piece of skill became the subject for a song, Berbatov Spin by Broke Boy Fly – one of at least three tracks that have been written about him, including another by Thessaloniki rapper Richi, after the striker spent time in the city playing for PAOK towards the end of his career.

His spin assist was typical of the style and swagger he displayed throughout a career that took him from Blagoevgrad, his home town at the foot of the Rila mountains, and onwards to CSKA Sofia, Bayer Leverkusen and Spurs, before his 2008 move to Manchester, where he also scored a hat-trick against Liverpool and five in one game against Blackburn. In total, he found the net 329 times during his career.

Previously, the two-time Premier League winner has spoken of how his languid style of play was based on kung fu. “You have someone who’s going crazy, and someone doing slow movements – the one with the correct movements destroys the other guy,” he once explained.

Like a true rock’n’roll footballer, Berbatov might have sometimes given off the vibe that he didn’t really care, but that was always an act – today, chatting to FFT, he reveals it was an act that was actually inspired by a character in a little-known Italian spaghetti western movie.

Now 45, having retired in 2019, he’s European brand ambassador for LiveScore and LiveScore Bet, and speaking to us after taking his two daughters on the slightly less rock’n’roll school run in his homeland. In this interview, in keeping with the theme of this issue of the magazine, Berbatov is ready to intelligently articulate what it was like to be a much-loved maverick, and what was really going on underneath that nonchalant facade.

Looking back at your career, how would you describe your style of play?

Well honestly, without any modesty right now, I’d say that long before there was a striker dropping deep, it was me and Robbie Keane at Spurs, dropping deep from the central attacking position to receive the ball and play people in behind – playing almost like a number nine and a number 10, all in one. I always enjoyed doing that because I was technically gifted and I had my touch, so it was easier for me to read the game. I felt great satisfaction dropping deep, trying to feed my team-mates so they could score – sometimes when I assisted, I felt more joy than when I scored. Now there are false nines, but let’s not forget that back in the day, even before my time, there were strikers who’d come and get the ball, then feed others. Football is like a cycle.

Your style inspired people – three songs have even been written about you, including one called Berbatov Spin.

[Laughs] I didn’t know about this! That’s actually what I was talking about, because the Berba Spin was an assist – it was so good and the moment was so right, everything happened so perfectly, that I can agree that a song is a good thing to have to describe it! Those types of movement and improvisations, they brought me so much joy. When I did the Berba Spin, I could hear the crowd go ‘Whoaaa!’ That made my day even more, and when I passed to Ronaldo to score, it was complete.

Do you still watch that clip a lot, and did that goal sum you up more than any other, even though you didn’t score it yourself?

I had good assists that aren’t mentioned regularly, that one pops up all the time, and I scored beautiful goals as well, but that was me, how I saw football and how I thought it should be played. Improvisation, of course with an end result, because if you have improvisation without the end result, you need to go to the circus. In my case, I wanted to have improvisation with great assists and great goals – sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but that’s how football is. You need to enjoy and entertain the fans, but with an end result. That was me, and for me it worked.

You’ve spoken previously about how you tried to look cool and unbothered after that assist for Ronaldo?

[Laughs] From time to time I do go back and watch it, because we miss the old days, we miss when we used to play football, and you just want to see what you did back in the day. If you watch it, after that goal, you’re right, I was walking and just pretending that ‘Nothing happened guys, I do this all the time, what is all the fuss?!’ But inside of me, I knew I’d done something special, because of the noise of the crowd. I knew straight away that they loved it.

That unbothered look was a trademark of yours during your career, even after you did exceptional things. Where did that come from?

Well, it’s going to sound funny now, what I’m going to tell you. It’s connected in a way to how I see football, as kung fu. That’s how I used to move, like floating. And to answer your question about why I was like that, it’s because growing up, there was one movie called They Call Me Trinity with Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, I don’t know if you know those types of actors? There were two movies actually, They Call Me Trinity and Trinity Is Still My Name – the guy in the movie, he was always a bit laidback, a bit like he didn’t care, but he was the fastest draw in the west and everybody knew that, so everybody respected him. Even if you underestimate him, then you’ll be surprised by all the things that he can do.

When I was a boy growing up watching that movie, I thought ‘I like that guy, he’s so laidback and cool – he knows he’s good, but he doesn’t need to show it because he’s confident he’s good, he doesn’t care what everybody thinks’. In a way, probably in my conscience without even realising it, I was putting that into my game and maybe even my life. I’m a big movie buff, I love watching a lot of movies, so that was probably inserted into my life and my way of playing football.

Do you think individuality is being lost a bit now, that players are coached to be more robotic, within a tactical system?

I’ve never been one to compare myself to someone else or compare different periods, but now football has changed – it’s more athletic, more tactical. I understand that, because at the end of the day, results are the most important. If you’re first place, you’re champions, you get more money, you play Champions League football, you get even more money, so let’s not forget that football is also business. But football is also art – football was the love of my life. During the time when I played, it was the right moment for me because it was more artistic, more poetry – taking the ball, thinking, outsmarting the opponents, entertaining. I’m not saying we don’t have players like that now – Lionel Messi is still playing, Ronaldo and Kevin De Bruyne, even though he’s left Manchester City. We still have artists on the pitch, but maybe it’s a bit more physical right now, with more athleticism.

You had quite a journey to reach the top, growing up in the final years of communism in Blagoevgrad. You sometimes had to play football with a pig’s bladder?

Yeah, we did. That’s why it’s good to look back sometimes and reminisce, to remember how it was and how it is now. I also try to teach my kids what I went through, my story. Everyone has their own story. In my family, we grew up with a bit of difficulty, we didn’t have much for football, so we needed to improvise, right? Back then, you didn’t understand that those were challenges, you took it as a game. There were no phones, no social media, so what do you do? You try to find something, you go on to the streets. You run into some problem with someone maybe, or you just try to excite yourself in some way.

With us, it was kicking the ball. We didn’t have a ball? OK. We had a custom back in the day to slaughter a pig on a special holiday – the women would cook it, and out of that you’d get the bladder of the pig. You blow it up, it’s a bit disgusting, but it looks like a ball, you wrap a towel around it and now you have a football. You try to kick it as much as you can, then when you grow up, things start to change and you get a football. Later in life, if you’re lucky, patient and work hard, you become a professional.

Was playing with a pig’s bladder part of why you were so brilliant at controlling a football, which was presumably easier?

I think it was just because I started very early – I knew at a very early age what I wanted to do. I found my purpose really early in my life and that prevented me from making a lot of mistakes that a lot of young people were making. Of course I made my share of mistakes, but they were small mistakes, not big ones that you couldn’t reverse. I knew I wanted to be a football player, I was really concentrated and dedicated in my mind to try to achieve something. That saved me, and paved my way to reach my personal top.

Interestingly, you’ve said that when fans sang about you during matches, even positively, you sometimes felt uncomfortable?

Yeah, because the first time I think I experienced that was with Spurs, when I came to England. When I used to play in Germany, there were a couple of things like that, but not so big as in England, where you have a song and they chant your name. The first time I heard it, I was like ‘What is happening?’ It put me in the spotlight and I wasn’t ready for that, I just wanted to play football, even though we’re in the spotlight on the pitch anyway. In that moment, I was like ‘Guys, what is going on? I want it to stop’. I felt embarrassed and to be honest, yes, it’s nice, it’s a great gesture of course and I appreciate it, but at times it made me uncomfortable.

That’s surprising for a star player – someone like Ronaldo probably would have loved it?

It depends who you are of course, how you see life and how you see gestures like that. Sometimes when I’d scored four or five goals, when I was feeling confident and in the mood and they sang my song, then I sang myself as well in my mind and I felt good! It’s different depending on the moment.

When you weren’t as confident, could your unbothered look be a mask for how you were feeling?

Of course. Everybody has their difficulties in their career and in my situation when I played as a striker, when you don’t score goals, that’s the moment where you’re in the spotlight in a negative way. The position of a striker automatically says that you need to score goals, and if you don’t, you’re not doing your job. There’s so much to the position of a striker – how he plays, how he moves, how he frees the space, holds the ball and brings everybody into the play. But of course number one is goals.

So when I didn’t score goals, it was tough for me – I’d be sitting in my apartment or house, or wherever I was, replaying the game in my mind. What did I do that wasn’t good enough, what do I need to do next time so that I can correct myself? Sometimes that can be a dangerous place to be, because if you don’t know how to get out of that vicious circle of negative thinking, you’re going to stay there for a long period of time. That’s why sometimes football is not so much about what you can do with your legs, but in your head. If you’re not good there, your legs are going to be suffering and the whole thing is not going to be good for you.

That’s something I speak about with young players, especially here in Bulgaria. Yes, everybody has problems if you’re a striker and you don’t score, I’ve been there. But the only thing to do is to be strong in your head. It’s difficult, and if you have the right people around you, the right environment – your wife, your kids, your girlfriend, your agent, your team-mates, your coach – they will help you. If you can help yourself, even better – it’s going to make you even stronger. But don’t stay too much in that zone of negative thinking.

What have you been doing since retirement? Have you ever been tempted to become a manager?

Every ex-player thinks he’s going to be great as a manager. If you ask anyone, he’ll say ‘Of course, I will be the best!’ Even if he doesn’t admit it, he’ll be thinking it, because that’s how we are – especially strikers, big egos, we know everything! Of course that’s far away from the truth. I have been tempted, I’ve been thinking about it, I have my A Licence, but I have my foundation back home here, we’re supporting talented kids in arts, sports and science, we try to encourage them as much as we can, and help them to go into their teens in a better position with the choices they make, how they see life, what they want to do. I try to inspire them with my own story. I also work with Manchester United as an ambassador, I have other business ventures as well. When someone here in Bulgaria asks me how I am, I don’t have the right to complain because I’ve done my part, I achieved my personal top. So compared to other people and how they live here, I don’t need to complain at all.

How proud are you of your career?

Very proud because I came from a small country in Bulgaria, so to reach England and reach Manchester United, it was a great honour for me. I know the way I needed to work to get there, and my personal top was Manchester United. Some of my colleagues that I played with reached higher than me, some reached lower, but I was happy that I was part of the history of that big club – and all of my clubs of course, that helped me to get there. I also had some missed opportunities to win trophies, but that’s how football is sometimes – it can be cruel, but you take it on the chin and continue.

How do you hope people remember Dimitar Berbatov the footballer?

I hope I entertained them – I know I entertained them, to be honest. I did my best to do that every time, even if I didn’t show it, and even if sometimes it didn’t work. But if it didn’t work, I was ready to try the next time, of course with an end result. When someone watches my clips, my goals and assists, I want them to see poetry in motion, how you improvise, how you dance with the ball, how you touch the ball, how you read the game. If I can inspire some young boys or girls to try to copy what I did, great.

Berbatov was speaking on behalf of LiveScore and LiveScore Bet. LiveScore’s mission is to fuel fans’ passion for sport – download the LiveScore app for real-time updates, and visit livescore.com for more info

During his 19 years owning beloved Leyton Orient, Barry Hearn experienced highs, lows, characters and his fair share of general chaos that comes when you try to run a football club.

But for Hearn, few characters were as memorable as John Sitton.

When Hearn bought the O's in 1995 for a nominal fee, he was taking a club drowning in debt at the bottom of the third tier, with Channel 4's cameras documenting the period in their 'Club For A Fiver documentary.

Hearn on working with Sitton

At the heart of his documentary was Sitton, whose combustible personality produced one of the most infamous dressing-room rants ever caught on camera. It's a moment that Hearn still laughs about today, even if Sitton's methods ultimately proved to be too much for him.

“I actually got it even cheaper than that,” Hearn tells FourFourTwo, when asked about the documentary, which was named after the price he had reportedly paid to former chairman Tony Wood, who had seen his coffee business decimated after the Rwandan Civil War.

“I only paid £2.43. But of course, there was £2m worth of debt which I had to take on as well. People said I was mad, but I used to go there when I was a kid. You cherish these things.”

Hearn had already amassed a fortune from snooker and immediately set about trying to transform a side floundering near the bottom of the third tier. “I went in and said ‘Right, a million pounds a year, that’s your losses, I’ll cover that million’,” he recalls. “I told the press I wanted Premier League football within five years. I knew absolutely nothing about the game, but I’m a promoter. I needed headlines. I needed people to be talking about us.”

They soon would be, mainly thanks to the antics of the club’s gaffer John Sitton. The Londoner’s passionate language and full-on management style would make for engaging viewing when Club For A Fiver was later released.

Shortly before Hearn’s arrival at the relegation battlers, an increasingly beleaguered Sitton delivered a half-time speech that would go down in football folklore. With his side 1-0 down at half-time against Blackpool, Sitton sacked defender Terry Howard on camera in the dressing room, before offering to fight two other players.

“You, you little c**t, when I tell you to do something, and you, you f**king big c**t, when I tell you to do something, do it,” he snarled. “And if you come back at me, we’ll have a f**king right sort-out in here. All right? And you can pair up if you like, and you can f**king pick someone else to help you, and you can bring your f**king dinner. ’Cos by the time I’ve finished with you, you’ll f**king need it.”

Even in the blood and guts days of the 1990s, viewers were shocked at the tirade. Hearn saw the funny side. “I loved that rant,” he says. “I quote it all the time – ‘And bring your f**king dinner’. Just fantastic. In all honesty, I think Sitton allowed the cameras into an area he shouldn’t have. They should never have been in the dressing room on a matchday.”

Hearn was aware of the infamous rant when he set up office, but decided to judge Sitton and his staff on their own merits. “I actually loved him and his assistant Chris Turner – good men, and John was very eloquent,” says Hearn. “He spoke a good game and I thought he was on to something.”

Yet there were further signs of Sitton’s ferocity that didn’t sit well with Hearn. “I watched him in training one day – he cleaned out a 16-year-old and I thought ‘Nah, that’s not my sort of man’,” he says. “Not a man with integrity.”

Sitton would eventually be let go, with his depiction in the documentary meaning other clubs were reluctant to take him on, meaning he would leave the game to become a black cab driver. “He failed in the end and I had to ask him to leave,” recalls Hearn. “You have to make tough decisions in sport.”

Lee Trundle has never been your usual by-the-numbers footballer.

For a time, the former Swansea City favourite was one of the most recognisable players in English football, despite never making it to the Premier League, thanks largely to his regular appearances on Soccer AM's 'Showboat' segment throughout the mid-2000s.

The forward could never resist delving into his bag of tricks every week, but behind the grin and playmaking ability was a player who took an unconventional route to the professional game.

Trundle on the height of his fame

Trundle admits that his dazzling array of tricks, feints and dummies during his peak years made him box-office viewing.

“It was a mad time because there were many Premier League players, let alone Football League players, that didn’t have the level of fame I did,” Trundle recalls to FourFourTwo. “I was only playing for Swansea in League One but I was recognised all the time.”

Trundle insists that this level of freedom he played with was due to his late introduction to the professional game, given he didn't sign any professional papers until he joined Rhyl at the age of 24.

“I hadn’t had any of the coaching that might have knocked that part of my game out of me,” he says. “I was still essentially a street footballer. My coaches saw that as a good thing, thankfully, and just told me to go out and express myself. That’s what earned me my move to Wrexham and then to Swansea.”

Trundle scored 91 goals across two spells with the Swans, cementing himself as a club legend and still serving as an ambassador. “I still live in Wales, which is why I am still playing here now,” he says. “A lot of people just assume I’m Welsh. They’re shocked when they hear the scouse accent.”

As Trundle mentions, he is still playing now, turning out for Cwmbran Town in the Welsh League on a Saturday and for a veterans team on a Sunday, having just celebrated his 50th birthday.

“It’s amazing, I still love it,” says Trundle. “What’s mad is, I’m now playing with a lot of the kids of old team-mates of mine, so it’s kind of gone full circle. A lot of them know me already from old YouTube videos and things, which is nice.”

This begs the obvious question - will he still be playing when he turns 60?

“I’m not sure about that,” he laughs. “I kind of had 50 in my mind as a goal I wanted to reach, but who knows how much longer I can go on for? I look after myself very well. I have a cryo chamber at home. I eat well and keep myself in good shape.

"As long as I feel like I’m still able to make a difference and influence games, I’ll be up for staying on.”

For most footballers, the prospect of playing at the age of 50 is a dim one, with their boots hung up and collecting dust long before their sixth decade comes along.

But for former Swansea City forward Lee Trundle, turning 50 has done nothing to diminish his desire to get out on the grass.

Still turning out every weekend, Trundle is combining Welsh League football with veterans' matches, despite his professional career ending more than a decade ago.

Trundle on playing after 50

For Trundle, football has simply changed rather than stopped.

“I play for Cwmbran Town in the Welsh League on a Saturday, and then I also play vets football on a Sunday,” he tells FourFourTwo as he gets set to celebrate his 50th birthday.

“I’m still feeling fit as a fiddle.”

During his remarkable professional career, Trundle made more than 300 appearances for the likes of Wrexham, Swansea, Bristol City and Leeds United, among others.

But Trundle is keen to correct the assumption that he retired from football altogether after leaving non-league Marine in 2013.

“I did leave the professional game behind me but I wasn’t done with football,” he says. “I’d promised an old friend I’d play for his side back in my hometown of Liverpool when that day came.

"So I did that for a few seasons and then kept it going in the Welsh lower leagues. I’m still going strong today.”

Even with five decades under his belt, he assures he is still his same old self.

“I still do all my tricks and showboating, don’t worry about that,” he laughs. “I never had any pace to lose anyway.

"Even in my prime, I had to rely on technique rather than speed, so I’m the same type of player.”

When the Chernobyl nuclear disaster happened in April 1986, I was nine years old. I’d just had a trial with Dynamo Kyiv, and it had gone well, but everything changed. In the first few days following the disaster, we carried on with our normal lives because they thought the situation was under control. Eventually, though, we were evacuated, because of the risk of being so close to ground zero. My father was in the military and had access to some of the information – they decided to take us to the coast, to the Sea of Azov. There, we stayed in camps for three months until we were able to return. During that time, I lost contact with the people at Dynamo. I honestly felt I’d never play for them again.

In the years before that, I have fond memories of playing in the Kyiv streets with my friends. All the images I keep in my memory are connected to football – I’d wake up and go to bed thinking about it, dreaming of making it as a player. The thought I could achieve it motivated me – I had curiosity and a desire to improve from a very young age.

I regularly competed in inter-school tournaments – they’d call me up to play, and we’d travel by bus to different neighbourhoods. That’s when I started to stand out among the kids of my age group. I didn’t always win, but that wasn’t the most important thing. Even back then, people could sense the leadership I had on the pitch – I already had a strong mentality.

A guy called Oleksandr Shpakov worked for Dynamo Kyiv and used to attend those kinds of matches because he was a scout for the club, looking for young talents who could make it to the top. I remember he came up to me, introduced himself and told me to get ready for a trial.

After that trial came Chernobyl and my evacuation. In late September or early October, though, after returning to Kyiv, one of Dynamo’s coaches came to visit me. He was surprised I hadn’t rejoined the club’s setup – fortunately, I resumed training.

Later, I travelled abroad with Dynamo. We played in two different tournaments: one in Aberdeen and another in Wales, at the Ian Rush Cup. I was 13, we won and I was named the best player. It was special because Rush himself gave me a pair of Nike boots. Even though the boots were too small for me, I treasured them for years because everyone knew him and he was a Liverpool legend – I tried playing with them once, until my big toes poked through the toe area! Soon, Valeriy Lobanovskyi came into my life. He was the most influential coach in Ukraine’s history – we all knew about him because he built winning teams at Dynamo Kyiv across several generations: in 1974, in 1986, and when he returned again in 1997. By the latter, I was already in the first team. If he came back, it was because he believed he could win again with that team. He believed in us.

The first time I spoke to Lobanovskyi face to face was in the office he had at the stadium. He motivated me even more than I already was, as I realised that someone with a competitive spirit had come to the club, someone who was going to push us all forward. He told me, “You’re very young, you have quality and talent, but you need to be disciplined, completely change your character and be more professional.” He drew the path for me to start my true professional career. He transformed us all from talented footballers into warriors with the desire to create a great team.

Some of the training sessions were a nightmare, though! Occasionally we even had three sessions in a day, when we were used to doing a maximum of two. The physical intensity was huge. I remember some team-mates ended certain drills by throwing up, due to extreme fatigue. Many of the veterans promised to be ready for the matches, but in exchange they asked for a truce. To train less hard. They just couldn’t take it any more.

But Lobanovskyi never gave in, and his way of expressing himself was funny. “Look, this is a clock, everything has to be perfect for it to give the correct time,” he’d say. “Imagine I take out a piece? It won’t work. This is the same. Either you respect the rules I set, or you leave.” Those were his principles.

In the space of four or five months we already felt different, capable of doing anything. Everything improved: the collective, the individual performances, the strategy, the management of the dressing room, the physical preparation. He always took care of me. He kept repeating to me that talent without the right mindset wouldn’t be enough. “If you want to go far, then you have to be professional,” he constantly warned me. I had to dedicate myself 100 per cent and sacrifice certain things in my life. That education was essential. He was like a father in every sense of the word. He also instilled in us the importance of understanding his ideas during matches, and knowing why we did each thing. I love his story, it’s exceptional. After winning everything, including two European Cup Winners’ Cups, he had come back to Dynamo Kyiv to do it all again.

That first season in 1997-98 was very special for the whole team, but also for me personally, because I had a magical night at the Camp Nou where I scored a hat-trick against Barcelona. We won 4-0 and that was when we began to believe in ourselves, and the possibilities of doing something big in the Champions League. It was unforgettable. Without a doubt, one of my best moments at Dynamo. How many teams score four goals against Barça in their own ground? Not many. We played a great match. It was during those years I formed a really good attacking partnership with Serhiy Rebrov. I’d known him since I was 15 – we’d already shared a dressing room in the youth teams of Ukraine. We had a good relationship. I liked how he thought, played and read the game. He became a good friend, and it was easy to play alongside him. We attacked, but we also had to defend a lot.

Lobanovskyi brought us all together. One season later, we came really close to winning the Champions League. We eliminated Real Madrid, the great giant of Europe, but we couldn’t get past Bayern Munich in the semi-finals. We drew 3-3 at home, but ended up losing 1-0 in Munich. We lacked experience. If we’d had that, we would have made it to the final. We also lacked a bit of luck.

We had the same spirit in the national team. Ukraine means everything to me.

It was both an enormous motivation and a great honour to wear my nation’s shirt. I started playing for the youth teams when I was 15 – my first match came shortly after Ukraine gained independence, in Lviv, against a Dutch junior team that had Clarence Seedorf in its line-up.

The stadium was packed with 30,000 people, who were proud and emotional to finally have their own national team. We drew 2-2. It was one of the happiest moments of my career.

I made my debut for the senior team in 1995 and played in many important matches, including against Russia in the last game of our qualifying group for Euro 2000. It was a controversial fixture because relations between Ukraine and Russia were tense – in fact, instead of sleeping at a hotel in Moscow, we had to stay at the embassy for security reasons.

A major security operation had been put in place due to the special circumstances surrounding the match.

On our way to the stadium, fans threw stones at our bus, but luckily it didn’t go any further. We were totally focused on getting a good result, because if we lost our Euros hopes were over. I scored an 88th-minute equaliser – it was a long-range effort, with no real threat at first glance, but it just had to be on target as then anything could happen. Someone could deflect it, or the goalkeeper could make a mistake, which is exactly what happened. It was a moment of immense national pride.

Earlier that year, 1999, I had joined Milan. The first contact came through Rezo Chokhonelidze, a Georgian scout that the club used in Eastern Europe. He came to watch me play some games, started following me with more interest alongside another of his colleagues, and spoke with Lobanovskyi, with whom he had a good relationship.

Milan’s CEO Ariedo Braida travelled to Kyiv to see me too, and we spoke after a match. He was a polite, well-dressed man, and Rezo acted as a translator. Ariedo gave me a Milan shirt with my name on it and said, “The only way to win the Ballon d’Or is by playing for us.”

He didn’t need to say much more to convince me – it was an honour for me, and I told him I dreamed of achieving both things.

I talked with Lobanovskyi – I told him I felt ready, and he said it was the right time for me to continue growing. He warned me that I’d have to keep working to earn my place at a club like Milan. Not long after that, he combined his role as coach of Dynamo with that of Ukraine’s national team boss, so we never lost contact. Every time I came back to play for the national team, I’d go straight to his office and we’d talk for three or four hours – he’d ask about the training methodology in Italy, about the players and the tactics there.

I arrived at the best club in the world at that time, also with the best people. From the beginning, I felt the warmth and affection of everyone at Milan.

I didn’t speak Italian, but I took lessons, and in the dressing room they always gave me a hand. They invited me out to eat, made jokes and made me feel like one of them.

Alessandro Costacurta was 10 years older than me – he was like a brother. I shared a room with Demetrio Albertini and Massimo Ambrosini on trips, and they helped me too. Alberto Zaccheroni was my first coach, he was wonderful. The whole club, and also the supporters, wanted me to succeed.

I scored on my Serie A debut at Lecce, after a beautiful combination between George Weah, Oliver Bierhoff and myself, as we drew 2-2. Milan were champions when I arrived, so I joined a club that had recently been really successful, but it was also a time of transition. Weah, Bierhoff, Zvonimir Boban and Leonardo had given everything but were reaching the end of their time at the club. Over the next two or three seasons, the team changed, with Seedorf, Filippo Inzaghi, Alessandro Nesta, Rivaldo and Andrea Pirlo coming in, while Gennaro Gattuso stepped up from relegated Salernitana. It was a necessary metamorphosis for Milan to become the main reference point in Italian football again, because there were six big Serie A teams going into the 1999-2000 campaign.

Inter had Javier Zanetti, Christian Vieri, Ivan Zamorano and Ronaldo. Lazio had Pavel Nedved, Alen Boksic, Sinisa Mihajlovic, Marcelo Salas and Roberto Mancini. Juventus had Alessandro Del Piero and Zinedine Zidane. Parma had Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro and Hernan Crespo. Fiorentina had Rui Costa and Gabriel Batistuta. Looking at all of those squads, any could win the title. It was the golden age of calcio. It was beautiful.

Then Carlo Ancelotti arrived in 2001 – he was an exemplary coach. We’re still friends – we often call each other, and not long ago I visited him in Madrid. As we grew, that Milan team wasn’t just a fantastic side – above all else, it was a fantastic group of people guided by a master like him.

In 2003, Milan won the Champions League. The toughest tie was the semifinal against Inter. The whole city fell into silence that week, as the nerves and anticipation increased day by day –

Ancelotti said he’d never seen so much tension in the air. We drew 0-0 in the first leg and 1-1 in the return leg, when I scored to send us through to the final thanks to the away goals rule.

Despite it finishing 0-0, there were so many chances in the final against Juve at Old Trafford. It was anything but dull.

Both goalkeepers, Dida and Buffon (by then of Juve), were decisive. When we reached the penalty shootout, Ancelotti asked me to take the first one. I told him no, as I wanted the responsibility of taking the last one. I was confident I’d score. As I ran up to the ball, images from my childhood flashed through my mind – all those moments dreaming of winning that competition. That night, we rewrote history. I scored the winning penalty, and it was perfect.

Afterwards, I spoke to the Milan vice president, Adriano Galliani, and he gave me permission to take the Champions League trophy to Kyiv, to pay tribute to Lobanovskyi who’d died a year earlier. It was the very first thing I did – I flew on a private jet and took the trophy to visit Lobanovskyi’s monument.

He meant a lot in my career, he helped me to take my first steps, and we’d come really close to winning the trophy at Dynamo. He deserved it. He would have loved to win it himself – that I did it with Milan was partly thanks to him.

A year later, I also won the Ballon d’Or. I’d been scoring many goals for several seasons, and I knew that playing for a big club like Milan put me in contention for it. Beating Turkey during qualification for the World Cup was also key. We won 3-0 away, I scored two, and I had the feeling that I moved closer to the Ballon d’Or that day. I was competing with top players such as Deco and Ronaldinho, but it was reward for three or four years performing at the highest level. A month after that victory in Turkey, my wife went with me to the Ballon d’Or gala in Paris, along with Galliani and Leonardo as Milan’s representatives. It was so special, because I’d dreamed of that moment since I was a kid. My idols, Oleh Blokhin and Ihor Belanov, had also won it, and I became the third Ukrainian footballer to receive the Ballon d’Or. The satisfaction was gigantic.

Soon after, I was also awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. It meant everything to me for my country to recognise my achievements. Playing for Milan, I knew there were millions of Ukrainians who took great pride in having a compatriot representing them.

In 2005, though, we reached another Champions League final, where we faced Liverpool in Istanbul. We were 3-0 up at half-time, then followed six minutes of nightmare. In that period, we gave up our three-goal advantage, but we must also give credit to Liverpool for the blind faith they had in their comeback. Their supporters never stopped cheering them on from the stands.

People may think that we relaxed at 3-0, but that’s not true at all. We were concentrated and didn’t underestimate Liverpool – at half-time, we’d talked about maintaining focus, because there was still a second half to play. The final was strange. If we could overlook those six minutes, we played a great match. We dominated, created chances and I had a double chance in extra time that Jerzy Dudek inexplicably saved. Football is beautiful for that reason. Never take anything for granted.

In the penalty shootout, I tried to do something similar to Old Trafford two years earlier. Yes, I was nervous, and I noticed Dudek making some strange movements in goal. My shot ended up being too close to the centre of the goal, and he saved it with his left hand. Understanding that you don’t always win is another valuable lesson in life. Every great athlete has missed at some point. Michael Jordan used to explain that before reaching the top, he missed thousands of free throws. You have to accept defeat as part of the journey.

The following season, we lost in the Champions League semi-finals against Barcelona. We lost the first leg 1-0 at San Siro, but really competed in the return at the Camp Nou. The referee unjustly ruled out a goal I scored that would have forced extra time – back then there was no VAR, but I never fouled Carles Puyol. That Barça team under Frank Rijkaard were amazing, so I’m not complaining. In life, you win and you lose.

That summer, Chelsea were interested in signing me, and I made the difficult decision to leave San Siro and try new things. My greatest football years were in Italy – I arrived at 22 and left at 29. But I also wanted a different experience, to live in a different country.

The transfer went through just before the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Helping Ukraine to qualify for the first time was an emotional achievement, but I went into it far from my very best, dealing with injuries. I only started training two days before our opening game against Spain, after being out for more than a month.

I took physiotherapists along with me to speed up my recovery, to try to be ready in time, and our coach Oleh Blokhin said he wanted to play me right away, so that I could gain match rhythm.

We lost 4-0 to Spain, but beat Saudi Arabia and Tunisia. I scored in both wins and we made it to the last 16, then beat Switzerland on penalties, before being knocked out by champions Italy in the quarter-finals. It was a great journey. I still remember how many Ukrainians came to support us in Germany, and how grateful they were for everything we achieved that summer.

Before I knew it – having accumulated fatigue, without time to recover – I was starting my new life at Chelsea. I didn’t have any time to adapt, and there were high expectations around me. We went to do pre-season in the USA, everything happened very quickly, and the first few weeks were tough.

We lost the Community Shield against Liverpool, but personally I had a good debut – after a pass from Frank Lampard, I’d equalised with a chest control and a nice finish with the inside of my foot. There was a strong hunger to win at Chelsea – guys like Lampard, Petr Cech, John Terry and Arjen Robben were at

the peak of their careers, combined with experienced players like Claude Makelele, Michael Ballack and myself. We were a strong team. We started the campaign a bit inconsistently, but I liked that the dressing room was very competitive, the atmosphere was good and we motivated each other to succeed.

Working for Jose Mourinho was a great experience – I have a lot of respect for him because he always made the best decisions for the team. He was a master at motivating each player in a different way and knew how to strike the right chord with every single one of us – he used his intelligence to convince us individually and as a group. We were his soldiers. I was fortunate throughout my career that every coach I had shared the same trait: their winning mentality. My most special moment at Chelsea was winning the 2007 FA Cup Final at the new Wembley, because of how much it means to the English. We came close to winning the Premier League title in both of my seasons, but Manchester United came out on top by a narrow margin. I was performing at a high level some of the time, especially during my first campaign from January to April, before I got injured. The problem was I had too many physical problems that gradually wore me down. I had hernia surgery, the recovery was slow, and I went through several ups and downs that stopped me from playing consistently for half a year. In my second season, I started off well, scoring goals, had a great match against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, then I got injured again. It was tough to end with the defeat by Manchester United in the Champions League final in Moscow.

I went back to Milan on loan, and it was fantastic to share a dressing room with Ronaldinho and David Beckham. We spent a lot of time together, and it was fun. Even though they were high-profile figures, they were great team-mates on a daily basis – amenable, professional. They were winners, it was in their DNA. Ronaldinho was one of the most gifted players in football history. He was magic personified, full of charisma.

It was a difficult time for me, though, because injuries again wore me down. I was more than aware that I was no longer the player I’d been a few years earlier. I couldn’t compete at the same level, because my body wouldn’t let me reach my usual standard.

I played through the pain barrier, and that’s when I decided it was best for me to return to Dynamo Kyiv – primarily so I could experience Euro 2012 at home, with Ukraine and Poland co-hosting the finals. I wanted to prepare properly, as I hadn’t played at the Euros before, and I wanted to enjoy it to the fullest ahead of retirement. I got myself back in shape, played for Dynamo and featured in the Champions League again.

When the tournament arrived, I was in the final weeks of my career, but I still felt I had something to offer. I wanted to sign off in the best possible way, and the Euros gave me the perfect stage: to say goodbye to football at home. I was carrying some pain in my back, but in our opening match against Sweden I played one of my finest matches in five years, scoring twice, as we came from behind after Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s goal. It was madness. My whole family and so many friends were in the stands. It was special. Later, I became assistant coach of the national team for Euro 2016. We lost to Germany, Poland and Northern Ireland without scoring a goal and the dressing room was completely down, bereft of confidence, but I agreed to take over as manager because I saw huge potential. I surrounded myself with some highly capable staff – Mauro Tassotti, Andrea Maldera and Raul Riancho – and over two years we evaluated more than 100 players, investing countless time and effort to rebuild the squad, as we knew there was talent in Ukraine.

We didn’t have much time to work with the players and we didn’t qualify for the 2018 World Cup, but we were shaping the idea we believed in. We convinced everyone of the importance of playing a certain way – controlling matches and dictating play – and we worked hard on the group’s mentality. Maybe we couldn’t dominate matches against the top-tier nations, but we knew we could control games against 75 per cent of opponents. At Euro 2020, we reached the quarter-finals, losing to England.

Since the start of last year, I’ve had a different role, but one that’s equally important, as president of the Ukrainian Football Association. Everything starts with building a strong team around you. We’ve been living through the toughest moment in Ukraine’s history, and during these three years of full-scale war, we have shown the world that football still exists in our country.

I’ve felt a strong responsibility to help people and support my country in every way I can – that’s what I’ve been totally committed to, and what I’ve done on a daily basis. I’ve regularly attended charity events, as the most well-known Ukrainian footballer. Other sportspeople have helped, too, and we’re in constant contact – Oleksandr Usyk, Elina Svitolina, Wladimir Klitschko, Sergiy Stakhovsky. We’re all connected. Whenever there’s anything linked to sport or humanitarian causes, our president, Volodymyr Zelensky, knows he can always count on my advice.

We all want peace, but also justice for Ukraine. We must defend our integrity as a country. We’ve fought for our lives. Although I travel for conferences and often to London, where my entire family has been for 19 years, I spend most of my time in Kyiv, where I grew up.

Every day we’ve heard the sirens, the threat of missiles and drones. No one has been safe – only when we’ve been in the shelter.

Football, though, has still given people hope. That’s the most powerful message we want to share with the world. We’ve continued to take part and succeed in competitions, at youth level, in women’s football and in futsal, too. We’ve been present and we’ve competed. Everything has been more difficult for us and we’ve faced unexpected challenges every day. As Ukrainians, though, we’ve carried on moving forward.

Tottenham Hotspur beat off stiff competition from Manchester United to sign Portuguese midfielder Mateus Fernandes this summer, the north London side parting with £85m to sign the 22-year-old from rivals West Ham United.

And yet, the youngster has started just three of five league games for Spurs so far this season. He was hauled off after just 45 minutes in one of those.

“I have big confidence in Mateus but I didn’t like his performance today,” Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi said of Fernandes after the 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa. “It’s not an attack on him because I love him. I just want more from him, even in that position.”

Spurs are wasting £85m Mateus Fernandes as things stand

It was an unnecessary criticism of Fernandes, who admittedly hardly covered himself in glory in the recent home loss to Villa, albeit out of position. Then again, few in a Spurs shirt really did.

Even so, De Zerbi was critical of the young midfielder having, again, started him in the number 10 role. If anything, this reflects badly on the Italian manager.

In truth, De Zerbi’s hands are somewhat tied. He’s loyal to a 4-2-3-1 setup, but is without a fully fit and firing No. 10. James Maddison has only recently returned to first-team action following a year on the sidelines with an ACL injury. Xavi Simons is currently absent with the same issue. Dejan Kulusevski is close to a return to action having not played since May 2025. Even then, he’s made a league start more recently than Maddison.

And yet, rather than tinker with his system or delve into the academy to pick a diamond in the rough - cough Luca Williams-Barnett cough - he’s persisting with a No. 8 out of position. Conor Gallagher is the other player to have started in the 10. Neither suit the role.

Indeed, Fernandes made a name for himself with both Southampton and West Ham in a deeper midfield position. Here, he was able to drive the team forward. Spurs desperately lacked a central midfielder who could advance the play from deep. Fernandes, then, was seen as the perfect signing.

Only Jarrod Bowen (45) created more chances than Fernandes (37) of all West Ham players in the Premier League last season. 28 successful dribbles was the third most for the Hammers. The two ahead of Fernandes - Bowen and Crysencio Summerville - are wingers by trade. They will rank higher for this metric. 103 tackles ranked sixth overall in the Premier League.

Fernandes is a player who thrives in the hustle and bustle that comes with operating as both a ball-winner and distributor. So far, he’s not been handed the chance to showcase either under De Zerbi. Rather, the former Brighton and Marseille boss has favoured a double pivot of Sandro Tonali and Rodrigo Bentancur. The former is the £100m summer signing. The latter is the experienced head that offers defensive diligence in a key area.

The issue, though, is that there is then a disconnect between the two banks of midfield. Spurs - in theory anyway - have the pair of defensive shields that allows the full-backs to provide the width when the wingers cut inside. Conversely, there is a lack of thrust through the middle. This was a major problem for Spurs last season. They had an abundance of runners and ball-winners but none who could really link the play.

It means that Spurs have the means to dictate the tempo and control proceedings in the middle of the park. A 60.7% possession haul is the third most in the division. However, an average of 9.6 chances created per game ranks 13th. It’s all sizzle and no steak.

What’s clear is that Spurs need to make a change to the setup as early as this weekend. De Zerbi needs to drop one of Tonali or Bentancur in the double pivot - potentially the former given his teething issues following his summer arrival - and move Fernandes into his best position.

Once De Zerbi realises that Fernandes isn’t a No. 10 in his system, then supporters will see one of their marquee summer signings at their best, increasing the likelihood of Spurs pulling off the foot of the Premier League table.

As the Premier League prepares to return after a three-week international window, Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers face the daunting prospect of late fitness tests, squad re-thinks, and enforced transfers.

The truncated September-October international break is usually disruptive, but the current return cycle has seen an unusually high number of key FPL assets returning to their clubs carrying knocks, strains, and general fatigue.

The sheer number of casualties returning from international duty shines a spotlight on the broader issue of fixture congestion. Squeezing domestic league matches, European cup competitions, and international fixtures into an unforgiving calendar leaves players with minimal recovery windows.

Premier League injuries latest

Global players' union FIFPro has repeatedly sounded the alarm regarding the extensive workload elite players are subjected to. Monitoring reports have consistently warned that players are being pushed past their physical limits without sufficient rest intervals.

FIFPro has previously highlighted that back-to-back high-intensity fixtures with fewer than five days of recovery drastically increases the risk of soft-tissue and muscular injuries. As domestic and international governing bodies continue to expand tournament formats, the returning influx of injured Premier League stars serves as a reflection of the physical overload FIFPro has long warned against.

Long-term absences

Alex Scott (Bournemouth): The versatile midfielder is set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines, expected to miss several weeks and potentially up to two months.

Kai Havertz (Arsenal): A big blow for Arsenal's attack, with the German forward ruled out for approximately four weeks.

Christos Tzolis (Arsenal): The winger faces a two-to-three-week layoff following a setback on international duty.

Brian Brobbey (Sunderland): The forward is sidelined for several weeks, forcing fantasy managers to look elsewhere for mid-priced forward solutions.

Dan Ballard (Sunderland): The central defender is facing the lengthiest rehabilitation process of the group, with an absence potentially extending across months.

Cody Gakpo (Liverpool): The Dutch international is expected to miss likely a few weeks, limiting Liverpool's rotation options across their frontline.

Injury doubts

Alexander Isak (Liverpool): Liverpool's frontman suffered a minor issue, though there remains genuine hope he could recover in time for the high-profile clash against Manchester City.

Patrick Dorgu (Manchester United): The wide player's condition is being monitored by club staff, with his weekend availability status listed as to be confirmed.

Jamie Gittens (Chelsea) : The winger is undergoing evaluation, with an official update on his fitness still to be confirmed.

Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City): The young midfielder's status remains unconfirmed ahead of team news updates after withdrawing from the England camp.

Ezri Konsa (Arsenal): The Gunners' summer signing is managing a minor complaint, though his inclusion in the squad remains to be confirmed.

Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford): The Danish playmaker's availability is pending final medical checks.

Vitalii Mykolenko (Everton): The full-back is not guaranteed to feature after aggravating a knock with Ukraine.

Likely to play

Jan Paul van Hecke (Tottenham Hotspur): Providing welcome news for Spurs' backline, the defender is expected back immediately after the break, despite fitness concerns.

Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur): The rapid centre-back picked up only a very minor issue and should be fit for Spurs.

Lewis Miley (Newcastle United): The promising midfielder is scheduled to return to full squad training this week.

Martin Odegaard (Arsenal): In a huge boost for the Gunners, the captain has been given several days off to rest and recover.

Noah Sadiki (Sunderland): The midfielder's fitness concern appears to be minor, leaving him well-positioned for inclusion.

And what about Erling Haaland?

Alarm bells rang throughout the FPL community when Haaland was substituted early during Norway’s fixture against Portugal.

However, Norway’s national team coach Stale Solbakken subsequently confirmed that the withdrawal was pre-planned to manage the striker's workload, rather than the result of a physical injury. FPL managers can expect Man City's main goalscorer to be available as normal.

The language left little room for ambiguity. Shocking. Unacceptable. An absolute disgrace. Manchester United had just drawn with Fulham and the sky was falling. In the TV studio, Gary Neville, Louis Saha and Ashley Young took turns to express their hurt. "I don't usually get this angry," Neville said, but he was not alone.

While the three ex-pros were giving their verdicts on Sky, the wider machinery was whirring. X users were invited to describe Marcus Rashford's performance in one word, and compliments were in short supply. A caller to talkSPORT demanded Michael Carrick's head in conversation with Alan Pardew. Over on YouTube, thumbnails were being polished, emojis deployed, titles tightened: 'PATHETIC Man Utd'. 'Carrick deserves ZERO!' 'Man Utd on LIFE SUPPORT [EXPLOSIVE RANT].' Within an hour of full-time at Craven Cottage, the Manchester United misery economy was humming once more.

It is a familiar routine by now. The final whistle is not final at all; in a sense, the game is just the opening act. This phenomenon is not unique to Man United. But as the biggest club in England, and one which has been in steady decline since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement 13 years ago, they are a particularly rich source of material.

"There is an insatiable demand for takes, the hotter the better"

Neville is the lead protagonist, giving his views not only on Sky but also on his Stick to Football podcast. Roy Keane is a co-star on both platforms, always willing to lament a dearth of characters in the dressing room. Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes have their own shows, the latter in tandem with Nicky Butt. Patrice Evra has never met a microphone he did not like.

It is not only former players. Mark Goldbridge is better known than many professional footballers. Stephen Howson, Adam McKola, Joe Smith, Andy Tate and Flex UTD are prominent Man United influencers, some more insightful than others. You will find dozens more online, with the less established often tempted to court controversy in pursuit of an audience in a crowded market.

The thing is, this stuff does numbers. The most watched video on the Sky Sports Premier League YouTube channel is a goals montage. Second is Neville arguing with Jamie Redknapp about the Glazers (“the club is rotting”). Third is Neville discussing a defeat by Atletico Madrid in 2022 (“I’ve felt down about Manchester United for some time”). A compilation of a Goldbridge watchalong is more likely to go viral if it contains expletive-laden outbursts than joyous celebrations.

There is an insatiable demand for takes, the hotter the better. Social media algorithms reward sensationalism and punish nuance. ‘Man Utd a work in progress [MEASURED ASSESSMENT]’ does not quite have the same ring to it.

Positivity rarely sets pulses racing either. Ferdinand’s suggestion in 2019 that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could choose his own salary because United were “BACK” is only so memorable because - and who could have seen this coming - United were not in fact back.

Neville senses which way the wind is blowing. In April, The Overlap (a media company he co-founded) bought Goldbridge's channel, The United Stand, and has since launched a new weekly production which features Goldbridge alongside Rooney.

Neville has criticised “those bloody YouTubers” in the past. He once called ArsenalFanTV “embarrassing” for its treatment of Arsene Wenger. But as well as being an influential pundit, Neville is an astute businessman, and astute businessmen stand ready to give the people what they want - in this case, “direct, personality-led content.”

A brief scroll of social media reveals much of this content to be hysterical and hyperbolic, yet it is also rooted in the simple truth that Man United have underwhelmed for a long time now.

For the generation of JJ Gabriel, the 16-year-old academy player who wants out of Old Trafford, the team's current struggles are not a blip but the norm. Gabriel was two when Man United last won the title. He has grown up watching not Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs, but Donny van de Beek, Facundo Pellistri and Wout Weghorst.

Since Ferguson stepped down Man United have staggered from crisis to crisis, going back to square one so often they could trace the route blindfolded.

Neville himself is no shock jock, even if his claim that the draw with Fulham contained the “worst 15 minutes” he had ever seen from his team felt a little over the top. He is usually more considered, and prides himself on never having called for a manager to be sacked. As a hugely successful player (and an increasingly underrated one due to his frequent self-deprecation), Neville provides a level of insight that is not easily replicable. The likes of Keane, Rooney, Ferdinand and Scholes have plenty of expertise to impart too.

Equally, the game has changed since their day. No one plays the sort of 4-4-2 with flying wingers on which Man United have built their modern self-image. Nor was it all attack, attack, attack under Ferguson - or “the Boss”, as some of his former charges continue to call him. Just ask Park Ji-sung, regularly deployed as a spoiler in big games, or Nani, Antonio Valencia and the aforementioned Ashley Young, natural wide men who were sacrificed when the team utilised a midfield diamond in 2012. Ferguson was more tactically sophisticated than he is often portrayed today.

It is hard not to wonder whether all the noise around Man United is contributing to the very malaise these interested parties - from Neville to Goldbridge, Rooney to Flex, Scholes to that bloke who refuses to cut his hair until they win five games in a row - are keen to see the club escape.

Yet therein lies the paradox. To flourish, the Manchester United misery economy requires, well, misery. Bad results are by no means bad for business. In fact, they keep the wheels turning. The show must go on.

One Manchester City stalwart has opened up about potentially losing titles he won at the Etihad Stadium, after an independent Commission found the club guilty of all charges related to breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.

The Sky Blues have been charged with over 100 breaches over a nine-year period and have lodged an appeal to fight back – but there is still a degree of uncertainty in the air over Eastlands.

While some have suggested that Manchester City could be punished with relegation or transfer bans, it seems more than possible that the six-time Premier League winners could be stripped of their trophies.

Manuel Akanji reveals he fears losing Manchester City medals

In a statement, Richard Masters, Chief Executive of the Premier League, said, “The club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade,” adding that “it is a key responsibility of the Premier League to ensure that the Rules, approved by the clubs themselves, are upheld to protect the integrity of the competition”.

Now, Sport Witness have relayed comments that ex-City defender Manuel Akanji made to Nau, when he was asked about the situation at his former club.

“I’m still in touch with a few players, but I don’t know any more than you do,” the Swiss defender said.

“We were told to stay calm, that they had everything under control and nothing major had happened. I trust the people in charge at Man City that that’s the case.

“I hope I don’t lose my titles. That would be a bit of a shame. But I’m only seeing it all in the news, too,” he continued, before adding, “Who knows what else they might dig up.”

While Akanji won two Premier League championships at City, along with two FA Cups and a Champions League, the 31-year-old signed for Pep Guardiola's side in 2022.

City are accused of breaking rules between 2009 and 2018 – which could mean that Akanji himself escapes having his titles stripped, though plenty of his former team-mates would not be so lucky.

The club built a dynasty in English football during the accused timeline, establishing the City Football Group network around the world and laying the foundations of the outfit that Guardiola would go on to conquer Europe with.

It has already been discussed in Italy that Akanji's new club, Inter Milan, were direct victims of City's charges, given that they were beaten by the Citizens in the 2023 Champions League final.

City travel to Liverpool this weekend when Premier League action resumes after the international break.

Cardiff City defender Krystian Bielik has been handed a two-match suspension and a £10,000 fine for misconduct after becoming embroiled in a physical altercation with a Portsmouth supporter last month.

The ugly scenes unfolded during Cardiff City’s Championship fixture against Portsmouth on Saturday, September 5.

The match had to be abruptly halted following an extraordinary touchline confrontation between the Polish international and a member of the crowd.

Bielik banned for TWO matches after throttling supporter

As the ball went out of play, at around the 71st minute mark Bielik rushed over to the advertising hoardings to retrieve it and quickly restart the game.

However, a Portsmouth supporter sitting in the front row deliberately threw the ball away to waste time. Bielik reacted by leaning over the advertising hoarding and appeared to grab the fan by the throat.

The supporter slapped the Cardiff defender in the face in retaliation before stewards, teammates, and match officials intervened.

Following a thorough review of the video evidence, the Football Association has taken decisive action against 28-year-old Bielik. The FA have confirmed the player's punishment in a statement released on Tuesday afternoon.

Bielik is formally charged with misconduct after it was alleged that he 'acted in an improper manner'. Bielik has subsequently admitted the charge.

The FA confirmed that an independent regulatory commission was responsible for imposing the sanctions following a hearing.

The player must now serve a two-match ban across all competitions and pay a fine totalling £10,000. Written reasons will be published in due course, as standard.

At 19, Josh King is the latest English kid on the block to be blooded at Craven Cottage and has already become the West London club’s talisman in a side that is sparse in quality. While it is early days, there is strong reason to believe King can break the chain.

The teenager became a first-team regular under the stewardship of Marco Silva last season, starting around half of his 32 Premier League appearances and at 18, there was a growing expectation that he could become something special.

That talent has not gone unnoticed under new boss Álvaro Arbeloa, with the academy graduate starting every one of the Cottagers’ league games, while he has been the West London club’s most threatening player with two goals, regularly opening up opposition defences with his intelligent attacking play.

Given that King is English, the hype around him is only going to accelerate, and before you know it, he will be linked with the biggest clubs in the country and possibly Europe. While a move to a Premier League giant will appeal and will ultimately be the ambition, King needs only take a look at the Fulham production line to know a premature move could bring it all crashing down.

Eight years ago, Harvey Elliott, aged 15 years and 174 days, made his senior debut for the Cottagers against Millwall in the third round of the Carabao Cup, becoming the club’s youngest-ever first-team player and the youngest player to ever appear in the competition.

Understandably, there was significant buzz around the attacking midfielder in West London, but after making just three senior appearances for the Whites, Liverpool seized their opportunity by signing the 16-year-old, who had not yet even turned professional.

Elliott’s early career took a different path to King’s as he benefited from a loan spell with Championship side Blackburn Rovers, where he flourished with 18 goal contributions before eventually becoming a squad player for the Reds. Jürgen Klopp was clearly an admirer, but trying to budge Liverpool’s world-class attacking talent was a mountainous task for the midfielder, who largely featured as a rotation player.

After winning the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2025, Elliott was named Player of the Tournament, suggesting he just needed the right club to reach his potential, but a nightmare stint with Aston Villa plummeted his reputation. Now on loan with struggling Valencia, the 23-year-old is enduring the worst period of his career, and he is hard-pressed to turn it around.

Indeed, there are other examples. Patrick Roberts dazzled for Fulham in the Championship before securing a dream move to Manchester City in 2015. However, he experienced loan after loan across Europe before reviving his career in League One with Sunderland. Now at Birmingham City in the second tier, it is fair to say he hasn’t lived up to his promise.

Then there is Ryan Sessegnon, who also tore apart the Championship in his teenage years before becoming a Premier League regular for the Cottagers. He was just 19 when he signed for Tottenham in 2019 and was barely given a sniff before eventually returning to the West London club in 2024. The left-back is still only 26 but is playing second fiddle to Antonee Robinson, not how he would have envisaged his career going.

Of course, King is of a different ilk with a different story, and he has arguably made more of a mark on the Fulham first team than any of the aforementioned players in the top flight. After Harry Wilson’s departure in the summer, there was genuine concern about who could be the club’s creative outlet, the player to get fans out of their seats, and King is that man.

If anything, the Cottagers would be wise to build a squad around the England under-21 international and hand him a bumper deal, even though he signed fresh terms in 2025. That would give him the chance to develop into the top attacking midfielder he was born to be and etch his name into Fulham history.

Worryingly for Arbeloa’s side, they already look like prime relegation candidates, and while performances have improved against Liverpool and Manchester United, there is a distinct lack of cutting edge in the final third. Relegation would not only be a dampener for the Cottagers, but it would also likely end King’s affiliation with his boyhood club, as he is far too good for the Championship.

If anyone can keep Fulham up, then it is King. Supporters will hope and pray that he has studied those that came before him, and mount his reign in West London before he inevitably moves on to bigger kingdoms.

It wasn’t even a winning goal. But still, in the euphoria of an equaliser, David Beckham resembled Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man: limbs outstretched, embodying both the divine and the mortal.

It was a career always teetering between the two. From watching Beckham, you could be forgiven for thinking such talent was god-given, as was the effortless beauty of his passing.

Yet for every bolt from the heavens, there was always a simmering feeling that the boy wonder was only human: on the side of the angels, but never truly one of them. He’d grafted to get where he was, hours honed on his trademark ping and his heart worn proudly on that baggy long sleeve.

Beckham could have stood on top of the world in 1998, but fell in Saint-Etienne with a casual flick out at Diego Simeone. In the fallout, England’s titans toppled, too; Adams, Ince and Shearer retired, one by one, before Wembley was knocked down with defeat to Germany. A leadership void became an identity crisis.

Up stepped Beckham once more, met with the suspicion of a weary electorate offered a brave new world. Those four years between World Cups became his renaissance. England’s coiffed captain grew taller with the armband, netting three times in the qualification charge – including a looping free-kick in Greece – before captaining that 5-1 destruction of Germany.

Doubts were duly quelled by October 2001, Beckham’s boyband locks shaved off entirely, with England coming to his Old Trafford stomping ground for the first time post-Wembley. He looked every inch his nation’s mature new messiah. Qualification could coincide with redemption.

If only his team-mates had read the script. That afternoon, Beckham ran an astonishing 16km, burning the turf like a Delorean, moving infield to conduct. With both Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard looking miles off the pace, England’s skipper was a one-man engine room, winning possession, and spraying with ethereal elegance.

But though it was far from faultless from Beckham, that was his charm: scruff-of-the-neck stuff, with brilliance baked in.

Greece went a goal up; Beckham doubled down. On 68 minutes, he swung a free-kick onto Teddy Sheringham’s head for England to level – but it lasted little more than 90 seconds.

Greek goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis was standing tall, too. Beckham’s deft dink over his head in Athens saw him dropped for the next two games – but as the free-kicks racked up, his breaths were deepening.

Eight dead balls in, inspiration struck for England’s captain, as Nikopolidis took half a step in the wrong direction: Beckham played the double bluff to perfection, the ball arrowing into the top left. “You practice something so much that at some point, it’s gonna happen when it needs to happen,” the midfielder later smiled.

Coincidentally, England didn’t know in this moment that a draw would be enough – yet Old Trafford erupted all the same, for Beckham, as much as England. For the goalscorer himself, three years of tension evaporated into the sunny October sky, his status restored in one swing of the peg. No, it wasn’t even at a major tournament – but even celtic hearts two decades later can empathise with such rapture.

And yes, it may be England’s greatest-ever individual performance. Hardly the most perfect, most important or even a hat-trick against Germany – but one with unmatched heart. It’s only after such lows that the highs mean this much: you’d never see the stars without the dark, after all.

10 miles run, Beckham finally collapsed in a sunbeam on the Old Trafford grass. When he stood up, he’d never be doubted again. It was only an equaliser – but it was otherworldly.

AS Roma's starting goalkeeper, Mile Svilar, finds himself in an international footballing limbo of sorts, despite being one of Europe's best goalkeepers.

The issue at hand is he effectively has no national team to play for.

Having won back-to-back Serie A Best Goalkeeper awards over the last two campaigns, the 27-year-old is excluded from international football due to a FIFA eligibility statute.

The Goalkeeper Without a Country

Svilar's predicament stems from a decision he made five years ago. Born in the Belgian city of Antwerp to former Yugoslav international goalkeeper Ratko Svilar, the player represented Belgium at youth level, from U16 up through U21.

However, in September 2021, Svilar accepted a senior call-up from Serbia and played 45 minutes in a friendly win over Qatar. In order to make that appearance, Svilar officially changed his national allegiance with FIFA from Belgium to Serbia.

That 45-minute outing proved to be a point of no return, though. Since then, his club career has flourished with Roma, and Svilar has sought to return to the Belgian setup.

When he declined a Serbian call-up in March 2024 from manager Dragan Stojkovic, the Serbian national team closed its doors to him once and for all.

Under FIFA's eligibility regulations, a player who has already completed one formal switch of association and subsequently played a senior match after turning 21 cannot switch back - and Svilar was 22 at the time of his Serbia debut.

Despite efforts by Svilar’s legal representatives to navigate the regulations, football’s governing body has maintained its stance, denying any exception for his situation.

Consequently, Svilar remains in an unprecedented international limbo as a star performer in one of Europe’s biggest domestic leagues, but without a country to represent on the international stage.

Tottenham Hotspur have suffered a nightmare scenario of both Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke going off injured.

Tottenham are still winless in the Premier League – but according to reports relayed by Sport Witness, they have been given scares by the Dutch duo, who both featured heavily in new manager Xavi Hernandez's first few fixtures as manager.

Fortunately, it appears as if both of them could be fit to face Manchester United in their next fixture, though.

Tottenham Hotspur's Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke have both suffered knocks

Van de Ven has been playing at left-back over the international break, with Xavi preferring the Spurs man there for his recovery pace and using Teun Koopmeiners centrally in his most recent fixture.

The Oranje had to finish their fixture against Serbia with 10 men, however, when their makeshift left-back was forced off with an arm injury, when former Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic landed awkwardly on the defender.

Xavi claimed it was “not a major injury” following the game, with a report from Voetbal International later backing that up, and adding, it was “less severe” than it first appeared.

Van Hecke's injury, meanwhile, has also been described as minor, too.

The summer signing withdrew from the squad after being stepped on away in Serbia last week – missing the draw against Greece in Thessaloniki and the return match against the Serbians in Eindhoven.

Spurs will be particularly grateful if both Dutchmen recover in time for the weekend, given the extent of their injury issues right now – which include another Netherlands star, in Xavi Simons, out until at least the New Year with an ACL injury.

In addition, Wilson Odobert, Mykhailo Mudryk, Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski all look likely to miss the return of domestic football this weekend.

Tottenham play Manchester United this Saturday as Premier League action returns after the international break.

When Lionel Messi steps onto the turf at the Estadio Monumental on Tuesday night for his final appearance in an Argentina shirt, the 85,000 in attendance are expecting a fairytale goodbye.

The icon, who delivered his nation from a 36-year drought to lift the World Cup in 2022, is bringing down the curtain on an extraordinary international career. But, beneath the fireworks, emotion, and commemorative kits, there is a cynical reality seemingly at play.

The Argentinian Football Association (AFA) are leaving nothing to chance, carefully manufacturing the circumstances surrounding this international window to guarantee their captain receives an uncomplicated, risk-free send-off that does not deviate from the script.

Argentina are not playing fair with Lionel Messi farewell

The choice of opposition, and the chaos leading up to the fixture, tells its own story.

French investigative journalist Romain Molina has exposed an organisational shambles surrounding Argentina’s scheduled friendly opponents during this international window.

Visiting teams Burkina Faso and Benin have had to overcome less-than-ideal administrative hurdles to fulfil the fixtures. In recent days, travel chaos forced a makeshift Burkina Faso squad filled with unproven youngsters, some lacking senior caps, to step into the line of fire at short notice.

The AFA have invited lower-ranked opposition burdened with travel fatigue and depleted squads, effectively neutralising any possibility of a banana skin-style embarrassment.

Argentine supporters are paying premium ticket prices for what is billed as a competitive international test, but are instead receiving a carefully choreographed exhibition designed to ensure Messi glides through his final 90 minutes without proper resistance.

The disparity between the World Cup finalists and their visitors is plain to see. While Benin goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou insisted in the buildup that his side are 'not tourists' in Argentina and vowed to try to save a Messi penalty if required, their preparations have been hampered, probably needlessly.

Benin have been booked onto commercial flights by the AFA, which has seen a number of players arrive late into South America after 25-hour journeys, to a hotel with no hot water on one floor, an out-of-service sauna and an under-equipped gym, according to Molina.

Burkina Faso were beaten 7-0 by Argentina over the weekend, but were without some senior players due to the budget flight offering, covered by the AFA, and lack of remuneration for participation in the fixture. A significant portion of the squad, which allegedly arrived in Buenos Aires just hours before kick-off, were uncapped.

The AFA’s objective appears simple: to eliminate every variable that could ruin the script. In handpicking accommodating conditions, Argentina’s governing body has built a protective bubble around their departing talisman.

This will not to diminish Messi’s peerless contributions to Argentine football, though, but there is an argument that he would be better honoured with a fairer contest to mark his farewell.

Ezri Konsa and Alex Scott have pulled out of the England squad ahead of Tuesday’s UEFA Nations League fixture against Czechia at Wembley.

The pair have returned to their respective clubs for further assessment but the news comes at an inopportune time for Arsenal, given their lack of available defensive options.

The Football Association confirmed the update in an official statement, revealing that manager Thomas Tuchel will prepare for the last fixture of the current international window with a reduced 22-player squad.

Arsenal defender makes premature international break return

"Ezri Konsa and Alex Scott have been ruled out of Tuesday’s UEFA Nations League meeting with Czechia at Wembley," the England statement read. "Thomas Tuchel will continue his preparations for the final fixture of this international window with a squad of 22 players."

Konsa joined Arsenal in a £51 million summer move after a 48-game season with Aston Villa and a World Cup campaign for England.

The central defender had been working on an individual training plan throughout last week to manage his physical condition and was able to complete 90 minutes as England roared to a 7-0 win away in Croatia.

Despite missing the occasional group training session last week, Konsa initially remained in camp with the Three Lions before medical staff ultimately decided against risking him for Tuesday’s clash. The decision to release Konsa back to London is understood to be primarily a precautionary measure, aimed at preventing a minor issue from worsening.

Nevertheless, the news will be of some concern for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal. Konsa was brought to the Emirates Stadium to provide defensive reinforcement following a long-term back injury to star centre-back William Saliba.

With Saliba still sidelined for an extended period, Konsa has stepped straight into the starting lineup alongside Gabriel Magalhaes.

Given Saliba’s ongoing absence, any potential setback to Konsa, even as a precaution, leaves Arsenal in a fragile position in central defence. With a demanding schedule of Premier League and UEFA Champions League fixtures looming immediately after the international break, Arteta will be eager for swift reassurance from the club's medical team. The Gunners host Leeds United on Saturday lunchtime when the Premier League resumes.

Cristiano Ronaldo is an incredibly proud individual – with a lot to be proud about. Five Ballons d’Or, five Champions Leagues, titles in England, Spain and Italy, a beautiful family and a billion in the bank. Rising from impoverished circumstances in Madeira, Ronaldo’s achievements in life and career give him every reason to glow with pride.

But pride can also come before a fall. The great Ronaldo, his once-celebrated powers inevitably fading at 41, needs to accept his Portugal days are over, whatever the rumblings of being poorly treated. He needs to leave Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias, Vitinha and Goncalo Ramos and the rest of the latest Golden Generation to chase glory without him. Psychologically and tactically, Ronaldo holds them back. It’s time for all parties to move on.

The team of all the talents and a strong-willed head coach, Jorge Jesus, look to have moved on. Last night’s defeat of Norway makes that three wins on the spin without Ronaldo. It secured qualification for the March quarter-finals from a difficult-looking Nations League group (Denmark and Wales as well as Norway). It vindicates Jesus’ selections. It surely confirms the curtain falling on Ronaldo’s international career after an astonishing, 146 goals in 234 internationals. The man himself is clearly not ready to leave the stage and the international limelight.

WINTER: Cristiano Ronaldo must accept the inevitable and bow out gracefully

A refusal to quit defines many sporting greats. They believe any situation can be turned around, however lost it seems. That strength was a quality that Sir Alex Ferguson appreciated early in Ronaldo when bringing the 18-year-old in from Sporting. Ronaldo had just bamboozled Manchester United defenders in a friendly to mark the official opening of Estadio Jose Alvalade in 2023.

Along with all the technical gifts, the one-on-one skewering of defenders, the speed, Ronaldo had this ferocious will to win that Ferguson admired deeply. That may have been partly ego and a desire for acclaim following that difficult upbringing that included laser heart surgery at 15 and an alcoholic father. The fire that burns within Ronaldo has also been fuelled by rivalry with Lionel Messi.

But he’s 41. The athleticism and supreme mobility are no longer there. The painful reality for Ronaldo is that he holds the team back. It is a story now about preserving a legacy, ensuring that the parting is done respectfully. Ronaldo is certainly owed that given his contribution to Portugal’s cause over two decades and his money-spinning value to the Portuguese Football Federation.

It is a debate that divides a nation. Respected media voices in Portugal put the split over Ronaldo at 50-50. A player who once united the whole country as he lifted them to great feats, including European glory and Nations League titles, now divides. Many can’t forget this summer’s World Cup campaign undermined by the focus on Ronaldo. Jesus’ predecessor, Roberto Martinez, was not decisive enough.

Commendably, the team’s leader Fernandes attempts to heal the divide with sensible words. “What I ask is that the country does not divide itself, does not make choices, that it respects all sides,” Fernandes said before the Norway game. “Cris [Ronaldo] is - and always will be - the biggest icon of our national team. He deserves everyone's respect, regardless of who likes him more or less.”

Portugal have another Golden Generation that must be allowed to shine. The list of luminaries is dazzling: Diogo Costa, Nuno Mendes, Joao Cancelo, Joao Palhinha, Joao Felix as well as Fernandes, Dias, Vitinha and Ramos were amongst those starting against Norway at Estadio do Dragao. Ruben Neves, Trincao and Bernardo Silva were amongst those who rose from the bench to apply more impetus.

The great unused included Pedro Neto, Rafael Leao and a back-to-back European champion, Paris St-Germain’s Joao Neves. Portugal’s got talent.

These players all grew up admiring Ronaldo. But few played with him at his peak, 2009-2018, when he absolutely shone at Man United and, even in some difficult moments for the club, at Real Madrid. He played his part in Portugal’s Euro 2016 success but did not last long in the final before injury intervened. Portugal can cope without him.

Now that Portugal have qualified for the quarter-finals, surely the obvious way to celebrate Ronaldo in a fitting farewell would be the home game against Denmark on November 14 in Braga. Or, more poignantly, in a home friendly – why not at Sporting’s Jose Alvalade? – next year when Ronaldo will surely have closed on the incredible landmark of 1,000 goals. He’s 21 short at the moment and can surely knock off most of those at Al-Nassr, resuming against Diriyah this Friday.

What a way to mark Ronaldo’s greatness than with a packed-out, impassioned throng at Estadio Jose Alvalade - the place where his career took off in that stadium-opening friendly with Man United. Ronaldo deserves an emotional send-off. And those who continue to wear Portugal’s vivid red deserve to be allowed to focus fully on the future.

As the old saying goes, history is written by the victors.

And while we all love to read about World Cup winners, Champions League icons and the planet’s best players, some of the game’s very best stories are about those players who never reached the top and instead enjoyed more varied - and frankly bonkers - careers.

So step forward Jamie Cuerton, the 51-year-old striker who has scored in all top 10 divisions of the pyramid and is still going strong in his 32nd season as a player.

Jamie Cureton on his 32-season playing career

From starting out at Norwich City in the early days of the Premier League to playing for 26 clubs across the pyramid, Cureton has been there and done it - and he has now put his remarkable story down on paper in Last of the Goalhangers, a collection of tales from his three decades on the pitch.

“It certainly feels that way,” laughs Cureton, when FourFourTwo ask him if he really has seen everything. Cureton is currently in his 32nd season in the game with Holland FC in the Eastern Counties League Division One North, having left his player-manager role at Kings Park Rangers behind.

“This is not an autobiography, just to be clear, as I’m worried people will have no idea who I am so who would want to read that? It’s more a collection of all the mad stuff I’ve experienced in more than three decades in football,” he continues.

Among the these mad tales include turning down the chance to join the fabled Class of 92 squad as a youngster, “bombing amphetamines” in the 1990s rave scene and smuggling £40,000 out of South Korea in his underpants. “It’s been an interesting ride,” laughs Cureton, who also turned out for clubs including Reading, Bristol Rovers and QPR across his long career. “It’s a look back at on- and off-field stuff. It’s not about making millions or playing for England. I’ve had a lot of bad times, big downers and regrets, across my life too. I’ve tried to be honest.”

The title of the book is a nod to Cureton’s playing style – a fox in the box of the classic mould. “That type of player seems to have largely died out these days,” laments Cureton, who has amassed more than 400 goals in his lifetime. “I suppose someone like Erling Haaland is a classic poacher but he’s so much more than that. I was always, even since I was a little kid, the bloke who could slot the ball into the back of the net.”

Cureton’s goalscoring career began in the top flight, for then-high-flying Norwich in the 1994-95 season. He’s clocked more than 20 league goals in six different seasons, right across the pyramid. Since leaving Dagenham & Redbridge in 2016, Cureton has spent a full decade playing in non-league football. How has he found it?

“It’s fantastic – football in its purest form,” smiles Cureton. “I love being close to the fans; that community aspect. It’s why I keep going. The standard at this level has changed a huge amount from when I first started out. Nowadays, non-league is full of top academy loanees, or released players looking to get back into the EFL. The drinking culture is largely a thing of the past, so it’s highly competitive with proper athletes.”

So how is a 51-year-old faring at this level? “I take great care of myself and wouldn’t bother anymore if I didn’t think I could offer something,” he says. “You’ll be surprised just how effective experience is at this level.

How long can Cureton keep playing? “That’s a tough one,” he says. “My aim this season was to surpass 1,100 games, which I should hopefully do before Christmas.”

Cureton’s biggest nerves aren’t about playing anyway. “I just hope people enjoy the book,” he says. “It’s been a good chance to set the record straight on a lot of things people have gotten wrong about me. Certain clubs and fan groups that maybe didn’t understand some decisions I’ve made.”

If Cureton does manage to play to 60, which he sees a possibility, we might just need another book.