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.

Chelsea are rekindling their interest in Rayan Cherki, following Manchester City being charged by the Premier League for breaching financial rules.

Cherki has enjoyed a positive couple of weeks of international duty with new France national team manager Zinedine Zidane to distract him from his employers being found guilty for over 100 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.

But with the Frenchman one of several Sky Blues who may well be of interest to rivals, Chelsea are starting to consider making a move, according to one report, as Manchester City prepare for an uncertain future.

Rayan Cherki of interest to Chelsea once more, as talks re-surface

Cherki has been one of City's standout performers in the early days of the Enzo Maresca era, with a call-up to the French squad seeing the 23-year-old deployed in a deeper role than he currently occupies at the Etihad Stadium.

According to Fichajes, this is the position that Blues boss Xabi Alonso envisions for the star, with Chelsea previously interested in bringing Cherki to West London during his time at Lyon.

“The deal fell through because the French club's management demanded the inclusion of Andrey Santos in the agreement, but the current situation at Stamford Bridge has reignited their interest,” the Spanish outlet explains.

Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Liverpool are said to be “monitoring the player's contract situation”, too, with his deal expiring in 2030.

Cherki became the youngest-ever scorer for home club Lyon in January 2020, at the age of 16 years and 140 days, but resisted temptation to move until the age of 21: now, FourFourTwo understands that the Olympic silver medalist is valued at over £80 million, with City originally spending less than half of that in 2025.

The French international could be one of a plethora of stars up for sale, should City be forcibly expelled from the Premier League, though there is no indication that the six-time Premier League winners are considering sales at this stage.

City have lodged an appeal over their charges, contesting what they refer to in a statement as an “opinion” issued by the independent commission that found them guilty of financial breaches.

“The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case,” City say.

Cherki is valued at €90m by Transfermarkt. The Citizens face Liverpool in the first game back after the international break, as Premier League action resumes.

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.

Thomas Hitzlsperger does not want to lose sight of the progress that has been made in battling homophobia in football over the past few decades - but believes there is only so much the game can do while wider societal issues persist.

The former Aston Villa, Stuttgart and Germany midfielder came out as gay in 2014, just a few months after announcing his retirement from the game.

But Hitzlsperger says that far from it just being an issue within the game, ongoing hateful attitudes in some quarters will be on the minds of many footballers when deciding whether or not to make a similar announcement.

"In terms of homophobia, society is the biggest challenge. The world has become a tougher place and, in relation to discrimination, it’s quite sad. Racism, like homophobia, is also a big issue in society and of course football.

"Sometimes people will ask 'Why can’t we just watch football?' I get that, but we have a responsibility to speak out on societal issues, because the game is so influential.

"In terms of tackling homophobia, there have been great initiatives – clubs and federations have all participated.

"Unfortunately, in this debate people often say there’s no development, because hardly any [men's] player has come out. I’d disagree in the sense that the game has got involved in initiatives, such as rainbow armbands. During a week midway through the 2024-25 Premier League season, 19 of 20 captains wore them, which was the vast majority.

"There’s sometimes this media obsession on focusing on a couple who step out of line and cause friction, but I’d argue we’ve come a long way by seeing so many high-profile Premier League players wearing the armbands.

"That’s massive and we should really talk about that and the progress we’ve made, rather than always getting obsessed with the few who disagree with diversity and live a different life to what is mainstream.

"I’d like us to focus on telling more positive stories, rather than focusing on the negative ones. I know a lot of people who take the issue of homophobia in football very seriously and they’re constantly trying to make football a more inclusive environment.

"However, we also have to admit that the game is purely about money. There have been a number of initiatives that had been built up over the years that have since been reduced - and equality, diversity and inclusion isn’t so popular any more because various people think it’s become too much.

"I’ve met so many people within football who are still passionate about being in an inclusive environment, which is great, but that isn’t in the news every day.

"The primary reason we’re there is to play football and enjoy the game, but alongside it there are so many opportunities to really engage with people from all backgrounds and assure them that football is there for them, too.

"However, the reality is that there are very few openly gay male footballers. It’s rooted in toxic masculinity, but life is toxic and that’s the sad thing.

"We talk about players not wanting to come out during their playing days because the environment might be toxic but after their playing career has finished, some players don’t come out either, because they’re scared of society."

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.

Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have quit the Portugal national team, on 146 goals and 234 caps.

Last week, Ronaldo took to his Instagram account last night to post a statement to his 679 million followers, explaining, “After the press conference of the National Team coach, and following a conversation with the President of the Portuguese Football Federation, I decided to leave the National Team camp.

“In due time, I will tell all the Portuguese about the reasons that motivated my departure from the national team, which I always dedicated myself to. Now it's time to wish good luck to Portugal and all my teammates, without exception.”

Has Cristiano Ronaldo gone for good?

There are currently no plans for Ronaldo to reconcile with the national team – even for a one-off fixture.

According to Spanish outlet Marca, the 41-year-old threw his toys out of the pram coach Jorge Jesus, who changed his mind about his selection plans during the recent international break.

The Portuguese, meanwhile, haven't appeared to have missed Ronaldo, beating Norway yesterday 2-1, with some stunning, free-flowing football on show in Porto.

More concerningly for Ronaldo, it was his replacement Goncalo Ramos who got the winning goal, just as it was in 2022 when CR7 was dropped for the young striker to net a hat-trick in the knockout rounds of the tournament.

While Lionel Messi is getting his ‘Last Tango’ there have been calls for his ideological opposite to have a similar final appearance, if he really is to retire from international duty.

However, influencer Fabrizio Romano has claimed in a post on Instagram that this isn't the case.

“Cristiano Ronaldo has left Europe and returned to Riyadh after tense discussions last Wednesday, waiting to clarify his future with Portuguese national team following tonight’s game,” Romano posted yesterday.

“Al Nassr plan to restart training with Cristiano this week.

“Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus will both clarify their positions [soon,] ahead of [a] final verdict on future chapters with Portugal.”

Bruno Fernandes has assumed the captaincy in Ronaldo's absence.

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.

In 1996, Arsenal were in a bit of disarray - and their iconic captain Tony Adams almost left the club as a result.

The highly-successful, if divisive, George Graham had been dismissed the year before following the bung scandal, in which the Gunners boss admitted of receiving an 'unsolicited gift' from an agent.

In finishing fifth the following season under Bruco Rioch, Arsenal did show some signs of bouncing back from a disappointing 12th-place finish and the heartbreak of defeat in the Cup Winners' Cup final as they failed to retain the trophy.

Tony Adams: "Fergie phoned me - I told Arsenal I was gone"

But Rioch was himself dismissed just before the beginning of the 1996/97 season, in part because of a dispute over transfers.

And Adams told FourFourTwo that prior to the appointment of the unknown Arsene Wenger, he got a phone call from ever-opportunistic Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson to try and lure him to Old Trafford.

Adams promptly had a sit-down meeting with the Arsenal chairman, explaining: “I went in to see Peter Hill-Wood. I said: ‘What’s your ambition for the club?’

"He said: ‘No problem, Tony, we’ve got a good man on the way, all’s good’.

"But Fergie had been on the phone saying: 'Come up here, you haven’t got a manager, you’re all over the place’.

"I said ‘Look, Peter... I’m gone’."

However, Arsenal ultimately pulled out the stops to show their captain just how ambitious they were - including holding onto him.

Adams said: "My wages got trebled, Arsene came in and the rest is history – I stayed put.

"I’m so grateful that it happened that way and I didn’t go to pastures new.

"I was able to lift more trophies for the Arsenal, do a couple more Doubles and retire as a one-club player. I’m very proud of that.”

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

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.

Barry Hearn has never been short of ambition and his latest venture in football is no different.

Whether it was during his two-decade stint as chairman of Leyton Orient or during his work in snooker, boxing, darts or fishing, Hearn has enjoyed his fair share of spectacular success and expensive failures.

Hearn is now back in football with Brentwood Town and knows that success is a product of secure foundations. He also knows that sustainability is sacrificed for ambition; trouble can lie ahead, citing the case of one high-profile former Premier League chairman to back up his case.

Hearn on wanting Brentwood to grow the right way

“The most important thing is to make us sustainable,” he tells FourFourTwo. “Right now, we don’t lose money, but we’re ambitious on top of that.

“Most fans will now say ‘Well, come on then, sunshine, put your money in.’ You tell them to f**k off because it’s not their money. Only an idiot throws excessive amounts of money too early.”

This brings him to the case of the former Crystal Palace chairman and current talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan, who he believes acts as a warning of what can happen when ambition and finances do not marry up.

“History is lined with Simon Jordans, who I’m sure loved Crystal Palace but basically built up a business that then went skint,” Hearn continues. “He’s an idiot. Others, like him, want instant success, but I don’t really do that.”

Hearn points to another of his investments that took a while to bloom.

“I bought the darts 25 years ago,” he remembers. “Everyone always says to me ‘Oh, you’re a genius seeing that coming’. I remind them that I bought it when nobody gave a toss.

“It wasn’t an overnight success – it was painstaking. It was on its knees when we came in, nobody watching. Now look.”

For Hearn, this philosophy extends to his latest project.

“That all shows that I’m a long-term player in general, and I’m a long-term player at Brentwood,” he affirms. “I own 20 per cent of it. I don’t give a s**t if I own one per cent or 100 per cent – it just made sense to have a voice.

“They know what I can bring to the table. As the best operator in sport in the world, I know more about this business than anyone alive – mainly because I’m so f**king old.”

For Jonjo Shelvey, his 2023 move to Turkey was supposed to mark a new chapter and fresh adventure in a career that began 15 years earlier when he made his senior debut as a 16-year-old for Charlton.

The midfielder swapped Nottingham Forest for Caykur Rizespor, a club where he was able to focus on his football, but a move to Eyupspor the following season did not work out as he hoped.

A myriad of financial, social and health issues would follow, as Shelvey found himself increasingly isolated and struggling to cope with being away from his family.

Shelvey on his Turkey experience

“I first went to Caykur Rizespor, who were brilliant for me because I could just concentrate on football,” Shelvey tells FourFourTwo. But while the club provided a straightforward routine, adapting to life in Turkey did not come without challenges.

“It was a very Muslim place, there wasn’t much more to do, you couldn’t go out, there was no alcohol, you lived at the training ground and played your games.

“It was difficult with the language, and not making friends and being away from my family, but I enjoyed my first year there and should have signed another deal, but I moved to Eyupspor and that didn’t work out. I tried something, I went out of my comfort zone.”

For Shelvey, this move exposed him to a tougher side of living and playing abroad, despite their being aspects of playing in Turkey that he enjoyed.

“One thing I’ll say is the fans in Turkey are so passionate and fun to play in front of.

“But one problem out there can be getting paid, because some clubs pay you on time, but some don’t pay the foreign players when they should and instead give you cash, which you can’t take out of the country.

“If a former team-mate asked for advice about going there, it would all depend on the club.”

Away from football, Shelvey had become increasingly isolated.

“I was really bored and lonely out there living without my family,” he continues. “At the second club, I felt like I had the choice of going to a bar and having five or six pints, or going home and taking sleeping tablets to fall asleep. I’d take one tablet and that would knock me out, but then the next day just one wouldn’t do it, as I’d built up my tolerance.

“At one point I was taking six or seven tablets at a time to knock myself out for the evening. I got addicted. Fortunately, when I left Turkey and went to Burnley, I was able to get the help I needed there and get myself off them.”

Two hours before I played for Nigeria at the Under-17 World Championship in Finland in 2003, our jerseys arrived. We had been waiting for our names to be printed on the back – when they came, we were all opening them up. I saw mine, and it said Mikel. I was like ‘What?! What’s this?’ It was supposed to say Michael, which was my name. They said it was a mistake. I asked if they could change it, but they said: “No, we don’t have time, we have a game to go and play – sorry, you’ll have to wear it.” I wore it and had a great tournament, so I thought, ‘OK, I’ll keep it!’ And that’s been my name ever since.

I was 16 years old, and that Under-17s tournament was my showcase, my time to announce myself to the world. Because I had an amazing tournament, the whispers started. Everybody started to know about this wonderkid called Mikel – all the agents and all the clubs started looking for me.

One agent showed up inside our team hotel and was asking everyone: “Where is this kid?” The Nigerian FA had already told the security at the hotel: “If anyone asks where he is, tell them that you don’t know, don’t tell them his room number.” This agent had a briefcase full of cash sitting right next to him, about £50,000, saying: “Listen, I think a big Dutch club want you to go there, so sign for them and sign for me.” I was only 16, and all of these crazy things had already started happening.

During that period, I was an attacking midfield player, a creative player, rather than the defensive midfielder I later became. I’m not blowing my own trumpet, but I knew I was really good and that I’d eventually sign for one of the big teams. Arsenal, Bayern Munich – a lot of teams were after me.

Very soon, I was invited to Manchester United. I met Sir Alex Ferguson, and stayed there and trained for a month or two. I’d always train with the first team, never with the academy, which is what I should have been doing, but I was too good! I trained with Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Diego Forlan, Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand. Sometimes, I just watched them and the way they trained – just unbelievable. Paul Scholes would ping the ball right, left and centre – he was absolute quality. I could have watched him all day. What a player. When I trained with them, Sir Alex would always put me in the same team as Roy Keane, so I had somebody to protect me! As you know, Paul Scholes was the worst tackler; he’d come in and ‘Boom!’. Then Keano would go in and give him one to protect me! It was fun. I enjoyed my time there.

What happened next is a long story. Back then, you had to be 18 to sign from Africa. I was 16, so Manchester United thought, ‘OK, we will send you home for two or three months, then you can come back and train with the team for another two months’. They would do that until they found a proper solution. They sent me back to Nigeria, but then when I was at home, Chelsea found out where I was. They sent an agent, who came with a contract and convinced me to go there instead. Roman Abramovich had bought the club – I thought about it and was like ‘OK, a new history is about to be made at Chelsea’, so I went for trials there. Straight away, Claudio Ranieri wanted me to sign, but again, I couldn’t because I wasn’t 18.

Instead of sending me back home, though, like Manchester United did, Chelsea arranged for me to go to Norway for a while and play for Lyn Oslo. I had an apartment there and Chelsea were looking after me, my family and my friends.

I had three Nigerian team-mates with me – Chelsea sent them to Lyn with me to keep me company, so that I wasn’t homesick. They stayed in the same apartment as me. I think they knew what the situation was, which wasn’t good. They were really good players, but they quickly understood that Chelsea weren’t going to sign all of them – maybe they’d sign a couple and send them on loan.

They weren’t going to play for Chelsea, though – I was the guy they wanted. Chelsea wanted them to keep me company – they were guys I’d played with in Nigeria’s under 20s, we grew up together. I’m still friends with them, too. Chinedu Obasi played in Germany after that, but the other two, Emmanuel Sarki and Ezekiel Bala, didn’t really make it.

When I turned 18, I played a game for Lyn, Manchester United heard about it and sent their representative to Norway. They met me with a pre-contract, for about £1.5m or something. They came, bamboozled me into a room with the managers of Lyn, with none of my agents there, no representative, no phone call to any of my family, nothing. It was just me, a kid, sitting there and signing a contract. Looking back, that wasn’t right. There should be advice from somebody; it’s unusual for it to happen like that.

Everything was done on the same day, in about an hour, or an hour and a half. As soon as I signed the contract, a whole press conference had already been arranged to announce that I’d joined Manchester United.

When we’d finished training that day, I’d told my three Nigerian team-mates, the ones Chelsea had sent there to be with me: “You guys can go home without me.” I didn’t tell them what was happening. They were sitting at home, waiting for me to get home, then they turned on the TV and saw me in this press conference with a Manchester United shirt on! They tried to call me, but my phone wasn’t there; it had already been taken away from me. In some of the pictures, you can see from my face what I was thinking while I was wearing that Manchester United shirt in the press conference. I was sitting there thinking to myself, ‘What have you done?’

Straight away, I knew exactly what I’d done – I had made a massive mistake, although I didn’t know it was going to be as huge as it was and that it was going to take almost two years to get sorted. When Chelsea saw exactly what had happened, they were furious. They’d sent me to Norway, they were looking after me, they said: “No, we’re not letting you go.” They also sent their agent to Oslo, and it became a war.

I was taken to a hotel by Lyn and the people from Manchester United, so that nobody knew where I was, and so that Chelsea wouldn’t find out. But Chelsea and my agent found out where I was – in secret, my agent came and smuggled me on to the next flight in the morning. We went to London and Chelsea put me up in a nice apartment close to the stadium. I ended up staying there for about a year, as FIFA tried to get my situation resolved. They couldn’t. The English FA got involved, too.

It was very flattering that both clubs wanted me – knowing that two of the biggest clubs in the world were fighting over me only elevated my stature as a player. But by that point, I wanted to play football and it became frustrating. Every day I woke up and stared at the ceiling. I wasn’t able to go anywhere, I couldn’t even train, I couldn’t play for anybody, FIFA said I couldn’t go near any football club. Nobody was allowed to see me from any club; I was alone. It was a horrible situation – your parents calling you, and other family members, crying down the phone. They wanted to see me play, and I was crying every day because I wanted to play football; it’s what I loved doing. In a way, I missed one or two years of my career sitting there, but it was from my own stupid mistake by signing that contract with Manchester United in Norway. I knew I’d made a mistake.

Jose Mourinho was the Chelsea boss by then, and during that time, I met him, even though I wasn’t allowed to. There were a lot of clandestine moves that happened so I could meet him – I was taken in a car, which drove me about two or three kilometres and dropped me off, then another car picked me up, took me another two or three kilometres and so on, until I got to the secret location where I met Mourinho. We had a great conversation over lunch and he told me how much he really wanted me to join the club. I knew I had to play for Chelsea.

Roman Abramovich was like, ‘There’s no way I’m letting this kid go, I want him at the club’, and they fought tooth and nail to make sure I joined Chelsea, but Manchester United were still not letting go. Eventually, when things still weren’t resolved, Sir Alex Ferguson said: “OK, I’ll have a meeting with the kid – give me 20 or 30 minutes with him and I’ll get it sorted.” It was just him and me in a room. My agent was outside, and before I went in, he told me: “Look, he’s going to try, and this meeting determines what happens, so if you come out of there and you’ve said yes to him, that’s a yes – but whatever he says, just nod your head and say no.” That’s exactly what I did.

I was sitting at the end of this long table, like the tables they had during COVID for social distancing. Sir Alex was saying to me: “Listen, what is it that Chelsea are offering you? Is it the money? Tell me, I will give you more. Everyone at the club wants you, Roy Keane, Scholesy, they’re all asking after you, because they need you, we need you at the club, I’m going to make you the best player.”

I’d listened to what my agent had told me beforehand, and I didn’t say much. I just said: “No, boss. I’m sorry, I just want to go to Chelsea.” It was difficult to say no to the greatest manager of all time, to sit there and say no to his face. Only a few players have ever said no to Alex Ferguson. I think Luis Figo might have been another one. But I wanted to go to Chelsea. Manchester United had won everything already. I wanted to go somewhere that I could create history.

I could see Fergie getting redder and redder – I thought ‘I’m going to get a hairdryer from him’. But there was no hairdryer. After 30 or 40 minutes, he realised he couldn’t convince me and got up, took his briefcase and left. About a week later, Manchester United got in touch with Chelsea to say: “OK, we understand the kid has made his point clear, he doesn’t want to come to United any more, but you have to pay.” It was something like £12m to Manchester United and £4m to Lyn.

In 2006, I made my debut for Chelsea. It was amazing, it was huge for me, although things didn’t pan out the way I wanted at first. On my first Premier League start at Reading, I got sent off for two stupid yellow cards. Back then, I was young and naive. I made mistakes, I’d be late for meetings. I had to learn. Mourinho had to put me in my place very quickly, with lots of punishments, lots of fines. He sent me to the academy for a couple of weeks or a month, then brought me back when I was ready to know I was in the big boys’ league. This was Chelsea Football Club, I wasn’t in Nigeria or at Lyn Oslo any more. I had to learn the culture of the football club – the likes of John Terry, Didier Drogba and Mourinho would let you know exactly where you were.

At the end of that season, I played in the very first FA Cup final at the new Wembley. Against Manchester United.

I had an amazing game. I went up against people like Paul Scholes and absolutely bossed the game. That day was special, because I played a part in the winning goal – I flicked it to Didier Drogba, he flicked it to Frank Lampard, Lamps gave it back and then Didier did what he did best, which was to score in the big games and win us trophies.

I wouldn’t say I rubbed it in Fergie’s face that day, but it was nice to get one over him! I could see it in his face, looking at me, thinking, ‘How did I let him go?’

A year later, though, Manchester United defeated us in the Champions League final in Moscow. I was on the bench and I was so disappointed that I didn’t start or even come on. I was sitting there thinking, ‘Oh my god, that would have been my first Champions League trophy. If I’d gone to Manchester United, I would have been a Champions League winner right now’. I felt that if I’d played in that game, the outcome might have been a bit different.

But I used that disappointment to fuel me when we reached the final again in 2012, against Bayern Munich. During those years, I never gave up. As a team, we never gave up; we knew we could still win the Champions League. When we got to the final in 2012, that was the last chance for the likes of JT, Lamps, Petr Cech and Drogba. They were all going to leave the club soon, so it was our last chance to give them, and give Roman Abramovich, that trophy. It had become an obsession for us.

I remember the team meeting the night before that final. All of the players received a video from a family member with words of encouragement. Great credit to the club that they did that – to have gone around the world, looked for our family members and got them to record a video. It was just so special. Roberto Di Matteo did an amazing job. We came out of that meeting thinking, ‘There is no way we’re losing tomorrow’. That game was the biggest stage of my life – I thought ‘I don’t know when I’ll be playing in a Champions League final again’. It was my best game inChelsea colours – I had an amazing game. Up until Didier Drogba scored our equaliser, then later scored the winning penalty, I think I was going to win our man of the match. It was down to how much I wanted it, how much we all wanted it. We were the first London team to win the Champions League. In the end, I played 372 games for Chelsea, and my relationship with the fans is still special. I wasn’t the guy who set the world on fire in terms of creating chances and scoring goals because of the way my position was played back then. In those days, a holding midfielder didn’t go anywhere – he was always there, making sure he protected the back four. We couldn’t run past the halfway line – Mourinho would be on the touchline, saying: “Where are you going?!” Now you see Rodri and Ryan Gravenberch bombing forward – Rodri winning the Ballon d’Or showed how the position has evolved.

Last year, I bumped into Sir Alex at the Champions League final and we had a nice chat. I said hello to him and he said: “Oh, there he is, the one that got away!” He remembered everything, but said: “I’m not upset with you any more, it’s in the past.” I asked: “Have you forgiven me, boss?” He said yes, even though we know Fergie never forgives! I wanted to go to Chelsea to be part of history, and I was. We built our own dynasty, our own history. Back when I was a teenager, I had to make a decision between two huge clubs and it wasn’t an easy one. I chose Chelsea. I don’t have any regrets about it at all.

Mikel was speaking to FFT in association with streaming platform DAZN

England have kicked off another Nations League campaign, and Harry Kane has two goals in two games, but he’s still getting criticism from some who claim he can’t deliver in the big matches – especially from the penalty spot.

A 3-2 defeat at the hands of World Cup winners Spain could have been very different had Kane converted his 54th minute penalty. Scoring there would have made it 3-1 to England, but the captain slipped and his spot-kick rattled the crossbar. Six minutes later, Spain equalised. 14 minutes after that, they had the lead and secured the win.

In the grand scheme of things, a loss in the Nations League doesn’t really matter. And yet, fans and rivals alike flooded social media to slam Kane’s penalty-taking ability and his mentality. Frankly, that’s absurd, and a detailed look at his statistics prove the haters wrong rather comprehensively.

England can count on Kane

Across 123 appearances for England to date, Kane has scored 87 goals, with 26 of them being penalties. During that time, we’ve only seen Kane miss from the spot five times. That’s an 83.8% success rate for Kane while representing the Three Lions. Compare that to the best in the business, and the idea of Kane being unreliable becomes truly ridiculous.

Kylian Mbappe has an 82.3% conversion rate for France (14 penalties scored, three missed). Lionel Messi’s international penalty record is surprisingly poor, missing seven of his 32 spot-kicks to produce a 78.1% success rate. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo’s record is even worse, with a 69.7% conversion rate after missing ten of his 33 international penalties. It’s probably too soon to compare Erling Haaland’s numbers, but the Norwegian has missed two of the eight penalties he has taken for his country (a 75% conversion rate overall).

Penalty kick data for all five players comes from Transfermarkt

Obviously, the context of every penalty is different. Some carry more weight than others. But, if we look at this purely on the face of things, Kane stands above the elite players on the international stage when it comes to consistency from the spot.

He scored two penalties at the 2026 World Cup, for a start – one to get the ball rolling in the win over Croatia in the group stage (after a retake was ordered due to the goalkeeper leaving his line), and a crucial one against Mexico in the round of 16. The skipper has six World Cup finals penalty goals to his name in total. Kane also bagged from the spot against the Netherlands in the semi-final of Euro 2024.

Sure, he misses sometimes, but even on those rare occasions, he is still by far the best man for the job.

The impact of Harry Kane's penalty misses

If we dig into the five misses, those waves of criticism that come Kane’s way during pretty much every international break become even more baffling.

The miss against Spain was the result of a slip, potentially due to the pitch. And, as I mentioned previously – while we obviously want to win every game – a narrow Nations League defeat doesn’t impact England in the long run.

Kane’s last miss before that came in the 2022 World Cup. Granted, it was a big one. With France leading 2-1 and just six minutes of regulation time to go, Kane had a huge opportunity to level the scores and give England hope of a semi-final berth. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that he subsequently skied the penalty in what, admittedly, looked like a moment of panic. However, it’s worth noting he had already scored from the spot earlier in that game.

Prior to those two more high-profile slip-ups, the only other blemishes on Kane’s international record are meaningless misses against Turkey in a 2016 friendly (England won the game 2-1), against Kosovo in a European Championship qualifier (England won the game 5-3), and an extra-time penalty which was saved by Kasper Schmeichel at Euro 2020. Thankfully, Kane reacted quickest and stuck away the rebound, helping England to a 2-1 win and booking a place in the final at Wembley.

I’d argue that technically makes it four penalties missed, but either way, Kane’s record is indisputably strong.

Has anyone seen Harry Kane?

There is a fairly good chance that Harry Kane will surpass Messi and even Ronaldo in terms of international goals by the time he hangs up his boots. Whether that will be the only legacy he can claim or not remains to be seen, with England still looking like they will always fall short at the final hurdle.

With a massive 14 goals at World Cup finals, there can be no denying that Kane is a player capable of performing on the biggest stage. But, when the pressure is really on, does he deliver?

There is perhaps an argument that Kane’s impact wanes as a tournament goes on. Indeed, when his goalscoring stops, England tend to bow out of the competition. He failed to score against Croatia in the 2018 semi-final, managing just two shots (off target) in the 120 minute-match. We’ve already covered his penalty miss against France in 2022. In the recent semi-final clash with Argentina, Kane produced one shot and had just 26 touches of the ball.

It was a similar story in the Euro 2024 final, where Kane came away with just one shot and a lowly 13 touches before being replaced by Ollie Watkins on the hour-mark. Against Italy in 2021, on home soil, the statistics (as per SofaScore) are even more damning. Kane didn’t manage a single shot – but, he did slot away his penalty in the shootout.

So, does Kane go missing when the lights are brightest? Sometimes, yes. But, I’d argue the goals, creativity, leadership, and relentless running he offers his country to guide us to those big games more than make up for the few quiet nights. One thing’s for sure, England would be lost without Kane, and we should be thanking our lucky stars we have him, not dragging him down.

Crystal Palace’s run to the 1990 FA Cup final remains one of the most memorable chapters in the club’s history.

Former Eagles midfielder Alan Pardew was right in the thick of it, with his extra-time winner against Liverpool in a classic semi-final encounter at Villa Park settling the tie and booking the club’s place at the Wembley showpiece.

Remarkably, the 4-3 victory came just months after the Reds had humbled Palace 9-0 at Anfield.

Pardew on Palace’s FA Cup run

For Pardew, the contrast between these two matches perfectly captured the character of this Palace side, who refused to dwell on that season’s heavy defeat.

“I played in that not-so-iconic 9-0 league defeat against Liverpool a few months earlier,” Pardew recalls to FourFourTwo. The scale and manner of this defeat and subsequent low point would eventually provide the narrative behind one of the greatest moments of his career.

“But I suppose that’s what made the cup win so remarkable,” he adds. “Humiliation one moment, sheer elation the next.”

Indeed it was the response of the group to such a thrashing that defined Palace as a team that season.

“It was testimony to the resilience we had within the group,” he continues, before turning to the part he played in the victory, specifically his 109th-minute winner.

“That goal shot me into the spotlight for probably the first time in my career,” he recalls. “Suddenly, every newspaper, radio station and TV channel wanted to talk to me.”

This exposure was something new for Pardew and his team-mates, not least because of the way that football culture was beginning to move into the mainstream of popular culture, following the dark days of the 1980s.

“I think the two semi-finals that season were the first live on television back-to-back,” he says, before recalling how close the Eagles were to meeting another unfacied side under the Twin Towers.

"I remember us watching the other one afterwards praying that Oldham could beat Manchester United.

“They almost did and it was so nearly a Palace v Oldham Cup final which would have been a bit weird.”

When Thomas Hitzlsperger grew up in Bavaria in the 1980s, football was everywhere and there was little discussion of sexuality.

It was only after he had left his hometown and embarked on his career that he began to understand how his own sexuality fit into the world around him.

Hitzlsperger moved to Aston Villa was an 18-year-old in 2000 and initially found that his experience of moving to England as a German was more about Second World War stereotypes, with his later reflections leading him to consider the tragic story of Justin Fashanu.

Hitzlesperger on moving from Bavaria to Villa

“Growing up in the small community of Forstinning in Bavaria, I wouldn’t say homosexuality was abnormal, but in the 1980s, there was no exposure to it,” he tells FourFourTwo. “It wasn’t something that was talked about and the topic was taboo, so it wasn’t something that was on my mind back then.

“I’m Thomas, the youngest child of Ludwig and Anneliese Hitzlsperger. I have five brothers and a sister. As you can imagine, ours was a very busy household, with nine family members and extended relations as well, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I experienced a sense of community from early on. It was about family, farm life and good values.

“My parents were very supportive and it was a wonderful childhood growing up on the farm. Without the support of my family, I wouldn’t have made it in football. My parents took me to training twice a week in the beginning, then more later on.”

The young Hitzlsperger soon got his big opportunity, with his determination to succeed fueled by the footballing culture within his own family.

“I started playing for Bayern Munich at the age of seven and the dream was immediately to become a professional footballer. When you work hard in life, the success will be there if you keep pushing. My father played football before he had to quit due to injury and my five older brothers all loved the game. They always had a ball at their feet and still remain passionate about football now.

“After coming home from training with the team, I’d usually have at least one brother to kick the ball around with. As I moved into my teenage years, it was all about football – there was nothing that stopped me or distracted my focus.”

The question of his sexuality would only emerge later. “Back then, Bavaria was not the only place on Earth that was conservative,” he adds. “Only later, when it became apparent to me that I was gay, I thought ‘OK, how do I deal with this, because people around me have just not been exposed to it?’”

“In 2000, as an 18-year-old, I left my family in Germany and moved to the UK. I’d been released by Bayern Munich and wanted a new situation. I spent five years in Birmingham with Aston Villa, and homophobia wasn’t something that crossed my mind there. It wasn’t a debate I had with people and I didn’t observe anything where I thought ‘This is so terrible’.

“Later, that started for me when I left Stuttgart in 2010 and was in Rome playing for Lazio. In my own life, it was so apparent I was gay that I started looking around and observing my environment. But at Aston Villa, it was more about the stereotype of being a German in England and the silly war rhetoric. Being confronted with stereotypes, that started the thinking process for me.

“A decade before I arrived in the UK, Justin Fashanu became the first professional footballer to come out. I was only eight years old at the time, so I didn’t have any awareness of it back then, but later on in my life, I picked up the story. His tale was very tragic and one can only imagine the pain he had to go through – it was awful that he felt he had to reveal he was gay, because he thought the media were about to out him. It all ended so tragically, with him taking his own life.”

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

For Jonjo Shelvey, Steven Gerrard was more than just a Liverpool and England legend. He was the player he had grown up watching and dreamt of emulating.

By the time Shelvey made his senior debut for Charlton in 2008, Gerrard was a Champions League winners, a two-time FA Cup victor and had won 65 caps for his country.

Just two years later, Shelvey would not only be sharing a dressing room with the Reds icon, but living next door to him.

Shelvey on Gerrard

Gerrard’s approachability and down-to-earth nature meant the pair soon became close, with Shelvey also admitting that their proximity had one particularly close detail.

"I grew up watching a DVD about his career, so I knew everything about him,” Shevley tells FourFourTwo. “When I was a kid, I’d watch this DVD the night before my games to inspire me. I wanted to be him, so to play with him was amazing.”

The pair would play together 36 times for Liverpool before Shelvey left the club in 2013, at which time Gerrard was well-established as one of the club’s greatest modern players.

Even after their shared time at Anfield, Shelvey was able to appreciate playing against his former idol.

“Later in my career I enjoyed playing against him as well, as it was the ultimate test,” he continues.

For Shelvey, what really separated Gerrard from his peers was the midfielder’s completeness of his game.

“He was the best and had everything: defensively, shooting and passing,” Shelvey adds.

And while playing alongside Gerrard fulfilled a childhood dream for Shelvey, their relationship extended beyond the training ground.

“When I was at Liverpool, I lived next door to him as well, and from my bathroom you could actually see into his living room, so I spent a lot of time on the toilet! [Laughs]

“He’d give me a lift into training, he was such a normal person, easy to talk to, and anything you needed he’d help you with. I can’t speak highly enough about him."

Arsenal have been given an update on William Saliba's recovery.

The Gunners have enjoyed a positive start to the season, losing just one game in all competitions so far – but rather than enjoying three weeks off from domestic football, manager Mikel Arteta has been sweating over the fitness of several of his players.

With Arsenal suffering something of a mini-crisis when it comes to injuries, the availability of star centre-back William Saliba is something that Arteta will be monitoring closely.

William Saliba 'on the brink of a return' - despite long-term back problem

Saliba went into the World Cup managing his fitness and was eventually hauled off in the semi-final of the competition after collapsing on the pitch against Spain.

According to a statement from Arsenal, “Subsequent specialist reviews on William’s return to London this week have confirmed that he has suffered a back injury which will require a period of rehabilitation.”

While surgery was discussed, it wasn't recommended for the Frenchman, who has been working on a managed recovery programme since.

TEAMtalk now say that Saliba is “on the brink of a return” and that sources believe the player could be available to face Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena this month.

“However, Arsenal are taking no risks with their star defender and are instead pencilling in either the home Premier League fixture against Everton (October 24) or, perhaps more realistically, the Carabao Cup clash at Fleetwood (October 27) as more realistic return dates,” the report adds.

The Gunners drafted in Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa as Saliba's replacement, with the England international having settled into life in North London well.

Konsa, too, suffered a knock during the international break, however, and sat out the fixture against the Czech Republic.

Kai Havertz picked up an injury against the Netherlands, Martin Odegaard had a nasty kick from Bernardo Silva, and now Christos Tzolis has withdrawn from Greece duty, as the injuries mount up in London Colney.

Ben White was unavailable for Thomas Tuchel to select for England, while Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera both have knocks.

Arsenal host Leeds United when Premier League action resumes.

Arsenal new boy Christos Tzolis has suffered what looks like a worrying injury on international duty.

The Greek winger signed for Arsenal over the summer as the only major attacking reinforcement, as the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus all departed the Premier League champions in a big shake-up.

After losing Kai Havertz to injury last week in the Nations League, manager Mikel Arteta could well regret not upgrading his forward line a little more over the summer.

Arsenal winger Christos Tzolis returns from international duty early

Tzolis pulled up with what looked like a hamstring injury in the first quarter of Greece's match against the Netherlands, and had to be substituted after looking visibly distressed.

Greek outlet Sport24, along with Greek journalist Dimitris Manakos, have reported that the former Club Brugge man will return to the Gunners' London Colney base for further tests.

Worrying, too, Greece head coach Ivan Jovanovic confirmed that Tzolis originally refused to be substituted, as Arsenal hope that the new signing hasn't aggravated the injury in any way.

“I think it was a scene that everyone saw, those who were nearby,” he said. “I told him to get out, because I suspected that he wouldn't have done that if he hadn't felt something.

“We don't know how much damage was done today, but I hoped it was just a twitch, something temporary.”

Arsenal are facing several injury problems from this international break, with Martin Odegaard the victim of an industrial tackle from Bernardo Silva and Declan Rice pulled out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad.

Havertz remains a worry, while Ezri Konsa was monitored by the Three Lions medical staff regarding his participation against the Czech Republic following a knock against Spain – sitting the entire 90 minutes out on the bench.

Ben White was unavailable for selection by Tuchel, while Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera both have knocks.

William Saliba remains a long-term miss but is stepping up his recovery.

Arsenal host Leeds United when Premier League action resumes.

Manchester City's 2023 Champions League victory has been called into question, following the club being charged by the Premier League for financial rule breaches.

This week, Manchester City were found guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules, with a Premier League statement confirming that they had “arranged ‘sham’ contracts” and “concealed the true state of its finances from its auditors and football regulators”.

The club are facing heavy sanctions in English football – but now, their greatest night on the continent has also been questioned.

Manchester City “played with players with whom you broke the rules”

In 2023, City became just the second club in English football to complete a Treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, matching city rivals Manchester United in 1999.

The Sky Blues became just the second club to win their first Champions League in the 21st Century – following Chelsea and preceding Paris Saint-Germain – perhaps highlighting just how difficult it has been for newly rich clubs to disrupt the established order of European football.

In a radio interview, relayed by FCInter1908 and Sport Witness, Italian journalist Sandro Sabatini has suggested that Inter Milan have also been wronged by City, following their 1-0 loss in Istanbul in 2023's showpiece.

“We are heading towards a verdict, the one on City, which if it becomes retroactive, and if the principle applies that an offence was committed by breaking a rule, then clearly it’s something enormous,” he said.

“If you commit an offence by buying a player in 2018 and that player also plays in 2023, when there’s the final against Inter, hold on.

“2023 isn’t part of the investigation, but you played with players with whom you broke the rules. The Manchester City situation is enormous.”

UEFA issued a two-year European ban to City in February 2020, after ruling City had committed "serious breaches" of Financial Fair Play regulations between 2012 and 2016.

This was later overturned when City appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

City head to Liverpool when Premier League action resumes.

If there's two English celebrities known for wearing their club loyalties on their sleeves, it's the Gallagher brothers.

But despite famously being a Manchester City fan, Liam Gallagher now lives in a £4m house in the Cotswolds that he bought from the legendary skipper of a rival club.

Tony Adams sold up to the Oasis musician earlier this year so the former Arsenal skipper and his wife could return to London... and there was a bit of a tug of war over a bit of football memorabilia into the bargain.

Adams told FourFourTwo that he had to step in after a brief disagreement over whether or not the cannons outside Adams' house would be included in the purchase.

Those cannons are, of course, representative of Arsenal, and therefore understandably not to Gallagher's taste.

Adams told FourFourTwo: "Liam’s lovely and [Gallagher’s partner] Debbie is great: she’s an Arsenal fan. Stevenage girl - her sister Katie as well. They’re great Arsenal fans.

“Outside the front door of the house stood a pair of cannons, like the ones outside the Emirates.

"Liam went ‘They’ve got to go’. But Debbie said ‘No, they’re staying’.

"I said ‘They’re not staying’: they were coming with me!"

Adams' connection to Gallagher comes with an unexpected downside, however. He explained: “I was at a do recently. We’d been talking for an hour and 10 minutes about Arsenal and addiction, and all this serious stuff.

"Then this 12-year-old lad comes up to me and says ‘Oh... you sold your house to Liam Gallagher’.

"I thought ‘Is that what I’m known for now?!'"

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

Sunderland have been dealt bad Brian Brobbey news, following the centre-forward withdrawing from international duty.

Brobbey has started brightly in the Premier League this season, scoring a hat-trick for Sunderland against Manchester City in his last outing and establishing himself as first-choice striker in new Netherlands boss Xavi Hernandez's first squad.

But it appears that the 24-year-old has had a major setback following the Nations League fixture against Germany.

Brobbey has picked up a ‘serious injury’

Former Ajax star Brobbey lasted a little over half an hour in Xavi's first match as a manager, pulling up with what looked like a hamstring strain.

Now, Sport Witness has relayed an interview from Sportnieuws.nl with ex-PSV doctor Cees-Rein van den Hoogenband, who discussed the game's current schedule and described Brobbey's injury as “very serious”.

“That has a huge medical impact. Everyone can see that from the large number of injuries, both nationally and internationally. However, I have no illusion that anyone will ever listen. The commercial interests are so incredibly high,” he said.

“Of course, it remains a contact sport. If something happens during a tackle, like with Cody [Gakpo], that’s all part of the game. But if you look at Brobbey, he has a very serious hamstring injury. That’s a typical example of overuse.”

Brobbey played 32 times for Sunderland last season, has featured nine times for his country in 2026, and has already been involved in six games for the Black Cats this term.

Given that the striker plays such a high-intensity role, it is perhaps no surprise that he has suffered a muscle injury.

Last season, Brobbey suffered just one major knock: a groin injury that kept him out of three games during February and March.

Prior to signing on Teeside, Brobbey picked up an ankle injury with Ajax, which delayed his start to the season.

Brobbey is worth €40 million, according to Transfermarkt. Sunderland host Brighton & Hove Albion when Premier League action resumes.

Lexi Potter’s impressive start to the season has earned her a first senior England call-up, with Sarina Wiegman selecting the Chelsea midfielder for the Lionesses’ upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

The 20-year-old has impressed alongside Keira Walsh at Chelsea this season, helping the Blues keep three consecutive WSL clean sheets.

Now, as Potter prepares to join up with England for the first time, Walsh has revealed just how highly she rates her young team-mate.

Who is Lexi Potter?

Potter is a Chelsea academy graduate who has broken into Sonia Bompastor’s first team after developing her game during a two-year loan spell at Crystal Palace.

The midfielder made 20 appearances during her time with Palace before returning to Chelsea and making her WSL breakthrough last season.

Her first league start came against Brighton in March, when she scored the winning goal. This season, Potter has taken another step forward.

She has started three of Chelsea’s four WSL matches, playing alongside Walsh in midfield as the Blues have made an unbeaten start to their title campaign.

Potter has also already found the net this season, scoring in Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Birmingham City.

Her composure has been impressive and her performance against Arsenal in a 1-0 victory showed her maturity in a big game.

It was a performance that further underlined why Wiegman has decided the time is right to bring Potter into the England set-up.

'I'm not surprised' - Walsh

Potter’s emergence has coincided with an increasingly promising partnership with Walsh.

Playing as the deeper midfielder alongside the England international has allowed Potter to provide defensive cover, while Walsh has been given greater freedom to move further forward.

“If a ball goes past me, I know Lexi's there cleaning up. We’re working for each other and what's probably been the most important so far at the start of the season.

“I'm not surprised [by Lexi’s performances]. I play with her in training, so for me I can't say I'm shocked that she's played like that against Arsenal, because I'm not.

“She's just really intelligent. She makes me feel really comfortable when I'm playing next to her. The way she sees the game, not many female players understand it the way she does.

“She's an exceptional talent and I think she plays beyond her years. I think she's got a very calm head on her shoulders and she's got a lot to come. I think she's going to be an incredible player for Chelsea and England in the future.”

Walsh has been a key part of England’s midfield since making her senior debut in 2017 and has now surpassed 100 international appearances, with Potter’s call-up inevitably prompting comparisons with Walsh herself.

The emergence of Potter gives Wiegman another young option in a position that requires awareness, composure and defensive discipline - qualities Potter is already showing.

England face Greece in a double-header as they continue their qualification campaign for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

Lionel Messi has decided to step away from international football following Argentina's friendly against Benin this month.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) must now decide how to permanently honour arguably the greatest player in their nation's history.

AFA president Claudio Tapia has previously expressed a desire to retire the iconic No. 10 shirt but FIFA's strict tournament regulations make that virtually impossible.

Why can't Argentina retire Lionel Messi's No. 10 shirt?

Under current FIFA rules, national teams are prohibited from retiring shirt numbers during international competitions such as the World Cup, Copa America and the European Championship.

Regulations state that tournament squads must use an unbroken sequence of numbers, usually ranging from 1 up to the maximum squad size, such as 1 to 26, leaving no available digits or numerical gaps.

How Argentina can still retire Messi's shirt

This rule exists primarily for administrative reasons as, supposedly, consecutive numbering allows referees, officials, and automated broadcast tracking systems to better log substitutions, goals, VAR checks, and disciplinary actions.

Argentina are already well aware of FIFA’s inflexibility because ahead of the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, the AFA attempted to retire the No. 10 shirt in honour of Diego Maradona. FIFA rejected the request, forcing Argentina to assign the number which was eventually handed to Ariel Ortega for the tournament.

However, a workaround does exist. Argentina could, in theory, still pay tribute to Messi outside competitive tournaments. National federations have greater flexibility when it comes to unofficial friendly matches.

In non-competitive fixtures, associations are allowed to leave iconic shirts entirely off the matchday squad list. That means the AFA can theoretically circumvent FIFA's numbering regulations during friendly windows, allowing Argentina to compete without a numbered No. 10 shirt on the pitch, or in the squad.

When competitive tournaments roll around, someone will be required to wear the shirt. But during friendlies, Argentina can ensure Messi's famous number remains untouched whenever circumstances allow.

Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have quit international football, following an apparent spat with new manager Jorge Jesus.

Ronaldo took to his Instagram account last night to post a statement to his 679 million followers, explaining, “After the press conference of the National Team coach, and following a conversation with the President of the Portuguese Football Federation, I decided to leave the National Team camp.

“In due time, I will tell all the Portuguese about the reasons that motivated my departure from the national team, which I always dedicated myself to. Now it's time to wish good luck to Portugal and all my teammates, without exception.”

Jorge Jesus reneges on his promise to Cristiano Ronaldo - and makes him warm up without bringing him on

According to Spanish outlet Marca, Ronaldo's ire has come from the fact that Jesus changed his mind about his selection plans during the international break.

The 72-year-old apparently agreed that Ronaldo would only play in the first and fourth fixtures for Portugal this month – only to U-turn in the second game against Norway and ask a benched Ronaldo to warm up in the second half with the score at 1-1.

When the Portuguese regained the lead, however, Jesus decided not to bring Ronaldo on after all, with the five-time Champions League winner leaving the stadium in a rage over what he perceived to be a snub.

The Al-Nassr forward opted to train alone ahead of the clash with Denmark, with Jesus telling his press conference, “There was no incident whatsoever: as coach, I decided not to bring him on. It's nothing to make a fuss about.”

Apparently, Ronaldo was unimpressed by Jesus's comments, leaving for his private jet: Marca notes that Jesus and federation president Pedro Proenca chased the 41-year-old to the airport, but couldn't convince him to return.

In Portugal, it is believed Ronaldo has retired from international duty, though he hasn't confirmed it.

Jesus and Ronaldo worked with one another at Al-Nassr during the 2025/26 season, winning the Saudi Pro League title.

With Roberto Martinez leaving his role as Lusos head coach after elimination at the hands of eventual winners Spain at World Cup 2026, Jesus took the national team job and was seen as a pick to appease an ageing Ronaldo.

Debate has raged over Portugal's all-time caps holder and record scorer should step down from playing for his country, given that he is a shadow of the footballer he was at his peak.

Ronaldo has scored a world record 146 goals in 234 games for his country.

Just 16 men have represented a club in an FA Cup final as a player and then later gone on to lead them to the final again as a manager. Alan Pardew is one of them.

Pardew earned his place in Crystal Palace folklore in 1990, when his goal in extra time helped the Eagles claim a sensational 4-3 semi-final victory over Liverpool in one of the competition's greatest ever games.

The final proved to be nearly as dramatic as Manchester United came from behind in extra time to force a 3-3 draw that took the game to a replay, which Sir Alex Ferguson's men won 1-0.

Pardew pointed out to FourFourTwo that he had also been part of an ignomious moment in Palace's history earlier that season, however, saying: "I also played in that not-so-iconic 9-0 league defeat against Liverpool a few months earlier!

"But I suppose that’s what made the cup win so remarkable. Humiliation one moment, sheer elation the next.

"It was testament to the resilience we had within the group.

That goal shot me into the spotlight for probably the first time in my career. Suddenly, every newspaper, radio station and TV channel wanted to talk to me.

"I think the two semi-finals that season were the first live on television back-to-back.

"I remember us watching the other one afterwards praying that Oldham could beat Manchester United.

"They almost did and it was so nearly a Palace v Oldham cup final, which would have been a bit weird."

Fast forward 26 years, and Pardew was stepping out with Palace at Wembley for another FA Cup final against Manchester United - and he once again ensured himself a memorable moment.

He said: "When Jason Puncheon put us 1-0 up after 78 minutes, I felt a sense of elation.

"I was away with the fairies and not even aware I did that dance. I thought nothing of it until it was brought up in the press conference afterwards!"

Unfortunately for Pardew, Juan Mata equalised just three minutes later, with Jesse Lingard scoring the winner for United in extra time.

As Prime Minister, football remains at the heart of Andy Burnham’s vision for Britain.

The lifelong Everton supporter wants to right decades of wrongs in his role as leader of the nation, and the game he loves is part of those plans for revolution. Unlike David Cameron, who couldn’t distinguish which shade of claret and blue belonged to West Ham and his beloved Aston Villa, Burnham’s true-blue credentials are unquestionable.

He even managed to incorporate a match at Hill Dickinson Stadium into his summit with the Canadian premier and fellow Evertonian, Mark Carney, as the pair watched David Moyes’ side scrape past Wolves in the Carabao Cup’s third round from the stands.

Andy Burnham's alcohol at games bid lacked full backing

Mixing business and pleasure (or torment as most Toffees fans would more accurately describe it) is a perk of the job for Burnham, but he wanted the two to again coalesce, with hints at abolishing football’s longstanding ban on alcohol within view of the field of play. The restriction introduced in 1985 as a countermove to rampant hooliganism remains in effect over four decades later despite marked changes in match-going behaviour.

The PM believes the Sporting Events Control of Alcohol Act is ‘discrimination’ towards football fans, who are still treated as second-class citizens by those in positions of law and order while other sports carry on regardless. Rugby supporters of both denominations – league and union – had no issues lugging pints up to their seats at Hill Dickinson Stadium earlier this summer. Cricket aficionados, similarly, are looked on favourably when they do the same at test matches. It’s considered part and parcel of the conviviality. In contrast, anyone daring to peer in the direction of a stadium vomitory in England and Wales across the men’s top five leagues with a drink in hand finds themselves under scrutiny from stewards and police alike.

No sooner had the proposal been floated, however, that it was kiboshed by the threat of an increase in demand for policing by clubs which would incur additional financial burden. Yet Burnham was not actively pushing for an end to the legislation, rather seeking to start a conversation around the merits of doing so by reaffirming a long-held opinion publicly. He is already fully aware of the political resistance towards it after MPs rejected a motion put forward by the Conservative Party last year that requested a formal consultation on scrapping the rule under the auspices of the Football Governance Bill. Support from within the game is similarly reluctant with polling from YouGov finding that 64% of match-going Brits believe the ban should remain in place compared to 26% who backed Burnham’s sentiment. Support was never likely to be universal on any attempt to change the status quo, even supposedly for the better, yet many have valid reservations for not greeting the potential shift in legislation with unbridled joy.

Scenes at watch-along venues during major international tournaments were an obvious red flag for those unconvinced by the idea of a return to drinking within the stands. Plastic glasses being thrown is not a phenomenon exclusive to Boxpark. Revellers and performers have found themselves pelted with tepid liquids, some not sourced from a beer tap, since time immemorial. But as FourFourTwo columnist Henry Winter recently pointed out, it has now become a national sport. Publicly taking in an England game is on par with sitting in the front two rows at SeaWorld; both come with an obligatory soaking. Footage of mass pint chucking continues to go viral on social media, but getting drenched, especially so early into a potential evening of merriment, isn’t most people’s idea of fun and especially not when most items of clothing become collateral damage.

The lore of the ‘Boxpark spray’ has also become a main event for some rather than a reactionary outpouring. During the Three Lions’ World Cup last-32 encounter with DR Congo in July, one watcher inexplicably chose to launch a cup of dark cider over the crowd just seconds after Marcus Rashford had hit the side-netting and celebrated it with the same level of zeal as seeing Thomas Tuchel’s side crowned world champions. Stadium swillers potentially being identified from CCTV is unlikely to deter those who want to create their own ‘moment’, even to the detriment of hundreds, if not thousands.

Beyond dousing fellow supporters, those on the pitch were also at increased risk of projectile pints. The touchline at Euro 2024’s opening matches were strewn with cups aimed at both players and coaches. At club level, Angel Di Maria famously pretended to swig from a Heineken bottle thrown in his direction by Manchester United fans during Paris Saint-Germain’s 2019 Champions League last-16 first leg tie. A year earlier, Manchester City’s team coach ran a gauntlet of flying glass before their European knockout clash away to Liverpool. High-stake contests invariably draw out visceral reactions, especially at club level, and the potential for an outlet being provided to would-be offenders to channel their inner Scrappy-Doo with sufficient Dutch courage.

There was no guarantee that a return to in-game drinking would have a desired effect for clubs, particularly those lower down the pyramid, hoping to make capital gains from it. Habits around pre-match and half-time refreshment long formed in many supporters’ matchday routines and the prospect of a lukewarm pint at your seat in the peak of winter doesn’t have the same appeal as huddled on a concourse or in the many pubs within walkable reach of most stadiums. The original ban succeeded in forcing existing match goers to adjust to a new normal and ensuring future generations who have known no different would follow the example set. A successful 18-month pilot scheme of drinking in the stands at Women’s Super League and WSL2 games has been cited as another potential supporting point to bypass it after being hailed as ‘overwhelmingly positive’ by the governing body. But the women’s game was already exempt from the restrictions while its matchday culture is in stark contrast to their male counterparts, with opposing fans still free to sit in non-segregated seating areas.

Burnham’s short-lived play for what he believes is a basic right being denied to fans of the game did not have a groundswell of endorsement even before prohibitive costs put it on the back burner. There are so many other routes down which he can still score easy wins with the footballing populous without harking back to trappings from a bygone era which most can take or leave.

His former jurisdiction of Greater Manchester is currently proof of that with the squeeze being put on Old Trafford season ticket holders in a seeming attempt to free up prime real estate for those willing to pay for the experience. So, too, is the extortionate train ticket prices that many fans are forced to shell out just to support their team on the road in matches that are increasingly switched solely for the convenience of armchair viewers.

Doing things differently was how Burnham sold himself upon entering Downing Street, but any policy changes he seeks to make to football must be meaningful, not lazy headline-grabbing acts.

Ian Wright has claimed the relentless effort required to compete with Manchester City ultimately 'broke' former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Wright was speaking on ITV Sport’s coverage of England’s international fixture against Czechia on Tuesday evening, shortly after the Premier League released an official statement confirming an independent commission had found Manchester City guilty of 114 financial charges.

The ruling, which addresses breaches spanning nine seasons between 2009 and 2018, arrives before Man City's first trip following the international break - a visit to Anfield to face Liverpool.

Wright: Competing with Man City 'broke' Jurgen Klopp

Reflecting on the title battles between City and Liverpool during the peak of Pep Guardiola and Klopp's managerial rivalry, Wright highlighted the emotional and physical toll inflicted on the German manager, whose side accumulated extraordinary point totals only to repeatedly finish second.

"It is quite appropriate for them to be going to Liverpool [next] because you have to say in that four in-a-row [time], Liverpool were the team that were chasing them down," Wright told lead presenter Mark Pougatch.

"You look at what [Jurgen] Klopp went through with that team and what Klopp went through himself to try and beat that [Man City] team to try and break them. And in the end, it probably broke him and it's been done wrong, in an illegal way. It's so sad. It's going to keep getting deeper, it's going to get so litigious now, I think it's going to go on so long, Pougs – it's so sad."

Klopp departed Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season after nine years on Merseyside, admitting he was running out of energy to continue managing at the highest level. During his tenure, Liverpool pushed City to unprecedented standards—most notably losing the Premier League title by a single point in both the 2018/19 and 2021/22 campaigns despite accumulating 97 and 92 points respectively.

Wright’s comments reflect a growing sentiment across the game that Liverpool's achievements under Klopp were unfairly compromised if City's domestic dominance was achieved through financial breaches.

However, Wright warned that the fallout from the guilty verdict is only just beginning. With Manchester City maintaining their innocence and preparing an appeal against the ruling, the former England striker expects an extended legal process that will continue to cast a shadow over English football.

Anfield will be a cauldron when Man City visit after the international break, carrying the weight of an unavoidable narrative. The game is scheduled to be played at 4:30pm on Sunday, October 11.

Lionel Messi's last dance with Argentina is nearly here.

The legendary star will play for one final time in the sky-blue-and-white of his national team next week against Benin – and Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has noted that no other player will wear the shirt until that fixture anyway.

But what about the future?

Argentina aren't allowed to permanently retire Lionel Messi's No.10 shirt

While Argentina are free to name squads without a No.10 for friendlies if they wish – but FIFA regulations stipulate that they won't be able to name their 2030 World Cup squad without the squad number.

There's previous, too: ahead of World Cup 2002, the Argentine Football Association submitted a squad skipping the digit to honor Diego Maradona, only for FIFA to outright reject the request and require the Albiceleste to re-assign the No.10 (which went to Ariel Ortega).

Cameroon also attempted to retire a number, omitting the No.17 in tribute to the late Marc Vivian Foe in games after the midfielder's tragic death – but have had to name a No.17 in every FIFA tournament since.

It may be commonplace practice for clubs, with Argentine No.4 Javier Zanetti a famous example of a huge club in Inter Milan retiring a shirt – but it's virtually impossible for a country to do it.

Besides, plenty of players have worn the No.10 for Argentina in the last decade or so.

Messi's close friend Sergio Aguero has worn the shirt, while Paolo Dybala has been Argentina's No.10, too – though the Roma man was left out of Scaloni's latest squad, despite his excellent form at the start of the season.

Angels Correa and Di Maria have both worn the shirt, too, though the latter is more closely associated with the No.11.

Most recently, youngster Franco Mastantuono was given the number – while another wonderkid, Nico Paz, is among the favourites to assume the shirt at the next Copa America in 2028.

Juan Roman Riquelme was the last player to do so at an international tournament, meanwhile, with the legendary playmaker donning it at World Cup 2006, and a young Messi given the No.19.

Alan Pardew remains baffled as to what he was thinking when he went head-to-head with David Meyler...quite literally.

The incident occurred back on March 1, 2014, with Pardew's Newcastle United 3-1 up away to Hull City. The ball went out for a throw-in in front of the Newcastle dugout and directly into Pardew's path.

As Pardew claimed the throw-in for his side, Meyler pushed him out of the way, prompting Pardew to walk slowly over to Meyler and stick his head into the Hull man's face.

Being a Saturday 3pm kick-off, the first most football fans heard about it was in Jeff Stelling's reaction on Soccer Saturday after Pardew was dismissed and the replays slowly began filtering through to the studio.

The broadcaster memorably exclaimed: "Alan Pardew, the book is about to be throooown at you!"

Pardew told FourFourTwo: "I’m certainly not proud of it.

"The weird thing is we were winning the game quite comfortably so there was no need for me to get rattled.

"I remember him barging me as he went to take a throw in and then threatened me.

"My conduct was not the best obviously but I paid a huge price. It damaged me financially and professionally.

"Mike Ashley fined me £100,000 and the FA hit me with a seven-game touchline ban."

Newcastle were in eighth place and just five points behind the European qualification places after that victory over Hull.

That game marked the first time they had claimed back-to-back wins in over two months.

But they reverted back into poor form during Pardew's suspension, taking just six more points from their final ten games of the season and ultimately finished in tenth.

Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno is being lined up by Bayern Munich.

Now 34, the Cottagers' No.1 has established himself as one of the most reliable goalkeepers in the Premier League since his move to West London four years ago.

As one of the longer-serving and more experienced of Fulham's current first-teamers, losing Leno to Bayern would be a blow – though the call of the Bundesliga giants may be too great for the German to ignore.

Bernd Leno lined up for Bayern Munich role away from Fulham

According to BILD in Germany, Leno is being lined up in an “easy” to complete deal for the Bavarians to become Manuel Neuer's backup.

The former Arsenal stopper is, of course, used to that role, having played deputy for Neuer for Germany, limiting him to just nine appearances for his country since he made his debut in 2016.

Earlier this summer, however, Neuer retired from international duty at the age of 40, and given that he has just entered his 16th season at the Allianz Arena, there's an opportunity for Leno to usurp his senior, should he make the move.

The stopper has proven himself as statistically one of the more impressive between the sticks in the Premier League over the last decade, and may well put forward a good case to challenge for the No.1 spot – or at least take the shirt if and when Neuer calls it a day.

Leno wouldn't be the first to move to Bayern in recent seasons to compete with Die Roten captain Neuer.

In 2020, the club moved to tie up a deal for highly-touted Alexander Nubel from Schalke, but when asked about the deal, Neuer described the 23-year-old's transfer as “irrelevant” to him – and sure enough, the Gelsenkirchen-born custodian captained his side to six trophies that year.

Yann Sommer and Daniel Peretz, meanwhile, have both moved to Allianz as an understudy – with the former used as an emergency option following Neuer breaking his leg in a freak skiing accident – but neither could oust the veteran from his position for long.

The good news for Fulham is that they have no obligation to sell their No.1.

The German left Arsenal for just £8 million, according to the BBC – a cost-effective deal for the time – and with Fulham having an option to extend his deal until 2028, they may even recoup what they spent on the player.

Leno is worth €6m, according to Transfermarkt. The winless Whites play Ipswich Town when the international break concludes and Premier League action returns.

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has picked up another injury on international duty that will be sure to worry his employers.

The Gunners midfielder first picked up an ankle problem in 2024/25 while playing for his country, and ended up missing two months of the season – culminating in an injury crisis for Arsenal that saw them surrender the Premier League title to Liverpool.

Odegaard has since suffered a spate of injuries that have prevented him from having a long run in manager Mikel Arteta's side, but after finally returning and looking back to his best at the start of this season, he could yet have been dealt another setback with his fitness.

Norway keeping Arsenal updated, following Martin Odegaard injury

While playing for Norway against Portugal on Sunday, Odegaard was the recipient of a late tackle from Bernardo Silva – which he appeared to be particularly irate about in the aftermath.

Speaking after the game, as relayed by Sport Witness, the playmaker said, “He just kicked me down long after I’d played the ball away: I don’t understand what he’s doing.”

According to TV2 in Norway, Odegaard received “treatment behind closed doors for a long time,” but when asked about the injury, he simply replied that it “probably won't be good tonight [Sunday]”.

Odegaard's participation against Wales this week could well be under threat, but when speaking to Nettavisen, Norwegian manager Stale Solbakken noted that the national team are in close contact with Arsenal over the 27-year-old's fitness.

“The medical sector reports what has happened, and now it is the case that every metre you run here, and all training and everything you have done, is sent to the club. The medical contact is almost continuous,” he said.

“It’s standard procedure. I don’t interfere with that. There are four or five people for that, so they have to manage that.”

Arteta has already been dealt a blow this week with Kai Havertz limping off after sustaining an injury for Germany, while Declan Rice pulled out of England duty altogether.

There are worries in defence, too, with Ezri Konsa sitting out training with England following the Three Lions' defeat at Wembley to Spain, and Jurrien Timber following an individual programme, following his return from injury at the start of this.

Ben White remains an absentee, too, having sustained another knock following his impressive start to the season.

Odegaard is worth €70 million, according to Transfermarkt. Arsenal face Leeds United when the international break concludes and Premier League action returns.

Liverpool have received an update on Cody Gakpo, following the Dutchman's ankle injury on international duty.

Gakpo was injured during the Netherlands' clash with Serbia, following a hard tackle from midfielder Sasa Lukic, and taken off on 17 minutes after initially trying to run the problem off.

The knock is a particular worry for Liverpool, with the 27-year-old in excellent form for the Reds so far this season.

Cody Gakpo to have scan on ankle after returning to Liverpool

New Netherlands boss Xavi Hernandez has got off to a good start with the Oranje, overseeing a draw against Jurgen Klopp's Germany before a win against Serbia.

This was despite losing Gakpo and Sunderland's Brian Brobbey to injury – but the Spaniard claimed after the 2-1 win in Belgrade that he has optimism that Gakpo in particular hasn't suffered long-term damage.

“It’s his ankle, that’s all I know,” Xavi claimed, adding, “Tomorrow we will know, but hopefully it’s not too important.”

The Netherlands confirmed themselves that Gakpo would miss the rest of the international break, following the tackle.

Gakpo has been in fine fettle for new Reds boss Andoni Iraola this season, having almost departed Anfield after two-and-a-half years at the club.

The forward was a target for Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, but remained at Anfield with Iraola lacking numbers – given that the Merseysiders lack a natural right-winger in their squad following the departure of Mohamed Salah.

Gakpo has started three times on the left wing for the Basque and three times on the right, where he may have solved Liverpool's problem position: across both positions this term, he has delivered four goals and assists in just five league games, and managed to both score and assist in the Reds' Carabao Cup victory over Tottenham earlier this month.

His absence may, however, present a chance for summer signing Victor Munoz to step into the first team.

Liverpool are also missing Federico Chiesa and Hugo Ekitike in attack at the moment, while Alexander Isak has a slight thigh problem.

Gakpo is worth €60 million, according to Transfermarkt. Liverpool face Man City when the international break concludes and Premier League action returns.

Former Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew still feels he was a bit hard done by during his spell at St James' Park.

Pardew came in as the successor to the highly-popular Chris Hughton in December 2010, just a few months after Hughton he had led Newcastle to promotion back out of the Championship.

A fifth-place finish in Pardew's first full season in charge only briefly quelled the doubters, with Newcastle finishing 16th and 10th before Pardew was finally dismissed in December 2014.

"I’m convinced Mike Ashley would have given me the money to compete in the Champions League"

Pardew believes things were against him from the very beginning, reflecting to FourFourTwo: "My welcome wasn’t particularly warm.

"Rumours started that Mike Ashley had only appointed me because I’d run up huge gambling debts in his casinos.

"There wasn’t a grain of truth in the stories. Maybe I should have addressed them rather than let them run.

"On day one at training, within five minutes, Joey Barton came up to me and said how much the players had loved Chris Hughton and no-one wanted me there. Charming!

"Fortunately, we started out by beating Liverpool 3-1 and our first goal was something we’d been practising on the training ground the previous day so that helped.

"After the game, Joey piped up, thanking me for that routine I’d introduced. That was a great moment."

However, Pardew acknowledges that he didn't win over everybody on on Tyneside.

Pardew said: "I had a difficult relationship with some of the North East media.

"Two or three had an agenda I couldn’t quite understand and at times, it led to a toxic atmosphere.

"We came desperately close to qualifying for the Champions League only to lose our last game at Everton. We still finished fifth and I was named both LMA and Premier League Manager of the Year that season – the last British boss to win those awards.

"Had we come fourth, I’m convinced Mike would have given me the money to compete in the Champions League."

The Gunners' summer signing sat out full group training ahead of the Three Lions' departure for their match against Czechia, sparking fears of another potential injury blow for Mikel Arteta's side.

England released an official update detailing the squad's preparation arrangements, communicating the following message: "Ezri Konsa and Nico O'Reilly are following their own individual programmes at Tottenham Hotspur's training ground this morning. All other 22 players are involved in group training ahead of the squad departing for Prague this afternoon."

When a key defender is sidelined from main training, it inevitably sets off alarm bells, but Arteta and the Arsenal medical staff should not hit the panic button just yet.

Ezri Konsa sits out full England training

Konsa has not been sent back to his club. If the defender had sustained a significant injury, he would have returned to Arsenal immediately for scans and a formal medical evaluation.

The fact that Konsa remained with the squad and boarded the flight to Prague indicates that he remains in contention to feature for Thomas Tuchel's side.

The decision to place Konsa on an individual regime is almost certainly a matter of proactive load management. Modern sports science and physical monitoring track biometric data and workload metrics with precision.

And given Konsa's heavy accumulation of minutes throughout 2026, the medical team likely identified increased fatigue indicators. Tailoring his schedule is a precautionary measure to reduce his heightened risk of injury before it has the chance to occur on the pitch.

Nevertheless, Arteta will be monitoring Konsa’s status with caution. Arsenal’s backline is already under considerable strain following a succession of setbacks. The Gunners are currently without key central defender William Saliba for an extended period, while Jurrien Timber has also been sidelined recently.

A busy schedule of Premier League and European fixtures awaits Arsenal after the international break, and Arteta cannot afford further casualties in his defensive unit.

Konsa's training programme appears to be a preventative step rather than anything more worrisome. Still, those at the Emirates will be hoping the defender returns to London unscathed following England's three remaining Nations League fixtures.

Roberto Mancini claims the club 'are not guilty' and insists that allegations regarding a secondary contract during his tenure are 'not his problem.'

Mancini, currently in his second spell as manager of the Italian national team, addressed the media ahead of Italy’s Nations League fixture against Turkey. When asked about the reported findings and his personal involvement in the long-running case, the 61-year-old offered a defence of his former employers.

"I don't think they [Manchester City] were found guilty," Mancini said. "It's not an issue that concerns me. It's nothing new because this has been discussed for the last four or five years."

Roberto Mancini: 'It's not my concern, it's Manchester City's'

Mancini’s comments come directly after reporting last week revealing that an independent commission had reached a verdict in the landmark case.

The Premier League charged Manchester City in February 2023 following a five-year investigation. The 115 alleged breaches, spanning a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018, centred on accusations that the club failed to provide accurate financial information, disguised owner funding as commercial sponsorship income, breached Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) as well as UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, and failed to cooperate with the league's inquiry.

"Manchester City has not been found guilty, and on the double contract it isn't my concern. It's their issue, not mine," Mancini added.

The Italian is implicated in one of the primary allegations. Appointed in December 2009, the point at which the alleged financial discrepancies began, the Italian spent four years in the Etihad Stadium dugout, famously guiding the club to their first Premier League title in 2012.

However, investigation findings allege that City operated an off-the-books payment structure to supplement his managerial wage.

While officially earning £1.45 million per season from Manchester City, Mancini reportedly signed a secondary contract with Abu Dhabi-based club Al Jazira, which is also controlled by Man City owner Sheikh Mansour. The arrangement allegedly paid the Italian coach an additional £1.7m (€2.03m) annually for a minimum of four days of consultancy work per year. The Premier League argued that this structure was used to conceal full manager remuneration, artificially lower City's official operating costs, and circumvent financial regulations.

Despite the reporting surrounding the guilty verdict on 114 counts, Manchester City have maintained their innocence throughout the proceedings and are widely expected to launch an appeal once formal sanctions are determined.

In the wake of the news, Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak issued an open letter to supporters, adopting a defiant stance regarding the ongoing legal battle.

"The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the Club's innocence is just as strong as when this began," Al Mubarak wrote. "While some people have been quick to reach their own conclusions, and there is so much noise swirling around us, nothing has changed. There remain many who want to undermine the momentum of our Club. We will not give them that opportunity."

With potential penalties ranging from substantial financial fines and points deductions to potential expulsion from the top flight, the eventual resolution of the case will send shockwaves through world football. For Mancini, whose managerial legacy remains tied to City's breakthrough era, the ongoing battle is one he prefers to view from afar.

No one has scored more England goals than Harry Kane.

The England captain is currently on 86 strikes for his country, over 30 more than the next-placed Wayne Rooney, whom Kane surpassed three years ago – and 39 games sooner – to become the Three Lions' all-time scorer.

With the 33-year-old a spring chicken compared to the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, however, it begs the question as to how long Kane can keep netting…

Can Harry Kane surpass Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the all-time international goalscoring chart?

Cristiano Ronaldo broke Ali Daei's long-standing international goal record in 2021 of 108 goals – and with the 41-year-old currently on 146 goals, there's a fair chance he'll get to 150 before he even considers calling it a day.

Messi, meanwhile, is on 125 – a mere 39 ahead of Kane – but with the greatest player of all time retiring imminently from Argentina, that is a little more static as a target for Kane.

So let's do the maths: Kane has a goals-to-game ratio of 0.71 – that means that he would have to play around 54 more times for his country to equal Messi's tally, and 85 more times to equal Ronaldo's (assuming Ronaldo doesn't score again).

That's dependent on many things… not least that Kane continues on his current trajectory.

While there's no obvious successor to the Bayern Munich man, there may yet be by the 2030 World Cup – and given that Kane is 34 years old next summer, there's every chance that time catches up with him and he simply drops off in terms of pure output.

Besides, Kane has played between nine and 14 games for England in each of the last five seasons, meaning that he may have to play every single friendly and tournament qualifier for the Three Lions for another decade, along with hoping that England progress far enough in each competition they play to give him the chance for those elusive goals.

And who's to say that he'll actually want to carry on?

Alan Shearer was just 29 when he retired from international duty: of course, this was a different era, but the Newcastle United legend decided that he simply wanted to focus on club football after a disastrous Euro 2000 campaign.

Kane has very different ambitions and has claimed that he would love to change sport and try his hand in the NFL… which may affect his chances with the national team.

It'll be intriguing to see just how close the striker does get to future milestones and whether he hits 100 goals in an England shirt in the coming years.

The extended September-October international break has threatened to disrupt Michael Carrick’s Old Trafford squad, with news regarding club captain Bruno Fernandes initially setting off alarm bells on Sunday evening.

Manchester United playmaker Fernandes was a notable omission from Portugal’s lineup for their UEFA Nations League victory against Norway, sitting out the match entirely.

Given the midfielder’s durability and workload, any unexpected absence raised fears of a potential injury setback. However, reports from the Manchester Evening News have provided a sense of relief regarding the Man United skipper.

Manchester United suffer injury setback

According to the MEN, Fernandes has not been sent back to Carrington and remains embedded with the Portugal squad.

His decision to stay with his country suggests the issue which kept him sidelined in Oslo is minor, with the midfielder still in contention to feature in their remaining international fixtures before returning to Manchester.

Man United officials will continue to monitor his status closely, but the optimism surrounding his availability is a welcome sigh of relief for the club at this moment in time.

While the initial fears over Fernandes appears to have been allayed, Man United’s medical department has not escaped the international break entirely unscathed. While their talisman remains abroad, another important first-team figure has indeed seen his international campaign cut short and is heading back to Old Trafford prematurely.

Danish international Patrick Dorgu is reportedly returning to Manchester after picking up an injury during Denmark’s match against Wales on Sunday night. The versatile defender, who has established himself as an important component in Carrick's setup, suffered a setback during the contest which the Danes won 2-0.

Dorgu’s return poses a tactical headache for Carrick as his ability to cover multiple positions down the left flank has provided much-needed balance to the squad since his arrival. Losing him ahead of a demanding run of Premier League and European fixtures will be a stern test of Man United's squad depth.

United’s medical staff will now conduct thorough assessments at Carrington to determine the exact extent of Dorgu’s damage and whether he faces a spell on the sidelines. While Carrick will be relieved that Fernandes looks set to avoid a lengthy lay-off, he will be anxiously awaiting the results of Dorgu's scans as the domestic season prepares to resume.

When you want to be the best, and have to beat the best, you have to take a risk or two. When you’re chasing a game, you have to gamble. Which is why Thomas Tuchel’s continued refusal to trust in Trent Alexander-Arnold has moved from the baffling to the damaging. England’s head coach recalled one of the country’s finest ever passers to the squad, gave him the No.2 shirt, and then ignored him, leaving him on the bench even when England were crying out for proper delivery from the right against Spain at Wembley on Saturday.

The case against Alexander-Arnold rests primarily on a few high-profile incidents of him being caught out defensively. You know the story. Failing to deal with Vinicius Jr’s run to score in the 2022 Champions League final proved expensive. Liverpool lost to the Brazilian’s goal for Real Madrid.

You know the narrative. Alexander-Arnold’s hunger to attack and whip in those enticing crosses for strikers inevitably sees him pushed high up the pitch, leaving space behind. We all know the concern. Yet Jurgen Klopp wouldn’t have picked Alexander-Arnold for so long if he felt he was a serial weakness.

HENRY WINTER: Thomas Tuchel should give Trent Alexander-Arnold a chance for England

Alexander-Arnold played 354 times for Liverpool, becoming a champion of England twice and Europe once. He can defend. He scored 23 times for Liverpool and assisted in an astonishing 86 goals. He can certainly attack.

It’s become almost tiring to have to highlight what Alexander-Arnold can do, rather than obsess only about what he can’t do. It’s not as if Tuchel has seen England turn into George Graham’s Arsenal without Alexander-Arnold. They’ve conceded 13 in the last six games. It’s not as if Alexander-Arnold hasn’t constantly made himself available, waiting hopefully for the call. He’s desperate to represent England again. And the feeling was always that Tuchel called him up begrudgingly for this camp, following Reece James's injury.

In the continued absence of James, a familiar lament, Tuchel should give Alexander-Arnold a chance. He’s worth more than 26 minutes as a sub against Andorra 15 months ago. That’s how much Tuchel has given him. Since then, Jarell Quansah, James, Ezri Konsa, Djed Spence, Ben White, Tino Livramento and Kyle Walker have been Tuchel’s picks at right-backs. And when he did come on against Andorra in 2025, it was in midfield for Jordan Henderson. Curtis Jones, a midfielder, was at right-back.

In explaining why he chose Quansah over Alexander-Arnold against Spain, and kept him on for 90 minutes despite England being behind, Tuchel argued that, “There was a lot of defending to do as well, one-on-one defending. Marc Guehi followed in midfield, so we ended up in a back-three. We needed Jarell’s speed and Jarell’s quality to think also as a central defender. He was top class at the World Cup, he was top class in training this week, he did excellent in this game.” Apart from being caught out for Spain’s winner.

Quansah is a good centre-back, and has been used at right-back by Bayer Leverkusen, but he lacks the range of attacking delivery Alexander-Arnold can produce. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who thrives on crosses, was sent on for Harry Kane with seven minutes remaining against Spain, yet there was little width. Anthony Gordon had again experienced the early Tuchel hook. Bukayo Saka had just gone off. Morgan Rogers went wide and Morgan Gibbs-White came into the middle.

Alexander-Arnold might have delivered one ball that Calvert-Lewin could have relished. It might have been a cross, a free-kick or a corner. Alexander-Arnold can produce all of those to a very high standard. Instead, Calvert-Lewin was starved of service.

Alexander-Arnold deserves a chance on Tuesday in Prague, where England will enjoy plenty of possession against Czechia, ranked 49th in the world. It’s a game to restore confidence and get England’s Nations League qualifying back on track.

A good manager would ensure cover for Alexander-Arnold. Konsa is quick to cover across, and the Arsenal centre-back has the pace and awareness. Playing a more defensive full-back on the left would give England more security, and allow one defender, Alexander-Arnold, to attack more. Nico O’Reilly kept stepping into midfield from left-back, a noted strength of his (and created Harry Kane’s goal). Lewis Hall, a more natural full-back than O’Reilly, wasn’t considered for the Spain game as a precaution following a slight “injury scare” in training, according to Tuchel.

If he’s fit, England will certainly have a more orthodox full-back. So let Alexander-Arnold roam and create. A strategy with some risk can bring welcome reward. It just depends how bold Tuchel really is.

Alexander-Arnold will be 28 next month. Let’s at least give a special talent another chance for England.

Jonjo Shelvey saw plenty of ups and downs during his time on Tyneside, putting him in a better position than most to offer a verdict on how some of their managers over the past decade took to the job.

Shelvey spent seven years at Newcastle United, arriving in the final weeks of Steve McClaren's reign and leaving just over a year after Eddie Howe made the move to St James' Park.

In the interim, Newcastle were relegated despite Rafa Benitez's best efforts, bounced back into the Premier League, then faced increasingly loud fan protests during Steve Bruce's time in charge before the Saudi takeover precipitated Howe's arrival in 2021.

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"Fans loved Rafa"

Shelvey had kind words about all his former gaffers, telling FourFourTwo: "The fans loved Rafa and were sorry to see him go.

"Whoever replaced him, whether it was Steve or someone else, they were always going to struggle to win them over.

"I really loved Steve – he’s a great guy, and I can pick up the phone to him now and ask for advice.

"If you actually look at Steve’s record, it’s about the same as Rafa’s at Newcastle in terms of places and points. He did a good job with the resources he had.

"Being a former Sunderland manager probably didn’t help him, but I have so much admiration for him."

Shelvey admits that he would have liked more time to have worked under Bruce's successor, however.

He said: "I just wished I’d met Eddie when I was a bit younger, because he was amazing. The level of detail in his work was mental, he knew so much.

"He’s a great guy and his training sessions were unbelievable, because they got you so fit.

"Even if you weren’t in the team, you were actually buzzing to go into training, as you got something out of it. For games, everyone knew their roles.

He had a great partnership with Jason Tindall. They were chalk and cheese, but worked so well together. Jason loved to have some banter and a bit of fun, he loved his clothes, but Eddie was the total opposite and was completely focused on football."

For a generation of younger football fans, Chris Kamara is known as one of the country’s most beloved broadcasters from his time during Soccer Saturday’s Golden Age, when the show redefined the experience of consuming Saturday afternoon football.

But this, in effect, is the third phase in Kamara’s career, which began as a player for Portsmouth in the 1970s and after more than 600 appearances, continued in the dugout when he was given the job at Bradford City in November 1995.

By the end of that season, Kamara was able to guide the Bantams to promotion back to the second tier via the playoffs, the high point in his two-year stint in charge of the West Yorkshire side.

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Why Chris Kamara packed in coaching

“An amazing day and what a memory to give those fans,” Kamara recalls to FourFourTwo on Bradford’s play-off victory.

But just two years after this play-off success, Kamara would find himself at a career crossroads, having endured a difficult ten-week spell at Stoke City.

Ever since his promotion with the Bantams, the former Leeds United midfielder found himself increasingly in demand as a television pundit.

“It was during that season that I was on television a lot more, for interviews, punditry and all the rest of it,” he continues. “It was something I loved doing.”

This failed stint at Stoke would then act as a catalyst for his future media career.

“I later went to manage Stoke and I regret that,” he admits. “I’d been popular there as a player, but it didn’t work out as a manager.”

Kamara’s ease in front of the TV cameras and his infectious personality had seen him make a considerable impact on television, with next move coming after a conversation at home.

“Once I left in 1998, I had lots of offers to return to the game,” he continues.

“But my wife Anne said, ‘You’re loving the TV work and you’re good at it, why don’t you keep going?’”

This would prove to be sage advice, changing the course of Kamara’s career and handing the viewing public one of their most beloved characters.

Former Brentford and Brighton striker Neal Maupay has never been the type to shy away from a bit of football banter.

Among the Marseille forward’s greatest hits is his 2024 barb aimed at James Maddison, when the then-Brentford man mimicked the Tottenham playmaker’s darts celebration following his first-half goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The pair had no previous history, but the incident sparked a mini war of words between the pair following Spurs’ eventual 3-2 victory, and while Maupay insists there was no malice in it, he wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

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Maupay on his Maddison darts wind-up

Maupay insists that even his most memorable celebrations are not pre-meditated, with the player instead preferring to let the emotion of the game guide him.

“I don't usually plan celebrations because I like to react to my emotions,” he tells FourFourTwo. “I just go with the flow of the game and how I feel at the time.”

On this occasion in January 2024, it was Maddison who was caught in his crosshairs.

“That’s what happened during that game, because I have no problem with James Maddison,” he continues. The pair had faced off nine times before that fateful match, and there was no bad blood between them.

“When I faced him while he was at Leicester, we were always friendly with each other,” Maupay adds.

“But in this game, with the atmosphere and seeing the fans in the front row, I just wanted to do his celebration.”

Both players had their say immediately following the game, with Maddison telling TNT Sports that: “He probably hasn't scored enough goals in the last couple of years for his own celebration, so he probably had to copy mine!”, while Maupay used Instagram to remind the masses that he had ‘more goals and less relegations’ in his career.

But despite this, Maupay appears to carry no beef, even going as far as to say he would do it again.

“I actually haven't spoken to him about it since,” he says. “From what I heard, he wasn't too happy about it.

“From my point of view, I think it was a good celebration and if I had to do it again, I would.”

The interview with Neal was arranged by YRDS

Pep Guardiola’s arrival at Manchester City in the summer of 2016 heralded the beginning of the club’s most successful period in their history.

While the Catalan was instrumental in evolving City into the all-conquering behemoth they would become in the first half of the 2020s, he was able to inherit a star-packed squad, including one of the Premier League’s most prolific-ever strikers.

By 2016, Sergio Aguero had been in Manchester for five years and was instrumental in the club’s Premier League title victories in 2012 and 2014. And while this combination of an era-defining manager and world-class striker was a tantalising proposition, it did not come without challenges.

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Aguero on adapting to Guardiola

While Aguero would ultimately flourish under Guardiola, he initially faced a transitional period owing to what Guardiola demanded from his front-man when City were without the ball.

“Pep Guardiola arrived as manager in 2016, and at first that was a little complicated for me,” Aguero admits to FourFourTwo.

Guardiola’s interpretation of the forward’s role differed from what Aguero was used to at City under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini, with the former Barcelona boss introducing his trademark pressing game to the club.

“I wasn’t used to having to maintain the press he was looking for from a striker. But actually, it worked out very well,” he adds.

City would finish third in the table at the end of Guardiola’s first season in charge, but the title was duly delivered 12 months later, with Aguero as prolific as ever.

“Over time, we adapted and ended up helping each other,” he continues. “He demanded so much of me that, well, I scored a lot of goals with him, and won titles.

Aguero would spend five years at City under Guardiola, during which time the forward added three Premier League title, an FA Cup and four League Cups to his medal collection, scoring 124 goals in the process.

It’s a period of his career which Aguero, who left the club in 2021, looks back at fondly.

“The truth is, we ended up having a very nice history at the club together, so I only have words to thank him for everything he did to help me continue scoring goals and making history.

“For me, Pep is the best coach I ever had – he’s the best coach in the world.”

This year’s Ballon d’Or promises to be the most fiercely contested in almost 50 years.

Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal are all vying to be crowned the world’s best player next month with the contest set to make history no matter what happens. The award last saw such a close run-off in 1977, when Allan Simonsen, Kevin Keegan and Michel Platini fought it out for the accolade where just four points separated the final podium. Campaigning has rarely played any part in the process. Even at the height of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s seesaw battle that lasted a full decade, on-field form continued to dictate which of the pair finished in the top and runner-up spots.

But Mbappe has changed all that in the build-up to the ceremony taking place outside Paris for the first time since its 2016 return with a relentless PR drive in a desperate attempt to convince those tasked with voting for the winner that he rightfully deserves the Ballon d'Or more than Kane, Yamal or reigning holder Dembele.

Kylian Mbappe’s PR offensive threatens to reshape Ballon d’Or

According to the Real Madrid forward, no one enjoyed a better 2025/26 than him despite finishing empty-handed for club and country. He wouldn’t be the first Ballon d’Or winner in recent history, let alone of all time, to win it from that position. Ronaldo himself claimed the 2013 honour after enduring his own trophyless season at the Bernabeu. But Mbappe’s insistence on pushing the envelope by filling every possible space in the news cycle with various justifications has veered into bizarre territories.

The fact he would vote for himself if he could, in a contest chosen entirely by journalists, is apparently considered a ringing endorsement. So, too, was a latest bout of electioneering that cited an upbringing ‘steeped in African culture’ and a recent visit to Cameroon as further reasons why the continent's eligible correspondents should be backing him. Such is the shambolic nature of Mbappe's press tour that AI-generated screenshots depicting him being interviewed in a bathtub by a French YouTuber recently went viral despite nothing of the sort actually taking place.

Mbappe’s supreme self-confidence in his powers of persuasion is understandable if somewhat misguided.

He finished as the World Cup's Golden Boot winner as well as the tournament’s all-time top scorer, pipping Messi despite reaching a third final in the past four editions, but missed out on a bronze medal to Kane and England in a chaotic third place play-off. His combined goal involvements for France and Madrid clocked in at 57 from 52 appearances – but it still paled in comparison to Kane’s haul of 75 goals and assists in 58 matches for Bayern Munich and the Three Lions. The fastest-ever player to rack up 100 Bundesliga strikes also won a German league and cup double while eliminating Mbappe's Real Madrid from the Champions League knockout stage.

Despite injury issues limiting his impact at the World Cup this summer, Yamal also has taken aim at Kane. The teenager managed to produced 44 goal involvements in 53 games and play a key part in two trophy-winning teams with Barcelona and Spain. He believes the Ballon d'Or should not simply go to trophy winners or 'a player who has scored 80 goals'.

But Mbappe has already made clear that he is not pushing to win for personal gain, rather out of a sense of duty as ‘the award belongs back at the Bernabeu’. Los Blancos and Barca players have won the award 12 times apiece in their own right - more than any other club - but that has not stopped the former from proudly displaying 17 iterations of the trophy, including those won by players prior to their moves, including Kaka and Michael Owen, also showcased in reflected glory.

Already reigning supreme with the most Champions League titles, Madrid now want to become the outright leaders in Ballon d'Or successes. A sense of unfinished business also hangs over Mbappe's never-ending propaganda push. Scars from the 2024 award, when Rodri gazumped Vinicius Jr after driving Spain's European Championship triumph, remain raw over two years on. The Brazil international and his teammates boycotted the ceremony in disgust at the perceived theft despite the final vote confirming he had finished 41 points behind the then Manchester City playmaker.

Vinicius responded to the disappointment by defiantly claiming he would win it “10 times if I have to”, hinting that it represented a greater personal achievement than his man-of-the-match display at the pinnacle of European club football and potentially anything he would achieve on the international stage. It's an obsession which has become so all-consuming that it has become detrimental to his on-field exploits, which has a knock-on effect of dissuading those who previously voted for him.

Kane's reluctance to talk up the prospect of a hometown coronation at the London Palladium, hosting the award's 70th anniversary away from its spiritual home, only strengthens his case alongside the tangible evidence left out on the pitch. Now 33 and still at the peak of his powers, it is difficult to root against the Bayern marksman.

United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino has even gone against his creed by tipping his ex-Tottenham lieutenant over Messi, who retains support from his Argentina teammates and Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham to claim the award for a record-extending ninth time.

The 33-year-old knows how cheap talk can be, having extinguished laughable talk of him being a 'one-season wonder' to become the Premier League's all-time leading scorer prior to his move to Germany, and is not defined by whether or not he wins the Ballon d'Or this year or in any other of his remaining career. Kane is merely another pawn in the latest instalment of what has become football's annual popularity contest.

Whoever is crowned as the game's new crème de la crème in the English capital will still be fiercely disputed by various factions. It has been the case ever since the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly shifted the dynamic of what the award is supposed to represent.

Mbappe prevailing would not confirm anything other than the best way to win a Ballon d'Or moving forward is to just do all your talking away from the pitch.

Sixty-nine days after they lifted the World Cup trophy in New Jersey, Spain faced England last night. It was only one of several mouthwatering fixtures in this fortnight-long international break, which also brings us the Netherlands vs Germany, Belgium vs France and Norway vs Portugal.

The UEFA Nations League is back for a fifth edition, and while there have been the usual grumblings about an untimely disruption to the Premier League season (although not from Tottenham fans, who are glad of the break), you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who would prefer to see meaningless friendlies over the next two weeks.

Anyone in Europe, that is. For while the Nations League has been a success for the old continent, it is not viewed quite so favourably outside it. Brazil and Argentina, for instance, must curse the day it was introduced to the calendar.

"There is a danger that international football is going the way of the club game"

For who are those two giants, with eight World Cups between them, facing in this extended international break?

Such is the paucity of available opponents, Brazil are taking on Australia not once but twice, before a trip to Kolkata to face India, the side ranked 138th in the world, sandwiched between Latvia and the Central African Republic. Argentina have fixed up friendlies with Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin, a trio of challengers which might please alliteration aficionados but will do little to set pulses racing in Buenos Aires (aside from Lionel Messi playing his final international fixture for the Albiceleste).

None of this is ideal for the wider international game. By the time the Nations League and tournament qualifiers are taken care of, there are very few opportunities for non-European powers to pit their wits against the nations that have dominated the World Cup over the last two decades.

And dominate they have. Five of the last six world champions have been European. This summer, Argentina and Morocco were the only quarter-finalists from other continents. Since their last triumph in 2002, Brazil have been eliminated from the World Cup by the first European team they have met in the knockout stage. First, that was France, the Netherlands and Germany. Then it was Belgium, Croatia and Norway. There is a danger that international football is going the way of the club game, with Europe pulling further ahead of the rest of the world.

That might seem overblown when you consider the quality of players that Brazil and Argentina continue to produce. Besides, Argentina have not exactly done badly in recent years, reaching three of the last four World Cup finals.

Other nations have benefited from Europe’s development programmes. Morocco’s World Cup squad contained 19 players born overseas, mostly in France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. Japanese players, now a common sight in the Premier League, the Bundesliga and LaLiga, are leaving home at an increasingly young age.

Yet all those countries would welcome the chance to butt heads with the likes of Spain, France, Germany and England more often. Unfortunately, few roads lead to Rome. Since the launch of the Nations League in 2018, Brazil have played just five games against European sides outside of tournaments. In the eight years before that, they played 25.

It is a similar situation for Argentina. In the last seven years, the only European sides they have faced in a non-competitive environment are Estonia and Iceland. Some of their friendly slots last season were filled by such gruelling assignments as Puerto Rico, Angola and Mauritania. It is a far cry from 2014, when they played Germany, Croatia and Portugal in the space of a few months.

European nations take for granted the sort of regular, competitive, well-matched games the Nations League affords them. Familiarity breeds not contempt but raised standards.

The problem is, there is no easy solution. Amid the latest FIFA debacle, there was tentative talk of Brazil and Argentina joining the Nations League. A UEFA official claimed back in 2021 that their admission was imminent. Yet FIFA and CONMEBOL would be bitterly opposed to such interconfederation crossover, and Colombia, Ecuador and Uruguay - not to mention Japan, Morocco, Senegal et al. - would surely demand tickets to the party.

In fact, things could get worse before they get better. The ludicrously structured 2030 World Cup will begin in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay before continuing in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with all six hosts qualifying automatically. The expansion to a 48-team tournament had already made CONMEBOL qualification a doddle for the major powers. With three out of 10 teams already through, the upcoming edition will be even less exacting.

You could argue that none of this is Europe’s problem - and you would have a point. Every confederation is out to look after its own. But for fans of the global game, the Nations League is a double-edged sword.

When Jonjo Shelvey was coming up through the ranks at Charlton Athletic, he was touted as a potential England regular.

A move to Liverpool as an 18-year-old would follow in 2010, with a full England debut arriving two years later, but he would fail to establish himself as a regular in the Three Lions midfield at that time.

Shelvey was knocking on the door again during his time at Newcastle United, going on to play some of the best football of his career during the 2017/18 season, but a call-up for that summer’s World Cup never came.

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Shelvey on his England career

Shelvey would end up winning just six Three Lions caps, with his 2018 World Cup omission particularly galling for him as he looks back at his international career.

“Yes, 100 per cent I should have won more caps,” he told FourFourTwo. “Sometimes I didn’t deserve them, but other times I did and was overlooked.”

After helping guide Newcastle to promotion from the Championship in 2016/17, he enjoyed a fruitful first season back in the top flight, but believes his absence from the Three Lions squad that went to Russia that summer stemmed from an incident during his time in the under-21s.

“I should have been taken to the 2018 World Cup, because that season I had the most assists of any English midfielder when I was at Newcastle,” he continues.

“I was playing the best football of my career but didn’t get a call-up. I think it all stemmed from something that happened with Gareth Southgate a few years earlier. When he got the under 21 job, I’d already played for the seniors, but I was still eligible for them.

“I’d just joined Swansea when Southgate gave me a call and said: 'I’m not going to bring you because you’ve just moved clubs and you’ve got the Europa League qualifiers, so I’m going to look at some other players, and I also expect you to be with the senior team.'

“I was fine with that, but told him if anything changed I’d be there for him, because I loved playing for England.”

Shelvey believes the mixed messages that followed impacted his international future.

“Then I think he said I’d refused to play,” he continues. “When Roy Hodgson called me up to the senior squad, I remember Stuart Pearce saying on Sky Sports News that I shouldn’t have been selected as I’d refused to play for the under 21s.

“When I was at St George’s Park, I went to find Southgate and asked him why he’d said that, because I’d said I would come. He just said: 'No, no, I didn’t say that.' I knew from that moment I wasn’t going to play for him.”

Going into this summer’s World Cup, Thomas Tuchel’s management of Jude Bellingham was one of the biggest pre-tournament talking points.

With Tuchel having dropped the Real Madrid man from his October 2025 squad, many believed that the Three Lions boss was challenging one of his star players in an effort to get a reaction, while also sending across a message that he prioritised the collective over star names.

This is an opinion held by former England forward Stan Collymore, who believes that any tension between coach and player may ultimately end up benefiting the team, while also comparing their relationship to that of Sir Alex Ferguson and Roy Keane.

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Collymore on Tuchel and Bellingham

“Going to major tournaments before, I remember seeing Jude often being the first player out on to the pitch, with fans chanting his name – it felt a bit centered around his personal brand,” Collymore tells FourFourTwo.

“Tuchel preaches collective unit and brotherhood. Jordan Henderson, for example, was embraced as a senior figure to foster culture.”

For Collymore, Tuchel’s willingness to challenge the hierarchy was likely a deliberate piece of man management.

“Tuchel dropping or threatening to leave Bellingham out beforehand likely rattled him – it was effective psychology,” he continues. “Jude’s internal reaction was ‘How dare they leave me out? Watch what I do in Mexico City and across this World Cup’.”

Bellingham would go on to score seven goals in North America over the summer and was a key part of England’s passage to the semi-finals, but Collymore admits there is a fine balance when it comes to man management of this manner.

“That type of psychological edge works as long as the tension remains constructive,” he adds, as he looks ahead to the kind of role Bellingham should be playing in the future.

“With Harry Kane gradually stepping aside, Bellingham could be England’s most vital player for the next five years, so Tuchel needs Bellingham just as much as Bellingham needs Tuchel.

“Tuchel needs to reach a major final on home soil at the next Euros to secure his long-term tenure. As long as that healthy tension exists – similar to Sir Alex Ferguson with Roy Keane – it pushes high standards.”

“He [Tuchel] demands total buy-in from the squad. Tuchel inherited Gareth Southgate’s foundation and is pushing it further by provoking players to raise the bar.

“If everyone involved shares that level of ambition, England can win silverware.”