FourFourTwo UK - 09.2026.pdf

卡里克 德泽尔比 埃梅里 贾斯勒 奥尼尔 塞奇 格拉斯纳

伊拉奥拉 阿尔特塔 马雷斯卡 阿隆索 阿尔博洛阿

PRO:DIRECT

免费皮革护理套装

订购 F50 Hyperfast 或 Predator 26 的皮革版，即可获赠一套免费的皮革护理套装。该套装包括一把清洁刷、一把涂抹刷、一块抛光布、一个鞋拔、2x 皮革护理产品以及一个收纳盒。简直太完美了，不是吗？

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1 1994 起源印记

② 旧款 PREDATOR 之眼

3

经典 文字标识

4

红色鞋舌回归

PRO:DIRECT

左脚球靴上印有一个小小的“1994”——这不仅是一个日期，更是一次宣言。它标志着首款 的诞生，也是足球鞋停止温顺、开始挑战物理定律的时刻。对于那些深知故事始于何处的痴迷者来说，这是一个低调的签名。

右脚后跟带有原始的 之眼，直接取材自早期的图形设计。它们的存在并非为了怀旧，而是作为一种警告。 始终以不同的视角审视比赛——而现在，这双球靴与你一同审视。

标志性的文字标识在左脚后跟、弹性束带甚至鞋舌底部重新出现。这种字体定义了一代“控制狂”——那些将传球线路视为等待被撕裂的断层线的球员。

鞋舌不仅是红色的——它是 红。这种精确的色调曾飘扬在传奇球员的鞋带之上，成为了“危险”的代名词。adidas 复刻它并非出于情感，而是因为有些符号永远不会失去其威慑力。

⑤ 13 & 10 计数

今年的第 23 款 。是的，我们没开玩笑。这是今年的第 23 款 adidas 。还会有更多吗？大概率会有。

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与近年来的任何一个赛季相比，本赛季的英超联赛似乎充满了疑问。在接下来的九个月里，我们将陆续获得答案，但大多数的不确定性都集中在主教练身上。

在本赛季开赛前，有九家俱乐部更换了主帅，比 2016-17 赛季前多了一位。加上上赛季的曼联和热刺，自 1 月 1 日以来已有 11 家俱乐部更换了主教练。

在英超联赛的 34 年历史中，冠军头衔共有 26 次被亚历克斯·弗格森爵士、阿尔塞纳·温格、若泽·穆里尼奥、尤尔根·克洛普或佩普·瓜迪奥拉夺得。在联赛历史上首次出现这五人全部不在任的情况，因此这是一个新 era，每一次新任命都带有某种风险——即使是在曼城和利物浦这样的顶级球队中也是如此。

对于上赛季排名较低、旨在攀升的俱乐部来说，赌注同样很高——伯恩茅斯、切尔西、富勒姆、纽卡斯尔、水晶宫和诺丁汉森林也将希望他们的新主帅能做出正确选择，新升级的伊普斯维奇亦然。

冠军得主米克尔·阿尔特塔是唯一一位不是在本十年内被任命的英超主帅——阿森纳球迷无疑希望并期待枪手能延续之前的势头，因此观察这个变革之季将如何演变将是非常有趣的。请享受本刊。

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目录

阵容安排

前沿

8 萨拉赫加盟特拉布宗体育 这位“埃及之王”的土耳其之乐 14 当凯文·基根与 FFT 对话 我们回顾这位已故伟人的闲聊，内容涉及亚历克斯爵士、乘坐直升机离场以及蒂诺·阿斯普里拉赛前的红酒 20 通过我们的测验挑战自我 21 茱莉亚·布里奇谈摩根·罗杰斯 22 登巴·巴最精彩的比赛 23 斐济 vs 拉脱维亚：世界杯东道主之战？！ 24 剧本歌手的弗格森奇遇 “我的第一场爱尔兰比赛是一场骚乱” 26 卡伦·卡尼赞赏茱莉亚·罗伯茨 27 在玻利维亚看比赛是什么感觉？

球场周围

页码 / 内容 :--- 80 / 亚历克斯·尼尔谈附加赛的心碎 81 / 为什么伊伍德公园球场被轰炸 82 / 马特洛克镇的城堡背景 83 / 三十年后的迪卡尼在凯尔特人 84 / 谢菲尔德星期三的糟糕一年

球员休息室

页码 / 内容 :--- 86 / 史蒂夫·科佩尔与板球传奇：“萨钦·滕杜尔卡？出色的老板” 88 / 尼尔·莫佩：挑衅大师 90 / 克拉克·卡莱尔，Countdown 之王

综合区

92 世界杯决赛草坪——出售！ 96 回顾卡迪夫 1978 年球衣

特写

30 主帅之年，主演... 32 安多尼·伊拉奥拉：准备好夺冠了吗？ 36 恩佐·马雷斯卡：曼城的新佩普 37 阿隆索与阿尔贝洛亚：离开马德里后的生活 38 米克尔·阿尔特塔的古怪世界 40 迈克尔·卡里克：从米德尔斯堡到信徒 44 马蒂亚斯·雅斯莱：亚洲的克劳斯 47 埃梅里：维拉史上最伟大的主帅？ 48 伯恩茅斯如何进入欧洲赛场 樱桃军团的关键人物向我们揭秘这家南海岸俱乐部的崛起秘诀 54 西奥·帕菲蒂斯：我的米尔沃尔任期 这位企业家曾带领“狮子”进入足总杯决赛和欧联杯

特写

60 监狱足球俱乐部及更多离奇故事 足球界最古怪的故事，包括装扮成松鼠的球迷，以及在渡轮上进行的一场宿怨之战 66 塞尔希奥·阿奎罗重温对阵QPR的进球 这位伊蒂哈德球场的传奇向我们详细讲述了他职业生涯中最著名的时刻 70 新版拉希姆·斯特林评级 同时评估：布莱顿夏季引进的边锋以及一名瑞典青少年球员 72 克里斯·卡马拉：难以置信，杰夫！ 这位偶像人物已从抑郁症中康复，并重新找回了乐趣 98 扬·莫尔比选出他的完美11人

"在皇家马德里，阿隆索发现像压迫和战术这样的东西并不那么受欢迎"

美丽足球

→ 全是笑容

日本，东京

一个新的J联赛时代在8月初随着2026-27赛季的开始而开启——这是第一个与欧洲联赛同步，而非按自然年运行的赛季。川崎前锋的球迷们显然对此充满热情——他们的英雄在对阵东京绿茵的比赛中，于第96分钟扳平了比分。摄影：Masashi Hara / Getty

↑ 热烈欢迎

土耳其，特拉布宗

当穆罕默德·萨拉在2025年与安菲尔德续约两年时，没多少人预料到他现在会效力于……特拉布宗体育？！黑海的吸引力以及加入土耳其第四大俱乐部的机会证明过于诱人——他在8月6日正式亮相。摄影：Hamza Onder Kuloglu / Anadolu / Getty

→

“呃，有人知道我们为什么在这儿吗？”

美国，圣何塞

联赛杯是一项奇特的赛事，让MLS和墨西哥超级联赛的球队相互对抗——瓜达拉哈拉在加利福尼亚面对FC达拉斯（因为为什么不行呢？），安赫尔·塞普尔韦达在1-0落败的比赛中竭尽全力。摄影：Justine Willard / Leagues Cup / MLS / Getty

僵局

德国，汉堡 圣保利的一切原本进展得如此顺利——在2024年，他们历史上首次比汉堡高出一个级别，但他们的死敌在去年加入了德甲，随后他们在5月降级。现在回到了第二级别联赛，坦白说，这更符合他们的文青形象。 摄影：Joern Pollex / Bundesliga / Getty

再见，弗兰科

意大利，米兰

弗兰科·巴雷西是历史上最顶尖防线之一的领袖——这道防线曾为米兰赢得三座欧冠奖杯和六次意甲冠军。他在66岁时的离世震惊了意大利——数百份悼念之词被留在红黑军团的总部。 摄影：Andrea Fasani / EPA / Shutterstock

档案库中的凯文·基根

“有些人似乎认为拥有激情是一件坏事，但没有激情的足球就像没有冰淇淋的草莓一样。”

凯文·基根曾像一场旋风。早在 2007 年，也就是在第二次回到纽卡斯尔担任俱乐部主教练的一年前，他在位于格拉斯哥购物中心中心的互动足球景点“足球马戏团”（Soccer Circus）接见了《FourFourTwo》。他几乎无法安静地站着。对于一个 55 岁的人来说，他的身材精瘦得令人印象深刻，在我们的聊天中他愉快地开着玩笑，唯一停下来的时候是向一对路过的佩斯利家庭主妇大声喊道：“卷发还是鲻鱼头？”，这两位女士可能只是出门买一品脱牛奶，绝对没料到会被一位英格兰足球传奇就发型问题如此纠缠。

亲眼见证了基根的活力，很容易就能理解他如何在职业生涯中塞进这么多事情，或许也能理解为什么他从未满足于在同一个地方停留太久。“我一直喜欢尝试新事物和新地方，”最近为了监督他的新项目而搬到苏格兰的基根说道，“我没有任何遗憾。我喜欢向前看，而不是向后看。”

不过，他同意在短暂的怀旧时光中回答读者的提问。上个月，他在 75 岁时去世，我们决定重新审视这次采访以及他对这段非凡职业生涯的思考。在这段生涯中，他成为了唯一两次获得金球奖的英国人，执教过英格兰队，并在英超联赛 era 期间最著名的对决中与亚历克斯·弗格森爵士正面交锋。“基根王”的一生可谓精彩绝伦。

你在青少年时期因为身材太小被唐卡斯特拒绝。如果你没有被斯坎索普选中，你会做什么？作为一名学生时代被拒绝的经历，是否激发了你著名的决心？

我可能会在做水龙头。我知道这一点，因为在签约踢球之前，我在 Pegler 公司找过一份工作。你知道

当你进入公共厕所，按下水龙头，出了一点水，但就在你把手放在下面时水就停了？很烦人，不是吗？我们就是做那种水龙头的。所以我会是在“跳水龙头舞”（tap dancing，此处为双关语）。是的，被拒绝驱动了我。除了唐卡斯特，我还被考文垂城拒绝过。我身边的一些人说：“现在你得专心学业了。”他们认为我不够优秀，而我将其作为动力。我认为大多数顶级球员在某个阶段都经历过被拒绝。托马斯·爱迪生在发明灯泡之前也经历过失败！你要尝试将这些减号转化为加号，并证明人们是错的。

你能给我们讲讲你和汤米·史密斯在安菲尔德为了一双白色球靴争吵的故事吗？伊恩·麦克杜格尔，格拉斯哥

Hummel 给我提供了一大笔钱让我穿白色球靴，于是我询问

“如果你击败了曼联，那很棒。但如果你 5-0 大胜他们，那就绝对太赞了”

汤米怎么看，因为我尊重他——他对我来说就像父亲一样。在那个年代几乎没有人穿白靴，他说我会看起来像个傻瓜。艾伦·鲍尔穿过，但汤米说白靴配白袜还可以，但配红袜就很蠢。几周后，汤米自己穿上了白靴！他说：“在我这个年纪，我不能拒绝那样的钱，凯文，以后他们都会来敲你的门，但我现在得接受这个报价。”那些球靴最后变得有点红。我不确定是他把靴子染红了，还是那是血……

在你的职业生涯中，什么时候、在什么地方你最快乐？迈克·克拉克，利物浦

到处都快乐！利物浦：哇。汉堡：太棒了。在纽卡斯尔结束我的职业生涯：难以置信。南安普顿也令人兴奋，因为我们是一群处于职业生涯末期的老家伙，但依然在赢球。非常有意思！

斯坎索普也很棒。我在任何地方都很开心。

您在执教纽卡斯尔联期间最美好的回忆是什么？很长一段时间以来，很多人都希望在那里看到一座基根的雕像……凯莉·门罗，南希尔兹

凯莉·门罗，南希尔兹 菲利普·阿尔伯特击败彼得·舒梅切尔，锁定那场 5-0 大胜曼联的进球。如果你能击败曼联，那就很棒；如果你能 5-0 大胜他们，那就绝对太棒了；而如果你在前一个赛季刚刚把联赛冠军输给了他们，那就更爽了。赛后我与亚历克斯·弗格森握了手，但埃里克·坎通纳是唯一一个跟我说话的人。他跟我握手并说：“真他妈是一支伟大的球队。”观众们为那些球员感到非常自豪。我们的阵容里全是那些仍有证明自己的空间的球员，比如约翰·贝雷斯福德和罗布·利斯，对我以及对纽卡斯尔来说，幸运的是，他们都依然渴望取得成就。

俱乐部（球员） 1968-71 斯坎索普 1971-77 利物浦 1977-80 汉堡 1980-82 南安普顿 1982-84 纽卡斯尔 1985 布莱克敦城

国家队（球员） 1972-82 英格兰

球队 （主教练） 1992-97 纽卡斯尔 1997-99 富勒姆 1999-2000 英格兰 2001-05 曼彻斯特城 2008

《泰恩河上的雾》（保罗·加斯科因）。《钻石之光》（克里斯·沃德尔和格伦·霍德尔）。《深陷爱河》（您自己）。请按糟糕程度从高到低给它们排序。达米安·霍尔，通过电子邮件 我的那首是最棒的。另外两首可以并列第二。不过我并不是说它们很糟糕。但这些天我几乎不听音乐了。

比尔·香克利 vs 鲍勃·佩斯利。谁才是老大？

凯文·霍珀，唐卡斯特 香克利。这里 [在基根的足球马戏团] 的酒吧甚至被命名为“香克利酒吧”。鲍勃·佩斯利的影响力极其巨大，但我刚搬到那里时他是二把手。香克利是我的主教练，虽然在很多方面鲍勃可以被认为比比尔更成功，但他是在比尔奠定的基础上发展的。香克利来到俱乐部时，利物浦还在第二 division。你无法反驳他所主导的

您提问 凯文·基根

惊人的转型。鲍勃很出色，我也非常喜欢他这个人——他是个乔迪人（纽卡斯尔当地人），让我想起了我的父亲——但香克利是最顶尖的。

2006年有传闻说您将出任唐卡斯特罗斯主帅，当时您离这个职位有多近？兰斯，通过电子邮件

完全没有。那是一个垃圾报纸上的垃圾故事。这就是现在的媒体典型作风。二十年前，他们会给我打电话询问其中是否有任何真实性，而我会说没有。现在他们不打电话，因为那样会毁掉故事。他们永远不会让真相妨碍故事的传播。

您第一次遇到保罗·加斯科因是什么时候，对他最初的印象如何？The Scatman，约克

他在纽卡斯尔时是我的球靴男孩。除了他有一天弄丢了我的球靴——他把一只落在公交车上——我几乎不记得他了。当时我的赛季状态极佳，我想一直穿同一双球靴，所以我的第一印象是“有点粗心”。但在我离开俱乐部后，他崭露头角了。我不能说我当时预见到了他的潜力。

您合作过或对阵过的球员中，谁是最优秀的足球运动员？奥利，通过电子邮件

约翰·克鲁伊夫是我合作过的最优秀的球员。他是史上最聪明的球员。当他状态好时，他能掌控全局；而当他状态不佳时（这种情况很少见），他会专注于基础工作并为球队效力。他既能当一名士兵，也能当一名将军。他没有自我意识，而这正是伟大的标志。

我面对过的最优秀的球员？我会把贝利和迭戈·马拉多纳放在一起。我在贝利 38 岁时与他交手，在马拉多纳 17 岁时与他交手。我将他们联系在一起这一事实，足以告诉你我对贝利的评价有多高。

您现在读约翰·托沙克的诗还会微笑吗？大卫，霍夫

[笑] 不会，不过“诗人”现在回到了威尔士，所以他可能很快会再次写一些诗。作为一名威尔士人，他一直喜欢唱歌和写作。我认为托什目前可能太忙于尝试整顿威尔士国家队了——而且他已经开始让那里好转了。

您在1982年西班牙世界杯期间大部分时间都在和特雷弗·布鲁金打网球，这是真的吗？

皮尔斯·纽伯里，马盖特 我们身在西班牙的时候没有，因为我们两个当时都受伤了。但我们确实经常对打，这是真的——我们曾是室友，也是好朋友。他是个聪明的网球选手，但没有速度。我只需要打个放小球或者挑高球，他就输了。我

“汉堡队给我打了电话，我想，‘这就是我想尝试的那类挑战’”

喜欢看他跑来跑去，因为在足球场上，他看起来永远不像是很匆忙的样子。但在网球场上，有时你能让他看起来像是在奔跑。

1977年，您本可以加盟世界上任何一家俱乐部。

为什么选择德国，而且为什么是汉堡？您不喜欢西班牙或意大利吗？ 迈克·谢泼德，科尔切斯特 我会反驳说我当时能加盟世界上任何一家俱乐部。在1977年，没有英国球员在海外效力，他们不被认为是好的投资对象。只有约翰·查尔斯表现得真正出色。汉堡是我收到的唯一一份报价，于是我就去了。他们给我打了电话。我说我想离开利物浦；我觉得自己在那里停滞不前，尽管

HIGHS & LOWS 高光时刻与低谷

高光：1977 作为利物浦球员，赢得联赛冠军及其首座欧洲冠军杯

高光：1979 在汉堡队效力期间，连续第二年获得金球奖

高光：1993 在担任主教练的首个完整赛季中，带领纽卡斯尔升入顶级联赛

低谷：1996 在一度领先12分的情况下，与英超联赛冠军失之交臂

低谷：2000 在旧温布利球场的最后一场比赛失利后，辞去英格兰队主帅职务

我热爱这家俱乐部，热爱球迷和球员。但我需要改变。我不是那种一辈子留在一家俱乐部的性格。汉堡给我开出的薪水是我当时的四倍，这简直不可思议。所以从财务上来说是正确的，而且我的妻子会说德语，这是一个很好的开始。我当时就想，“这就是我想尝试的那类挑战。”

您喜欢德国的香肠吗？您最喜欢哪个品种？ The French Dogg，通过电子邮件 我不喜欢香肠——但在德国我根本避不开它们！不过我很喜欢那里的蛋糕，尽管我的教练对此很不满。训练场旁边有一家极棒的糕点店。但我从来不是香肠的粉丝。

您拥有辉煌的俱乐部生涯，但在国际赛场上却从未真正取得成功。这是为什么？亚历克斯·哈蒙德，日德兰

亚历克斯·海姆勒，萨特兰 当时的英格兰队不够强。无论我认为我们是不幸还是怎么回事，事实就是我们没有足够优秀的球员。显然，我也不够强。人们说我和特雷弗·布鲁金是球队能前往西班牙[参加1982年世界杯]的主要原因，但我们两个都受伤了，在锦标赛中几乎没有出场。比赛场次过多并无益处。我们那时还没有24人的大名单——在利物浦赢得欧洲冠军杯、联赛和足总杯的那些赛季里，我们全靠大约16名球员完成的。这很累人。

您和您的妻子还保留着1978年年鉴中穿过的那件棕色皮革长款大衣吗？Beefy，达格纳姆

我想它们可能在某个仓库里。我的两个女儿，一个24岁，一个28岁，问过它们在哪，因为它们穿在她们身上会很棒，但我不知道在哪。也许捐给慈善机构了。我应该在eBay上买一件。

您和肯尼·达格利什有可能一起为利物浦效力吗？利奥·莫伊尼汉，萨里

是的。我认为任何人都能和肯尼·达格利什一起踢球——任何球员都能与伟大的、聪明的球员配合。我们会相互适应。但如果我没有离开，利物浦就不会签下肯尼，而且我不认为凯尔特人会尝试签下我来和肯尼一起踢球。教练不会在同一支球队中起用两个位置相似的球员——国家队经常在面对相似球员时感到棘手。但我认为我们会找到彼此的默契。

现在的足球运动员绝不会参与像 1976 年你参加的那种《超级巨星》（Superstars）电视节目一样愚蠢的事情。你认为足球运动中涉及的金钱是否抽走了其中的乐趣？——拉尔夫，伊尔明斯特

我认为如果被允许的话，足球运动员会很乐意参与其中！我敢肯定，我当时经历的事情 [基根在节目中从自行车上摔了下来，在医院住了四天] 改变了人们看待这个节目的方式。这件事可能应该有人被起诉。但那很有趣。我与拳击手、滑雪者、乒乓球运动员同场竞技。那是极其精彩的两天，但对我来说遗憾的是，我之后生病了，错过了在美国举行的决赛。我很想去——我本可以成为第一个赢得该赛事的足球运动员，但我妻子不允许我去。她告诉我：“你已经差点把自己搞死了，所以没门！”

在 1982 年世界杯上，你在比赛结束前几分钟对阵西班牙队的一次头球射门偏出，导致英格兰失去了半决赛的名额。当你跪在地上时，你在想什么？我们本可以赢得那届赛事吗？——Snipsy，南伦敦

当我头球顶球的那一刻，我想的是“进球！”，因为我通常在那样的位置不会失手。在人们的记忆中，这让我们失去了一次世界杯机会。但实际上，特雷弗·布鲁金和我是在比赛还剩 20 分钟时被换上的，而且

回到纽卡斯尔在左侧替补席的首次亮相 从上方起顺时针方向： 他的第一场黑白战袍之战；基根为英格兰队打入 21 球；“骑上你的车吧，特雷弗”；红军宠儿；“凯夫之王”获得圣徒之名；这真是一个惊人的谢幕

我们需要进两个球才能晋级下一轮。我当时背部受伤，没有进行训练。这表明，即使你是一个出色的头球运动员（我认为我是），如果你的准备工作没有达到 100%，你也会在关键时刻掉链子。特雷弗和我当时状态都不理想，而且即便那个球进了，我们之后仍然需要另一个进球才能晋级。我不认为如果我们晋级了就能赢得世界杯，因为我们不是当时最强的球队，但显然如果我们晋级了，那么就有机会。不过，现在这一切都只是假设了。

你原谅鲍比·罗布森在 1982 年没有告诉你他将把你从英格兰队名单中剔除这件事了吗？——埃里克，通过电子邮件

就我们还能互相交谈这一点来说，我已经原谅他了。我认为他那样做是对的吗？不。但我们现在相处得很好。我知道他身体一直不好，我希望他能完全康复。他确实很有胆量，他回到爱尔兰队担任职务 [担任主教练史蒂夫·斯汤顿的顾问] 的速度可能比他应该做的要快。但这就是鲍比·罗布森，这就是毅力。

1980 年加盟南安普顿的吸引力是什么？你的汉堡合同中有一项条款允许利物浦回购你——他们没有尝试重新签下你吗？——圣徒萨姆，南安普顿

利物浦没有尝试把我买回去，而且我也不会回去。我不相信你能回到某个地方并保持原样。在那个时候，我可以签约巴塞罗那、尤文图斯或任何其他球队。但我选择了南安普顿，因为我想享受我的足球生活。我最好的朋友米克·钱农在那里，巴利 [艾伦·鲍尔] 也在那里，还有戴夫·沃特森。我认识克里斯·尼科尔，知道他为了取得成功有多么坚定。当时有 18,000 人挤在戴尔球场，而我们经常能击败像曼联和利物浦这样的球队。

1984年作为纽卡斯尔联球员参加完最后一场比赛后，从圣詹姆斯公园球场乘坐直升机离开是你的主意吗？——迈克，曼彻斯特

那是俱乐部的主意——并不太符合我的风格。我想警察对那架直升机很不高兴。事后有些争执，我不确定那是否完全合法。后来规定不能再这么做了，所以艾伦·希雷尔和彼得·比兹利都错过了乘坐直升机的机会。但从象征意义上来说，那太棒了，看着那座宏伟的球场变得越来越小，然后消失在视线中。而且那也是我唯一一次离开那个球场时没有签任何签名。

你来提问：凯文·基根

你和鲁德·古利特：谁的泡泡卷发最漂亮？

保罗·温斯洛，格里姆斯比 鲁德。他的更自然。不过他是模仿我的，我先开始这么弄的！[笑]

1991年在萨里郡的一个停车场被棒球棍袭击时，到底发生了什么？——豪伊，罗切斯特

我当时刚从西班牙开车回来，大约1,500英里。我在M25高速公路上开车时在方向盘前睡着了，差点撞上中央隔离带。当时离家只有一小时路程，但我实在撑不住了，于是把车停在路边在车里睡觉。一些家伙扔了一块砖头砸碎了窗户，并用棒球棍袭击了我。有些人说那是埃弗顿的球迷，有些人说那是朴茨茅斯的，因为我当时在南安普顿效力，你知道这些事情。但根本不是那样。当时天很黑。他们是在运送毒品，需要钱，看到了机会。他们甚至偷走了我的衣服——你知道，他们就是这样被抓到的。太可怕了。

1996年当你发表那段臭名昭著的“如果我们赢了他们，我会非常开心”的言论时，你实际上有多讨厌亚历克斯·弗格森？

理查德·比尔奇，伯明翰 有一两天我确实很讨厌他。我不会说我们现在关系亲密，但我们聊过很多次。我向他卖过球员，他也向我卖过球员，我为他做过慈善活动，他也为我做过。但如果你问我是否爱他……[笑] 我完全尊重他。他执掌一家顶级俱乐部长达20年。而且与大多数人相比，我对阵亚历克斯·弗格森的记录也非常出色。可能没有达到持平，但我执教的球队曾以5-0, 4-1, 3-1击败过他的球队。两次曼彻斯特德比胜利。所以我想说，我对阵他的结果相对来说还不错。

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终极问答

本月的测试涵盖了脚法灵巧的球员、一名进球如麻的波斯尼亚人以及尤尔根·克洛普执教的利物浦……

01 切尔西在夏季从斯特拉斯堡签下了巴伦廷·巴尔科，此前他曾在世界杯上与朱德·贝林厄姆发生冲突。巴尔科在该届赛事中出场了多少场比赛？

02 自2000年以来，哪位球员在没有上演过帽子戏法的情况下，在英超联赛中打入了最多进球（93个）？

03 埃迪·豪在夏季离开纽卡斯尔，此前他为俱乐部赢得了自1969年哪位前纽卡斯尔主帅以来首座重大奖杯？

04 哪位男足球员在《舞动奇迹》（Strictly Come Dancing）中获得最高排名，在2011年获得第六名？

05 前沃尔夫斯堡前锋埃丁·哲科在离开15年多之后回到了德甲。本赛季他代表哪家俱乐部出战？

06 哪位门将是历史上唯一一名在为切尔西首秀之前，就已在英超联赛中出场超过500次的球员？

07 马克·维杜卡是唯一一名在英超联赛中效力过五位曾任英格兰队主帅的教练麾下的球员。请列出这些教练的名字。

08 谁持有英超联赛点球扑救次数最多（13次）的记录？

09 “ The Clarets”（栗色军团）是哪家英冠俱乐部的绰号？

10 哪支女超联赛（WSL）球队在布里斯班路球场进行主场比赛？

11 在今年夏天的赛事之前，哪个国家赢得了此前13届非洲女子国家杯中的10届？

12 在尤尔根·克洛普执教期间，唯一一名效力于利物浦的德国成年国家队球员是谁？

13

上述球员均为本赛季苏超联赛的俱乐部队长。请写出他们的名字。

14 上赛季在欧洲五大联赛中，哪位非门将球员的出场时间最长，且没有错过球队赛季中的任何一分钟？

15 边锋克里斯托斯·佐利斯在夏季加盟了阿森纳。但他在2021年对阵枪手时，代表哪家俱乐部完成了英超首秀？

16 索尔·坎贝尔在哪个俱乐部参加的英超比赛更多：热刺还是阿森纳？

17 亚历杭德罗·加纳乔在今年夏天转会至阿斯顿维拉，但他是在2020年作为一名练习生从哪家西班牙俱乐部首次来到英格兰的？

18 谁是唯一一名在英超联赛中进球的亚美尼亚人，且总共打入了13球？

观点

儒勒·布里奇 [非文本]

TNT Sports 的主持人分析本赛季英超联赛的三个大热议点。

在等待了 22 年再次赢得英超冠军后，阿森纳终于做到了。米克尔·阿尔特塔的球队现在能卫冕吗？

观察他们的心态和方法将会很有趣；是终于跨过终点线的解脱感产生了影响，还是在体验了渴望已久的成功后，反而激发了更多再次夺冠的斗志。

在联赛其他球队主教练变动如此之大的情况下，阿森纳教练席的稳定性及其成熟的阵容可能是他们卫冕的关键。他们上赛季的阵容深度是克服一些艰难障碍的主要原因，而且这个夏天他们进一步增强了阵容。枪手签下了拥有更高质量且经过顶级联赛验证的布鲁诺·吉马良斯，这让他们拥有了联赛中最强大的中场之一。

赛季初存在一些疑问，因为像德克兰·赖斯、布卡约·萨卡和诺尼·马杜埃凯等关键球员在打到世界杯决赛周末后正处于恢复体能阶段，而威廉·萨利巴则在伤后恢复中，但人们希望阵容中有足够的深度来度过开局几周。

阿森纳在五月也非常接近首次赢得欧冠冠军，也许这会成为他们本赛季的主要目标。没有什么比在赢得连续两届英超冠军的同时成为欧洲之王更大的动力了。凭借其质量、深度、稳定性和经验，阿森纳依然是本赛季最强劲的对手。

罗杰斯加盟切尔西

摩根·罗杰斯加盟切尔西是今夏最令人意外的转会之一。人们此前预期这位 24 岁的球员会离开阿斯顿维拉，但这项打破纪录的 1.17 亿英镑 交易令蓝军感到非常兴奋。

这种化学反应可能会产生积极影响。他们的多功能性意味着他们可以出现在同一套阵容中，或者根据阿隆索选择的体系互换位置。

阿森纳教练席的稳定性及其成熟的阵容可能是他们卫冕的关键

在新主帅哈维·阿隆索的率领下，切尔西以全新的面貌、焕然一新的阵容以及两名世界足坛顶尖的 10 号球员进入本赛季。看到在场下关系很好的罗杰斯和科尔·帕尔默在同一支球队效力，以及他们如何产生化学反应将会非常有趣。

在去年排名第 10 之后，切尔西无需应对欧洲赛事的压力。这为阿隆索及其许多新援提供了在训练场上磨合的时间。他们还拥有一名在缺席世界杯后得到了充分休息的球员帕尔默，他已准备就绪且充满活力。切尔西可能是本赛季的主要挑战者之一，尤其是在国内杯赛中。

纽卡斯尔的新时代

随着许多主教练更换俱乐部以及大量新面孔进入英超联赛，开局的几周变得难以预测。最令人好奇的新帅之一是马蒂亚斯·雅斯莱（Matthias Jaissle）。这位 38 岁的教练可能不像其他新到任者那样出名，但他被认为是欧洲最优秀的年轻教练之一。

在球员时代遭遇前十字韧带（ACL）受伤后，得益于拉尔夫·朗尼克（Ralf Rangnick）在 RB 莱比锡提供的机会，这位德国人很早就转向了教练工作。他随后前往红牛萨尔茨堡，带领球队两次获得奥地利冠军，之后前往沙特职业联赛的国民足球俱乐部（Al Ahli）并捧起两座洲际奖杯。现在，他带着巨大的机会和证明自己的渴望来到英格兰——他那主张进攻和压迫的足球风格将令纽卡斯尔的球迷（Geordies）感到兴奋。考虑到俱乐部已经开启的新时代，在失去了成名球星桑德罗·托纳利（Sandro Tonali，加盟热刺）、布鲁诺·吉马良斯（Bruno Guimaraes，加盟阿森纳）和安东尼·戈登（Anthony Gordon，加盟巴塞罗那）之后，目标转向年轻球员，雅斯莱在萨尔茨堡培养年轻天才的经验将成为纽卡斯尔吸引他的重要因素。

随着新面孔试图给新主教练以及球队其他成员留下深刻印象，该俱乐部在 2026-27 赛季无疑是一个令人期待的潜在竞争者。

雅斯莱的前任埃迪·豪（Eddie Howe）结束了纽卡斯尔对奖杯的长期等待，那么这位年轻的德国人能带来什么？在经历了去年夏天困难的转会窗、亚历山大·伊萨克（Alexander Isak）的转会风波以及一个惨痛的国内赛季之后，在英格兰东北部，一个全新的开始显得非常受欢迎。

登巴·巴（DEMBA BA）

改变我生活的比赛

霍芬海姆 4 多特蒙德 1 德甲，2008

“霍芬海姆当时刚刚升级，我们的比赛风格像一阵清新的风。在拉尔夫·朗尼克的率领下，无论对手是谁，我们都踢进攻足球并倾尽全力。我们缺乏顶级联赛经验的问题几乎没有显现，因为我们用勤奋和大胆弥补了这一点。在战胜多特蒙德后，我完全精疲力竭，因为我们的比赛强度极高。多年后，拉尔夫分享了一个轶事。赛后，时任多特蒙德主教练的尤尔根·克洛普告诉他，这正是他希望自己的球队展现出的踢法。在某种程度上，我们是尤尔根‘反压迫’（gegenpressing）的先驱。”

塞内加尔 喀麦隆 非国杯预选赛，2011

“这场比赛将永远留在我的记忆中。我在 0-0 平局时替补登场，当时比赛还剩大约 15 分钟。在补时阶段，在伊西亚尔·迪亚（Issiar Dia）的一次精彩传球后，我在禁区内转身射门，出其不意地击败了门将。这是我职业生涯中最重要的进球之一，尤其是考虑到我在塞内加尔国家队并没有太多辉煌时刻。体育场座无虚席——虽然官方容量是 40,000 人，但实际进入的人数更多。现场气氛令人难以置信。现在看到录像我依然会起鸡皮疙瘩。球员、安保人员甚至军队都在庆祝，而且还发生了球迷冲入球场的混乱场面——简直疯了。”

切尔西 巴黎圣日耳曼 欧冠，2014

“我们在巴黎的第一回合比赛中以 3-1 落败，因此需要在斯坦福桥球场创造一个奇迹之夜——我的进球将我们送入了半决赛。在 Eden Hazard 因伤离场后，替补登场的安德烈·舒尔勒（Andre Schurrle）在上半场打入了首球。这是一个重大挫折，但我们恢复了过来。在下半场，我们猛烈进攻并两次击中横梁。我不是首发，但我上场后把握住了机会，凭借极强的本能和预判抢到了六码区内的一个散球——为了那个球我愿意拼命。我记得我跑到角旗区庆祝，甚至何塞·穆里尼奥（Jose Mourinho）都跳到了我身上！这是我在切尔西最喜欢的一个夜晚。”

伊斯坦布尔巴萨基尔 对阵 曼联 欧冠联赛，2020

“新冠疫情冲击了我们的生活，但回归某种常态给我们带来了快乐；比赛就是实现这一目标的绝佳工具。我有幸在一次令人难忘的比赛中见证了巴萨基尔在欧冠联赛中的首场胜利——对手并非泛泛之辈，而是曼联。对方一次防守失误后，我用一次精准的射门击败了迪恩·亨德森，将比分改写为 1-0。随后，在第二个进球的组织过程中，我利用自己的意识让球自然滚动，从而让队友得分。土耳其球迷如此热情，他们不能到场真是太遗憾了。对他们来说，赢球或输球就意味着生死。”

斐济 对阵 拉脱维亚：世界杯东道主？！

许多国家被认为可能举办未来的赛事——其中不乏令人惊讶的候选者

法国与德国 这两个国家过去都曾独立举办过 32 强世界杯，但随着赛制规模的扩大，出现了共同申办 2038. 年世界杯的建议。德国在 4 月确认他们正在考虑提交申请，随后法国体育部长玛丽娜·费拉里（Marina Ferrari）也为共同合作敞开了大门。意大利也被认为可能参与申办——在经历了三次预选赛出局后，这是确保他们能参赛的一种方式。

英国

众所周知，英格兰非常渴望在 1966, 年之后再次举办世界杯，只要有真正的成功机会，在 2018 年的投票中，英格兰排在俄罗斯、西班牙与葡萄牙联申、以及荷兰与比利时联申之后，位列末位。随后，英国和爱尔兰退出了 2030 年的竞争，以专注于 2028. 年欧洲杯。英国似乎很有可能成为 2035, 年女足世界杯的东道主，但他们是否会再次申办男足赛事，取决于是否得到相关人士的鼓励。去年，国际足联理事会副主席维克多·蒙塔利亚尼（Victor Montagliani）——他同时也是中北美及加勒比足联（CONCACAF）主席，且影响力日益增强——建议他们应该申办。“这将是一届极好的赛事，”他说，“他们应该考虑提交申请。我认为时机到了。”

拉脱维亚

好吧，这个波罗的海国家仅获得过一次重大赛事的参赛资格，考虑到他们此后从未接近再次进入此类赛事，他们在 2004 年欧洲杯的亮相现在看来就像是一场白日梦。但这并没有阻止他们宣布希望举办 2038 年世界杯——拉脱维亚经济部长维克托斯·瓦莱尼斯（Viktors Valainis）在 2 月会见了詹尼·因凡蒂诺，并表达了与立陶宛、爱沙尼亚、挪威、芬兰、瑞典、丹麦、冰岛、波兰和乌克兰共同举办的兴趣。听起来很简单……

“英国将举办一场极好的赛事。他们应该提交申请。时机到了”

上方：詹尼·因凡蒂诺和维克多·蒙塔利亚尼绝对没有在这里为了世界杯而争吵，真的。下方：如果说热带天堂斐济还缺少一样东西，那就是一座巨大的体育场。

美国

理论上，国际足联的轮换政策意味着任何大洲在 8 年内不能举办两届世界杯。正如我们所知，规则有时是灵活的，尤其是当你的中锋在对阵比利时的关键比赛前被红牌罚下时。但如果严格遵守这些规定，那么欧洲、非洲和南美洲在 2042, 年之前，以及亚洲在 2046. 年之前都可能被排除在外。于是美国再次登场。“我们必须再次举办，而且必须在我还在的时候举办，”唐纳德·特朗普在世界杯决赛前表示。到 2038, 他将 92 岁，并且大概会坚持要求 37 岁的福拉林·巴洛贡必须能够出战。

斐济

目前的国际足联规则也将使大洋洲获得 2038 年的资格——该大洲从未举办过世界杯，据报道，新西兰渴望与美国联手申办，甚至还打算拉上……斐济？！这个岛国的最大体育场目前容量为 15,000 人——距离国际足联的要求还差 25,000 人——但据说他们正在探索建设一座新场馆。

印度尼西亚

这个亚洲国家此前曾提出在目前正在建设的新首都努桑塔拉举办 2036 年奥运会，不过由于不愿允许以色列进入，他们被取消了 2023 年国际足联 U-20 世界杯的举办权。但今年夏天，牛津联队老板埃里克·托希尔（Erick Thohir）——他同时也是印度尼西亚足协主席，此前曾执掌国际米兰——建议与澳大利亚和新西兰共同申办 2042 年世界杯。此外还有传闻称，印度尼西亚将参与一项由日本牵头、包括韩国、中国、泰国、马来西亚和新加坡在内的 2046, 泛亚申办计划。如果你喜欢闷热潮湿的世界杯，那可能会成为一个史诗级的赛事……

丹尼·奥多诺休 (DANNY O'DONOGHUE)

The Script 乐队主唱讲述他与亚历克斯爵士那次不寻常的初见，以及他的首场爱尔兰国家队比赛是如何演变成暴力冲突的

如何成为曼联球迷的？在爱尔兰长大，要么支持利物浦，要么支持曼联。

我的两个哥哥都是曼联的死忠，所以我没得选择！我父亲是诺丁汉森林队的球迷——愿他在天之灵安息，他支持那支球队的时候没怎么开心过。他小时候那支球队很辉煌，所以他不得不一直支持下去……

你还记得你参加的第一场比赛吗？

其实是利物浦的……那时我 9 或 10 岁，我父亲认识一名利物浦的董事，他们打算去过一个酗酒的周末。那天是我的生日，他们说：“我们带他去看场比赛吧。”我们乘船过去，并与球员们共进晚餐——布鲁斯·格罗贝拉尔、史蒂夫·斯汤顿、罗尼·惠兰，所有人都去了。在那里的其他孩子都穿着利物浦的球衣，所以我父亲给我买了一件胸前印着 Candy 赞助商标志的球衣。在每一张照片里，我穿着这件利物浦球衣都快哭了——有一张照片是我穿着它拿着足总杯，我一脸痛苦！[FFT：那张照片流传出去过吗？] 从来没有！我父亲为了和球员们一起参加派对一直熬到凌晨 3 点——有一次他问我：“你想去跟他们打个招呼吗？”而我的反应是：“不用了，我没事……”

在你开始出名之后，关于与亚历克斯·弗格森爵士见面的事情，你记得什么？

我被一个朋友邀请去一家高尔夫俱乐部，他说：“亚历克斯爵士会在那里，你想来吗？”我说：“当然想！”亚历克斯爵士发表了演讲，然后俱乐部的老板在我耳边低语说：“你需要到外面来。”接着他在亚历克斯爵士耳边低语。老板说：“我的妻子和孩子不能进俱乐部，你能去见见他们吗？”我想那个俱乐部当时仅限男士，禁止女士进入——在他去接妻子的时候，我和亚历克斯爵士就站在门厅里。我以前从未见过他，他说：“你认识塔加特 (Taggart) 吗？”我听错了，说：“我看起来很累 (tired)？”他说：“不，不，你认识塔加特吗？我当时快退休了，我妻子在问我打算做什么——她绝对讨厌塔加特，所以我们当时正和一位在 ITV 工作的朋友共进晚餐，我让他说 ITV 想要我接替塔加特，好捉弄她。”据说她当时说：“除非我死了，否则你绝不能这么做”，然后他们就笑作一团。

这绝对是一次不同寻常的初次对话……

然后他说：“你叫什么名字，是做什么的？”我告诉了他，他回应道：“太棒了。”人们一直说他过目不忘，能记住所有人的名字。两三年后，我们受邀参加在老特拉福德举办的一场庆祝他执教25周年的活动。他走在走廊里，说道：“啊，年轻的丹尼尔”——我想，“关于他的传闻是真的！”他记得我的名字，这太令人惊讶了，随后我们为他以及球队进行了表演。我们坐在亚历克斯爵士的桌旁，而他当时在另一张桌子旁。那天是我朋友的生日，他没能来，所以我偷偷为他拿了一个印有曼联队徽的小茶杯……我就把它揣在兜里，心里想：“该死，如果被发现，我会被踢出去的——你现在出名了，自己买一个就行！”但我当时想的是：“不，我要亚历克斯爵士的茶杯！”[笑]

当事情脱离剧本时，你最喜欢的曼联时刻是什么？

[笑] 那必须是奥莱·冈纳尔·索尔夏在欧冠决赛中的进球——最后那几分钟简直就是人生的隐喻。就在你认为一切都无法如愿时，泰迪·舍林汉姆进球了，接着是索尔夏。从彻底的绝望到极度的狂喜。现在只要想到那一幕，我的手臂汗毛依然会竖起来。

你参加的第一场爱尔兰国家队比赛是哪一场？

1995年的爱尔兰对阵英格兰——在那之前的几周里，我一直渴望能去现场。大卫·凯利早早地为我们打入一球，然后场上开始出现被投掷的杂物，我们心想：“噢，糟糕了。”我最好的朋友的父亲带我们去的，大概是我们学校的四个孩子——他是个警察，于是他说：“好了，赶紧离开这里。”他把我们送到他家，然后直接回到了体育场，结果25分钟后，我们在电视上看到他穿着全套防暴装备！最终比赛被取消了——这就是我对国际足球的初次认知……

如果一名足球运动员必须加入你的乐队一天，你会选择谁？ 韦恩·鲁尼——他的妻子寄给我们一把吉他，问我们能不能在上面签名，因为他弹吉他。她还寄了一把吉他给诺埃尔·加拉格尔签名——诺埃尔把吉他涂成了曼城队的颜色并加上了队徽，然后寄了回去！天才。

你在很多足球场演出过。哪一个是最棒的？我会首选兰斯多恩路球场，桑德兰的光明球场也很棒——你会觉得离每个人都很近。托特纳姆热刺球场是最漂亮的球场之一，感觉它在设计之初就是为了演出和足球双重用途而建的。我们还在柏林的奥林匹克体育场演过——那个体育场的美学设计非常华丽。

你曾在伊蒂哈德球场看过曼联的比赛吗？

我和伊恩·布朗（Stone Roses乐队主唱）一起去的，他也是曼联球迷。我们当时在董事席，当曼联进球时，所有人都举起双手——我、伊恩和他的几个孩子。有个戴着领带、胸前有曼城队徽的男人，我想他是曼城的董事会成员，他竟然直接揪住我的衣领把我从椅子上拎了起来。他说：“离开你的座位，快走。”我和伊恩差点和一些曼城董事打起来！ 但最后一切都平静下来了。

（顺时针从顶部起）奥莱·冈纳尔·索尔夏改写剧本；出人意料的吉他手Wazza；等等，FFT不记得《塔加特》有这一集。

你再次见到亚历克斯爵士了吗？

倾听

我被邀请去观看一场曼联的比赛，对方要求正装出席，于是我给自己买了一套漂亮的西装。我见到了首席执行官理查德·阿诺德，然后我意识到，“噢，亚历克斯爵士也在。”那是他脑出血之后的事。半场休息时我喝完了我的啤酒，房间里已经没剩下什么人了，这时我看到了亚历克斯爵士。他说：“年轻的丹尼尔！”我不知道为什么，但我说：“很高兴见到您——自从我上次见到您以来，我们已经有了四张冠军专辑，看到您状态这么好真是太棒了！”他说：“转身。”他当时在帮我整理衣领，我想，“该死，我是不是忘了把背后的价格标签撕掉？”但他说道：“不，孩子，你的衣领翘起来了”，然后他挽住我的手臂，我想他只是需要一点支撑，于是我们两人一起走进了球场。我带着最灿烂的笑容把他送到座位上，我妻子拍了一张我们的照片——那是我最珍视的照片之一。

The Script 乐队的新专辑《The User's Guide to Being Human》现已发行

你会选择哪四名球员进入你的曼联名人堂？噢天哪…… [停下来思考] 我得选克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多、瑞安·吉格斯、乔治·贝斯特和罗伊·基恩。——克里斯·弗拉纳根

人物 / 钦佩

卡伦·卡尼 (KAREN CARNEY)

这位前英格兰女足（Lionesses）球星分享了她对一位男足教练偶像以及三位强大女性人物的喜爱。

采访：埃德·麦坎伯里 (Ed McCambridge)

亚历克斯·弗格森爵士 (SIR ALEX FERGUSON)

“简直就是传奇。在我成长过程中，女足不像现在这样容易接触到，所以我大多时间在看男足。那个曼联与阿森纳激烈竞争的时代是足球的巅峰。亚历克斯爵士围绕青训核心和引进球员来构建并重建球队的能力令人印象深刻。关于他的领导力、激励手段以及其他方面的故事都极其迷人。我很想和他坐下来聊聊。你可以问他一百万个问题而永远不会感到厌倦。我见过他一次，我们详细聊了聊女足。他知道得非常多，这出乎我的意料，但这恰恰证明了他对这项运动有多么热爱。我在媒体工作中也与他的前球员们有很多合作，他们是我见过最勤奋、最体贴的同事。你一眼就能认出谁是他的前球员。真是个了不起的人。”

米歇尔·奥巴马 (MICHELLE OBAMA)

“她真的太酷了！显然，你得提到巴拉克·奥巴马，他是一位令人惊叹的领导者和政治人物——但他们给人的感觉像是一个真正的伙伴关系。在他身边有一位如此强大的女性：美国第一夫人，而且她在这个角色中塑造了自己的身份。她应对着身份带来的压力和要求——尤其是作为担任该职位的首位黑人——同时在全世界的注视下抚养两个美丽的女儿。她的谈吐智能、优雅、得体，是女性赋权的象征。”

朱莉娅·罗伯茨 (JULIA ROBERTS)

“她看起来很幽默，超级成功，拥有真正的职业长青且多才多艺。在 90 年代长大，我热爱她的所有电影，从《风月俏佳人》和《艾琳·布罗科维奇》到《诺丁山》，后者大概是我最喜欢的电影。她不仅是一位惊艳且才华横溢的偶像，还是一位勤奋的母亲，她的女儿也在开辟自己的事业。每个人在采访中都对她评价极高，以及她在这几十年间的蜕变。”

泰勒·斯威夫特 (TAYLOR SWIFT)

“我最喜欢的两位音乐艺术家是 Eminem 和泰勒·斯威夫特，所以在这两者之间做选择真的很难。但我会选择泰勒，因为我想象我的四个入选者将围坐在同一张餐桌旁。

“亚历克斯·弗格森爵士对女足了解之深——这展现了他对足球运动的热爱”

我很喜欢亚历克斯爵士在这么多强大的女性围绕下，试图维持他那威严气场的样子。说实话，我觉得他会度过一个愉快的夜晚！我去年去看了泰勒·斯威夫特的演唱会，光是看着她我就觉得累了。那是一个美妙的夜晚，她在表演中展现出的能量和气场简直令人震撼。我当时非常兴奋——简直像个迷妹！我戴着友谊手链，还和人们交换。我精心打扮了一番——我让我侄女帮我搭配服装，她太棒了。我全套装备上阵：乡村风帽子、牛仔靴，甚至还带了流苏。那是一场非凡的演出，是我度过的最快乐的时光。所以，我想把泰勒列入我钦佩的人之列，因为你不可能不钦佩她。又一位女性偶像。

在……看球是什么体验：玻利维亚

FourFourTwo 前往了地球上最高的首都——并目睹了一场几乎演变成骚乱的比赛

缆车的票价相当于 18 便士，但在我们下降进入玻利维亚的行政首都拉巴斯时，它提供了世界上最壮观的景色之一。这座城市像一个大碗，每一处斜坡和每一平方英寸都覆盖着房屋。

远处是白雪皑皑的伊利马尼山，而容量为 41,000 人的埃尔南多·西莱斯球场正渐行渐近。我们读过关于这个地方的报道。该球场海拔 11,752 英尺，比墨西哥城的阿兹特克球场高出 4,000 多英尺，因此在 2007 年被国际足联（FIFA）禁止举办国际赛事——理由是出于安全考虑，且它赋予了玻利维亚巨大的主场优势。禁令很快被撤销——这得益于迭戈·马拉多纳的支持，随后他带领阿根廷队前往那里参加世界杯预选赛，结果以 6-1 告负。当巴西队在 2017, 到访时，内马尔称其为“不人道的”，并发布了球员佩戴氧气面罩的照片。

不过，玻利维亚队两年前在该球场的状态有所下滑，因此他们将主场比赛转移到了附近的埃尔阿尔托，那里位于拉巴斯上方的高原上，海拔更高，达到了 13,412 英尺，也是我们乘坐的缆车（当地主要的公共交通系统）的起点。最好不要快走，否则稀薄的空气会让你感到气喘吁吁且头晕目眩。

今晚的顶级联赛由 The Strongest 和 Aurora 对阵——前者实际上是该国第二成功的俱乐部，仅次于 Bolivar，但拥有最出色的队名之一，唯一能与之媲美的是卫冕冠军 Always Ready。球场外非常热闹，摊位上售卖着球衣、番荔枝和冷饮酸枣汁。奇怪的是，四名穿着古典服饰的女性正在擂台里进行某种 WWE 式的摔角比赛。进入球场的过程很复杂

——门票仅需 £2.50, 但他们不会直接在售票亭卖给你。他们告诉我们要在线购买，然后回到售票亭用二维码兑换通行证。在谷歌翻译上花费了几分钟，并在一名当地人的帮助下，我们成功了。

观众人数不足 10,000, 人，其中一端是空的。中圈附近的球迷聚集在一个吹小号的人周围，另一端的极端球迷（ultras）则带着横幅、鼓和 tirantes——这种长而细的俱乐部颜色旗帜从看台后方一直延伸到前方，就像你在阿根廷看到的那样。他们跳动着，不停地呐喊。在主看台上，有一位穿着艾马拉人传统披肩、裙子并戴着圆顶礼帽的女性。

主场支持者们 对点球判罚以及 自家球队的愚蠢 感到愤怒

（从下方起顺时针方向）坐落在拉巴斯街道间的埃尔南多·西莱斯球场；FFT 缺乏高原训练，导致我们无法加入极端球迷的行列；小心飞行的泡沫垫

由于海拔原因，比赛节奏缓慢，球员经常尝试远射——球在稀薄的空气中飞行速度更快。在一次门将失误的帮助下，一次 40 码的射门让 The Strongest 领先。

然而，主队在十年中仅获得过 1. 次国内冠军——在伤停补时后期，情况变得糟糕起来。在拥有多次机会终结这场预期会赢的比赛后，他们失去了球权，Aurora 发起反击，一次 25 码的射门击中横梁，并在随后的混乱中赢得了一个有争议的点球。

主场球迷愤怒了——既是对判罚不满，也是对自家球队愚蠢行为的愤怒。极端球迷继续歌唱，仿佛他们是玻利维亚的牛顿-约翰，但 Aurora 将点球转化为进球，客队替补球员冲入场内庆祝，终场哨声随即响起，The Strongest 的支持者们失去了理智。入场时分发的泡沫垫现在像导弹一样纷纷落下。人们聚集在主看台底部，在球员离开球场时对他们大声辱骂并比出 V 字手势。

这些球迷还目睹了玻利维亚在3月于墨西哥举行的2026年世界杯附加赛中输给了伊拉克。他们将在2030年再次尝试，届时阿根廷、乌拉圭和巴拉圭将共同举办赛事，这可能会增加额外的参赛资格名额。为了球员们的安全，我们希望他们能成功晋级，否则他们可能会被建议低头躲避。 克里斯·弗拉纳根 (Chris Flanagan)

FourFourTwo 2026年9月 27

安多尼·伊拉奥拉：终于准备好赢取奖杯了吗？

利物浦的新任主帅无论作为球员还是教练，都从未赢得过重大奖杯，但自2019年的一个转折点以来，他令人印象深刻地攀升至顶峰……

O Vao 这座微小的球场坐落在西班牙西海岸科鲁索（Coruxo）距离海滩仅几码的地方。这里距离葡萄牙边境不远，就在维戈（Vigo）市外，场馆仅能容纳 1,500 人，但这里却发生了可以说安多尼·伊拉奥拉执教生涯中最关键的一场比赛。

在 2019, 12月，伊拉奥拉是米兰德斯（Mirandes）的主教练——在球队升入西乙联赛后不久他便被任命。这是他在西班牙担任主帅的第一份工作，此前他在塞浦路斯俱乐部 AEK 拉纳卡（AEK Larnaca）任职仅八个月就被解雇。

在米兰德斯的早期阶段也并非一帆风顺。这家来自布尔戈斯省（Burgos province）、靠近伊拉奥拉家乡巴斯克地区的俱乐部，在新帅执掌下的前 10 场联赛中仅赢了一场，排名联赛倒数第二。甚至连最终以较大差距垫底的桑坦德竞技（Racing Santander）都以 4-0 击败了他们。

就在状态开始回升之时，米兰德斯向西前往挑战科鲁索——在西班牙分为四个区域赛区的 80 支第三级别球队中，科鲁索是其中之一——参加国王杯第一轮比赛。比赛进入补时阶段时，科鲁索以 4-3, 领先，眼看就要制造一场重大冷门。随后出现了一个极具争议的点球扳平比分——在愤怒的后续冲突中，主队有两名球员被红牌罚下，米兰德斯最终在加时赛中以 5-4 获胜。

“完全是疯狂，”一家媒体如此描述这场像 2001 年欧联杯决赛利物浦对阵阿拉维斯（Alaves）一样局势剧烈波动的比赛。“科鲁索本该获胜，”伊拉奥拉在赛后承认。

在随后的六周狂飙中，米兰德斯历史上第二次闯入了国王杯半决赛，沿途击败了西甲的三支球队：塞尔塔（Celta Vigo）、塞维利亚（Sevilla）和比利亚雷亚尔（Villarreal）。这次杯赛之旅让许多人注意到了伊拉奥拉初露锋芒的执教才华——其中就包括那个在今年夏天促成他加盟安菲尔德的关键人物。

迈克尔·爱德华兹（Michael Edwards）在伊拉奥拉 6 月被聘用时担任利物浦的足球首席执行官，他关注他已经很久了。爱德华兹此前曾尝试将伊拉奥拉吸引到俱乐部——早在 2013, 年，当时这位巴斯克人是毕尔巴鄂竞技（Athletic Bilbao）一名 31 岁的右后卫。

（图注）伊拉奥拉仅获得过 7 次西班牙国家队出场机会，但也代表巴斯克地区出战。下方为伊拉奥拉在新闻发布会上坐在前毕尔巴鄂主帅马塞洛·比埃尔萨（Marcelo Bielsa）身边的场景。

伊拉奥拉职业生涯几乎全部在毕尔巴鄂竞技度过，出场次数超过 500 次。

当时利物浦在布伦丹·罗杰斯（Brendan Rodgers）的带领下冲击英超冠军，正处于那个最终以史蒂文·杰拉德对阵切尔西时失误而告终的赛季中期，俱乐部正考虑在后卫位置上增加格伦·约翰逊（Glen Johnson）的竞争对手。爱德华兹当时是俱乐部的技术表现总监，他要求球探朱利安·沃德（Julian Ward）联系伊拉奥拉的代表。沃德前往观看他率领毕尔巴鄂竞技在 11 月击败马拉加（Malaga）的比赛，随后利物浦表达了在 1 月份进行转会的兴趣。

伊拉奥拉心动了，但在决定与毕尔巴鄂竞技续约前经过了慎重考虑——当约翰逊在该赛季后期受伤时，乔恩·弗拉纳根（Jon Flanagan）最终顶替了他的位置，甚至赢得了卡福（Cafu）的赞赏。当伊拉奥拉将决定告知利物浦时，他不同寻常地附上了一封感谢信，感谢对方的关注——信中表示他希望有一天能在安菲尔德比赛，赞扬了约翰逊的能力，并开玩笑说，在看了他对阵马拉加的那场比赛后，他们居然还想要他，这让他很惊讶，因为他认为自己在那场比赛中表现得并不好。爱德华兹很欣赏这封信，并在伊拉奥拉成为教练后一直关注他的进展。

米兰德斯在半决赛中被马丁·厄德高、亚历山大·伊萨克和米克尔·奥亚尔萨巴尔领衔的皇家社会击败，因此没能赢得 2020 Copa del Rey，这在情理之中。在伊拉奥拉 otherwise 令人印象深刻的履历中，唯一一个显眼的缺失是他无论是作为教练还是球员，都缺乏一座重大奖杯，尽管他曾多次惊险地接近目标。

在马塞洛·比尔萨的执教下，伊拉奥拉是毕尔巴鄂竞技的一员，该队在 2012, 闯入了欧罗巴联赛决赛，途中还在老特拉福德击败了曼联。然而，在布加勒斯特的决赛中，马德里竞技以 3-0 击败了他们。“我不知道这样的机会何时会再次降临在我们身上，”伊拉奥拉说道。此后，毕尔巴鄂竞技再未进入过欧洲赛事的决赛。

作为球员，伊拉奥拉曾参与过五场决赛，但全部落败。另外四场全部是面对巴塞罗那——一场在西班牙超级杯，3 场在国王杯。到了最后一场，即 2015 Copa del Rey 决赛面对巴萨著名的 MSN 前锋线时，伊拉奥拉感到有些厌烦——尤其是当内马尔在比赛末段通过一个彩虹过人来炫耀胜利时。“我觉得这既不优雅，也不体育，”这位后卫说道。

上方：毕尔巴鄂在伊拉奥拉最后一场西甲比赛后与他深情告别；下方：千万别问他关于杯赛决赛的记录

在最高水平的舞台上，他始终是一个“差一点就成功”的人。在西班牙队赢得三座奖杯的时代，伊拉奥拉曾获得 7 次国家队出场机会，但他的首秀是在 2008 欧洲杯夺冠一个月后，当时他 26. 岁。他没有入选 2010, 夺冠的世界杯阵容，随后在 2012 欧洲杯前夕，就在看来可能入选之时，因伤被排除在外。

然而，当他成为一名教练时，这为他攀登足球之巅提供了新的机会。

从表面上看，在第一份工作中仅八个月就被解雇看起来像是一次失败，但实际情况更为复杂。在拉纳卡 AEK，伊拉奥拉迅速产生了影响，带领球队通过三轮资格赛进入了

欧罗巴联赛小组赛。在联赛中，他们在前八场比赛中赢了六场，但随后在七场比赛中未能获胜，伊拉奥拉因此被解雇。

“他做了一项了不起的工作，因为我们进入了欧罗巴联赛小组赛，”法国前锋弗洛里安·托莱梅斯告诉塞浦路斯媒体平台 NC-Network，同时他还赞扬了一位跟随伊拉奥拉前往安菲尔德的幕后工作人员。“他身边有一位非常出色的体能教练，帕布罗·德拉托雷——基于他希望我们踢出的风格，我们必须处于巅峰状态。”

“伊拉奥拉的核心在于高位压迫，然后每次我们夺回球权时，他希望看到纵向传球，而不是回传。他鼓励我们从边路传中，并在第一时间射门。高位压迫，夺回球权，创造机会，射门——一遍又一遍地重复；进攻，进攻！我们的边锋速度很快，这让我们在转换进攻中极具威胁。”

“虽然这是他第一次担任主教练，但他并不焦虑。他是一位冷静的教练，给了我们很多信心。但将国内联赛与欧洲赛事结合起来变得很困难，因为我们是一家预算有限的塞浦路斯俱乐部。我们有几名关键球员受伤，且阵容深度不足。在塞浦路斯，三场糟糕的结果就足以让一名教练被解雇。”

但在米兰德斯的情况并非如此，他在缓慢的开局后逐渐恢复，带领俱乐部在西乙排名第 11 位，并打入了国王杯半决赛，随后在一年合同到期后选择离开俱乐部。

他加盟了巴列卡诺，该队的排名仅比米兰德斯高四个名次，但拥有较为频繁地在顶级联赛征战的历史——尽管通常是以表现超常的“小鱼”身份，且其主场体育场容量不足 15,000 人。在 12 个月内，伊拉奥拉通过附加赛再次带领巴列卡诺重返西甲。

进步并未就此停止——他们在重返西甲的第一年排名第 12，并闯入了国王杯半决赛。与在米兰德斯时一样，这是巴列卡诺历史上第二次在该项赛事中走得如此之远，而且他们此前还险些在第一轮遭遇尴尬出局——这次是凭借点球大战击败了第五级别球队吉胡埃洛才得以过关。

巴列卡诺在接下来的赛季中通过主客场双杀巴塞罗那引起了关注，他们再次从诺坎普球队身上抢走了 4 分。这使得伊拉奥拉成为西甲历史上仅有的第六位在执教生涯面对巴萨的前四场比赛中保持不败的主帅，也是自 20 世纪 80 年代初哈维尔·克莱门特以来的第一位。这对他作为球员时期在杯赛决赛中多次输给巴塞罗那而言，算是某种程度上的复仇。

“我们不可能全程把球从巴萨脚下抢走，所以我们必须选择覆盖哪些区域，并将压力直接导向他们的组织者，以及决定谁将接球，”伊拉奥拉在面对巴萨的第四场比赛（一场 2-1 的巴列卡斯主场胜利）后解释道。“我们没有让他们获得想要的结构，而且我们在攻守转换中极具威胁。”

伊拉奥拉至今在面对巴萨时保持不败。他在那个夏天合同到期后离开了巴列卡诺，此前他再次将球队的联赛排名提升至第 11 位。在那个 2 月，利兹联曾尝试聘请他但遭到拒绝，因为巴列卡诺不愿在合同结束前放人。西汉姆联也与其传出绯闻，但最终是伯恩茅斯得到了他。伯恩茅斯出人意料地解雇了加里·奥尼尔为其腾出位置——这一举动让人想起南安普顿在 2013 年解雇尼格尔·阿德金斯以招募毛里齐奥·波切蒂诺，当时这位阿根廷人在西班牙人队表现出色。

最终结果也十分相似：就像波切蒂诺在圣玛丽球场一样，伊拉奥拉在活力球场监督着球队稳步前进，尽管他再次经历了一个缓慢的开局，前 9 场联赛一场未胜。不过，在伊拉奥拉到来之前的赛季排名第 15，伯恩茅斯随后提升至第 12，然后是第九，并在上赛季排名第六，历史上首次获得欧战资格。同样，他在合同到期后选择离任。

他当时的去向尚不明确——曼联和切尔西与其传出绯闻，但这两家俱乐部选择将他们的

马尔科·罗斯：红牛赋予他翅膀

伊拉奥拉为伯恩茅斯的新任主教练留下了极高的标准，但他的继任者在资历方面同样不容小觑。

罗斯在今年夏天被任命为伯恩茅斯主帅以接替伊拉奥拉，他在球员生涯的大部分时间里都在尤尔根·克洛普的执教下效力于美因茨。

不过，他未能达到其祖父的高度：沃尔特·罗斯在1937年曾为德国国家队出战一场，随后战争爆发，他被派往俄罗斯前线。在那里，他被俘，直到1945年敌对行动结束才返回家乡。

他的家乡位于铁幕后的莱比锡，马尔科于1976年出生于此。这位后卫在 VfB 莱比锡和汉诺威开始了球员生涯，随后从2002年起在美因茨跟随克洛普效力了六年。他后来在那里也曾效力于托马斯·图赫尔。

他的首次执教经历是在莱比锡火车头，随后红牛将他纳入

其体系——最初执教红牛萨尔茨堡的 U16 队，但到2017年，罗斯成为了第一队的主教练，带领球队连续获得联赛冠军并闯入欧罗巴联赛半决赛。随后他被门兴格拉德巴赫挖走，曾短暂带领球队登顶德甲，并帮助球队进入欧冠淘汰赛，之后他转投多特蒙德，但那段经历在一年内便告结束。

再次接纳他的是红牛——罗斯曾两次带领 RB 莱比锡进入德国杯决赛和欧冠淘汰赛，直到 2024-25 赛季糟糕的欧战表现导致他被解雇。这一决定是由当时担任红牛全球足球主管的克洛普勉强批准的。场面十分尴尬。现在，罗斯准备在英格兰证明自己。

“我喜欢他的伯恩茅斯在进攻时展现出的真实速度、力量以及快速转换”

信任他人，在利物浦决定解雇阿尔内·斯洛特并为安菲尔德打开大门之前，水晶宫也一直在候命。虽然切尔西在伊拉奥拉和哈维·阿隆索之间选择了后者，但红军更倾向于伊拉奥拉而非阿隆索——他们认为，在尤尔根·克洛普取得如此成功之后，伊拉奥拉更适合他们想要回归的“重金属足球”。

伊拉奥拉是利物浦自拉法·贝尼特斯以来首位西班牙籍主帅，不过前红军后卫约翰·阿尔内·里斯认为两人并不那么相似。“在与球员沟通的方式以及在替补席上的表现方面，他们是截然不同的性格，”曾效力于贝尼特斯麾下的这位挪威人说道，“我看过伊拉奥拉在场边执教的样子，他看起来更有活力，肢体语言也更投入。”

“拉法更注重严格的战术，表情也更冷峻一些——我这么说并无恶意，因为我和他的关系非常好，但我认为现在的球员与伊拉奥拉进行亲近的一对一交流的机会，会比我们当年与拉法交流的情况更多。”

“我喜欢伊拉奥拉的伯恩茅斯通过真实的速度和力量进行进攻的方式，以及他们向前转换的迅速程度。我也非常喜欢他们在丢球瞬间迅速回追支持球队并保持紧凑阵型的方式。这与我在拉法麾下前几个赛季争冠时的风格很像——快速转换、强有力的前插、高强度的回追。而这些在上赛季是缺失的。”

“我也希望在替补席上看到更多的热情和活力，去带动球迷和球员——阿尔内·斯洛特在场边非常内敛。你想要的是尤尔根·克洛普那种能点燃观众和球员情绪的风格。对于伊拉奥拉来说，展现出这种激情至关重要。”

如果内马尔出现并开始玩几个彩虹过人，对于一个从未赢得过重大奖杯的人来说，这肯定会激起一些情绪，而现在他将自己的执教才华带到了一家真正有机会让他实现这一目标的俱乐部。这是伊拉奥拉执教的第九个赛季——在之前的八个赛季中，他执教的俱乐部最终的联赛排名都高于上一个赛季。如果他能在安菲尔德延续这一纪录，成功将不再遥远。

恩佐·马雷斯卡：下一个佩普？

这位意大利人得到了瓜迪奥拉的认可，重新回到了伊蒂哈德球场的教练席——现在的任务是接替这位曼城伟人留下的位置。

亚历克斯·弗格森在离开曼联时，向球员和球迷传达了一段诚恳的信息。“你们现在的任务就是支持我们的新主帅，”他宣布道。剧透一下：那位新帅是大卫·莫耶斯，而他们并没有这样做。

在曼城，佩普·瓜迪奥拉则采用了不同的基调。“这他妈的太有趣了。”话音落下，潇洒离场。瓜迪奥拉在伊蒂哈德的十年时间里赢得了 20 座奖杯，其中包括六次联赛冠军——即便算上英超联赛之前的 era, 这仍让他与鲍勃·佩斯利和乔治·拉姆齐并列历史第二，仅次于弗格森。后者曾在阿斯顿维拉执教 40 年。

曼联用一个唯一奖杯是普雷斯顿第二 division 冠军的人取代了他们的传奇老板，但马雷斯卡的奖杯柜要充实一些。在切尔西的 18 个月里，他赢得了世俱杯和欧协联，此前他曾率领莱斯特城获得英冠冠军，甚至在他现在回归的这家俱乐部也赢得过奖杯。

马雷斯卡在曼城的第一个敲门砖是个大奖：英超 2 联赛冠军。毕竟，每个人都得从某个地方开始，而且可以说这座奖杯是他职业生涯中最重要的——正是它引领他走到了现在的岗位。

在担任西汉姆联助理教练协助曼努埃尔·佩莱格里尼开启英格兰执教生涯后，他在 2020 年成为了曼城精英发展队的主教练。“他们想看看他是否适合这里的环境，”曼城足球集团的塞里·鲍利解释道。

事实证明他很合适。马雷斯卡拥有一支潜力巨大的球队——詹姆斯·特拉福德、摩根·罗杰斯、利亚姆·德拉普、科尔·帕尔默、詹姆斯·麦卡蒂——并且专业地激发了他们的最大潜力。他甚至在英格兰足球联赛奖杯（EFL Trophy）中执教曼城的年轻球员。这支青年队以两胜一平位列小组之首，尽管他们在 32 强赛中败给了特兰米尔。

马雷斯卡随后离开，在帕尔马经历了一段不顺的时光，但曼城和瓜迪奥拉对他印象深刻，一年后将其召回担任一线队助理教练。

马雷斯卡与瓜迪奥拉共事仅一个赛季，但这位意大利人的创新方法帮助球队实现了著名的三冠王——在那场赛季中，约翰·斯通斯被用作内切边后卫——随后他前往莱斯特城和切尔西。

当曼城的足球总监齐基·贝吉里斯坦在一年前离职时，据报道他推荐了马雷斯卡作为

“恩佐将成为一名非凡的主教练。我有这种感觉，就像我当年对米克尔·阿尔特塔那样”

在曼城的教练席上，准备迎接一些似曾相识的场景吧

瓜迪奥拉最终的接班人，这位加泰罗尼亚人正走在同样的道路上。“他是世界上最优秀的主教练之一——他在切尔西所做的工作没有得到足够的认可，”瓜迪奥拉在上个赛季表示。“带领一支年轻球队赢得世俱杯和欧协联，并获得欧冠资格？这太卓越了。”

马雷斯卡在斯坦福桥的任期突然结束，期间幕后显然存在紧张关系，这种情况在他执教莱斯特城后期也曾出现，不过在伊蒂哈德球场，情况通常会平静一些。

他仍然是自 BlueCo 接管以来，唯一一名带领切尔西获得欧冠资格的主教练。在世俱杯决赛中 3-0 击败巴黎圣日耳曼（PSG）是一次战术神作——他部署马洛·古斯托作为重叠右后卫来牵制努诺·门德斯，从而为梅开二度的英雄帕尔默创造空间。八个月后，在马雷斯卡离任后，切尔西在欧冠联赛中以总比分 8-2 输给了巴黎圣日耳曼。

从在曼城的第一次合作开始，瓜迪奥拉就知道马雷斯卡很特别。“他未来会成为一名非凡的主教练，”他说道。“我有这种感觉，就像我看到米克尔·阿尔特塔时那样。”

阿尔特塔在上个赛季终于成为了英超冠军。现在，马雷斯卡有机会实现同样的目标。

哈维·阿隆索与阿尔瓦罗·阿尔贝洛亚：被伯纳乌所伤

两人都被皇家马德里弃用，如今成为了西伦敦的邻居

无论切尔西和富勒姆本赛季表现如何，他们都应该感谢弗洛伦蒂诺·佩雷斯。哈维·阿隆索和阿尔瓦罗·阿尔贝洛亚在上个赛季都曾在皇家马德里担任过主帅，而现在他们最终来到了两家距离不到两英里的俱乐部——且各自的原因截然不同。

对于阿隆索来说，希望是斯坦福桥能比伯纳乌更适合他的足球风格。两年前，正是这些方法引导拜耳勒沃库森夺得了队史首个德甲冠军，但压迫和战术之类的东西在皇家马德里的球星们那里并不那么受欢迎。

弗洛伦蒂诺·佩雷斯对阿隆索支持寥寥——显然他站在了球员这一边

上方：困惑的阿隆索无法理解为什么他的队员们没有全部穿着阿迪达斯猎鹰球靴。下方：阿尔贝洛亚向富勒姆展示了他希望如何处理媒体采访。

在那里，卡洛·安切洛蒂和齐内丁·齐达内有时认为，一种技巧是让俱乐部的关键球员自行发挥，但阿隆索却难以赢得他们的认可——尤其是维尼修斯·儒尼奥尔，他早在去年夏天的世俱杯时就产生了怀疑。当时他本应在与巴黎圣日耳曼的半决赛中被弃用，但由于特伦特·亚历山大-阿诺德受伤迫使阵容重新调整，他才重新回到了首发名单中。

这次临时的变动导致费德·巴尔韦德被移至边后卫位置——他在安切洛蒂麾下曾填补过这个位置，但很快就表明他并不欣赏阿隆索同样要求他这么做。“我天生就不是来踢右后卫的，”他说道。

在阿隆索执教的前18场比赛中，维尼修斯仅有4次踢满了90分钟，随后在对阵巴塞罗那的比赛中再次被换下。皇家马德里当时处于领先，并最终以2-1获胜领跑西甲，但这对于这位巴西人来说还不够。“总是我的份，”维尼修斯在被换下后抱怨道，“我还是走吧，我要离开。”

佩雷斯给阿隆索的支持很少——当随后出现五场联赛仅一胜的局面时，很明显主席站在了球员这一边，尽管就在几个月前，他才雇佣了欧洲最光彩夺目的年轻教练之一。

在欧冠联赛阶段输给前东家利物浦和曼城，将阿隆索推向了离职的边缘——在与后者比赛之前，佩普·瓜迪奥拉曾公开敦促这位巴斯克人按照自己的方式做事，建议他“用自己的阴茎撒尿”（意指独立思考，不要模仿他人）。两人此前曾在拜仁慕尼黑共事。

然而，1月西班牙超级杯负于巴塞罗那标志着这段关系的终结，执教时间仅半个赛季。切尔西是一份不同类型的工作，需要管理一支更年轻的阵容——尽管在阿隆索看来太年轻了，因此引进了乔丹·亨德森和丹尼·韦尔贝克，因为蓝军被新主帅说服，认为他们需要更多经验才能在英超联赛中取得实质性进展。

阿隆索在被佩雷斯抛弃后抵达伦敦，而阿尔贝洛亚则是凭着皇家马德里主席的推荐来到富勒姆。这位前后卫在1月接替阿隆索出任主帅——令人惊讶的是，他是以正式而非临时身份上任的，此前他一直负责执教俱乐部的卡斯蒂利亚预备队。

这位缺乏经验的主帅未能扭转皇家马德里的颓势——在首场比赛中被乙级球队阿尔巴塞特击败，他们在联赛中落后巴萨8分，并在欧冠四分之一决赛中败给拜仁慕尼黑，这促使佩雷斯在今年夏天重新雇佣了何塞·穆里尼奥。

不过，阿尔贝洛亚与前主席一直保持着良好关系。他在富勒姆签下的前两名球员是谁？正是来自皇家马德里的才华横溢的双人组冈萨洛·加西亚和塞萨尔·帕拉西奥斯。他的专长是培养年轻球员——与阿隆索一样，他长期持有压迫哲学，但在伯纳乌时为了迁就一线队而弱化了这一理念。

今年夏天，阿隆索和阿尔贝洛亚将英超联赛中的西班牙籍主教练人数增加到了5人——比该级别联赛中的英国主教练人数还多一个。在西伦敦，这对搭档希望能够获得比在伯纳乌时更多的耐心。

米克尔·阿尔特塔：酋长球场的大卫·布伦特

这位阿森纳主帅因其古怪的执教方式被比作瑞奇·热维斯在剧集《办公室》中的经典角色，但在上赛季夺冠后，没有人能说这种方式没有效果

点亮联赛

无论阿森纳的球员们在 2022 年布莱顿造访酋长球场之前的赛前演讲中期待主教练说什么，FFT 只能推测，“托马斯·爱迪生发明了电灯泡……”绝对不在任何人的预料之中。但事实正是如此，随后在 Amazon Prime 的《All or Nothing》纪录片剧组的注视下，这位西班牙人大声疾呼他要求球队具备的“连接感、能量和光芒”。他说：“我想看到一支彼此连接且闪光的球队。归根结底这就是电，通过热量产生光。出去，他妈的把灯打开，然后踢球！”

敬畏“兔鸭图”

阿尔特塔的球队谈话经常像是一位异常激进的大学教授在进行心理学讲座——有一次，他使用了一张“兔鸭”视觉错觉图。这张模棱两可的图像

（下方文字：随你怎么笑，阿尔特塔的方法确实奏效了）

根据你想看到的是耳朵还是鸟嘴，它可以被看作一只兔子或一只鸭子。这证明了人们在面对完全相同的事物时，可能会看到不同的东西。作为视觉学习的拥趸，阿尔特塔在 2021 年北伦敦德比之前还发挥了自己的绘画才华，在翻页图表上画了一个粗糙的心脏与大脑手牵手的图案。他告诉球员们：“我们必须用巨大的心脏去比赛，与此同时，我们必须用巨大的大脑去比赛。”

拍照机会

没有什么比斯图尔特·麦克法兰（Stuart MacFarlane）那段充斥着脏话的咆哮更能让人热血沸腾了。谁？他是枪手的摄影师之一，受阿尔特塔邀请在 2021 年同一场对阵热刺的决战前在更衣室发言。这位终身球迷毫不掩饰地吼道：“我他妈爱这个俱乐部，我他妈爱你们所有人。”在他的谈话之后，阿森纳在开场 34 分钟内就取得了 3-0 的领先。

战争之犬

有一个强有力的论点认为，阿尔特塔时代阿森纳最成功的引进甚至不是人类——抱歉，德克兰·赖斯…… 2023 年，在与曼城争夺冠军的激烈战斗中，主帅带着一名新成员来到伦敦科尔尼训练基地：一只巧克力色拉布拉多犬。阿尔特塔说：“我仔细挑选了这只狗，她是我们特质的完美代表。她的名字叫 Win（胜利）——我们都热爱胜利，而 Win 需要很多爱。所以对 Win 的爱，就是那种感觉。”这一举动在球队中大受欢迎，据报道球员们甚至为了谁能带她散步而竞争。据说 Win 与伦敦科尔尼的驻地猫 Bob 相处得很好——这让 FFT 在想，这是否就是那只曾从丹尼·默菲家中逃出、坐着皇家邮政货车并在普雷斯顿潜伏直到脱险的那只 Bob。

（左图：主教练的赛季“乖乖女”参加球队合影）

风暴之后

在《All or Nothing》纪录片中最令人难忘的时刻，大概是阿尔特塔在 2021 年前往利物浦客场之前，命令工作人员在训练场周围放置扬声器。球员们在安菲尔德的赞歌《You'll Never Walk Alone》的伴奏下训练，以帮助他们适应那种氛围——主教练解释说，在他自己的职业生涯中，在利物浦的一场比赛中他曾变得情绪激动。“突然之间，我只能看到红色的球衣在周围飞舞，我无法应对，”他承认道。

盗贼之王

由于不满曼城连续第二个赛季在冠军争夺战中“洗劫”他的球队，阿尔特塔在 2024 年的一次季前晚餐中给球员们上了一课：他雇佣了小偷来偷他们的东西。专业扒手在餐桌间穿梭，将球星们的手机和钱包“解放”出来。阿尔特塔解释说，这是为了教会他们时刻保持警觉并准备好应对任何情况，随后他大概是将这些物品列在 eBay 上出售，并将其转化为自己甜蜜的利润。

简单得要命

为了建立另一个现实生活中的隐喻，每位阿森纳球员都被发给了一个柠檬、一把刀和一个玻璃杯。据奥列克桑德尔·津琴科所说，阿尔特塔告诉他们要“尽可能用力地挤这些柠檬”。球员们照做了，主教练用一个碗收集果汁。接着到了关键点——当一名球员坚持认为他已经把水果里的汁液挤干时，阿尔特塔会再次挤压那个柠檬，从而挤出几滴果汁。“这就是我想传达的信息：你永远可以付出更多，”他告诉球员们。津琴科称之为“简单但有效”。这位乌克兰球员还讲述了一个由阿尔特塔设计的团队建设游戏：他们必须排列数百块多米诺骨牌，以便在第一块倒下后能按顺序全部倒下，以此来说明链条中的每一个环节对于实现整体目标都至关重要。

“这个服务员有绝活”

津琴科 2024 年出版的著作《Believe》中还记录了另一个精彩片段，讲述了阿尔特塔要求球队与工作人员进行自由式盘球对决的故事。“米克尔告诉我们，这将是另一场球员与工作人员的自由式对决——前几天是我对阵我们的定位球专家尼古拉斯·霍弗，我赢了，”他透露道。“我会做几个花式动作，但尼科捂着大腿后侧肌肉，说他没法踢。米克尔说：‘我们需要一名替补，有人吗？’一名服务员举起了手，米克尔说：‘好吧，你可以试试。’结果这家伙表现得极其出色，简直把我们虐得体无完肤——他甚至过掉了布卡约·萨卡。大家面面相觑，心想：‘搞什么鬼？’，然后为他欢呼并大笑。原来他是一名由米克尔安排在酒店的专业自由式球员——他潜伏在那里三个小时，端咖啡和蛋糕。之后营地里的气氛好极了。大家在走向大巴的路上都兴奋不已。”

友军之火

今年四月是阿尔特塔搞怪行为的高峰月。首先，球队在激励性的 TikTok 视频背景下进行训练，视频中包含一首由 AI 生成的歌曲，点名了球员们并引用了酋长球场比赛日的曲目《The Angel》（North London Forever）。几天后，在与葡萄牙体育的欧冠四分之一决赛次回合之前，阿尔特塔给球员们布置了一个游戏：五个人围成一个圈，在移动中互相传球，同时手指间还要夹着笔保持平衡。之后，他们必须在用头部顶住另一个球的同时传球。这看起来很荒谬，但阿尔特塔解释说，这是为了防止他们在面对多重需求时产生恐慌，强迫他们集中注意力。在与葡萄牙体育的比赛前，伦敦科尔尼训练基地还点了一把火——阿尔特塔说这反映了他对取得成功的炽热渴望。“没有恐惧，只有纯粹的火焰，”他在一场火热的（呃，0-0 平局）比赛前告诉记者。这场平局让他们晋级半决赛，并最终在 2006 年之后首次闯入欧冠决赛。

皮埃尔·萨热：从小型巴士司机到英雄

水晶宫的新任主教练从未在职业赛场上踢过球——在他执教生涯的前20年里，也没有任何迹象表明他未来会成为一名顶级主帅。

这位法国人曾是一名业余足球运动员，随后担任球探和技术总监。他在2013年曾短暂执掌低级别联赛的尚贝里队，但之后十年间再未担任过主教练。他曾在多家俱乐部担任职务，包括在安纳西的青年队，在那里他负责驾驶球队的小型巴士——有时车速过快，导致后面开车跟行的家长们难以追上。

萨热在2023年6月成为了里昂的青训主管——五个月后，当法比奥·格罗索被解雇时，一线队正处于法甲联赛垫底的位置，于是44岁的他被任命为临时主帅。亿万富翁约翰·泰克斯托给了他这次重大机会——由于泰克斯托在“老鹰”降级至欧协联中所扮演的角色，这位美国人如今在水晶宫球迷中并不受欢迎，但在里昂训练基地的一次关于足球的长谈后，泰克斯托被萨热打动并任命了他。

在接下来的22场联赛中，萨热赢下了15场，带领里昂从垫底攀升至第六名并获得了欧战资格。次年1月，他们再次排名第六，但由于状态下滑，他被残酷地解雇了，而俱乐部当时也因财务管理不善被禁止进行任何转会操作。

朗斯在去年夏天迅速签下了萨热，随后见证了他将一支排名第八的球队转化为半赛季时领跑联赛的强队，并最终以巴黎圣日耳曼之后的亚军身份结束赛季。他们还历史上首次夺得了法国杯冠军——对于一名小型巴士司机来说，这成绩相当不错……

迈克尔·卡里克：稳健的队长

这位来自泰恩赛德人的教练生涯在一年前被米德尔斯堡解雇时似乎已陷入停滞——但到上赛季结束时，他已带领曼联重返欧冠联赛

曼联球员在亚历克斯·弗格森执教时期的团队聚会之夜，韦恩·鲁尼总是知道如何安抚科琳。“如果迈克尔·卡里克去了，我一定会特意告诉她，这样她就知道我能平安回家，”这位俱乐部的历史射手和曾经的“头号捣蛋鬼”此前曾开玩笑说。“迈克尔一直是最稳重的那一个。”

卡里克的名声是在其球员生涯中精心塑造的，他被视为一名模范职业球员。这位深层组织中场温文尔雅、专注且勤奋，他甚至能以自己那种理智且绅士的方式掌控比赛，在辉煌的老特拉福德生涯中赢得了五次英超冠军和一次欧冠冠军。

“他在场上是教练的梦想，场下也是，因为他从不惹麻烦，”另一位前曼联前锋迈克尔·欧文现在告诉 FFT。欧文是包括卡里克在内的几名在职业生涯末期考取教练执照的曼联资深球员之一。至于谁是班上的第一名，无需猜测。

“迈克尔是老师的宠儿，”欧文笑着说。“我们很多人一起开始考教练证，但很多人中途放弃了。迈克尔坚持了下来，并且在那些课程中表现出色——总是思考、分析并向老师提问。如果你了解他，这非常符合他的风格——他好学且对待足球非常认真。”

在卡里克于 2018 年挂靴后，若泽·穆里尼奥欢迎当时 36 岁的他加入俱乐部的后勤团队，正式向他赠送了一套印有姓名缩写的教练装备、一个训练课使用的哨子，以及最关键的——一些止痛药。“你真的会需要这些的，”这位葡萄牙主帅开玩笑说。

穆里尼奥还雇用了基兰·麦肯纳，后者后来两次带领伊普斯维奇升入英超。在穆里尼奥 12 月被解雇后，两人仍留在老特拉福德，在奥莱·冈纳尔·索尔斯克亚成为临时主帅之前负责训练课。作为卡里克的前队友及俱乐部的传奇人物，这位挪威人监督了成绩的快速回升，从而获得了正式主帅之职。

在执掌帅位的两个完整赛季中，索尔斯克亚带领曼联在顶级联赛中分别获得第三名和第二名，他经常将功劳归于他的年轻教练，称他们为对手提供了详细的简报。“分析团队，基兰·麦肯纳和迈克尔·卡里克，在为每场比赛做准备方面做得非常出色，”他透露。当局面失控且索尔斯克亚在 2021 年 11 月被解雇时，俱乐部让卡里克担任临时主管，直到能请到一名经验更丰富的继任者。

在他的执教首秀中，他带领红魔在欧冠联赛中 2-0 击败了乌奈·埃梅里率领的比利亚雷亚尔，随后在切尔西队战平。后者值得关注的是卡里克决定将克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多从首发阵容中剔除——而前任索尔斯克亚似乎不愿这样做。“我不认为这是一个重大决定，”卡里克说。“这完全没有戏剧性。”

在卡里克的带领下，米德尔斯堡取得了进步，但未能成功升级。作为球员曾获得五次英超冠军之一

他的第三场也是最后一场比赛以 3-2 惊险战胜阿森纳，而继任者拉尔夫·朗尼克在老特拉福德的看台上观战。“过去一周发生了很多事情——我必须适应并接受一个超出我舒适区的挑战，”卡里克反思道。“我很享受看到自己如何应对这一切。在身处那种境地之前你不会知道——你必须在工作中学习。”

“他在场上是教练的梦想，在场下同样如此，因为他从不惹麻烦”

卡里克和麦肯纳都决定离开，而不是留在即将到任的德国教练的教练组中。是时候独立发展了。

这位来自沃尔森德的人等待了10个月，才以英冠联赛苦苦挣扎的米德尔斯堡主教练身份重返教练席。那是2022年10月，米德尔斯堡刚刚解雇了克里斯·怀尔德，当时俱乐部在积分榜上排名第21位，仅比降级区高出1分。尽管他们的新掌舵者资深执教经验有限，但河畔球场的球迷们依然感到兴奋。

“我们认为卡里克的到来是一次真正的成功抢购，”终身支持者奥利·哈德尔斯通解释道，“一位曼联传奇，拥有东北部的根基，而且他在俱乐部足球领域几乎赢得了所有能赢的奖杯。引进一个几乎没有管理经验的人总是有风险的，但看看布莱恩·罗布森、史蒂夫·麦克拉伦和艾托尔·卡兰卡。我们近期最成功的3位主教练都在米德尔斯堡迈出了第一步。”

即便如此，很少有人能预料到卡里克在那一季产生的影响。这位前英格兰国脚进行了一些战术调整，放弃了怀尔德的3后卫体系，实施了一套依赖短传配合以维持控球并耐心组织进攻的4-2-3-1阵型。一支被解开枷锁的球队迅速扭转局面，在21场比赛中赢得了16场，从而冲入升级竞争行列。

“我这辈子见过的米德尔斯堡踢得最好的足球就在那时，”哈德尔斯通回忆道，“流畅的、进攻性的足球。进球无数。这就是每个球迷都想看到的足球。球员们非常好地适应了卡里克的战术——他似乎做什么都是对的。他让米德尔斯堡的球迷重新燃起了信心。”

卡里克曾带领米德尔斯堡在积分榜上最高升至第3位，直到他们在最后的

奥利弗·格拉斯纳：一次少有人预料的变动

在迈克尔·卡里克成为老特拉福德的临时主帅三天后，奥利弗·格拉斯纳宣布他将于5月离开水晶宫——这引发了关于他可能最终加盟老特拉福德的猜测。

但这从未实现，据报道在谈判后他可能加盟米兰的传闻也未能兑现——他转投诺丁汉森林反而更令人惊讶。格拉斯纳在过去四份工作中每份至少都待了两年，但他加盟的这家俱乐部自2011年以来，只有史蒂夫·库珀待了那么久

- 与此同时，总共有17位其他主帅在此起伏。

“我签约时从未想过会被解雇，”这位奥地利人在亮相时宣布——奇怪的是，他竟然已经被问到了未来的离职问题，可见老板埃万格洛斯·马里纳基斯挥舞裁员之斧的倾向如此之深。“没有人想离婚——如果你在婚礼上问他们，他们会说‘我们不会’，但离婚确实会发生。每家俱乐部都希望同一个主教练能执教十年，同样的球员能待尽可能久。这就是为什么我们签署了为期三年的合同。我们说，‘我们想要稳定性和一致性。’这是老板和我共同坚信的。”

格拉斯纳在水晶宫赢得了足总杯、欧协联和社区盾杯，其履历值得给予时间。他在水晶宫的挫败感源于迈克尔·奥利塞、埃贝雷基·埃泽和马克·格希等关键球员的出售。诚然，森林队在今年夏天出售了埃利奥特·安德森，但马里纳基斯以更强力地留住球星而闻名，正如去年夏天热刺追求摩根·吉布斯-怀特时所展现的那样。

如果格拉斯纳和这位希腊人看起来像是一段不寻常的婚姻，那么时间将证明这究竟是天作之合还是地狱之灾。

周，并最终获得第四名，从而在季后赛半决赛中对阵考文垂。“我们真的觉得那是属于我们的一年，”哈德尔斯通说。“第二回合的氛围是我多年来在里弗赛德球场见过的最好的。”

不幸的是，对于中作（Boro）球迷来说，考文垂以1-0获胜并晋级决赛对阵卢顿，而后者最终在点球大战中落败。“我们在还剩几场比赛时就锁定了季后赛资格，然后就松懈了，”哈德尔斯通解释道。“卡里克一直在尝试不同的首发阵容，轮换球员，而我们开始动摇了。”

这将是卡里克带领中作最接近升级的时刻——他们在接下来的两个赛季中分别排名第八和第10名。尽管他们打入了联赛杯半决赛

上方 奖杯在曼联的背景中缺失太久了

在2024年——而且在第一回合对阵切尔西时甚至以1-0领先，随后在第二回合以6-1落败——人们越来越感觉到，卡里克并不是那个能在关键时刻完成任务的人。

“即使进攻足球打得很好，我们在球场另一端却出了问题，”哈德尔斯通说。“在尝试从后场组织进攻时出现愚蠢且相当荒谬的错误，以及换人不足——不知道何时需要做出改变——这就是让卡里克丢掉工作的原因。

“我们的联赛状态远不如早期的样子。季后赛是每个赛季的最低目标，而我们进入的次数不够多。是时候离开了。在米德尔斯堡，可能没有哪个主教练是我比他更希望成功的，但最终被解雇是不可避免的。”

当上赛季开始时，转投另一支英冠升级竞争者似乎是卡里克最可能的下一步，但他依然处于失业状态。当鲁本·阿莫林在1月离开曼联时，他突然与索尔斯克亚一起成为了临时选项。球迷之间的争论在酝酿——有些人渴望挪威人的回归，但高层决定需要一个新的方向。卡里克被召集了。

“如果他没有得到这份工作，我认为他会很乐意过一种更安静的生活，”欧文说道。“他不会拼命地寻找工作，他不是那种类型的人。我认为让他获得这份工作是正确的决定。”

卡里克在老特拉福德带来的变革效果比在里弗赛德更加显著。同样，他将……

顶级在替补席上与索尔斯克亚随意交流。随着欧冠联赛回归老特拉福德，一项全新的挑战正等待着卡里克。

“如果他们能延续之前的状态，这个赛季他们将具备挑战冠军的实力”

他摒弃了前任主帅那摇摇欲坠的三后卫体系，并将球员调整到更自然的位置——让科比·梅努回归中场，并将布鲁诺·费尔南德斯在 4-2-3-1 阵型中移至更前线的角色。在卡里克执教的开局阶段，曼联先后击败了曼城和联赛领头羊阿森纳，后者是在酋长球场取得的胜利。对于这支经过调整、心态更放松的球队来说，胜利接踵而至。在卡里克被任命时，俱乐部排名联赛第七，获得欧冠资格看起来机会渺茫，但很快这便成为了最低预期。

“即便在他开始取得成绩之后，很多人依然在说他不应该长期担任这个职位，但我从未这么认为过，”欧文说道。“突然之间，情况变得非常乐观；球队踢得很好，球员处于正确的位置，球迷们很开心，成绩接连而至，他们在积分榜上飞速攀升。那么，究竟有什么理由不为此奖赏他呢？”

尽管在新闻发布会上被不断问及未来，但卡里克保持了他在球员时代就展现出的那种沉稳——从不过分逾矩，也从未向雇主要求明确的答复。“他泰然自若，”欧文笑着说。“他的人格魅力太强了，不是吗？球迷们非常喜欢他这一点。”

卡里克让成绩说话，最终，在他在赛季末带领球队获得 3 名后，决策者们别无选择，只能与他签署一份为期 2 年的合同。而且所有人也都注意到，在卡里克执教期间，曼联获得的积分比任何顶级联赛俱乐部——包括冠军阿森纳——都要多。

“迈克尔完全配得上这个机会，”足球总监杰森·威尔科克斯表示。“在他担任该职位的期间，我们在球场上看到了积极的结果，更重要的是，他的执教方式与俱乐部的价值观、传统和历史相一致。”卡里克本人则谈到了他的兴奋之情，表示要“带着雄心和明确的目标前进”，以“再次挑战最高荣誉”。

结束曼联长达 13 年的英超冠军等待——自卡里克本人还在踢球以来——的努力现已展开。一支经过新貌改造的阵容，在签入尤里·蒂勒曼斯和安德烈·桑托斯等球员的增强后，必须在上一赛季积极的氛围和成绩基础上继续前进，并在整个赛季中保持这种状态。

“现在的问题是：他能否在整个赛季中做到这一点？”欧文说。“这将决定最终结果。现在对他来说会变得更加困难。他们失去了一位经验丰富的赢家卡塞米罗，这给新加入的人留下了巨大的填补空间。加上欧冠赛事的因素，他们今年将参加更多的比赛。这才是对他真正的考验。”

然而，欧文支持卡里克再次证明自己。“如果他们能延续之前的状态，这个赛季他们将具备挑战冠军的实力，这会让支持者们感到兴奋，”他说。“我很高兴俱乐部最终在主教练人选上做出了正确决定。他是这个职位的合适人选——我相信他会成功。”

曼联球迷希望他们终于为亚历克斯·弗格森爵士的遗产找到了一个合格的继承者。或者，至少希望卡里克不必太快地去寻找缓解头痛的药片。

主帅之年：第三部分

本月封面旨在向《FourFourTwo》在 2013 和 2014 年推出的特刊致敬，探讨那些为英超冠军展开正面交锋的主教练们。

在 2013 年的封面上，大卫·莫耶斯、曼努埃尔·佩莱格里尼、何塞·穆里尼奥、布伦丹·罗杰斯、阿尔塞纳·温格和安德烈·维拉斯-博阿斯以《落水狗》为主题展开对峙；在那场赛季的最终较量中，佩莱格里尼率领的曼城夺得了冠军。

次年，路易斯·范加尔在曼联接替了莫耶斯，而马塞洛·波切蒂诺在维拉斯-博阿斯离任后接替蒂姆·舍伍德执掌热刺。埃弗顿的罗伯托·马丁内斯也加入了战局，最终由“特殊的一位”率领的切尔西捧杯。

自那时起，主教练的变动频率有所增加：2013 年有五家英超俱乐部更换了主帅，而 2014 年仅有四家。今年夏天，有九家俱乐部迎来了新帅——这创下了纪录。

马蒂亚斯·雅斯莱：亚洲的布赖安·克劳格

纽卡斯尔的新任主帅在英格兰此前籍籍无名，但他凭借连续两届欧陆冠军头衔成名

不到两年前，《FourFourTwo》坐在吉达国民俱乐部位于市中心的训练基地深处，

耳边充斥着各种传闻。“如果他输掉这场比赛，主教练很可能会被解雇，”一名沙特职业联赛专家在那个晚上告诉我们，当时我们正在等待马蒂亚斯·雅斯莱（Matthias Jaissle）抵达参加他最新的赛前新闻发布会。

在新赛季的前八场比赛中，吉达国民仅赢了三场，在与冠军竞争者吉达联合进行吉达德比之前，他们在积分榜上排名第八——这场比赛吸引了 52,546 名狂热观众。考虑到雅斯莱执教的俱乐部是沙特职业联赛四大豪门之一——全部由该国的公共投资基金（PIF）所有

- 他们的成绩低于预期。

那时，我们访问吉达国民的主要焦点是近期签下的伊万·托尼，而不是雅斯莱，后者在 2024 年 10 月对英国观众来说基本是个陌生人。我们的疑问是，他能否帮助这位新前锋入选英格兰下一届世界杯大名单——雅斯莱认识托马斯·图赫尔，因为他曾在斯图加特 VfB 的青年队中为图赫尔效力。

“看看托马斯是否会给我打电话询问伊万的情况吧，”衣着考究的雅斯莱告诉 FFT。“伊万绝对有潜力——他必须在这里证明自己才能在英国获得关注，而我们正尽全力让他处于最佳状态。”

在今年夏天的世界杯之前，图赫尔确实给雅斯莱打了电话讨论托尼的情况，并透露他收到的“极佳反馈”足以说服他将这位 30 岁的球员选入大名单。不过到那时，雅斯莱很可能早已不再是吉达国民的主帅。

他确实输掉了那场对阵吉达联合的吉达德比，那是一场令人不安的比赛，期间一场沙尘暴将附近沙漠的尘土吹进了体育场。他避免了被解雇，但据报道，在输给阿尔科卢德两个月后，他已处于离职边缘，据说马斯·阿莱格里将成为他的长期接任者。

直到极端球迷在训练基地抗议，挂起一条横幅宣布“失败够了，离开！”这条信息是针对俱乐部的

在萨尔茨堡取得成功让雅斯莱开启了前往圣詹姆斯公园球场的道路

高层，而非主教练。雅斯莱留了下来，并在几个月内成为了吉达国民的传奇。

雅斯莱在球员时代是一名中后卫，2008 年他年满 20 岁时，帮助霍芬海姆首次进入德甲联赛。他本应与梅苏特·厄齐尔、马茨·胡梅尔斯和曼努埃尔·诺伊尔一起，作为德国 U21 队的一员在 2009 年欧青赛决赛中大胜英格兰，但在锦标赛前不久，他的前十字韧带（ACL）受损，从此再也无法回到巅峰状态。

进一步的伤病迫使他在 2014 年 25 岁时退役，随后他在 RB 莱比锡担任青年队教练——他之前的霍芬海姆主教练拉尔夫·朗尼克当时已成为红牛足球项目的关键人物。雅斯莱采用了同样的高压逼抢风格，并从此将其贯彻始终。在丹麦俱乐部布隆德比担任助理教练一段时间后，他加入了红牛萨尔茨堡，带领其卫星俱乐部利费灵队获得了并列最高排名，随后在 2021 年接替杰西·马尔什执掌主队。

通过培养本杰明·塞什科、卡里姆·阿德耶米、诺亚·奥卡福尔和布伦登·亚伦森等年轻球员，他在首个赛季就带领萨尔茨堡实现了双冠王，并使球队历史上首次进入欧冠淘汰赛。在 16 强赛中，他们以 1-7 负于拜仁慕尼黑，而当时的雅斯莱年仅 33 岁。

一个赛季后，他们在夺得又一次国内冠军的道路上取得了 30 场不败。这是萨尔茨堡连续第 10 次夺冠，但自从雅斯莱在那个夏天离开后，他们就再也没有赢得过联赛冠军。

这位德国人加盟阿赫利仅在一个月后，而当时他们曾是四支

贾斯勒采用了高压逼抢体系，与其前主帅拉尔夫·朗尼克相似

被沙特公共投资基金（PIF）接管的俱乐部——与伊蒂哈德、希拉尔以及克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多所在的利雅得胜利一样。贾斯勒的新俱乐部曾在2016年获得沙特职业联赛冠军，但随后被降级，直到他抵达的那个夏天才重返顶级联赛。

他们迅速签下了里亚德·马赫雷斯、罗伯托·菲尔米诺、爱德华·门迪、法兰克·凯西以及前纽卡斯尔边锋艾兰·圣-马克西明，在贾斯勒的首个赛季中取得了令人鼓舞的第三名——足以获得亚冠联赛的资格。

随后是托尼的到来，以及2024-25赛季那个艰难的开局，当时贾斯勒差一点就丢了工作。在我们访问时，他深知自己承受的压力，但并未表现出来——全程保持专业，甚至在之后抽出时间迎接到访的欧洲媒体。人们很难不对他产生好感。

“事情需要时间——俱乐部有长期愿景，”贾斯勒告诉我们，在他试图扭转战绩的同时，微妙地请求耐心，并点头认可自己提升年轻球员的能力。“我希望我们能通过将这一理念从顶层贯彻到青训学院来做得更好，因为在某个时间点，我们将需要这些年轻天才。在我看来，这是正确的方法。”

“在我到来之前已经完成了许多签约，因此作为一名教练，能够灵活地适应一个新的国家、文化和球员画像至关重要。从长远来看，重要的是每个人都达成一致，按照你想要的比赛方式来提升阵容和球员。”

贾斯勒得到了时间去实现这一点。他们晋级亚冠联赛淘汰赛成为了他免于被解雇的一个因素——国民俱乐部在联赛下半程表现更强，排名提升至第五，随后出人意料地首次成为了亚洲之王。亚冠联赛的最后三轮全部在吉达举行，这给了国民俱乐部主场优势，但他们仍然必须在半决赛中击败卫冕沙特冠军希拉尔，随后在决赛中战胜日本球队川崎前锋——后者正是罗纳尔多所在的利雅得胜利的克星。

上赛季，在三方争霸的国内联赛中获得第三名的同时，他们效仿布莱恩·克劳格时期的诺丁汉森林，再次成为洲际冠军。托尼是关键，在贾斯勒麾下的两个赛季中打入了72球。

当由PIF拥有的纽卡斯尔在今年夏天寻找接替埃迪·豪的主教练时，他们选择这位德国人并不令人意外。豪将是一个很难被超越的人物，因为他为喜鹊带来了56年来的首个重大荣誉。然而，既然可以请到一位赢得过两座冠军的主帅，为什么还要请一位只赢得过一座历史性奖杯的教练呢？

加里·奥尼尔：错失切尔西主帅之位的男人

如果你在过去三年里踏足过斯特拉斯堡市，那么你被切尔西招募的机会将非常高。

马塞尔·马索、路易·巴斯德和玛丽·杜莎——如果他们能晚出生一点，托德·伯利一定会把他们全部招至麾下。

当加里·奥尼尔在1月成为斯特拉斯堡主帅时，有些人预测他将成为斯坦福桥的下一任主帅——预计他最终会走上利亚姆·罗森尼尔从美诺球场前往西伦敦的老路。遗憾的是，罗森尼尔先生在三个月内就被解雇，把这件事给搞砸了——切尔西决定不再重复那种操作，这意味着奥尼尔重返英超的方式变成了加盟 newly promoted 的伊普斯维奇。

“拖拉机男孩”的逻辑很明确：他们上一次顶级联赛的征程既艰苦又失败，因此在基兰·麦肯纳夏季辞职后，他们任命了一位此前在保级战中取得过成功的教练。

奥尼尔在他的首次执教经历中将伯恩茅斯从英超降级边缘救回，随后在莫利纽球场的首任期内同样带领狼队远离危险，尽管之后情况恶化了——在接下来的赛季开始后遭遇了连续 10 场不胜，奥尼尔的任期最终在六周后以主场 2-1 输给……伊普斯维奇而告终。

这位离任主帅的最后一幕是目睹马特乌斯·库尼亚在终场哨响时陷入疯狂，并抢走了伊普斯维奇一名安保人员脸上的眼镜。然而，狼队在最初 10 场比赛中拿到的 3 分，仍然比他们上赛季在维托尔·佩雷拉执教下的同一阶段总得分要多。

罗伯托·德泽比：拯救热刺的那场斗殴

这位意大利人单枪匹马地将这家北伦敦俱乐部从降级边缘救回——此前一场“酒吧斗殴”标志着他在马赛时光的终结之始。

回到 2024 年初，FFT 询问利物浦后卫特伦特·亚历山大-阿诺德，他认为哪支英超球队最有趣。

他的答案令人惊讶：罗伯托·德泽比的布莱顿。“他们从后场组织进攻的方式非常出色且极其勇敢，”亚历山大-阿诺德说，“面对他们简直是一场绝对的噩梦。”

正是德泽比带领布莱顿首次进入欧洲赛场，随后他在 2024 年 5 月离职，一个月后在马赛重新出现。他接手了一支刚刚在法甲排名第八的球队，一年之内他们就成为了亚军——他们那以喧闹著称的球迷们被德泽比的热情和进攻足球所感染。

如果情况一直那样发展，他今年春天可能无法抽身来拯救处于降级边缘的热刺。然而，在上赛季的第一天，这种热情走得太远了——至少对他的球员来说是这样。

在输给 10 人的雷恩队后，阿德里安·拉比奥特和乔纳森·罗在更衣室里发生了冲突。“那就像一场酒吧斗殴，”德泽比说，“在我职业生涯中第一次，我不知道该说什么或做什么。我来自街头，习惯了打架，但我从未见过这样的场面。在工作场所，两名员工像在英国酒吧里一样打架，一名队友因为失去意识而倒在地上。”

两名球员都被送往了意甲，但这为整个赛季奠定了基调，德泽比与球员之间的关系变得紧张。马赛输了

“我们必须从错误中学习。愚蠢的人忘记过去——聪明的人则不会”

在上赛季收官战惊险保级后，挥金如土的热刺现在将在德泽尔比的带领下寻求突破。

在欧冠联赛阶段的 8 场比赛中输掉了 5 场，并错失了淘汰赛资格，当时本菲卡门将安纳托利·特鲁宾在对阵皇家马德里的比赛补时阶段打入一球，而马赛则在客场 0-3 输给了俱乐部布鲁格。

11 天后，他们在死敌巴黎圣日耳曼的主场被 5-0 横扫，德泽尔比随即离任。热刺在同一天解雇了托马斯·弗兰克，并立即将这位意大利人列为目标——他起初拒绝了，直到 3 月下旬，伊戈尔·图多尔灾难性的临时执教让陷入绝望的热刺处于降级边缘，对方为德泽尔比提供了一份为期 5 年的合同，他才改变主意。

他们知道他的激情和战术才干能产生他们急需的即时影响，事实也确实如此：在经历了 15 场不胜的低迷后，德泽尔比在热刺最后 5 场比赛中拿到了 10 分，化解了最糟糕的局面。

抵达球队后，他与阵容中的每位成员进行了面谈，以确定谁愿意为生存而战。“我进行了 100 万次个人面谈，”他透露道，“他们告诉我如果不想留在这里——我说，‘帮我保级，然后我帮你离开；但如果你不帮我保级，你就跟我一起沉入水底。’”

在最后一天主场击败埃弗顿的胜利确认了球队的安全，为夏季在桑德罗·托纳利、马特乌斯·费尔南德斯和布莱顿后卫扬·保罗·范赫克身上花费超过 2.25 亿英镑m 铺平了道路。“这是我最大的成就，”德泽尔比在保级后表示，“现在我们必须从错误中学习。愚蠢的人忘记过去，聪明的人将其铭记在心。”

如果没有去年 8 月在雷恩发生的酒吧斗殴事件，热刺现在的未来可能会截然不同。

埃梅里：维拉史上最强？

这位巴斯克人的胜率远超俱乐部历史上的任何一位主教练——FFT 回顾其任期内最关键的 5 场比赛。

阿斯顿维拉 3 曼联 1

在拒绝纽卡斯尔（后者随后任命了埃迪·豪）11 个月后，乌奈·埃梅里于 2022 年 10 月离开比利亚雷亚尔，接替史蒂文·杰拉德执掌一支仅高于降级区的维拉队。

他的首场比赛是对阵一支自 1995. 年 8 月那场著名的艾伦·汉森评价“你不能靠孩子赢得任何东西”的比赛以来，就未曾在活力球场输掉过英超比赛的俱乐部。就像那时一样，维拉 3-1 击败了曼联，这次凭借里昂·贝利、

（图注）“你应该叫我欧罗巴联赛先生”

卢卡斯·迪涅和雅各布·拉姆齐的进球，埃梅里很快带领这支西米德兰球队在积分榜上攀升。

维拉在他执教的前 20 场联赛中全部进球，创下了英超联赛新任主教练在任何俱乐部的纪录。

阿斯顿维拉 2 布莱顿 1

维拉已经 13 年没有参加欧战，期间在第二级别联赛度过了三个赛季，但埃梅里在执教的首个赛季末就带领他们回到了欧战赛场。毫不拖泥带水。

在最后一天击败布莱顿的胜利足以确保第七名以及一个欧协联席位——如果这对维拉来说是一项巨大的成就，那么对于埃梅里来说这只是平常的一天，因为他此前已在瓦伦西亚、莫斯科斯巴达、塞维利亚、巴黎圣日耳曼、阿森纳和比利亚雷亚尔连续 15 个赛季执教欧战。

里尔 2 阿斯顿维拉 1

不要被比分误导：维拉在法国客场失利，但在欧协联两回合总比分 3-3 战平后通过点球大战获胜，使他们自 1982 年赢得欧洲冠军杯以来，首次进入欧战半决赛。

埃米·马丁内斯标志性的搞怪行为起到了作用。在那场比赛中，他在点球大战期间竟然吃到第二张黄牌却避免了被红牌罚下——显然，如果进入点球大战，你被允许多拿一张。他留在场上扑出了决定性的点球。典型的马丁内斯。

阿斯顿维拉 1 拜仁慕尼黑 0

在执教第一个完整赛季结束时，埃梅里令人惊叹地带领维拉首次进入欧冠。他们在联赛阶段首场主赛中抽到了谁？拜仁慕尼黑，而维拉在 42 年前的欧洲冠军杯决赛中就击败过对方。

在历史的又一次重演中，维拉以 1-0 获胜——约翰·杜兰扮演了哥伦比亚版彼得·威瑟的角色，随后他开启了一场全球之旅，在 18 个月的时间里先后在沙特阿拉伯、土耳其、俄罗斯和葡萄牙效力。慢下来，伙计，你才 22 岁。

在联赛阶段令人印象地获得第八名后，维拉在 16 强赛中击败了俱乐部布鲁日，随后在四分之一决赛中与最终夺冠的巴黎圣日耳曼打得难解难分。

弗赖堡 0 阿斯顿维拉 3

埃梅里长期以来被誉为“欧联先生”而非“欧冠先生”或“欧协联先生”是有原因的，他在今年五月再次证明了这一点。

在执教维拉参加该项赛事的首个赛季，他竟然再次夺冠，这也是他职业生涯的第五次夺冠——自 2012 年以来，他在欧联杯最近的 23 场两回合淘汰赛中全部获胜。

在伊斯坦布尔的决赛中，击败弗赖堡的过程异常轻松，尤里·蒂勒曼斯打入了他在重大决赛中的常规进球，随后埃米·布恩迪亚也紧随其后破门。这是埃梅里执教维拉的 196 场比赛中的第 109 场胜利——55.6% 的比赛以他的获胜告终，这比乔治·拉姆齐高出 6%，后者在 1886 年至 1926 年间为俱乐部赢得了 12 座重大奖杯。

在维拉漫长的历史中，球迷们从未见过像埃梅里这样能如此稳定地交付结果的主教练。

欧战？这是锦上添花

伯恩茅斯将在九月迎来其历史上的首场欧战赛事——FFT 与俱乐部关键人物对话，探讨他们是如何攀登至前所未有的高度的。

我们要来了 欧战！！ 樱桃军团全线出击 球员们低着头，伯恩茅斯的球员们显然心碎了。在步履沉重地走回古迪逊公园球场的更衣室时，他们知道 3-1 击败埃弗顿的结果不足以拯救他们。

阿斯顿维拉与西汉姆联的平局导致“樱桃军团”降级，他们在顶级联赛中凭借超越自身实力的表现奋斗了五个赛季。六天后，埃迪·豪离职，结束了作为球员和教练与俱乐部长达 26 年的关联。在教练席上，他曾主导了一次惊险地避免从足球联赛（Football League）降级的逃脱，经历了三次升级，并创下了英超联赛第九名的历史最高排名。感觉就像童话故事在崩塌，伯恩茅斯黄金 era. 的丧钟即将敲响。

六年后的今天，2020 年 7 月那些痛苦的回忆仅仅是第一幕的结束。重返英超、备受追捧的招募模式、第六名的排名以及欧联杯资格，已经足以抚平降级带来的痛苦。

安菲尔德之外

并没有保证事情一定会发展到这一步。在他们重返第二级别联赛的首个赛季中，季后赛半决赛负于布伦特福德，让俱乐部处于一个关键的转折点——如果再次未能升级，这个故事很可能会变成关于他们如何陨落，而不是他们此后所经历的上升轨迹。

“对于我们俱乐部来说，第二个赛季至关重要，”于 2016 年加盟“樱桃军团”的副队长刘易斯·库克说道，“幕后的压力非常大。球员们当时可能没有意识到，但如果我们那年没有升级，情况将会变得非常艰难。”

那个夏天，在杰森·廷代尔和乔纳森·伍德盖特在上一赛季分别执掌帅印之后，斯科特·帕克接手了一支仍包含多名曾在顶级联赛出战球员的球队，其中包括杰弗逊·勒马、多米尼克·索兰基和菲利普·比林。新主帅让他们变得更难被击败——帕克在 11 月之前没有输掉过一场联赛，在索兰基 29 个联赛进球的推动下，他的球队最终在冠军富勒姆之后获得亚军。

重新获得英超联赛资格不仅带来了财务上的红利，还使他们成为了一个更具投资价值的目标。老板马克西姆·德明一直在探索出售方案，在升级后的整个夏天，他与长期仰慕者的比尔·福利之间一直进行着关于接管的谈判。德明自 2011 年起参与管理，监督了球队从英甲到顶级联赛的崛起，但他认为现在是退出的时候了。

重返顶级联赛后的糟糕开局可能会破坏这些讨论。首轮 2-0 战胜阿斯顿维拉是一个极佳的开端，

从左上角起顺时针方向： 埃迪·豪在 2020 年降级后离任；在英超联赛中五年的旅程结束；斯科特·帕克带领他们重返顶级联赛；去年启用了一个新的训练基地；多米尼克·索兰基是众多重大出售球员之一

尽管随后在面对曼城和阿森纳时遭遇惨败，接着在安菲尔德被利物浦 9-0 痛击。随后帕克在赛后采访中发表了不恰当的言论，他宣称球队在“这个级别装备不足”，并承认在整个季前赛期间，由于没有上层的“帮助”，球队内部存在一种“对我们阵容现状的恐惧”。

“那个赛季很艰难，”库克承认道，“在几次惨败之后，我们只需要稳住阵脚。这回到了球员们没有恐惧感，并且能够从糟糕局面中反弹的能力。自从我来到伯恩茅斯，每个人总是把我们当作一家小俱乐部而轻视，但我们展现了斗志。”

帕克离任，由一线队教练加里·奥尼尔接替，他被委以拯救一支大多数专家已经认定将直接降级的球队的任务。“无论你认为自己的角色多么重要，每个人都扮演着巨大的部分”

他的影响力产生了预期的效果，一段六场不败的记录——包括在福利在看台观看的情况下 2-1 主场战胜莱斯特城——带来了希望。到英超联赛为世界杯进行赛季中旬休赛时，“樱桃军团”已经脱离了降级区。

当全世界的注意力转向卡塔尔时，德明和福利达成了一项协议——这位美国人的投资集团 Black Knight Football Club 完成了一次超过 1 亿英镑m 的接管。随之而来的是福利的一份使命宣言——以“始终前进，绝不后退”的方式“向前迈进”。

新所有者的初步目标是投资建设一座最先进的训练中心，加强球员培养并增强一线队实力，同时承诺向“樱桃军团”的

上方：增加活力球场至 20,000 个座位的计划正在进行中

女足方面投入更多资金。Black Knight 同时也认同此前成效显著的浓厚家庭氛围。

“俱乐部必须从上到下地进行规范管理，”出场次数纪录保持者史蒂夫·弗莱彻说道，他在 2009 年打入了保住伯恩茅斯足球联赛席位的关键进球。他目前担任俱乐部大使。“每个人都必须认同我们的宗旨。无论你的部门规模大小，或者你认为自己的角色多么重要或不重要，每个人都会感到自己扮演着重要角色。”

“无论你是厨师、球场管理员、会计，还是从事媒体或市场营销，亦或是第一队成员或按摩师，每个人都在朝着同一个方向努力——为了俱乐部的成功以及球员的最佳状态。球员在草坪上的表现是最重要的，但整个俱乐部这种统一感令人难以置信。”

虽然这可能是事实，但自收购以来，有一点无疑发生了变化，那就是不再仅仅满足于在英超联赛中勉强维持，而是有了进一步突破的雄心。“不同的所有者尝试在某些可见的领域提升俱乐部——比如款待服务、球场和训练场，”库克说道。“但俱乐部保留了挖掘优秀人才和优秀球员的特质。这帮助我们在积分榜上攀升并成长。以前，我和在这里待了很久的老球员们会说，目标始终是留在联赛中。虽然有几次我们的排名较高，但留在联赛中始终是最高目标。”

黑骑士的胜利

在“黑骑士”接手后的第一个赛季，剩余月份里的首要任务依然是保级——随着奥尼尔率领的球队在春季九场比赛中赢下六场，这一目标相对轻松地实现了。

当时已经出现了关键招聘策略的迹象，丹戈·瓦塔拉、安托万·塞门约和伊利亚·扎巴尔尼均在1月份的转会窗加盟。这三人在上赛季被出售时，共计创造了超过 1.05 亿英镑m 的利润。

这种模式已成为“樱桃军团”近期发展的主题——从全球范围内挖掘未经雕琢的天才球员，并以高价将其售出。虽然这并非转会政策的彻底重启，但这次收购为现有的球探网络提供了更广的覆盖范围和更强的资金实力，以确保能够签下目标球员。

伯恩茅斯经常与布莱顿和布伦特福德一起被列为聪明招聘的典范，但与这两者不同，他们的运作并非基于同样的数据驱动模型。他们隶属于福利的多元俱乐部集团，该集团还包括法国球队洛里昂、葡萄牙的莫雷伦塞和新西兰的奥克兰FC，各俱乐部之间共享情报和分析数据，以识别那些能够立即进入一线队的球员。

这意味着前首席执行官尼尔·布莱克和技术总监理查德·休斯在收购后依然担任关键角色，直到后来才相继离职——布莱克接手管理“黑骑士”的全部资产，而休斯则在 2024 年加盟利物浦。曾在罗马和本菲卡任职的蒂亚戈·平托在同一个夏天加入伯恩茅斯，担任足球运营总裁。

自收购以来，像米洛什·克尔凯兹和迪恩·胡伊森这样的人在活力球场短暂效力后离队，而索兰克则在 2024 年通过一笔 6500 万英镑m 的交易加盟热刺。这一切都提升了伯恩茅斯的声誉，使其成为一个极具吸引力的俱乐部。

“当我第一次来到俱乐部，甚至直到现在，我都能看到它是如何不断进步的，”后卫詹姆斯·希尔告诉 FFT，“对于球员来说，这里是一个能够来到并提升比赛水平的绝佳之地——看看那些来过又离开的球员，他们是如何成长并攀向更高峰的。”

“对于某些球员来说，这里可能不是终点，而可能是他们迈向更伟大事业的起点。通过这里进入球队的天赋球员简直令人惊叹。”

希尔在 2022 年以 19 岁之龄从弗利特伍德加盟俱乐部。在经历了哈茨和布莱克本的租借生涯，并在近年一直留在球队一线队大名单后，他在 2025-26, 赛季迎来了突破，成为了球队的常驻成员。

他的经历是俱乐部人才流水线如何不断为离队队友提供替代者的典型案例。当扎巴尔尼、胡伊森和克尔凯兹全部离队时，这为希尔争取成为重组后防线的一员打开了大门。

“没有人会对我说‘是的，现在这个位置是你的了，去比赛吧’，但在赛季期间我确实得到了出场机会——起初我打右后卫，然后慢慢地向上攀升，”希尔解释道，他随后在后防中路站稳了脚跟。

“我们是一个非常优秀的集体。无论谁穿着球衣首发，都会得到其他所有人的支持。即使你被留在家里没进大名单——我也经历过很多次——关键在于准备好支持球队并抓住机会，因为机会总会到来。当球员离开时，其他人就有机会顶替。”

伯恩茅斯阵容永不停歇的演变特质也延伸到了教练席。当奥尼尔在帮助球队保级几周后的 2023, 夏季被安多尼·伊拉奥拉取代时，人们感到十分惊讶——而当这位西班牙人在执教的前九场联赛中一场未赢时，人们更加震惊。

但在第 10 场比赛中 2-1 击败伯恩利后，这位新主帅再未回头，最终带领球队以俱乐部在英超联赛的历史最高积分完赛，排名第 12 位。在接下来的赛季中，他们凭借一种令许多旁观者印象深刻且重新调整了球队目标的现代高压逼抢足球风格，再次打破了积分纪录，排名第九。

“欧战是我们上赛季努力追求的目标，那是年初的主要目标，”希尔说道。“我们在前一个赛季错失了机会，所以我们知道目标是什么，以及我们能达到什么高度。”

“我们不需要担心增加比赛带来的挑战——我们需要享受每一个时刻”

塞门约的离别礼

在上赛季开局，一场 4-2 负于冠军利物浦的比赛展现出了闪光点，随后连续 8 场不败将伯恩茅斯推向了积分榜的高位。但正当球迷们开始憧憬时，连续 11 场不胜让质疑者们开始议论纷纷。

“我记得我们平了很多场比赛，每个人都对我们不能赢球发表看法，”库克回忆道，“但在英超联赛中，如果你平了五六场比赛，这根本不是什么糟糕的事情。我觉得我们当时处于一个很不错的位置。”

尽管阵中充满乐观情绪，但那段低迷期伴随着塞门约即将离队的阴影。到 1 月初，他已经攻入 9 球，是球队进攻端的主要推力。尽管这位加纳球员转会曼彻斯特城的交易已进入最后阶段，但他依然坚持出战，在对阵热刺的一场关键主场比赛中为“樱桃军团”效力，而这成为了他在南海岸的告别之战。

接下来的情节简直像《罗伊·奥夫·罗弗斯》（Roy of the Rovers）漫画一样戏剧化。当时比赛正趋向于 2-2 平局，意味着又一场不胜。前锋在左翼接到球，面前是拥挤的禁区。在比赛仅剩几秒时，塞门约将球拨向右脚，随后在 25 码外起脚低射，皮球横穿球门飞入远角死角。这是他身披伯恩茅斯红黑战袍的最后一击，也给队友们留下了一份完美的纪念礼。

“那是一个不可思议的夜晚，”希尔说道，“你无法预料他竟然还能打进那个球。赢得比赛让人感到无比宽慰，因为我们已经一段时间没赢球了。但即便在此之前，尽管没有获胜，我们的表现一直在提升。”

“当那个时刻到来，安托万离开我们时，小伙子们的表现太棒了。我们非常开心，因为他配得上这次重磅转会——大家明白我们需要挺身而出，而且在比赛表现中已经能看到这种变化。”

塞门约的进球不仅具有个人意义。它不仅终结了不胜纪录，还点燃了另一波不败势头。伯恩茅斯在接下来的赛季中再未输球——总计 18 场不败——期间还包括在主场击败利物浦，以及在客场战胜阿森纳和纽卡斯尔的惊艳胜利。

随着赛季接近尾声，获得欧战资格的前景变得愈发清晰——直到最后一周，进入欧冠联赛甚至仍是一个真实的可能性。

跨过终点线往往比争取进入竞争行列更困难，尽管球队几乎没有出现动摇的迹象。“我们参加每场比赛时都认为自己能拿到 3 分，因为我们充满信心，”希尔补充道，“我们在屏蔽外界干扰、专注于自身表现方面做得很好。在最后三场比赛中，我们清楚自己需要做什么。事实上，我们在压力之下表现得更好。”

在富勒姆的胜利几乎保证了欧战资格，但直到倒数第二场对阵曼彻斯特城的比赛，资格才最终尘埃落定。佩普·瓜迪奥拉的球队需要获胜才能维持争冠希望，但伯恩茅斯再次奉献了一场令人振奋的表现，将对方扼杀在萌芽状态。埃利·朱尼尔·克鲁皮（Eli Junior Kroupi）的进球似乎要带领球队全取 3 分，直到埃尔林·哈兰德在第 95 分钟为客队打入绝平球。

虽然这场平局意味着在进入最后一天前，进入前五名的可能性微乎其微，但在终场哨响时，并没有任何苦涩感，球员、球迷和工作人员们共同庆祝俱乐部历史上首次进入欧洲赛场。

上方：安托万·塞门约在对阵热刺的比赛中以华丽的方式结束了在伯恩茅斯的职业生涯。下方：在该加纳球员离队后，俱乐部引入了巴西新星拉扬（Rayan），他迅速成为人气之星并帮助伯恩茅斯闯入欧洲赛场。

“能获得一个欧罗巴联赛名额，并与工作人员、球员、所有与俱乐部相关的人以及所有球迷一起在球场上庆祝，这种感觉太不可思议了，”樱桃军团传奇球员弗莱彻说道。2010年，活力球场的北看台被命名为他的名字以示荣誉。“我想直到几天后，当我走在街上，走进超市和餐厅，人们开始找我聊这件事时，我才真正意识到这意味着什么。俱乐部和那支球队所取得的成就之伟大，将永远流传下去。”

当伯恩茅斯在9月中旬开启他们的欧罗巴联赛处子赛季时，这项壮举的规模将清晰地呈现在所有人面前。届时，他们将与同样来自英超的桑德兰和水晶宫共同参赛。联赛阶段共有八场比赛，将一直持续到1月下旬。樱桃军团的四场欧战主场比赛将在他们可容纳12,000人的体育场举行，这被认为是所有参加过欧洲顶级赛事的英格兰俱乐部中最小的主场。

这也是这个故事魅力的一部分，是对他们过去的一次重要提醒，即便情况仍在快速变化。伊拉奥拉此后离任，成为了利物浦的新任主教练，由前多特蒙德主帅马尔科·罗斯接任；而中后卫马科斯·塞内西在今年夏天加盟了热刺。

常规性地每周进行两场比赛的挑战也将给阵容带来新的压力，但球员们现在已经习惯了变化。“这和上赛季发生的情况类似——有人离开，有人加入，你必须适应并准备好出发，”希尔说道。“在面对新帅时，我们的学习速度也非常快。”

“我们也不需要担心比赛增加带来的挑战。我们需要享受每一个时刻——在欧洲赛场比赛的兴奋感以及这些赛程的安排，这是一个‘令人难以置信的烦恼’，因为上赛季的成功将我们带到了这个高度。”

对于那些记忆更久的人来说，这些欧战之夜不仅仅是对上赛季的庆祝。对于与俱乐部渊源可追溯至1992年的弗莱彻而言，这是一个拒绝落幕的童话故事的延续。“当我们踢第一场欧战比赛时，会有很多情感波动，”他说。“就我个人而言，我可能会流下眼泪，并尽力捕捉那一刻。”

在那一夜，所有与伯恩茅斯相关的人都将能够昂首挺胸地观看比赛。

“如果我们被降级，我们将面临破产清算”

俱乐部大使史蒂夫·弗莱彻在 2009 年打入了拯救伯恩茅斯免于掉入非联赛级别的进球，而他对于这次射门此后所引发的一切感到欣喜若狂。

“我即将进入在 AFC 伯恩茅斯的第 34 个赛季——我 19 岁时从哈特尔普尔来到这里，现在我 54 岁了，作为球员只离开了一个赛季。我热爱这个地方。

“在 1997 年我在俱乐部的第一段时期，接管人被召集进来，但我们整个球队团结在一起，决定继续比赛，尽管我们没有拿到薪水。如果那天我们拒绝比赛，俱乐部就会倒闭。

“随后，在 2008 年我的第二段时期，俱乐部进入行政接管程序，我是唯一一个经历过之前那种情况的球员。但在接下来的那个赛季中，有些时刻我在想：‘如果我们掉到会议联赛（Conference），那我们就麻烦了。’我们当时没有老板，埃迪·豪和杰森·廷代尔承担了所有能承担的工作——相当于 20 或 30 个人的工作量。

“我听说如果我们从英格兰足球联赛第二组（League Two）降级，俱乐部可能不得不从联赛金字塔的很多级下方重新开始——我们将面临破产清算，而这在可预见的未来将意味着 AFC 伯恩茅斯的终结。

“我对此感触更深，因为我当时 36 岁——一些年轻球员可能并不理解其中利害关系的严重程度。能成为打入那个避免降级进球的人，依然是一项巨大的荣誉——当你想到我们现在能进入欧洲赛场，如果我当时没有进球，这一切都不可能实现。

“但在 2009 年对阵格里姆斯比的那天，任何一名球员都可能完成那个进球——在那场赛季我们被扣掉 17 分后，全队团结在了一起。那个传中球可能落在任何人脚下，或者我可能像往常一样，把那记凌空抽射抽到 Z 排观众席上。但那一次，我把它抽进了球门顶角。那是我的时刻——一个我等待了 36 年的时刻。

“当马尔科·罗斯在上赛季结束后前来与大家见面时，他见到了安多尼·伊拉奥拉，两人紧紧拥抱，我觉得这很美好，因为这种情况在俱乐部里并不多见。他不仅与高层交谈，还走访了所有场地、财务部门、媒体团队、厨房工作人员，并与他们共度时光。

“然后蒂亚戈·平托 [足球运营总裁] 说：‘他想见你。’我想：‘他为什么要见我？’但马尔科做了功课，他了解这段历史。对于这家俱乐部来说，这简直就是一个童话故事——我不知道为什么还没有人把我们的故事拍成好莱坞电影。如果他们拍的话，我想演主角！”

弗莱彻是在与 AFC 伯恩茅斯新官方袖标合作伙伴 MrQ 合作期间接受 FFT 采访的。

从狮穴到龙穴：当西奥·帕菲蒂斯拥有米尔沃尔时

这家次级联赛俱乐部在2004年历史上唯一一次获得欧战资格——幕后推手向 FFT 讲述了他波澜壮阔的董事会执政时期，期间包括给裁判的一份昂贵礼物、丹尼斯·怀斯古怪的执教首秀，以及在布达佩斯的一个恐怖之夜。

作者：安德鲁·迪伦 (Andrew Dillon)

西奥·帕菲蒂斯 (Theo Paphitis) 声称他“不讲”礼节。不过，当这位英国最受推崇的商人之一穿着一件耀眼的黄色夏威夷衬衫，在他在企业帝国内部的密室里轻快地迎接你时，你无需他人告知便能明白这一点。

一旦你的眼睛适应了那件短袖上衣反射出的强光，你很快就会明白为什么他是米尔沃尔的绝佳搭档，以及为什么在2004年这家英格兰最具有激烈工人阶级色彩的俱乐部在次级联赛期间闯入足总杯决赛——并历史上唯一一次获得欧战资格时，他担任俱乐部的主席。

米尔沃尔从来不是一个墨守成规的俱乐部。他们被称为“狮子”，球迷们为自己强悍的形象感到自豪，公开庆祝他们令人畏惧的名声，尽管当地警方报告称，上个赛季在“狮穴”（The Den）球场外没有发生任何骚乱。

帕菲蒂斯做事的方式也与众不同。他被誉为商业领域最敏锐的头脑之一，曾以同样的热情销售过文具、性感内衣和家居用品。他曾拥有 Ryman、Robert Dyas、London Graphic Centre 和 Boux Avenue，积累了数百万英镑的财富，并因在另一个著名的“穴”——BBC 节目《龙穴》（Dragons’ Den）中担任明星嘉宾而闻名，他在该节目中出镜多年，审问那些寻求他资金支持的创业者。

打破传统是帕菲蒂斯成功的关键，以至于 22 年前，在加的夫千禧球场即将开始的米尔沃尔与曼联的足总杯决赛前，当威尔士歌剧歌手凯瑟琳·詹金斯 (Katherine Jenkins) 正在热嗓准备高唱国歌时，帕菲蒂斯认为敲开裁判杰夫·温特 (Jeff Winter) 的门，给他及其助理送上一份礼物——一枚 18 克金的米尔沃尔狮子胸针——是完全正常的。第 123 届足总杯决赛绝非寻常之日。

“米尔沃尔竟然能进入杯赛，这简直不可思议”

“足协希望杯赛决赛能有两支豪门球队……好吧，他们得面对一个不被看好的弱旅”

“甚至能进决赛，简直不可思议，”现年 66 岁的帕菲蒂斯（Paphitis）告诉《FourFourTwo》。“我敢肯定足协对此深恶痛绝。你们这些媒体肯定也讨厌！足协想要一场两支豪门球队的盛会，对吧？结果他们得到了曼联，然后就得

面对一个弱旅。你们所有人都得接受一支‘小鱼’球队。我想，这在当天算是个不错的故事吧。

“我一直不太认同英足协那种死板的作风，尽管我当时在足协委员会任职——因为我在足球联赛董事会的席位，所以自动获得了那个资格。但我不是‘西装帮’的一员，我对那些繁文缛节和仪式感并不感兴趣，尽管我通过创建新的冠军联赛，并将其他组别重新命名为甲级联赛（League One）和乙级联赛（League Two），已经改变了足球联赛的面貌。是我发起了足球联赛的改革，我绝不能让英超联赛把所有好处都抢走。

“我们打破了所有现有的规矩。我肯定不会参加赛前的杯赛决赛晚宴之类的事情。对我来说，米尔沃尔是人民的俱乐部。我铸造了 99 枚小金狮襟章作为当天的纪念品——俱乐部每位员工都有一枚，这样他们都能记住这个时刻。

“那场杯赛决赛是

杰夫·温特（Jeff Winter）执法的最后一场比赛，他要退休了，有人告诉我他喜欢收集徽章。于是我成功地通过魅力说服了一位可爱的威尔士女士，她相信我说的每一句话，并一路把我带进体育场的深处，一直走到裁判休息室。

“我敲了敲门，门开了，我自我介绍了一下，但他们已经知道我是谁了。我说：‘好了，杰夫，这是你的最后一场比赛，我知道你要退休了。’我与他握手，祝他

（从右向左顺时针） 米尔沃尔首次闯入足协杯决赛时的庆祝场景；温布利在等待；雷·威尔金斯在将怀斯带到丹球场（The Den）的过程中充当了中间人；眨眼间丹尼斯就上了场，再眨眼他就被红牌罚下了

退休快乐。然后我说：‘我为我的所有队员和米尔沃尔的后勤团队——包括球场管理员——铸造了这些 18K 金的金狮襟章。’我半开玩笑地说：‘它们是 18K 金的，还是有点价值的，所以你们当然可以拒绝，或者按照你们的意愿向足协申报。’

“但我认为，即使在最疯狂的幻想中，也没人会认为一枚小小的襟章能影响足协高层在足协杯决赛中的决策。

莱斯特城，原因是该俱乐部在芬兰季前训练营期间发生的一起事件，导致队友卡勒姆·戴维森（Callum Davidson）右颧骨骨折两处。

对于米尔沃尔主帅马克·麦基（Mark McGhee）来说，这可能会证明是一次噩梦般的签约，所以帕菲蒂斯聪明地通过简单地不告诉这位苏格兰人来化解了这个问题。“前一周我和马克·麦基进行了一次深入交谈，”他回忆道。“他说我们需要一个丹尼斯·怀斯（Dennis Wise）风格的中场人物。我们有蒂姆·卡希尔（Tim Cahill），然后是一个正在学习如何胜任工作的潜力新人，负责全场覆盖。而丹尼斯当时刚刚因为一起事件离开莱斯特城。

“刚好我当时和邻居雷·威尔金斯（Ray Wilkins）一起喝酒。喝酒时，雷问

“我俏皮地转向杰夫说：‘你根本不在乎，因为你要退休了。’然后对他的助理们说：‘而你们 guys 还有职业生涯要走。’他们看着我的眼神仿佛在说：‘这家伙是彻底疯了吗？’”

“杰夫说：‘噢，西奥，你真是太有心了’，他优雅地接受了这份礼物，其他人也是如此。于是，我把那些胸针送给了他们，我相信直到今天他们依然保留着这些胸针，以此纪念米尔沃尔足球俱乐部那个不可思议的日子。而且我至今仍认为，那是我就见过的最出色的裁判执法表现之一。杰夫让比赛流畅地进行。”

但这可能对米尔沃尔并不利——在半决赛中击败同为第二级别联赛的桑德兰后，他们在决赛中被曼联 3-0 大败，几乎没能对这支显赫的对手造成任何威胁。克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多在半场结束前为亚历克斯·弗格森爵士的球队取得了领先，随后鲁德·范尼斯特鲁伊在下半场再入两球，确保夺冠。这场比赛正如每个人私下猜测的那样，完全是一边倒。

欧洲的次级联赛俱乐部

丹尼斯·怀斯在当天担任米尔沃尔的球员兼教练，他于2002年9月签约加入帕菲蒂斯的球队。怀斯曾随切尔西两度赢得足总杯冠军，但在那之前不久他被解雇了。

自英超联赛成立以来，米尔沃尔是仅有的四家在不在顶级联赛时参加过重大欧洲赛事的英格兰俱乐部之一。

“丹尼斯去哪了？”

伊普斯威奇

在乔治·伯利的带领下，“拖拉机之队”连续两次获得参赛资格——第一次是通过2001年的联赛排名，第二次是通过欧足联的公平竞赛联赛。也许他们表现得过于“公平”了——伊普斯威奇在同一赛季降级。他们以次级联赛球队的身份参加欧联杯，在主场以 8-1 大胜卢森堡球队阿文尼尔·贝根，险胜塞尔维亚球队斯梅代雷沃，随后输给了捷克俱乐部利贝雷茨。

伯明翰 “蓝军”在2011年联赛杯决赛中爆冷击败阿森纳夺冠，而这正发生在他们掉出顶级联赛的同一个赛季。但这支冠军联赛俱乐部击败了马德拉球队国民队，成功进入欧罗巴联赛小组赛。这让他们获得了在马里博尔和俱乐部布鲁日的比赛机会——他们两场全胜，后者得益于克里斯·伍德的一粒进球，但他们在主客场均输给了布拉加，最终带着 10 分遗憾出局。

维冈

罗伯托·马丁内斯在2013年见证了一场著名的足总杯决赛以及球队的降级，随后他匆匆前往埃弗顿。因此，当“潜水员”在第二级别联赛开启欧罗巴联赛之旅时，由欧文·考尔执掌帅印。在小组赛阶段，他们分别前往比利时的祖尔特瓦雷格姆和俄罗斯的卢宾卡赞进行客场比赛，并重复了伯明翰在马里博尔的经历，但六场比赛仅赢下一场，最终排名垫底。

如果我当时考虑到丹尼斯的话。我那时不喜欢丹尼斯的经纪人，那个叫埃里克·霍尔的狂躁怪物。在我尝试在丹尼斯离开切尔西后签下他时，那家伙非常粗鲁。所以，雷代表我私下直接向丹尼斯进行了询问。

“我最后和丹尼斯谈过了，我说：‘我保证他们在登球场（The Den）会爱死你的’，尽管他认为我想让他去米尔沃尔是在开玩笑。但我告诉他，我不会和他的经纪人打交道——我说：‘你得自己处理那件事。’我们在达成交易时没有经纪人在场。由于一切进展得非常快，我打破了许多禁忌。

“虽然我们让他成为了球队薪水最高的球员，但这并没有让我们陷入长期的承诺。这不会在财务上伤害俱乐部，而且一旦丹尼斯在心理上决定加入，他就让一切变得非常简单，为此所有米尔沃尔的球迷一直心存感激。

“我们完成了交易，然后我给马克打电话，告诉他第二天将组织一场新闻发布会。我对他说：‘我给你找了个新球员。’他有点惊讶。我提醒他，他之前要求中场需要一个丹尼斯·怀斯风格的人物，我说：‘好了，我给你找了一个。’他问：‘有机会告诉我是谁吗？’我说：‘有，丹尼斯·怀斯。’电话那头陷入了沉默。”

怀斯在代表“狮子”对阵考文特里的首秀中，照例在开场仅三分钟就被出牌，但帕菲蒂的眼光很准——球迷们非常崇拜他。尽管他与麦基的关系仅限于礼貌，但怀斯开始展现出那些将塑造他向教练转型特质——在米尔沃尔担任双重角色之后，他还执教过斯温顿和利兹——随后进入管理层，在纽卡斯尔联和科莫担任职务。

在怀斯加盟一年后，麦基与米尔沃尔协议分手——帕菲蒂的工作方式如此不循常规，他竟然向即将离任的主教练咨询谁应该是他的接任者。“马克立刻指出了丹尼斯，这非常大方，也强化了我的一些想法，”帕菲蒂说。“于是我给丹尼斯打电话，请他第二天早上在我的办公室见面，而不是去训练场。他进来了，我告诉他我想让他挑选周六的阵容。他的回答是他不确定管理工作是否适合他。我说：‘这不是请求……米尔沃尔需要你！’

“我们讨论了他的需求，他要求配备一名教练。他提到了雷·威尔金斯。我对他说，很可能有一天，主席必须解雇主教练及其团队，而那样

专题 西奥·帕菲蒂

就已经解雇了一位传奇。我不能解雇两位，尤其是其中一位还是我的朋友。但我们还是把他请来了。我只是告诉雷，在那种情况发生之前，他必须提前辞职。

“接下来的周六，丹尼斯陪我在董事席观看比赛。我不记得对手是谁了，但我想要向他学习。我绝不可能告诉丹尼斯·怀斯比赛应该怎么踢——我只是想问他问题，了解他的性格，并对他计划有个大致的了解。

“他穿着一套训练服坐在我旁边，这有点奇怪。他之前受伤缺阵了一段时间，但在担任球员兼主教练的首场比赛中，他把自己放在了替补席上。于是比赛进行时，我们就那样聊着天，偶尔问几个问题，一起观看比赛。然后我回头一看，他不见了。最后我发现他在场边，正脱掉外套准备上场比赛。这一切都感觉有点诡异，但没过多久他就回到了我旁边的座位上，因为他被红牌罚下了。我想我们后来提出了申诉，并撤销了该处罚。”

怀斯在主场对阵尼尔·沃诺克率领的谢菲尔德联队的比赛中，上场仅 4 分钟就因为一次双脚铲球被直接出示红牌罚下。这导致米尔沃尔队只剩下 9 人——在雄狮队中场大卫·利弗莫尔被罚下后，他让自己参与到了比赛中。幸运的是，在第一次红牌出现时，他们已经 2-0 领先，并且最终顶住了压力赢下了比赛。

布达佩斯之夜

帕菲蒂斯出生于塞浦路斯，在曼彻斯特长大。当他遇到一名来自南伦敦的女孩（即他挚爱的 P 夫人）时，他成为了米尔沃尔队的拥趸。1997年，他在俱乐部负债 1000 万英镑m 时接管了球队，并执掌了八年。在任期间，米尔沃尔经历了其历史上唯一一次（尽管十分短暂）的欧战之旅。

当时的规则规定，如果足总杯冠军不需要欧联杯名额，那么亚军将获得该名额。“我们当时已经知道，无论胜负，我们都将获得欧战资格，因为曼联已经获得了欧冠资格，”帕菲蒂斯说道。

“为什么不把它当成一场派对呢？这就是我们告诉所有人的——每个人都完全没有压力。我们告诉支持者们去卡迪夫，好好享受，并展现出他们是多么优秀的一群球迷。

“在那次足总杯征程中，最不愉快的一场比赛是在老特拉福德对阵桑德兰的半决赛，因为那场比赛承载了太多。”

在决赛中负责盯防克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多的则是爱尔兰人罗比·赖恩，他 1998年从哈德斯菲尔德加盟米尔沃尔时仅花费了 1 万英镑。退役后，这位后卫成为了伦敦地铁的轨道维护工程师。

“罗比在那场比赛后离开了我们，最终以教练身份回归，”帕菲蒂斯说，“我想他后来在伦敦交通局（TfL）工作。无论他现在在做什么，我敢打赌他一定坐在某个酒吧里，向朋友们讲述他当年盯防罗纳尔多的经历，而他的朋友们看着他，心想：‘得了吧，怎么可能’。

“我不久前看了那场比赛，解说非常精彩。其中一个人说：‘看，罗纳尔多再次晃过了罗比·赖恩——这个叫罗纳尔多的男孩，他真的有潜力成就一番事业。’对于罗比来说，能够参加足总杯决赛是一个多么美妙的故事。显然他当时能力不足，但他倾尽了全力，我为他感到非常自豪。

“当时的阵容已经精简到了极限。很多人受伤，包括丹尼斯，他在赛前一周失踪了，自费前往一家瑞士诊所治疗腿伤——我得赶紧补充一句，那是他自费的！”

米尔沃尔在那天打破了一项纪录，在第 89 分钟换上了青训球员柯蒂斯·韦斯顿——他至今仍是足总杯决赛历史上最年轻的球员，当时年仅 17 岁 119 天。为了强调他多么年轻，韦斯顿在 2025 年仍被注册为非联赛球队米克洛弗的球员。

在随后与匈牙利球队费伦茨瓦罗斯进行的欧联杯首轮两回合比赛中，他两场都没有进入替补名单——这支球队的球迷给帕菲蒂斯留下了深刻的印象。足球本身是一回事，但场外发生的事件则是另一回事。

从顶端到底端 费伦茨瓦罗斯球迷随队前往伦敦；怀斯打入了该系列赛的首球；米尔沃尔在次回合比赛中面临极其狂热的氛围；丹球场尚未再次经历欧战之夜

“米尔沃尔在欧战中只进过两个球，猜猜是谁进的？都是丹尼斯·怀斯，”他回忆道，“首回合我们在主场 1-1 战平，然后前往客场。他们在一家旧体育场比赛——我不常感到害怕，但当时我为我的孩子们感到害怕。我们和官员们坐在一起，周围是我只能描述为右翼球迷的人，真正的新纳粹类型。太恶劣了——他们做切喉动作，吐口水，你能想到的所有恶劣行为。我向欧足联代表请求安保。那真的相当恐怖。

“我不认为升级的机会已经消失。米尔沃尔目前状态不错”

“遗憾的是我们输掉了比赛，但这并不是最悲剧的地方。真正的悲剧在于我们的球迷，他们在足总杯决赛中表现得无可挑剔，在首回合主场比赛中也是如此。不幸的是，在赛前以及赛后，有一群在球场周围走动的球迷遭到了这些戴面具的

准军事化球迷的袭击。当时我还没意识到情况有多严重。

“赛后我们赶到了机场，但不得不推迟航班。有几名球迷被刺伤，其中一人处于生命维持状态。我们必须在布达佩斯英国领事馆的陪同下，尝试

确认他们的身份。这意味着我们要翻找一袋沾满血迹的衣服和一部手机，试图找到‘妈妈’或‘家’的联系方式。

“那太可怕了。真的非常令人难过。其中一人在之后很长一段时间里身体状况都很糟糕。我们最终把所有人都接回家并接机送回，但那是一次悲伤的经历。那是我最后一个赛季，我的谢幕之战。在那次赛季结束时，我交出了权力。”

近在咫尺，却又遥不可及

帕菲蒂斯是一个社交能力强的人，但并不爱出风头，尽管在我们见面时他的着装如此之特——不过为他辩护的话，是因为那天晚上他公司要举办夏季派对。他一直不愿对现代米尔沃尔的运作方式发表看法，更倾向于像一名普通球迷那样单纯地观赛，而他确实也是一名普通球迷。

上赛季，“狮子队”比以往任何时候都更接近最终闯入英超联赛——他们排名第三，仅以一分之差错失直接升级名额，随后在季后赛半决赛中输给了赫尔。

“当情况变得非常令人兴奋，且有机会直接升级时，每个人都想采访我关于过去的事情，但我说：‘你知道吗？我不打算这么做，因为当球场上正在创造伟大的成就时，我不想谈论我们曾经取得的成就。’”

“上赛季，米尔沃尔以典型的坚韧风格取得了一些惊人的结果，但遗憾的是，我们输掉了几场绝不该输的比赛。我们就是缺乏那种稳定性，以毫厘之差错失了直接升级的机会。”

像布伦特福德和伯恩茅斯这样的俱乐部成为了英超的常客，与英格兰足球中那些更传统的巨头们同场竞技，这给帕菲蒂斯深爱的“狮子队”带来了希望，让他们相信自己终有一天也能做到这一点。

“我们拥有一个能够应对英超标准的球场，”他说，“它虽然不能容纳 60,000 人，但伯恩茅斯在主场比赛时能容纳多少球迷？世界已经改变了。过去你需要一个大球场才能在英超生存，而现在的电视转播费如此巨额，以至于让门票收入显得微不足道。”

“我知道米尔沃尔拥有相应的基础设施。贝里尔森家族为俱乐部提供了长期的投资和支持。遗憾的是，父亲已于 [2023] 年去世，但现在由他的儿子詹姆斯掌管——他们对俱乐部进行了长期投资，我认为这是关键。我为他们上赛季的结果感到非常失望，因为多年来他们一直以长期投资支持俱乐部——他们理应获得对其成功以及升级英超的认可。”

“我们处于一个良好的状态。我不认为机会已经消失。英冠联赛将是一个艰难的级别，但它一直都很艰难。当你拥有一个优秀的董事会基础、一个优秀的股东基础以及一个良好的俱乐部长期延续计划时，你就会看到成功。这就是你在伯恩茅斯身上看到的，在布伦特福德身上看到的，也是你上赛季在米尔沃尔身上几乎看到的。我祈祷我们能再次发力。”

帕菲蒂斯时代完美证明了“狮子队”有时能够打破常规，做出没人预料到的事情。本赛季他将再次关注比赛，希望更多的历史时刻就在拐角处。

在一部新书中，保罗·沃森讲述了一些地球上最古怪的足球故事，包括一家中场球员疑似毒枭的俱乐部、打扮成松鼠的球迷，以及一支渴望复仇的贝宁球队。

复活节岛 (A)

以及另外 19 个 来自全球的 离奇故事

在观看抽签时，任何球队都希望避免遇到潜在的“冷门陷阱”，因此圣地亚哥流浪者队在 2024 年智利杯抽到前往偏远的胡安·费尔南德斯群岛（Juan Fernandez Islands）客场比赛时，可能并不太高兴。这场比赛意味着他们必须前往距离智利海岸 400 英里的鲁宾逊·克鲁索岛（Robinson Crusoe Island）。该岛以丹尼尔·笛福的著名小说命名，讲述了一名英国商人遭遇海难后在偏远岛屿上被困 28 年的故事。

由于没有足够的商业航线能让圣地亚哥流浪者队抵达该岛，他们不得不请求智利海军的补给舰“阿基里斯号”（Aquiles）接送，以便面对未知的对手。

胡安·费尔南德斯队的成员是从岛上的业余球队中匆忙组建的，但由于部分球员因捕捞龙虾而缺席训练，球队受到了影响。尽管如此，他们仍然让职业对手感到压力重重，最终仅以 2-1 惜败。

这是该国偏远岛屿的球队第二次参加智利杯。2009 年，一支来自拉帕努伊（Rapa Nui，更广为人知的名称是复活节岛）的球队主场迎战科洛科洛队（Colo-Colo），后者被广泛认为是该国最成功的俱乐部。科洛科洛队以 4-0 获胜返回家中，但最令人难忘的时刻是拉帕努伊队在赛前表演的波利尼西亚战争之舞，而球场两旁矗立着两尊该岛著名的摩艾石像。

烂到无法参赛

当一家俱乐部被联赛除名时，你通常会认为他们是为了获胜而作弊，但对于苏埃卡联队（Sueca United）来说，情况恰恰相反——他们因为表现太差而被指控没有努力，从而被瓦伦西亚联赛系统的低级别联赛踢出。

这家俱乐部是由古怪的演员保·科迪纳（Pau Codina）构思的，旨在为那些在其他地方无法获得出场机会的人提供机会。尽管这种初衷令人钦佩，但却导致苏埃卡联队每周都处于劣势。在 11 个赛季中，他们连续输掉了 300 多场比赛，丢球超过 4,000 个。该俱乐部历史上的平均比分是 24-0。到了 2023 年 9 月，瓦伦西亚足球协会失去了耐心，在苏埃卡联队仅进行了两场比赛（包括一场 40-0 的惨败）后将其除名。够了！

在渡轮上踢德比？！

爱沙尼亚的萨雷马岛（Saaremaa）和希乌马岛（Hiiumaa）一直存在着激烈但友好的竞争关系。当他们决定在 2013 年进行一场足球赛时，双方都不愿放弃主场优势，于是他们想出了一个新颖的中立场地方案——比赛在连接两岛的 M / S Muhumaa 客运渡轮上进行。

船甲板上铺了一层草坪，但空间仅够进行五人制比赛，这可能降低了在局势升级时有人被撞“落水”的风险。希乌马岛以 4-1 获胜——这令人惊讶，因为萨雷马岛是库雷萨雷足球俱乐部（FC Kuressaare）的所在地，该俱乐部参加爱沙尼亚顶级联赛。不同寻常的是，他们在塔林训练，但主场比赛在自己的岛上举行，这意味着主场比赛往往比客场比赛需要更长的旅程。

有鞋就走

苏丹球队希拉尔（Al Hilal）最近完成了一项前所未有的壮举——在短短两个赛季内，赢得了三个不同国家的联赛冠军。

由于残酷的内战被迫离开家乡，他们与苏丹对手梅里赫（Al Merrikh）加入了 2024-25 赛季的毛里塔尼亚超级 D1 联赛。这两个国家并非邻国，相距约 3,000 英里，但希拉尔最终名列榜首，尽管仅被认可为“荣誉冠军”，而当地球队努阿迪布（FC Nouadhibou）在技术上才是冠军。

随后，这两家苏丹俱乐部短暂返回本国，希拉尔赢得了精英联赛（Elite League）——这是一个旨在决定哪些俱乐部

下方：没人想到点球点，对吧...

将代表国家参加洲际比赛的短期赛事。随后，两支球队又加入了 2025-26 赛季的卢旺达超级联赛，希拉尔在那里轻松完成了不可思议的三冠王。

需要氧气

在今年英格兰在墨西哥城赢得世界杯之前，人们没完没了地讨论在高海拔地区比赛的影响，但与访问秘鲁球队米纳斯联（Union Minas）相比，那简直微不足道。

从 20 世纪 80 年代到 21 世纪初，这支来自帕斯科山的球队凭借一群职业老将和差一点就成功的球员，在巨大的主场优势帮助下，登上了秘鲁足球的顶峰。

丹尼尔·阿尔西德斯·卡里翁体育场（Estadio Daniel Alcides Carrion）是世界上最高的一座体育场，海拔约 14,000 英尺——这大约相当于 2,126 个丹·伯恩斯（Dan Burns）的高度，比珠穆朗玛峰的大本营低不到 4,000 英尺。客队被海拔高度压制得如此严重，以至于经常陷入瘫痪状态，半场休息时，客队更衣室里随处可见氧气面罩。

米纳斯联在 1998 赛季曾短暂领跑顶级联赛，但采矿业的衰落给该地区带来了沉重打击，导致他们在联赛中下滑

并在 2011 年停止运营，直到去年才回归。

六冠王与一场葬礼

有些俱乐部会让对手产生强烈的敌意，而原因并不完全明显。对于其他俱乐部来说，原因则更显而易见。以马耳他的瓦莱塔足球俱乐部（Valletta FC）为例。

这支“白衣军团”是马耳他最成功的俱乐部之一——他们赢得了 25 次联赛冠军。在 2000-01 赛季，当杰拉德·侯耶率领的利物浦赢得杯赛三冠王时，瓦莱塔则以赢得一个几乎闻所未闻的国内六冠王予以回应，一次性拿下了超级联赛、Rothmans 奖杯、超级五强杯、Lowenbrau 杯、超级杯和百年纪念杯。

但正是瓦莱塔庆祝胜利的方式激怒了对手——每当他们赢得联赛冠军时，球迷们就会为被击败的对手举行一场模拟葬礼的街道游行，抬着印有对手标志的棺材穿过街道。因此，当瓦莱塔在 2023-24 赛季遭遇队史首次降级时，其他俱乐部表现出浓浓的幸灾乐祸也就不足为奇了。

塔希提免费之旅

自 1961 年以来，法国杯允许来自全球法国领地的球队参赛，这创造了世界足球史上一些最史诗级的客场之旅。法国足协承担费用，但业余球队仍得顶着压力，在日常工作中请假，去进行一次可能非常漫长的远行。

在 2024-25 赛季，法丙（第四级别）诺曼底球队阿夫朗什（US Avranches）抽到了客场对阵来自塔希提帕佩埃的 AS Dragon 队——他们从阴雨绵绵的法国北部飞越近 10,000 英里，前往太平洋上的热带天堂岛屿，结果在 2-2 平局后点球负于对手。

选错了俱乐部

虽然球员们总是试图伪装成是因为之前就热爱新俱乐部才决定转会，但实际上，更换球队背后往往隐藏着一些心照不宣的原因。其中最奇怪的案例之一是刚果边锋蒂维·比富马（Thievy Bifouma）在 2024 年加盟伊朗球队胡齐斯坦埃斯特格拉尔（Esteghlal Khuzestan）的经历。

这位前西布罗姆维奇租借球员解释说，他签约是因为想在亚冠联赛中面对克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多。“我查看了赛程表，发现他们有一场对阵利雅得胜利的比赛——我告诉自己，这就是我想去的地方，”他告诉伊朗媒体。

但问题在于，利雅得胜利的对手是位于德黑兰的埃斯特格拉尔足球俱乐部（Esteghlal FC），而不是位于数百英里以南、完全不同的另一支球队胡齐斯坦埃斯特格拉尔。比富马承认：“我完全不知道有两支球队都叫埃斯特格拉尔。当我到达那里时，我的同胞盖尔·卡库塔（Gael Kakuta）给我打电话问我在哪里。”

卡库塔当时效力于埃斯特格拉尔足球俱乐部——两人很快意识到，他们最终无法成为队友。

“伙计们，我们今天出狱了”

世界上有不少监狱足球队，但威尔士的 HMP Prescoed 队非常罕见——他们的球员并非由狱警或支持人员组成，而是该 D 类（即开放式）监狱的囚犯。

该球队参加格温特中央联赛（Gwent Central League）。粗略浏览联赛积分榜会发现，他们的主场战绩似乎非常出色，但客场战绩却极其糟糕。而事实是：

出于显而易见的原因，HMP Prescoed 不被允许前往客场参加比赛——他们在自己的球场进行这些比赛，但必须每场以 0-5 弃权，并被扣除 3 分。因此，该赛季最好的结果就是以 0 分完赛。上赛季，他们在 14 场比赛中取得了 5 胜 1 平，最终积分为负 5 分。

美国噩梦

当加勒比海小岛安提瓜有机会在美职联（USL，美国足球第三级别联赛）注册一支俱乐部时，这看起来是一个绝佳的机会。然而，到了 2013 年他们那场注定失败的第三个赛季，安提瓜巴拉库达（Antigua Barracuda）的梦想变成了噩梦。

该联赛本应是“国际化”的，但波多黎各的三支球队在 2011 赛季被移除，到了 2013 年，巴拉库达为了能参赛，被迫搬迁至美国本土。这支资金匮乏的球队住在佛罗里达州坦帕的一家狭小酒店里，为了参加比赛，他们得乘坐一辆小型面包车进行长达 10 小时的旅程。一度他们甚至不得不由于无法使用球场而在酒店停车场训练。他们 26 场比赛全部落败。

冲绳的“二号”球队

日本第三级别联赛的琉球足球俱乐部（FC Ryukyu）来自冲绳岛，这里以海滩、珊瑚礁和一场著名的第二次世界大战战役而闻名。冲绳曾是琉球王国，一个独立于日本的实体，并保留着自己独特的文化。它在地理上也与日本其他地区分离，这对一支足球队来说是个挑战——琉球足球俱乐部在 J3 联赛的每一场客场比赛都需要至少 400 英里的旅程。

不过，如果他们想鼓励更亲近的接触，也许不该选择“便便博物馆”（Unko Museum）作为 2025 年的球衣背面赞助商。便便博物馆致力于“便便”这一主题，自称“恶心得可爱”，而且令人担忧的是，“具有高度互动性”。

渴望回家

许多球队都能体会到在遭遇令人失望的败仗后，再次登上大巴开启漫长回家之旅时的那种痛苦。然而，很少有球队能与巴尼甘塞（Bani Ganse）相比。

这支来自贝宁的球队在登上大巴，准备从该国西南部的洛托-波波（Loto-Popo）开始 10 小时的返程之旅时，心情就已经很糟糕了。而当球员和教练组成员开始不可控制地感到瘙痒时，情况变得更加糟糕。事实证明，洛托-波波的球迷在巴士座位上喷洒了工业级止痒粉，以此回应他们认为巴尼甘塞涉嫌在“球场上放置可疑物质”的行为。洛托-波波方面表示他们已用“圣水将其中和”——但对于在愈发令人烦躁的球队大巴上的巴尼甘塞球员来说，并没有这样的运气。

世界上最古怪的宿敌

当巴尔蒂卡·加林格勒（Baltika Kaliningrad）在 2023 年升入俄罗斯超级联赛时，没有人比 SKA-哈巴罗夫斯克（SKA-Khabarovsk）的支持者更开心，因为他们再也不必为了面对对手而进行横跨全国的艰苦旅程。

哈巴罗夫斯克位于俄罗斯远东地区，靠近中国、日本和朝鲜，而加林格勒则是波罗的海沿岸的一个飞地，夹在波兰和立陶宛之间。往返 9,000 英里的旅程曾是一项常规且令人恐惧的赛程，但巴尔蒂卡的升级（他们随后立即降级，但在 2025 年再次升级）至少稍微减少了哈巴罗夫斯克的里程；他们每赛季累计行驶里程约为 70,000 英里，相当于前往月球距离的三分之一。

安迪·莫里森：塞舌尔主帅？

当青少年足球教练安德鲁·阿默斯-莫里森（Andrew Amers-Morrison）在 2010 年去塞舌尔度假时，他很难想象这次旅行会如此波折。

塞舌尔足球协会误以为前曼城球员安迪·莫里森（Andy Morrison）就在岛上，于是抓住机会向他提供国家男子队主教练的职位。阿默斯-莫里森虽然震惊但欣喜地接受了。遗憾的是，当一名记者联系真正的安迪·莫里森询问他对球队的计划时，一切都败露了，电话另一端困惑的男人坚称自己从未踏足过塞舌尔。

尴尬的足协最初将阿默斯-莫里森的合同缩短至六个月，给他一个证明自己的机会，随后撤回了邀请，坚称他们“无法再确定他是否是领导国家队教练组的合适人选”。这很难反驳——因为他们确实把工作给了错误的人。真正的安迪·莫里森此后执教过康纳斯基游牧者队（Connah's Quay Nomads）和斯里兰卡国家队。

迷失大海

圣赫勒拿（St Helena）是英国的海外领土，位于南大西洋中部，最著名的身份是拿破仑最后的流放地——这里也是地球上最偏远的足球联赛所在地，比赛在岛上风景如画的弗朗西斯平原球场（Francis Plain Playing Field）进行。

就在 2020 年的该联赛中，水晶游骑兵队（Crystal Rangers）分别以 36-0 和 30-0 输给了流浪者队（Rovers）和贝尔男孩队（Bellboys）——对于一支曾在 1990 年代四次赢得岛上杯赛冠军并获得一次联赛冠军的球队来说，这些结果看起来很糟糕，但当时存在减轻责任的特殊情况。两次比赛中，该队都只能派出八名球员，因为一次海上紧急救援意味着几名球员在赛前热身期间必须奔向救生艇。

走出非洲

休达（Ceuta）是位于北非海岸的西班牙自治区城市，与摩洛哥接壤。近期，由于数千名移民在短短几小时内通过海路进入该市，休达成为了全球新闻的焦点。这里没有机场，因此自从休达在 2025 年进入西班牙乙级联赛（Segunda Division）以来，这里也成了客队的噩梦。

通常的抵达方式是从西班牙南部的阿尔赫西拉斯（Algeciras）港口乘坐轮渡，但当巴塞罗那在 2023 年的国王杯中抽到休达时，他们没有采取任何冒险之举——而是动用了三架独立的直升机将比赛日阵容运抵目的地。

上赛季，休达在积分榜中游取得了体面的成绩，尤其是在主场表现出色。但主教练何塞·胡安·罗梅罗（Jose Juan Romero）将他们为了参加一场毫无悬念的比赛而前往安道尔足球俱乐部（FC Andorra）的长途旅程形容为“极其麻烦”——这是一场由来自非洲大陆的俱乐部与一个完全不同国家的俱乐部之间进行的西班牙联赛比赛。

疯狂之举

当你想到球迷文化时，可能不会立刻想到内陆的小国安道拉公国，然而这个全球第 17 小的国家却拥有一个精彩且略显疯狂的支持者传统。

圣科洛马镇（Santa Coloma）——就在该国的大都市、首都安道拉城（Andorra la Vella）附近——拥有两家竞争俱乐部：圣科洛马足球俱乐部（FC Santa Coloma）和圣科洛马联合（UE Santa Coloma）。后者接纳了该镇著名的（好吧，这可能有点夸张）庞大松鼠种群，将“Esquirols”或“松鼠”作为他们的绰号。

为了致敬这个绰号，支持者们传统上会在每个赛季的最后一场主场比赛中装扮成松鼠出现——这旨在让对手心生恐惧，或者更可能的是，让那个忘记还剩一场比赛而提前两周穿上套装的球迷感到极度尴尬。

一名闯入球场的球迷跳过 UE Santa Coloma 的广告牌。上方文字：“我是塞舌尔的主教练？这对我来说是个新闻”

轻松的工作日

评论界有一个古老的陈词滥调，即有时比赛结果取决于球队展现出的是哪个版本的状态。在 2010 年的多哥队身上，这种情况简直成了字面意义上的事实——当巴林在一次友谊赛中 3-0 轻松击败他们时，亚洲球队的教练约瑟夫·希克尔斯伯格（Josef Hickersberger）感到的不是高兴，而是怀疑。多哥在四年前参加过世界杯，但现场没有看到伊曼纽尔·阿德巴约尔（Emmanuel Adebayor）的身影，而且球员们甚至难以撑满 90 分钟。

当巴林官员致电多哥足协时，一切都真相大白——他们根本没有派遣球队参赛，实际参加比赛的那支队伍全是冒牌货。

调查显示，整场比赛是由足球界最猖獗的操盘手之一、新加坡人威尔逊·拉杰·佩鲁马尔（Wilson Raj Perumal）安排的，这支假球队由多哥前主帅巴纳·查尼莱（Bana Tchanile）率领。与此同时，在这场骗局比赛进行时，真正的多哥国家队正坐在大巴车上，他们此前刚在 4,000 英里外的博茨瓦纳参加完比赛。

以武力征服联赛

在韩国，所有身体健康的男性在 30 岁之前必须履行一段兵役——对于少数幸运儿来说，这段兵役可以在踢足球的同时完成。

下方只是巴拉圭第二级别联赛中一次典型的驾驶，没什么好看的……

金泉上武（Gimcheon Sangmu）是大韩民国军队的球队，每个赛季他们会签下 15 名球员，这些球员将在俱乐部度过 18 个月到两年的时间。球队的运气起伏不定，但在 2024 年和 2025, 年，他们均在韩国顶级联赛中获得第三名；如果不是被禁止参加亚洲大陆赛事，他们本可以获得亚冠联赛的参赛资格。

然而，他们的辉煌日子即将结束——无论最终排名如何，该俱乐部将在今年年底离开顶级联赛，因为 K 联赛、韩国军队体育团与金泉市之间的附属协议即将到期。预计任何在金泉成立的新市民所有制俱乐部，或在其他城市成立的军队俱乐部，都将从第二级别联赛开始。

LOTO-POPO 球迷在对手球队回程的长途大巴上喷洒了使人发痒的粉末

“好吧，我就选那个涉嫌毒枭的人”

巴拉圭的卡皮亚塔体育（Deportivo Capiata）在 2021 年处于低谷——即便如此，他们中场的一名新援看起来在常规首发球员中显得异常迟缓。此人正是塞巴斯蒂安·马塞特（Sebastian Marset），他被指控为全球最猖獗的可卡因贩运者之一，同时也是一名失败的半职业足球运动员。

马塞特开着他众多兰博基尼中的一辆来到俱乐部，在停车场激起了一阵碎石雨。他很快用现金收买了队友，让他们支持他进入首发阵容——虽然教练最初试图让他坐冷板凳，但有人向教练指出了马塞特是多么地“至关重要”。

令人难以置信的是，马塞特能够为该俱乐部出战，且名单上显示的是他的真名。他在涉嫌洗钱的同时，实现了成为职业足球运动员的童年梦想，直到他决定离开。美国当局对他开出了巨额悬赏，马塞特于 2026 年 3 月在玻利维亚被捕——随后被移交给美国监管，最初是以“租借”形式，旨在达成一项可能的长期协议。

保罗·沃森（Paul Watson）的著作《环球 80 家俱乐部》（Around the World in 80 Clubs）现已发售

“我在对阵 QPR 的比赛中与巴洛特利配合的那次二过一是我计划好的——那个进球将永远留在我的记忆中”

塞尔希奥·阿圭罗在 2011 年以俱乐部纪录的 3800 万英镑m 加盟曼彻斯特城，并以 260 个进球作为回报——其中包括那个为球队带来首个英超联赛冠军的绝杀球。他向 FFT 讲述了这一切。

采访者：Zach Lowy

在我得知曼彻斯特城想要签下我的那天，我正随阿根廷国家队参加 2011 年的美洲杯。我在马德里竞技效力了五年，我的经纪人埃尔南·雷格拉（Hernan Reguera）给我打电话说城队对我非常感兴趣。尤文图斯同样感兴趣，并且接近达成协议——当时他们正准备与亚历山德罗·德尔·皮耶罗分道扬镳。但事实是，当曼彻斯特城接触我时，我已经做出了决定，因为我一直很喜欢英格兰联赛。迈克尔·欧文是我的偶像，我非常崇拜他，并且一直梦想在英超联赛中踢球。

我离开阿根廷时还很年轻——2006 年马德里竞技将我从独立队带到西班牙时，我 17 岁，即将满 18, 岁。最困难的是决定搬到另一个国家，因为我的年龄太小。你要记得在 2006, 年，技术手段远没有今天这么多，所以与家人和朋友交流要困难得多。

如今，当你满 17 或 18 岁时，有 1,000 种通过技术与家人联系的方式——你可以用手机在 10 秒钟内发起视频通话。而那时，你必须想方设法地安排才能和大家说话。这更困难，对我来说，这就是让事情变得复杂的原因。但去像西班牙这样的联赛踢球，并且能够通过马德里竞技在欧洲开启我的职业生涯，这绝对是一个正确的决定。

当曼城的报价到来时，这关乎在英超联赛踢球的机会，而且俱乐部正在通过新球员构建一些东西。他们正在组建一支面向未来的球队，一支能够赢得冠军的球队。此外，我的阿根廷队友巴勃罗·萨巴莱塔和卡洛斯·特维斯也在那里，这让我的决定变得容易得多。

你做出的决定可能会产生反效果，但幸运的是，这次选择是正确的，就像我加盟马德里竞技时一样。在曼彻斯特城的第一个赛季，我表现不错，在英超联赛中打入了 23 球。

为什么我能如此快速地适应英格兰足球？首先，是因为我的渴望。我一直有竞争的欲望，总是想多付出一点。我想在曼彻斯特城创造历史，而且考虑到他们支付给马德里竞技的转会费，我想让他们觉得这笔钱花得值。我想表现出色，让他们意识到这是一次很好的投资。

我能适应得这么好还有很多其他原因，比如当时曼彻斯特城队中的球员。与大卫·席尔瓦、亚亚·图雷、埃丁·哲科、马里奥·巴洛特利、加雷斯·巴里、文森特·孔帕尼、詹姆斯·米尔纳一起踢球非常轻松……他们同样也是领袖。

那里有很多优秀的球员，这让我的处境轻松得多，而且英国球员对我非常好。我的英语很糟糕，但他们尽力帮助我理解他们。我从未与英国球员发生过任何争吵，因为他们总是非常尊重我。

当然，当我们以冠军身份结束我的第一个赛季时，加盟曼城变成了一个非常、非常正确的决定。那对于俱乐部来说是一个极其重要的冠军。

我对那个赛季对阵曼联的比赛有着最美好的回忆。非常重要的一点是，我们两场都赢了。在那个时候，曼城已经习惯了曼联总是更强、且他们永远无法击败对方的想法。

当我开始面对曼联时，我的心态是：“这种情况必须改变——我们必须认为我们能击败他们，认为我们能赢得曼彻斯特德比。”事实也正是如此。球队和我最终表现得很好。在那些对阵曼联的比赛中，我能够完全

集中注意力。在我的脑海中，我总是想着：“我必须在对阵曼联的比赛中进球，因为我们需要赢得这场比赛。”我非常专注，幸运的是，比赛的结果通常都相当不错。

在我们[在4月下旬]击败曼联之后，我们进入了赛季的最后一场比赛，当时我们知道如果能在主场击败女王公园巡游者（QPR），我们就能赢得联赛冠军。但在下半场，我们以 1-2 落后。你当时就在想：“我们要失去冠军了。”但我们一直尝试到最后。不过，当埃丁·杰科在第 92 分钟打入扳平比分为 2-2 的进球时，我想：“也许我还能再进一个。”

这就是为什么两分钟后，我决定后撤接尼格尔·德容的传球，然后尝试与马里奥·巴洛特利进行一次二过一配合。这已经在我的计划之中——我一直在筹划这一点，看看能否进球。在此之前，我已经告诉过马里奥我会找他，我会把球传给他，以便他能给我一个二过一的助攻。

幸运的是，我和他制定的计划奏效了——最终成为了一个完美的配合。

“当曼城的报价到来时，他们正在打造一支面向未来的球队——一支能够赢得冠军的球队”

我和马里奥完成了一次二过一配合，我进球了，我们赢得了冠军。

这样的时刻会永远留在你的心中——这是我余生永远不会忘记的回忆。现在我已经不再踢球，并且明白了那个冠军有多么珍贵，所以每当我谈起它时，都会勾起美好的回忆。

在夺冠当天，充满了激动；作为球员，我们感到非常幸福。我们享受了那个时刻，度过了一段美好的时光，但随后我们有20天的假期，接着就是季前训练。我们渴望再次竞争。你其实无法长时间沉浸在那些时刻中——在新赛季开始时，一切都要回到原点，你必须继续前行，必须继续努力。这就是事实。

佩普·瓜迪奥拉在2016,年接任主教练，起初对我来说有点复杂，因为我不习惯作为前锋去维持他所要求的那种压迫。但实际上，结果非常理想。

随着时间的推移，我们相互适应，最终形成了互补。他对我的要求很高，因此我在他的麾下进了很多球并赢得了冠军。事实是，我们最终在俱乐部共同创造了一段不可思议的历史，所以我必须感谢他为帮助我持续进球并创造历史所做的一切。对我来说，佩普是我经历过的最好的教练——他是世界上最好的教练。

从下方起顺时针方向：

“Agueroooooo”；这位阿根廷人在他效力曼城的10个赛季中打入了184个联赛进球；你永远不会忘记你的第一个进球；在2011年的6-1曼彻斯特德比中破门；身着马德里竞技球衣；早年磨练才干的时光。

在俱乐部效力期间，我也打破了进球记录。我不知道为什么能获得那样的成功——你所做的就是专注于赢得比赛、攻入进球和夺取冠军，然后那些记录自然而然地就产生了。

我刚加盟曼城时的目标就是赢得冠军，事实也确实如此。进球帮助我开始打破记录，比如英超历史上帽子戏法次数最多、曼城队史进球最多，以及

英超联赛中外籍球员进球最多。

这一切自然而然地发生了，随着年岁增长，我想继续打破越来越多的记录。事情按照预定的轨迹发展——通过坚持我一直以来的方式做事，我知道我会打破记录。

我在2021,年离开，经历了10年幸福的时光，但我希望曼城能继续取得成功。如果他们能继续赢得冠军并签下伟大的球员，即使在现在，这也会继续增加我在俱乐部留下的遗产。如果他们走错了路，人们将不再那么多地谈论曼城。曼城在顶峰停留的时间越长，人们谈论这家俱乐部就越多，谈论我们这些曾在俱乐部效力的人也就越多。对于我自己以及我曾共事的队友们来说，我们的名字将继续留在高处。

我已经退役五年了，但我并不想念踢球。我有时会想：“嗯，如果能去踢一会儿就太好了”，但我并不焦虑。我已经退休了，生活舒适，做着我喜欢的事情，过得很开心。在世界杯期间，我担任了FIFA款待服务的大使，对此我感到很满意，因为我受到了极好的对待。如今，我享受观看精彩比赛，不再踏上球场对我来说并不是问题。

我在世界各地仍然会遇到很多曼城球迷。有些人并非来自英格兰，而是来自其他国家并支持这家俱乐部，但我也在很多地方见过许多英格兰球迷——甚至在阿根廷。有一次我在吃晚餐，当时有两个支持曼城的英格兰人，他们见到我非常高兴！无论我在世界的哪个角落，曼城球迷都对我很好，每次我去曼彻斯特时也是如此，尽管我现在去得不那么频繁了。能与我的老队友们在一起总是让我感到激动，我曾很享受与他们在球场上共同战斗的时光。

球迷们现在依然关注我，依然像我球员时代那样喜爱我，这感觉很好。我想他们对我那 10 年间的表现感到满意，包括所有的冠军头衔，当然还有那个对俱乐部历史至关重要的对阵 QPR 的进球。

随着岁月流逝，每年的 5 月 13 日——也就是那个对阵 QPR 进球的日子，我都会重新回味那个时刻。美好的回忆——对我而言，永远如此。

这孩子有点特别 布莱顿的右翼新援，以及曼城的新“拉希姆·斯特林”？文字：Joe Donnohue

扎多克·约汉纳 (ZADOK YOHANNA)

布莱顿在夏天以 2150 万英镑m 签下的球员，从 12 岁起就一直在追逐英超之梦。

这位边锋出生并成长于尼日利亚的包奇州，但在进入青少年时期之前就离开了家，前往附近的卡杜纳市，在 Ikon Allah 足球学院追求职业生涯。

如今年仅 19 岁的约汉纳，其经历堪称非凡。至关重要的是，他走过了许多顶尖非洲球员走过的道路。“西非到斯堪的纳维亚”的输送线在球探圈中以极高的成功率而闻名。约翰·奥比·米克尔、穆罕默德·库杜斯、维克托·博尼法斯和奥迪翁·伊加洛在早年都走过类似的路线。

约汉纳去年夏天以略高于 60 万英镑 的价格离开尼日利亚加盟瑞典球队 AIK，最初与新俱乐部的 U19 队合作，随后在首 3 场比赛中打入 4 球，被提升至一线队。

在 2025, 的最后几个月里，他仅短暂地为一线队出场，但在今年年初瑞典新赛季开始时爆发了。在对阵顶尖俱乐部 BK Hacken 和 GAIS 的两场杯赛中打入 3 球后，他将这种状态带到了瑞典超级联赛——在新教练 Jose Riveiro 的 4-3-3 阵型中出任右翼，他的速度和技巧让防线难以招架。在今年的 11 场出场中，他贡献了五粒进球和三次助攻。

布莱顿以挖掘冷门市场而闻名，他们在竞争对手行动之前出手，打破了瑞典俱乐部收到的最高转会费纪录。德国球队多特蒙德、RB莱比锡和勒沃库森此前也被认为与他有关联，切尔西和纽卡斯尔同样如此。

约汉纳喜欢在右路接球，然后通过摆脱和钻入空间，利用他擅长的左脚寻找射门位置。瑞典顶级联赛绝不能与英超联赛相提并论，但其展现出的基本功显然说服了布莱顿及其数据优先的方法，让他们认为约汉纳非常值得赌一把。这位尼日利亚人的加速能力（通常是从静止状态开始）令人恐惧——他前往萨塞克斯郡时，身上带着一种只能被描述为“惊艳感”的特质。你知道吗？约汉纳在今年五月首次收到尼日利亚国家队征召，参加在伦敦举行的团结杯（Unity Cup）赛事，但因腿筋受伤未能成行。

当莱斯特城被降级时，顶级联赛的“BIG 6”开始在周围盘旋

杰里米·蒙加 (JEREMY MONGA)

这名 17 岁的球员在过去一年里似乎一直是转会拉锯战的主角，但曼城最终在 7 月将其招至麾下。

在以 1250 万英镑m 的价格从莱斯特城转会至伊蒂哈德球场后，蒙加成为了英格兰最昂贵的青少年球员之一。但在 2025-26, 赛季的一段较长时间里，他的目的地似乎更有可能是阿森纳。

这名边锋来自考文垂，在“天空蓝军”开始其青训生涯，但在 9 岁以下组别时加入了莱斯特城。到 2025, 4 月，当时俱乐部处于高两个级别的联赛，他在一场对阵纽卡斯尔的英超联赛中完成了首秀，当时他年仅 15 岁 271 天。“他还在上学，只有周四才能和我们一起训练，”他当时的教练鲁德·范尼斯特鲁伊说道。

然而，莱斯特城很快便被降级，英超的“BIG 6”开始将其视为目标。大多数人可能没预料到莱斯特城在一年后再次降级，但在第二级别联赛度过的一个赛季对蒙加大有裨益。

上赛季，他在一支充斥着经验丰富的前英超球星的球队中完成了 30 场一线队比赛。这种曝光度是大俱乐部非常看重的，尽管在狐狸城仅赢下 12 场比赛且一个赛季更换了两任主教练的情况下，情况并不理想，因为该俱乐部在夺得英超冠军仅十年后便跌入了英甲。

去年 8 月，蒙加在输给普雷斯顿的比赛中进球，以 16 岁 37 天的年龄成为英冠历史上最年轻的进球者。他能胜任两翼位置，但主要是一名左边锋。

这名英格兰 U19 国脚脚法出色，平衡感极佳，让 FFT 想起了在利物浦崭露头角的年轻拉希姆·斯特林——兼具威胁与不可预测性，尽管仍有些未经雕琢。蒙加在单挑局面中非常有胆量，能够相对稳健地应对英冠防线的严密盯防，面对频繁的拉球衣和迟到拦截，他从未被挑衅地激怒。你知道吗？蒙加在 15 岁完成莱斯特城首秀时穿着一件没有赞助商的球衣，以遵守英国的博彩法律。

特色少年略有不同 (FEATURE BOY'S A BIT SPECIAL)

诚实的阿哈诺 (HONEST AHANOR)

这名中后卫在 18 岁生日后不久，于 6 月成为了意大利成年国家队第七年轻的球员。

尽管出生在意大利，但由于父母均为尼日利亚人，该国法律规定他直到 18, 岁才有资格获得公民身份，但“蓝衣军团”在他符合条件后迅速将其征召入队。

在国家队首秀之前，这名后卫已经在亚特兰大完成了意甲和欧冠的完整赛季——他是一名身体强壮且机动性强的竞争者，这位左脚球员将保罗·马尔蒂尼视为偶像。 你知道吗？阿哈诺的首个成年队进球是面对热那亚攻入的，他在去年夏天加盟亚特兰大之前曾在该俱乐部成长。

上方：在短短 19 个月内，蒙加从英格兰 U15 球队跃升至 U19 球队。

本杰明·布兰特林德 (BENJAMIN BRANTLIND)

这名瑞典人很有可能有一天会为切尔西效力。为什么？因为他在这个夏天签约了切尔西的 BlueCo 姐妹俱乐部斯特拉斯堡。

布兰特林德本月满 18 岁，在转战法国之前为哥德堡出战了 30 场比赛。他主要是一名左边锋，也能在中路出击，但内切至右脚起球传中是他最擅长的绝活。

斯特拉斯堡为他支付了约 85 万英镑，潜在的附加费接近 70 万英镑。这最终可能会成为一笔相当划算的交易，尤其是如果他在法甲大放异彩，而蓝军前来敲门的话。你知道吗？布兰特林德在 3 月的瑞典 U19 首秀中上演了帽子戏法。

“简直不敢相信，杰夫！”

语言障碍曾一度让克里斯·卡马拉陷入抑郁，但一次在《蒙面歌王》（The Masked Singer）中的惊喜亮相改变了一切——这位国民级人物与 FFT 坐下来聊了聊他在足球和电视领域非凡的职业生涯。

文字：Ed McCambridge

很少有人能说自己既踢过英超联赛，又在《艾默代尔》（Emmerdale）中出演过，还发行过自己的圣诞专辑。然而，曾几何时，克里斯·卡马拉——大概是唯一一个真正完成过所有这些事情的人——几乎无法开口说话。这位前足球运动员、深受喜爱的播报员和充满激情的评论员，被人们亲切地称为“卡米”（Kammy）的男人，失去了他的声音。

“起初我以为是自己的幻觉，”他现在告诉 FourFourTwo，“我试着说话，但词语出不来，或者说错了。我的话语 ▶ 模糊到人们以为我喝醉了。这简直让人发疯。最糟糕的是，我觉得这全是我的错。迹象一直都在，但我选择忽视它们，直到为时已晚。”

卡马拉指的是他在 2021 年左右出现的一种症状。当时他正在主持第五频道的《阁楼寻宝》（Cash in the Attic），开始感觉到他的舌头无法完全传达大脑的指令。“是在拍摄期间，我开始注意到我的语速在变慢，”他说，“节目组对我非常体谅，希望我能继续，但我很担心。”

自然地，朋友和家人鼓励他去看医生。“但我把它撇在一边，就像我在整个球员生涯中经常做的那样，”这位前朴茨茅斯、布伦特福德、利兹和斯温登球星回忆道，“作为一名球员，我对去看医生或见任何人没什么兴趣。我当时想，‘像个男人一样，克里斯！能有多糟糕？’基本上，我像个恐龙一样生活。我不知道是因为自尊、虚张声势还是什么。我只是不停地想，‘总有一天我会醒来，它就消失了。’”

他错了。卡马拉的语速变得越来越慢，直到他觉得自己必须去看医生。 “这是我能做的最好的事情，”他承认，“我去看了我的全科医生，血液检查显示我患有甲状腺功能减退。”

这是一个严重的问题，但庆幸的是没有生命危险，他接受了常规的药物治疗。他的血液指标很快恢复正常，他期待着将这段插曲抛在脑后并重返工作。然而，只有一个问题：卡马拉模糊的语言问题拒绝消失。

他最终回到了电视荧幕——在第四频道的脱口秀节目《斯蒂芙的便当》（Steph's Packed Lunch）中——与专家讨论他的甲状腺问题，旨在敦促其他男性接受检查。

“节目结束后，医生告诉我，他从未见过甲状腺问题影响到语言的人，”卡马拉说，“他告诉我应该在其他地方寻找该问题的根源。于是我去看了另一位专家，最终被诊断为言语失用症（apraxia of speech）和运动技能失用症（dyspraxia of my motor skills）。”

卡马拉了解到，他患上了一种影响大脑如何将语言信息传递到口腔的障碍。更糟糕的是，他得知这种病没有治疗方法。言语治疗或许能帮助恢复一定程度的流畅度，但恢复正常的机会极其渺茫。

这个消息像重锤一样击中了他——他的播报生涯现在肯定结束了。“我彻底崩溃了，”他承认，“我把自己关起来，陷入了严重的抑郁。我取消了所有的公开露面和电视工作。我不想和任何人说话。”

像海狸一样战斗

任何接触过卡马拉的人都会清楚地知道，那个想法有多么荒诞。他自称是个“话痨”，早在球员时代，让他在家人和朋友面前闭嘴就是一项艰巨的任务。“噢，我一直是个爱说话的人，”卡马拉回忆道，他在1975年至1995年期间为各家俱乐部出场近800次专业比赛。“我的意思是，我处于一个艰难的 era, 尤其是对于黑人足球运动员来说。你需要有竞争力，要有宽广的胸襟，而且必须是个战士，但在更衣室里，我总是那个傻呵呵的旧样子。没人能让我闭嘴。”

挂靴之后，卡马拉执教过布拉德福德和斯托克城，甚至在1996. 年通过附加赛主导了前者的升级之路，使其进入第二级别联赛。在半决赛的第一回合中，“班坦姆”（The Bantams）在主场2-0输给了萨姆·阿拉代斯的黑池队，但随后他们强势反击成功闯入温布利球场，并在那里击败了诺茨郡。

“那是令人惊叹的一天，给那些球迷留下了多么美好的回忆，”他面带笑容地说。“就在那个赛季，我更多地出现在电视上，接受采访、担任评论员等等。这是我热爱做的事情。”

“后来我去执教斯托克城，对此我感到后悔，因为我在那里作为球员时很受欢迎，但作为教练却没能成功。1998, 年离开后，我收到了很多回归足坛的邀请，但我的妻子安说：‘你很喜欢电视工作，而且你擅长这个，为什么不继续做下去呢？’”

卡马拉就这样做了，他在天空体育（Sky Sports）重新品牌化的《足球周六》（Soccer Saturday）节目中担任一名流动记者——该节目从最初的《体育周六》（Sports Saturday）格式转型，变为仅限足球内容，球迷们在下午3点的转播禁播期间，通过观看他人观看比赛并描述现场情况来获取信息。“我必须承认，这听起来不像是个能行得通的主意！”卡马拉笑着说。“我说，‘你们确定要这么做吗？’但他们是对的。它变成了一部热门剧。”

直到2000年12月，卡马拉才真正意识到由杰夫·斯特林（Jeff Stelling）主持的这个节目已经变得多么受欢迎。他打开了一档圣诞电视集锦节目，结果看到了自己咧嘴笑的脸。“那是《足球周六》的剪辑，画面里一遍又一遍地出现我，对着不同的比赛大喊：‘难以置信，杰夫！’我真的不知道自己说过这句话，更不用说频率这么高了。我之前完全没意识到。”

卡马拉热情洋溢的爆发只是这部已成为邪典之作的每周足球节目中的一个元素。“我记得有一天，我们收到了一些学生寄到演播室的信，说他们一直在玩一个《足球周六》喝酒游戏，”他微笑着说。“他们会在学生会集会，每当发生某些特定事情时就得喝酒。当杰夫开始大发雷霆，或者其他评论员叫错球员名字时，他们就喝酒。每当我喊出‘难以置信，杰夫！’时，他们就得干掉整杯啤酒。”

卡马拉独特的措辞——他在2007年的一场北伦敦德比中，令人难忘地将热刺的后卫描述为“像海狸一样战斗”——以及某种程度上的不稳定现场报道，成为了该节目深受喜爱的元素。

2010年4月的一起事件尤为突出。那天在朴茨茅斯的弗拉顿公园球场报道时，卡马拉没有注意到安东尼·范登博雷的

对面，从上到下：卡马拉在朴茨茅斯开始他的职业生涯；随后他在1990年帮助利兹联夺得第二级别联赛冠军；短暂的执教生涯中带领布拉德福德通过附加赛升级。下方：“如果你想参加《忍者勇士》，我认识一个人”

“每当我喊出‘简直不可思议，杰夫’时，所有的学生都得赶紧喝完他们的啤酒”

主队在对阵布莱克本的比赛中吃到红牌。当演播室主持人斯特林询问细节时，他不得不承认自己漏掉了这一幕。“我不知道，杰夫，发生了吗？我肯定漏掉了。我看到他下场了，但我以为他们是在换人，”他说道，这引起了评论席上的马特·勒蒂西埃、保罗·默森、菲尔·汤普森和查理·尼古拉斯的大笑。

“如果我当时试图敷衍过去，那个瞬间就永远消失了，”卡马拉现在笑着回忆道，随后给出了一个迟到的解释。“因为对方是个外籍球员，安东尼·范登博雷，他的反应和我预想的球员反应完全不同。他被出示第二张黄牌后，就平静地走过了他的主教练阿夫拉姆·格兰特，而格兰特也没有任何反应。所以在我看来就像是在换人。如果是英格兰球员，一定会据理力争并大闹一场。”

“显然，演播室那边已经收到了红牌报告，但我自己没看到。杰夫对我尴尬反应的处理方式非常有风度，让那个瞬间成为了电视节目中的经典片段。”

斯特林与他那可爱且笨拙的助手之间真正的纽带，使得这类失误变得更加令人难忘。“杰夫和我相处得非常好——他是我最好的朋友之一，”卡马拉灿烂地笑道。“我们决定一起去参加 2002 年在日本举行的世界杯，观看英格兰队和爱尔兰共和国队的比赛，那成了我们度过的……”

图片快拍

从上至下 《忍者勇者》 主持工作； 不可思议的 与杰夫·斯特林 好友关系； 在《艾默代尔》 农场进行 赛后采访； 卡马拉在 他的广播电视 工作中 尝试了许多 趣事

灯光，卡米，开拍！

这位亲切的前足球运动员还曾在这些节目中客串

《梦之队》 2002 《追逐》 2014 《给宠物一个家》 2015 《万物大问答》 2016 《宽松女性》 2016 《成功之城的谋杀案》 《我有新闻给你吗》 《101房间》 2018 《窥视之眼》 2018 《水晶迷宫》 《家庭财富》 2020 《古董公路旅行》 2021 《谁想成为百万富翁？》 2022 《1%俱乐部》 2025

“……有史以来最好的夏天。在那之前我们已经是朋友了，但那次旅行真正开启了我们终生的友谊。”

“我要被驱逐出境了吗？！”

卡马拉在《足球周六》（Soccer Saturday）中的搞怪表现帮助他开启了自己的全方位媒体生涯，他那极具感染力的笑声和像叔叔般健忘的特质，使他成为了喜剧和访谈节目的热门人选。他开始将足球评论与在《8 Out of 10 Cats》、《你会对我撒谎吗？》（Would I Lie to You?）以及安特与迪克（Ant & Dec）的《周六晚间大撤退》（Saturday Night Takeaway）等节目中的亮相相结合。

在后者节目中，当主持人们进行各种挑战时，他经常担任评论员。“安特和迪克对我非常好，”卡马拉回忆道，“我每年都会在他们的节目中客串一集，因为他们是资深足球迷，而且通过《足球周六》认识我。那真的非常有趣。”

卡马拉与这对来自纽卡斯尔的双人组关系如此亲密，以至于他坚信 2019 年一次录制圣诞专辑的邀请是他们搞的鬼。“有一家唱片公司随机给我打电话，问我：‘你想和一支 22 人的铜管乐队一起唱歌吗？’显然，我认为这是安特和迪克在捉弄我，”他说，“他们在节目中经常玩这种恶作剧，通过乔装打扮让嘉宾出丑。但你知道的，我心态很好，所以我就配合他们演戏。”

“在约定的日期，我来到了国王十字车站附近的 Angel 录音室，走进去发现一整支铜管乐队已经在等待开始了。我想：‘这得是个多么精心策划的骗局！’他们让我去换上一套晚礼服进行录制——我有点尴尬地回来了，然后我们开始了。乐队在演奏《Let It Snow》，因为我以前从未在乐队面前唱过歌，所以错过了入场时机，我们不得不重新开始。但随后我们顺利进行了，我唱完了那首歌。”

“刚唱完，我就从乐队和指挥那里得到了真诚的敬意。我意识到这可能不是个骗局——感觉太真实了。没有人跳出来制造惊喜，也没有什么大揭秘。我们就是录了一张专辑。如果我当时认为这是认真的，我可能永远不会答应。”

克里斯·卡马拉的《圣诞快乐》（Here's to Christmas）——收录了《Santa Baby》和《Jingle Bells》等曲目——甚至在英国排行榜上达到了 8 名。“诚然，那是 11 月的事，而且它在那儿待的时间不超过 10 分钟，”卡马拉笑着说，“我们提前六周发行，是为了在竞争中抢占先机！”

同年，卡马拉还接演了他的第一个“严肃”表演角色，在英国肥皂剧《艾默代尔》（Emmerdale）中饰演他自己，扮演一名当地足球队的教练。“当他们邀请我去演的时候，其中一位制片人对我说：‘对于演员来说，最难的事情就是饰演他们自己，’”他回忆道，“我想：‘胡说，没人能比我更像我，看着吧！’我觉得我演得非常到位。”

“《艾默代尔》是一部标志性的英国剧集，所以能受邀参加真的太棒了，而且演员们都很出色。唯一能让体验更完美的事，就是如果臭名昭著的凯恩·丁格尔（Cain Dingle）能参加那场比赛——据说他是曼城的大粉丝，但他显然不想面对我！”

卡马拉的故事无穷无尽，而且他讲述时的热情极高。有一次，他在迈阿密机场被警察拦下，因为他们认出了他在另一部精彩作品中的角色——当然，又是饰演他自己，是在热门喜剧《泰德·拉索》（Ted Lasso）中。“我在入境口以为自己快被驱逐出境了，但那三位警官只是想和我拍张自拍，”他轻笑着说。

还有一次，在封锁期间，他与罗比·威廉姆斯（Robbie Williams）以及 McFly 乐队的丹尼·琼斯（Danny Jones）通过 Zoom 共同演唱。“我在参加‘足球援助’（Soccer Aid）时认识了他们两个，他们知道我热爱唱歌，”卡马拉笑着说，“丹尼甚至问起我的圣诞专辑，我还为他唱了一小段。当 2020 年新冠封锁开始时，他问我是否愿意和他以及罗比一起唱首歌，试图提升

Above “Excuse me, I’m trying to see what happened with Anthony Vanden Borre”

"ALL OF A SUDDEN I HAD ANXIETY, WHICH I'D NEVER FELT IN MY LIFE. I KNEW I HAD TO STEP AWAY"

稍微缓解一下全国的情绪。我们唱了一首 One Direction 的歌。真的非常有趣。我觉得我唱得比他们还好！

舍泼德的推动

听卡马拉眼中闪烁着光芒地讲述那些光辉岁月，才让接下来的情节显得如此令人心碎。就在他处于事业巅峰时，他开始注意到自己的语言能力在下降。情况迅速恶化到让同事们以为他在喝酒，他感到被迫放弃了如《阁楼现金》（Cash in the Attic）和《英国最强壮之人》（UK's Strongest Man）等主持工作。然而，最令人心碎的，是在陪伴了24个漫长且快乐的年份后，离开《足球周六》（Soccer Saturday）。

“突然之间，我产生了焦虑感，这在我的人生中从未有过，”卡马拉痛苦地回忆道。“在杰夫转向我之前，我的心跳加速，说话不再流畅，记忆力糟糕透顶。我不记得刚刚踢角球的球员，也不记得是谁将球顶进球门的。我陷入了恐慌，完全崩溃了。我有几周时间掩盖了这一点——大家会觉得‘傻老卡米，他怎么了？’——但随后真相大白。我知道我必须离开节目，因为我已经忍受这种病痛很久了。”

当卡马拉把自己封闭起来时，公众的支持之情汹涌而至。“那些信息和祝福简直让我受宠若惊，而且直到现在依然在继续，”他微笑着说。“我做梦也没想到，我对这么多人来说竟然如此重要。但对我个人而言，这依然是毁灭性的。我做了最傻的事，开始把自己封闭起来。”

本·舍泼德（Ben Shephard）——一位深受观众喜爱的电视节目主持人，主持过《今晨》（This Morning）和《转折点》（Tipping Point）等节目——长期以来一直是卡马拉的挚友，两人曾在《周日进球》（Goals on Sunday）和障碍赛游戏节目《忍者勇者》（Ninja Warrior）中合作。舍泼德在将他的好友从低谷中拉出来方面起到了关键作用。“本告诉我不要再傻了，去寻求专业的帮助并与这个病魔抗争，”卡马拉说。“最终打动我的是他说：‘听着，卡米，如果是我或者你的另一个朋友经历这一切，你一定会第一个告诉他们重新站起来，全力反击。’他是对的。”

舍泼德分享道，同行记者凯特·加拉韦（Kate Garraway）在墨西哥有一位专家的联系方式——她的丈夫在2020年感染新冠后失去了声音，曾在蒙特雷的一位专家那里接受治疗，随后由于其他健康并发症，最终于2024年去世。卡马拉发誓要给这次治疗一个机会。“那是一种治疗方法，利用非侵入性的无线电波和磁波作用于大脑，”他用一种较慢但清晰的语调解释道。“改善效果非常显著。虽然我还没有恢复到以前的状态，但变化是巨大的。”

卡马拉在2022年发布了一部关于他与言语失用症抗争的纪录片——《词穷》（Lost For Words），他希望这部片子能说服更多男性在感到身体不适时及时就医。他还一直在帮助游说政府加大对言语治疗的投入。“我们现在依然在向他们施压，并与卫生部副部长讨论了未来的方向，”他自豪地说。“这些事情需要很长时间。但希望AI能在这个领域带来巨大的助力。如果孩子们无法每周看到言语治疗师，AI工具可以帮助填补这些空白。政府要实现这一点并不难——我们需要看到更多行动。”

友好的幽灵卡米

至于他的电视生涯，卡马拉在决定参加 ITV 节目《蒙面歌王》（The Masked Singer）时，迈出了非常勇敢的一步。“我的语速还远未恢复正常，但我决定是时候重新回归了，”他回忆道，“我向他们解释了情况，他们表示会配合我，确保我感到舒适。我只有一个条件：我必须使用苏格兰口音。”

“不管出于什么原因，如果我用苏格兰口音说话或唱歌，速度就会更快，”卡马拉用他那伪造的苏格兰腔向 FFT 讲述……这在边境以北（苏格兰）可能不会太受欢迎。不过，这确实加快了他的语速。“大脑是个复杂的东西，不是吗？他们说：‘卡米，你想怎么做就怎么做，只要来试一次就行。’”

卡马拉决定除了妻子以外不对任何人透露这次比赛，参赛者还包括斯诺克选手斯蒂芬·亨德里和喜剧演员凯瑟琳·瑞安等名人，比赛于 2023 年元旦开始。“我们决定邀请亲朋好友来家里看节目，他们对此完全不知情，”卡马拉笑着说。在节目中，他装扮成一个幽灵，演唱了灵魂乐组合 The Drifters 的歌曲《Save the Last Dance for Me》。“我刚开始唱歌，一个朋友就说：‘快把他弄下去，简直太烂了！’我和妻子则在私下偷偷相视而笑。评委不知道我是谁，我客厅里的那些人也不知道。”

"我意识到我还是原来的我，只不过现在别人能插上话了"

卡马拉在第一集结束时被淘汰，当时他处于末三名——竞争对手是来自 Steps 组合的克莱尔，以及 Spandau Ballet 的马丁·肯普与其妻子希莉组成的双人组。该系列节目还邀请了流行偶像且是地道苏格兰人的露露（Lulu）——理所当然地，她装扮成了一块蛋糕。“节目结束后她告诉我，甚至连她的孙辈都希望我能赢她，”卡马拉微笑着说，“谢天谢地，为了她的名声，那并没有发生。她绝对是个传奇。”

“当电视上播到我被投票淘汰并摘下面具时，我的孙辈们也加入了观众‘摘掉它！摘掉它！’的呐喊。我坐在沙发上等待揭晓时刻，非常紧张……然后那一刻到来了。在电视上，我猛地扯掉了那块基本上就是来自马莎（Marks & Spencer）的床单，整个屋子顿时沸腾了。”

“我的孙子比利跳了起来大喊‘爷爷！’，而之前对我表演如此刻薄的朋友们都哄堂大笑。那是我一生中见过的最欢乐的场景之一。我愿意花一百万英镑重新体验那一刻。在经历了一段非常艰难的时光后，这是开启新的一年最完美的方式。”

这被证明是卡马拉的一个突破时刻，他将《蒙面歌王》作为跳板，在远离公众视野多年后重新回归公众领域。“我再次感到如此积极，”他咧嘴笑道，“我一直在走出去，与人们聊天并分享我的故事。自我封闭的日子已经结束了。我的经纪人每周都给我打电话，提供了这么多工作机会，我根本无法全部接受。”

上方：顶级的苏格兰惊悚秀——加入《蒙面歌王》的演员阵容让卡马拉重新回到了公众领域

“起初，我一直告诉他要提醒人们，我已经不再是以前的那个人了，但随着时间的推移，我越发意识到我还是他。我还是原来的我——只不过现在，其他人或许能插上话了！”

我们不能向任何人保证这一点，但考虑到卡马拉所经历的一切，他能够讲述自己的故事，确实让人感到不可思议。

卡马拉代表 Medichecks（英国首个直接面向消费者的血液检测服务）接受 FourFourTwo 的采访。

受访者：艾伦·汉森、威尔霍、红弗雷德、米莉·约翰斯顿

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亚历克斯·尼尔

这位苏格兰主帅谈到了附加赛的心碎，以及为何在时隔 36 年后带领米尔沃尔重返顶级联赛将是他职业生涯最伟大的成就。

访谈记者：马特·纳什

在五月份英冠附加赛半决赛输给赫尔城后，你对球员们说了什么？没有什么话能让他们感觉好起来。即使对我来说，我也在消化这种失望感。通常每三天就有一场比赛，但那时我们已经出局了。这是我第一次在附加赛中遭遇失败。感觉很奇怪。

上赛季以一分之差错失直接升级名额，现在能带领“狮子队”进入英超意味着什么？

我很幸运地曾带领三支球队升级，但如果我能让米尔沃尔升级，那将是我最伟大的成就。我想说的是，在那其中我只扮演了很小的一部分角色。球员和工作人员一直表现得非常出色。我非常享受成为一个比我个人更伟大的集体的一部分。

你本赛季的心态如何？我认为每一年都会变得越来越难。感觉这将是一个极具挑战性的级别。由于上赛季的曝光度，夏天很多球队对我们的球员感兴趣——不仅仅是一两个。这对我们来说是全新的：如何处理球迷的期待和压力。挑战始终是更进一步。管理球队就像一场永无止境的登山，不是吗？当你认为自己到达顶峰的那一刻，新赛季又来了。无论你之前做了什么，没人关心。你做得很好，非常出色，干得好。现在，请再次证明自己，做得更好。

在通过多个转会窗构建一支具备英冠竞争力的阵容时，新援的态度有多重要？

如果一个人虽然是个非常优秀的球员，但会给我们的更衣室带来混乱，我们不会选择他。但我不认为这种情况会发生，因为他们很快就会在我们的更衣室里被孤立。我们需要的是运动能力强、灵活、身材高大、对比赛理解到位且有质量的球员。这也是英超球队所寻找的。如果你想进入英超，你需要开始让自己看起来像一支英超球队。

在你的执教生涯中，管理球员的方式发生了变化吗？

是的，但我得说，对某些球员稍微强硬一点有效，而对另一些人则不然。不过，就这一点而言，我们这组球员是老派的。他们是纯爷们，能够承受批评。这种批评不是为了贬低他们，更多的是建议而非批评——你是想帮助他们。我想我 99.9% 的工作是在指导他们，让他们做好准备。我不需要在琐事上费心，之所以说他们是“复古”的，是因为队长和资深球员管理着更衣室。我不会介入谁迟到了，或者谁把杯子落在那里了。他们管理这些，并在场上对彼此负责。

“如果你想进入英超，你需要开始让自己看起来像一支顶级联赛俱乐部”

与 2013 年刚 32 岁就以球员兼教练身份接手汉密尔顿的那个亚历克斯·尼尔相比，现在的你有什么不同？

很多方面都不同了。我现在温和了很多。当你年纪轻轻就被委以重任时，你真的会觉得如果你不在，世界就会崩塌。但后来你意识到，你并没有那么重要。现在我绝对不会在琐事上纠结。微观管理和过于强势会让你精疲力竭。回顾我在诺维奇的时光，虽然起初取得了成功，但我确实认为，有时我的强度太大了。我已经意识到自己擅长什么，不擅长什么。随着年龄增长，你会尝试发挥自己的长处。不过，有些人可能并不认为我变得温和了。

你在执教汉密尔顿和诺维奇时都取得了早期的成功，并带领后者升入了英超联赛。你是如何应对那些关注度的？这绝对是我人生中最大的转变。我的球员生涯其实很平庸。以前可能每三个月才有人认出你并问一句“最近怎么样？”，但一旦进入英超，就会面临严苛的审视。诺维奇敢于把工作交给一个只有 18 个月执教经验的人，这很有勇气。那段时光很棒，但事后看来，我当时只是尝到了成功的甜头，于是觉得“这很简单”。一如既往，足球总会让你保持谦卑。降级是我第一次体验到那种滋味，那绝不是一次愉快的经历。你必须承受打击，然后重新出发。从汉密尔顿到诺维奇再到英超，这对我来说是一次系统性的冲击。

2024 年 12 月你抵达米尔沃尔时，你和俱乐部的契合度从一开始就很高吗？

我认为我的原则与俱乐部是一致的。我在普雷斯顿时也是如此——球迷们坚韧且清楚自己想要什么。我觉得他们说话很直接，这也是一种苏格兰特质。如果你有一个优秀的老板，上方有良好的支持系统，一群愿意为彼此战斗的小伙子，以及支持你的球迷，作为一名教练，你不能要求更多了。

在丹球场（The Den）执教 18 个月后，你会如何描述这家俱乐部？

名声和外界认知与现实截然不同。人们认为来到这里会看到大家在互相殴打，但事实并非如此，这里实际上是一家以家庭为导向的俱乐部，人们彼此关心。球迷群体非常支持，但同时也可能非常挑剔。他们知道自己想要什么，喜欢什么，以及希望球队呈现什么样的面貌，所以我们只是在尝试为他们将这些付诸实践。

伊伍德公园球场爆炸案

1913年，布莱克本成为了遭受女性参政论者攻击的四个球场之一

在第一次世界大战爆发前，英格兰被一场轰炸运动所困扰——而足球场正是其重点目标。

20世纪初，英国女性没有投票权，数十年的和平抗议仍未能带来改变。这促使埃米琳·潘克赫斯特组织了女性参政论者运动，其格言是“行动而非言语”。

1909年，时任贸易委员会主席的温斯顿·丘吉尔将该运动斥为“一群愚蠢、神经质、歇斯底里的女人”——最终，一些人决定暴力是让他们被听见的唯一途径。一个月后，丘吉尔在布里斯托尔遭到狗鞭袭击，随后袭击事件接踵而至——1912年，内政大臣的办公室被安置了炸弹。

轰炸和纵火袭击变得日益普遍，并蔓延到被视为男性主导机构象征的体育场馆。高尔夫球场成为了目标，而在1913年2月，有人试图烧毁网球圣地温布尔登的全英俱乐部——一名女性参政论者携带煤油、火柴和一条写着“女性获得投票权之前没有和平”的信息潜入。在她点火之前，被一名场地管理员挫败。

两个月后，一名女性参政论者试图轰炸两座相距10英里以内的兰开夏郡足球场。布莱克本流浪者在1912年曾是第一 division 冠军，而普雷斯顿北端则在足球联赛的前两个赛季（1889年和1890年）均获得冠军。安置在迪普代尔球场的炸弹没有爆炸，但安置在伊伍德公园球场的炸弹爆炸了——导致董事席引发火灾。据信负责人是普雷斯顿人伊迪丝·里格比，她曾因激进活动被多次逮捕。

在国家的另一端，在1913年足总杯决赛前夕，还出现了一个烧毁水晶宫球场的阴谋——自1895年起，该球场每年都承办这场焦点赛事，但这次企图被挫败。

在南伦敦的其他地方，普拉姆斯特德的庄园球场看台被纵火摧毁，损失了 1,000 英镑 ——在当时这是一笔巨款。该球场曾是

Woolwich Arsenal（伍利奇阿森纳）的主场——这家资金匮乏的俱乐部在那一年经历了历史上唯一一次降级，并在新赛季搬到了北伦敦的海布里球场，不久后简称为阿森纳。那年6月，女性参政论者埃米莉·戴维森在埃普索姆德比中冲到乔治五世国王的马前而死，引发了全球头条新闻。第一次世界

大战促使女性参政论者暂停了暴力活动——她们决定最好的策略是为战争做出贡献，从而获得认可。

1918年，在战争结束前不久，30岁以上的女性获得了投票权，十年后，她们获得了与男性相同的权利，允许从21岁起投票。

女性参政论者的暴力运动在英格兰各地的体育场馆制造了混乱，但实现了其目标。2005年，迪普代尔球场和伊伍德公园球场都举办了女足欧锦赛的比赛——这是一个非凡的轮回时刻。

球场之外

参观考斯韦巷

厌倦了城市生活？在风景如画的马特洛克镇小憩片刻，这里有角斗士、城堡和板球场边界。以下是你应该前往的原因...

为什么参观？

对于德比郡的马特洛克队来说，很少有比这里更优美的足球环境了。考斯韦巷球场距离南部的里伯城堡仅一步之遥，与阿伦德尔和里士满镇一样，是英格兰最风景如画的球场之一。

如何前往

球场距离马特洛克（Matlock）火车站仅几步之遥，距离市中心仅 250 码。球场内的停车位非常有限，但附近有几个停车场。 邮编：DE4 3AR

谁在这里比赛？

自 1911-12 赛季以来，考斯韦路（Causeway Lane）一直是马特洛克队的主场。他们绰号“角斗士”，在北英格兰超级联赛东区参赛。该俱乐部的女队也在周日地在该球场比赛。

南端同时也是当地一家板球俱乐部的边界

显著历史

马特洛克队自 20 世纪 60 年代后期起就是北英格兰超级联赛的常客，他们最辉煌的时刻出现在 1975, 年，当时他们在温布利球场以 4–0 击败斯卡伯勒，夺得 FA Trophy。那天马特洛克队中有三名球员是兄弟——据俱乐部称，这是唯一一次有三名亲兄弟在温布利决赛中为同一支球队效力的场合。

球场

考斯韦路是一个罕见的三面看台球场，因为它与马特洛克和克罗姆福德板球俱乐部共用场地，后者的

（从顶部起顺时针方向）祝板球场端的小球童好运；飘扬的“角斗士”旗帜；乡村魅力；考斯韦路的环境相当不错

边界位于南端，并在红球赛季开始时延伸至足球场内。三个永久性看台由有顶棚和无顶棚的观赛区组成。

饮食

场内的达尔文湖体育酒吧（Darwin Lake Sports Bar）供应当地馅饼，提供价格合理的拉格啤酒、现接现饮的桶装艾尔啤酒，并设有大量电视以便观看周六午餐时间的比赛。在球场之外，“公爵威廉马特洛克”（The Duke William Matlock）提供丰盛的午餐特供，“红狮”（The Red Lion）则拥有一家微型酿酒厂。我们还在戴尔路（Dale Road）的 Spice 餐厅享用了一顿美味的赛后贾尔弗雷兹咖喱（jalfrezi）。

周边环境

里伯城堡（Riber Castle）傲然屹立在考斯韦路之上。事实上，它是由富有的工业家约翰·斯梅德利（John Smedley）建造的一座维多利亚时代装饰建筑，现在是 26 套豪华公寓的所在地——这一切都证明，有时传播传说比陈述事实更好。更令人兴奋的是，这座城堡被用作谢恩·梅多斯（Shane Meadows）的英国邪典电影惊悚片《死人的鞋》（Dead Man's Shoes）的关键取景地。

最大优点

有机会在小镇度过一个周末，这里在玛丽·雪莱的《弗兰肯斯坦》中被比作瑞士。你可以选择沿着德文特河（River Derwent）散步，乘坐缆车前往马森山（Masson Hill）顶端，或者前往马特洛克巴斯（Matlock Bath），那里的散步道、炸鱼薯条店和游戏厅让它感觉像个海滨度假胜地……尽管距离海岸线有 70 英里。皮克区（Peak District）经典的库巴（Curbar）和比琴边沿（Birchen Edge）岩层仅需向北开车 20 分钟即可到达。

最大缺点

虽然我们支持体育协作，但由于板球场而缺失的一面看台，剥夺了观众在非联赛比赛中通过更换看台方向来站在球队进攻端这一传统仪式。至少门将可以享受 45 分钟没有起哄干扰的时间。

附近球场

皮克区是绝佳的“球场朝圣”（groundhopping）之地。离开考斯韦路，你可以在南部找到贝尔珀镇（Belper Town），在北缘找到莫斯利（Mossley）的西尔公园（Seel Park），以及位于巴克斯顿（Buxton）的英国最高级别足球场——海拔 315 米，几乎是西布罗姆维奇霍桑斯球场（Hawthorns）高度的两倍。

奇闻轶事

在谷歌搜索 Matlock，你可能会搜到一部同名的 80 年代热门法律剧，随后这部剧在《辛普森一家》中变成了一个长期的笑话，被设定为斯普林菲尔德养老院居民和辛普森爷爷最爱的电视节目——“我是个老头，我讨厌一切，除了《马特洛克》。马——特——洛——克！”——马特·贝尔德（Matt Baird）

迪卡尼在凯尔特人

30年前抵达格拉斯哥，迪卡尼在“绿白军团”的这段时光从未乏味。

那是三十年前，凯尔特人成功完成了苏格兰足球史上最令人难以置信的转会之一。

1996年夏天，他们以£100 万从强大的米兰签下了前锋保罗·迪卡尼。当时27岁的迪卡尼对自己在圣西罗球场缺乏机会感到沮丧，需要再次感受到被爱。这位罗马人加入了一支国际化的凯尔特人阵容，队中已经拥有荷兰前锋皮埃尔·范霍伊东克、葡萄牙的若日·卡德特以及德国国脚安德烈亚斯·汤姆等外籍天才。首席执行官弗格斯·麦卡恩将迪卡尼、范霍伊东克和卡德特三人组称为“三个好朋友”。

“绿白军团”的主教练汤米·伯恩斯很清楚签下迪卡尼意味着什么。“他正是我们在过去18个月里一直稍欠缺的那类球员，”他热情地表示，并补充说这位新星能够“在面对密集防守时比赛并创造机会”。

证明很快就来了。8月下旬在拉格比公园球场，凯尔特人在半场时以0-1落后于基尔马诺克。迪卡尼替补登场并扭转了局面，他打入了在凯尔特人的首粒进球，并引领了一场3-1的大反击，汤姆和卡德特随后分别进球完成逆转。队友马克·安东尼将迪卡尼的表现称为“那场胜利背后的灵感之源”。

对于瞬间被其迷住的凯尔特人球迷来说，精彩才刚刚开始。9月下旬对阵邓弗姆林时，迪卡尼在7分钟内打入两球，帮助球队在帕克海德球场以5-1大胜。

在1997年3月苏格兰杯四分之一决赛中，凯尔特人2-0击败死敌格拉斯哥流浪者，迪卡尼在比赛中命中了一粒点球。该赛季他最终在36场出场中打入15球。然而，让“绿白军团”赞叹的不仅仅是他的最终产出——迪卡尼在比赛中始终掌控局面，展现出他非凡的天赋，并经常戏弄对手。

然而，正如保罗一贯的表现那样，他的比赛风格也有阴暗的一面。他的脾气既能让人感到兴奋，也能同样让人感到恼火。11月对阵哈茨时，他赢得了一个点球并将其命中，但在比赛重新开始之前，他因与对手争吵而被红牌罚下。伯恩斯称迪卡尼“愚蠢”，并感叹如果这位意大利人留在场上，球队很可能会赢得比赛。

“他是我执教过的最出色的球员，也是我见过最激情的人”

如果说有一张照片能概括迪·卡尼奥……没错，实际上，这张也是一个强有力的竞争者。

1997年3月，在联赛负于格拉斯哥流浪者队后，迪·卡尼奥与中场球员伊恩·弗格森陷入了一场激烈的赛后冲突，他威胁要折断对方的腿，并在被队友强行拖入球员通道之前对这名苏格兰人大发雷霆。迪·卡尼奥后来承认：“我想收拾他！”由于在场上已经领到一张黄牌，迪·卡尼奥被叫到裁判室并被出示了第二张黄牌，导致他被禁赛。

这种激情在场下同样明显。范·霍伊东回忆道，他曾邀请迪·卡尼奥一起观看1996年荷兰队与意大利队的奥运排球决赛。范·霍伊东本期待一个轻松的夜晚，结果却看到保罗“在地板上打滚，在每一个得分点激情地尖叫”。

到了5月，凯尔特人令人振奋的进攻未能阻止流浪者队连续九次夺冠，伯恩斯被解雇，而迪·卡尼奥则愤怒不已。在攻破希伯尼安队的球门后，他将球衣扔向了凯尔特人的支持者，并宣布他不确定下赛季是否会回归。

在被评为1996-97赛季的苏格兰球员年度最佳球员后，一场关于薪资要求的争执导致他以400 万英镑m的价格转会至英超球队谢菲尔德星期三，结束了他与凯尔特人球迷之间复杂的情感纠葛。

多年后，前主帅伯恩斯称迪·卡尼奥是“我执教过的最出色的球员，也可能是我想象中我能执教的最出色的球员”，以及“我见过最激情的足球运动员”。

三十年后的今天，这或许是迪·卡尼奥在凯尔特人留下的最大遗产。在那个不可思议的赛季里，他既是天才也是麻烦制造者；既是艺术家也是对抗者。换句话说，这就是典型的保罗·迪·卡尼奥。 Ed McCambridge

AROUND THE GROUNDS

猫头鹰展翅高飞

在新的所有者领导下，谢菲尔德星期三准备通过在英甲联赛的反弹，忘掉十年的痛苦

在过去的十年里，很少有像谢菲尔德星期三支持者那样经历如此多磨难的球迷群体。

自 2015 年 1 月——即泰国商人德杰蓬·钱西里（Dejphon Chansiri）成为新所有者的那个月——起，“猫头鹰”经历了以下所有事情：险些错过升级英超的机会、两次从英冠降级、从英甲升级、球员拿不到工资、进入破产管理以及被扣分。与此同时，俱乐部聘请了九位正式主教练，包括托尼·普利斯（Tony Pulis）、加里·蒙克（Gary Monk）、达伦·摩尔（Darren Moore）以及现任主帅亨里克·佩德森（Henrik Pedersen）。

“该从哪里说起？”《星期三周报》（The Wednesday Week）播客的主持人艾什·罗杰斯（Ash Rogers）叹息道。“钱西里的起步就像任何心怀好意的新老板一样：资金充足。在他上任的前两个赛季里，球队进入了英冠升级附加赛，这让球迷们感到兴奋，但未能迅速进入英超，裂痕很快就显现了出来——这是一场巨大的财务赌博，但未能获得回报，并开启了长达 10 年的衰落，最终导致了上赛季的屈辱。”

在钱西里的十年任期内，此前已经有过一次降入英格兰第三级别联赛的经历：在 2020-21 赛季，由于未能遵守英格兰足球联赛（EFL）的盈利与可持续性规则而被扣分——但将 2025-26 赛季描述为星期三队漫长历史上的最糟糕赛季也是公平的。

从顶峰跌至谷底 星期三球迷长期抗议德杰蓬·钱西里的统治；巴里·班南（Barry Bannan）再次成为一名“猫头鹰”；本赛季希尔斯堡球场将再次座无虚席

上赛季的苦战以任何 EFL 球队历史上最早的降级告终，早在 2 月份，在还剩 13 场比赛的情况下就已确定降级，而且是在输给邻居谢菲尔德联队——在所有球队中偏偏是他们——之后敲定的。至少在最后一天的胜利让他们避免了以负分结束赛季——在经历两次扣分后，星期三队的最终积分正好为零。

这种屈辱是多种因素共同导致的结果：主教练丹尼·罗尔（Danny Rohl）在夏天离职；在工资多次被拖欠后，大批球员递交辞呈；转会禁令；以及因进入破产管理且未能向球员、员工和税务局支付款项而被扣除 18 分。

钱西里对待球迷的方式同样令人心碎。“他启动了一些赚钱计划，包括价格高达 8,000 英镑 的 10 年期季票，而且只有在我们进入英超后才生效，”罗杰斯回忆道。“季票持有者如果等待续费，还会被收取高昂的价格，这造成了巨大的压力。球迷们被榨干了，被当作纯粹的顾客对待。”

“这一切最终导致球迷采取行动，试图强迫所有者离职。我们组织了抵制、游行和赛中抗议，敦促他出售俱乐部以保障其未来。”

对于在 1978 年至 1989 年间为“猫头鹰”出场超过 300 次的俱乐部传奇梅尔·斯特兰德（Mel Sterland）来说，看着他深爱的俱乐部受到如此糟糕的对待，令人心碎。“噢，那简直太可怕了，”这位前边后卫说道。“我为球迷们感到难过，因为他们被对待得像垃圾一样。这一切都归咎于一个对足球一窍不通的主席。但我为球迷们感到自豪，因为他们说：‘等一下，我们受够了’，并抵制比赛。当然，没有球迷在场对球员和团队精神来说可能很艰难，但遗憾的是，这是必要的。”

这一切与斯特兰（Sterland）的球员时代截然不同，当时“猫头鹰”在1986年的顶级联赛中最高曾获得第五名。“我记得的是身边有一些优秀的球员，以及一位伟大的主教练霍华德·威尔金森（Howard Wilkinson），”斯特兰回忆道，“我们当时拥有那些真正想为俱乐部效力的球员，而这种情况在最近并不总是如此。那时希尔斯堡球场（Hillsborough）的氛围如此灿烂，我每天都热爱前往那里。球迷们非常出色，他们一直如此。为了让钱西里（Chansiri）卖掉球队并离开，他们像任何人一样努力地奋斗。”

这位泰国人的离职是上赛季崩溃期间唯一的一线曙光。钱西里在10月将俱乐部置于接管状态，到5月，“猫头鹰”终于易主。这家约克郡球队被美国财团 Arise Capital Partners 收购，该财团由在航空领域成名的美国人戴维·斯托奇（David Storch）领导。“谢菲尔德星期三（Sheffield Wednesday）需要稳定性、雄心和明确的方向，”斯托奇在接管后表示，“这就是我们来到这里要实现的。”

球迷们涌回希尔斯堡球场庆祝这一消息。“赛季的最后一场比赛，对阵西布罗姆（West Brom），那里

“这家俱乐部现在看起来已经比我们过去十年所见到的领先了光年之久”

“对于一家降级球队来说，球场内竟然有 34,000 人，”斯特兰微笑着说。“球迷们来了，我认为这让老板对他的投资感到满意，因为现场气氛如此热烈。”

斯托奇的交易结束了长期的接管管理期。鉴于英格兰足球联赛（EFL）所描述的“对所有相关方而言都极其具有挑战性且复杂的情况”，EFL 免除了该俱乐部在新赛季英甲联赛开始时原本面临的 15 分扣分处罚。

今年夏天，一系列新援的加盟进一步鼓舞了支持者，其中包括巴里·班南的回归。这位资深中场在 1 月份离开俱乐部前往升级竞争者米尔沃尔进行为期六个月的效力之前，曾代表谢周三出场超过 450 次。

“欢迎他回来意义重大，”罗杰斯咧嘴笑道。“我们现在的老板真正把球迷放在了心上。他们正在建立一个合理的架构并与球迷互动。虽然才过了几个月，但在场外，这家俱乐部看起来和感觉起来都已经比我们在前任管理层统治下的过去 10 年所见到的领先了光年之久。”

尽管球员流动巨大且幕后经历了剧变，但“猫头鹰”仍被列为本赛季升级的早期热门球队，与俱乐部相关的人员对此感到兴奋。

“我们现在幕后有了新的人员，并引进了一些极出色的球员，”斯特兰说。“但即便有这些优秀的球员，这一切也不会一夜之间实现。”

“我们拥有经验。现在我们必须团结起来，形成势头并开始赢得比赛。如你所知，我们长期以来一直感到非常失望——这不是球员的问题，而是一个人的错。但作为一名球迷，我一直非常期待这个赛季。”

无论场上发生什么，有一件事是肯定的：希尔斯堡球场将再次变得异常拥挤。早在 6 月 11 日——距离他们在英甲联赛的首场主场比赛（对阵布拉德福德城）还有两个多月——票务办公室就宣布，他们打破了单赛季季票销售记录，有超过 20,000 张季票被抢购一空。

“球迷们正享受着这种新生，并积极参与俱乐部为了让他们重返希尔斯堡而采取的大部分行动，这一点从创纪录的季票销量中就可以看出，”罗杰斯说。“我们甚至重新选择了标志性的球衣制造商 Umbro，这在球迷中反响极好。我们迫不及待想看看年底会发生什么。”

一个成功的赛季将在很大程度上抹去那个黑暗十年的记忆。谢周三的球迷们值得拥有这一切。 Ed McCambridge

史蒂夫·科佩尔

“失去伊恩·赖特对水晶宫来说是个沉重的打击——我们本可以成为豪门之一”

这位前英格兰国脚谈到了在薪水问题上欺骗曼联、在布莱顿遭遇的阴谋，以及结识一位印度板球偶像的经历。

采访人：本·芒廷 (Ben Mountain)

你起初拒绝了成为职业足球运动员的职业生涯。为什么？

当特兰米尔·罗弗斯 (Tranmere Rovers) 第一次邀请我时，我拒绝了，因为我当时在复习 A-level 考试。后来他们说试训比赛将在普伦顿公园球场 (Prenton Park) 举行，于是我匆忙挤出了时间。几年后，俱乐部的总经理戴夫·罗素 (Dave Russell) 对我说：“汤米·多赫蒂 (Tommy Docherty) 就在我办公室里，我们已经同意把你卖给曼联。我告诉他你的周薪是 £30。” 但事实并非如此，我的周薪只有 £10。多赫蒂对我说：“我从未见过你踢球，完全不知道你是什么水平，但我所尊重的人说你值得签约。你现在拿 £30？我给你翻倍。” 我敢肯定他这么做是为了制造效果，所以我立刻想到：‘要是我们当时说 £50 就好了！’ 我当时在利物浦大学就读，而多赫蒂非常值得称赞地对我说：“你要完成你的学位。足球会把你吞噬然后吐出来。如果你有学位，它将伴随你一生。” 在接下来的 15 个月里，我每周有一天随队训练。

球队（球员） 特兰米尔 曼联

球队 （教练） 水晶宫 曼城 布伦特福德 布莱顿 雷丁 布里斯托尔城 喀拉拉爆破者 贾姆谢德普尔 ATK

1975年加盟曼联后，你适应得如何？

在我参加完考试后的那个夏天，曼联进行了一次为期五周的世界巡演。我错过了前两周，随后与马特·巴斯比爵士乘坐同一班飞机飞往香港。VIP座位在前面，但马特爵士要求坐在后面，以便他能抽烟。在过了几个小时后，他一定是对我感到厌烦了。

唐·雷维在你在21岁时带你去了南美巡演，并承诺让你完成英格兰国家队的首秀。后来发生了什么？我们首先对阵巴西队，而唐·雷维甚至不在现场。结果证明，他当时正在洽谈前往管理阿联酋队的“金票”机会。在对阵乌拉圭的最后一场比赛之前，他对我说：“你的态度给我留下了深刻印象，我会让你作为替补出场，拿到你的首场国家队帽子球。”我简直不敢相信。太震撼了。在上半场，我勤奋地进行热身，跑过雷维身边。在下半场中途，我试图逼他做出决定。如果这场比赛放在今天，结果可能会是0-0. 终场哨响，雷维说：“我很抱歉，但比赛处于胶着状态；太重要了，不能冒险。”我想，“真是胡扯！”

你在1983年退役，此前在十字前交叉韧带（ACL）断裂的情况下坚持参加了60多场比赛。为什么决定停止？在第一次手术后，当外科医生问我“你打算踢多久足球？”时，我就知道情况不对。我说：“我刚和曼联签了一份五年合同。”最终，在第三次手术后，医生说：“如果你想在40多岁时还能行走，能陪孩子玩，我建议你放弃吧。”这太令人崩溃了。而且很讽刺，因为我至今仍保持着曼联联赛连续出场次数的纪录。

一年后你成为了水晶宫的主教练，并将一些无名之辈变成了家喻户晓的名字，包括伊恩·赖特、艾伦·帕杜和加雷斯·南盖特……

首先，这是一种必然。当我去水晶宫时，我们没有钱。我的执教第一年就像是“瞎子领瞎子”；我完全不知道自己在做什么。我们将训练场向非联赛级别的教练开放，他们成了我们的球探。签下伊恩·赖特是不需要犹豫的决定。那些非联赛球员有一种“我要证明给他们看”的心态，而这正是我们所寻找的。

水晶宫在1991.年获得第三名，遗憾地与欧战资格擦肩而过。你对随后的几年有什么回忆？几乎紧接着，伊恩·赖特就去了阿森纳。我们与伊恩的关系非常好，他本可以在两年前离开，但他同意签署了一份新合同。他对我们贡献很大，但我们双方都清楚情况，我们并不

打算阻碍他。在某种程度上，这确实是一个沉重的打击——我真的认为我们本可以在几年内成为顶级球队之一。当你的最佳球员为了实现抱负而离开时，这向其他球员传递了一个信号。随后的几年变得非常艰难。

前布莱顿主席迪克·奈特说，2002.年你从亚洲飞回来参加第一次工作面试时睡着了。这是真的吗？

我不记得这件事了！但我记得离开布莱顿时的情景。迪克说：“雷丁的约翰·马德杰斯基想和你谈谈主教练的工作。”我说：“迪克，我在这里很开心。如果你不想让我和雷丁接触，我就不去。”他说：“我不希望你两周后回来，搞乱局面，说我们没给你机会。你最好还是和他谈谈。”我去了雷丁并告诉他们：“我是主教练，不是经纪人。我不谈判。所以请开出报价，我会告诉你行还是不行。”他们给我的报价比我当时的薪水还低，于是我给迪克打电话说：“没谈成，我在目前的地方很开心。让我们继续工作吧。”我能感觉到他语气中的失望。几天后，雷丁再次打电话要求重新开始。后来才发现布莱顿的财务状况不佳，而迪克已经同意了补偿金。

你在2005-06,赛季带领雷丁拿到了英冠纪录的106分，随后在降级前排名第八。在那一年之后离开俱乐部很难吗？在2008-09年，我知道我们很优秀，当时我想，“如果我不能带领球队升级，那么别人也可以。”我现在希望当时能休一周假，而不是立即做出反应。我本应该留下的，但在我们未能升级后，我在情感上崩溃了。我这人就是这样，习惯于责备自己。

你在印度的三家俱乐部度过了三年。是什么让你留在那里？

语言是一个巨大的挑战。人们告诉我90%的印度人说英语——其实并非如此。足球运动员绝对不是这样。那是终极的管理挑战。我热爱喀拉拉邦。我与[板球传奇]萨钦·滕杜尔卡尔其中一位老板有联系。他太出色了。然后他们希望我帮助在贾姆谢德普尔建立一个新的特许经营俱乐部。我想，“那是在哪儿？！”从零开始建立一家俱乐部是非常迷人的经历。在我们的第一场比赛中，草皮一直大块大块地脱落。现在回想起来像个笑话，但当时那是生死攸关的大事。贾姆谢德普尔位于荒郊野外，所以需要乘坐三小时没有厕所的大巴车才能到达机场。

尼尔·莫佩

[...OMITTED...]

“根杜齐在背后说我们的坏话——当我打入绝杀球时，我直接在他面前炫耀”

这位充满争议的法国人谈到了那次著名的阿森纳冲突、他对布伦特福德的热爱，以及他为何掐住了塞维利亚社交媒体经理的脖子

采访：James Hilsum

在尼斯青训体系中成长，给你带来了怎样的基础？对我来说，那里是一个特别的地方，因为一切都始于那里。我在 2012. 16 岁时在那里完成了首秀。在那个年代，这么年轻的人能踢一线队足球是很不寻常的。这意味着周围对我寄予了厚望，我的肩上承受着巨大的压力。在职业生涯的第一赛季后，我遭遇了严重的伤病，被禁赛了近一年。因为当时正处于职业生涯之初，我不习惯经历康复和伤病，但我认为这对我的未来大有裨益。

你在 2017 年加盟布伦特福德，并在 2018-19. 赛季迎来了职业生涯最丰产的一个赛季，打入了 25 个联赛进球。秘诀是什么？那是英冠联赛，所以显然与英超不同。但我当时感觉信心十足，并且在那个赛季的第一场比赛（对阵罗瑟勒姆）中打入两球，取得了非常好的开局。我由此

球队 尼斯 圣艾蒂安 布雷斯特（租借） 布伦特福德 布莱顿 埃弗顿 马赛 塞维利亚（租借）

由此获得了势头，而布伦特福德这家俱乐部给了我极大的信心。他们确保我在场内场外都感到舒适，这样我就能专注于比赛并享受足球。那个赛季我们拥有一支很强的球队，比如赛义德·本拉马、奥利·沃特金斯和乔什·达西尔瓦，他们都让我踢得更轻松。作为一名前锋，我感觉自己几乎每个周末都能进球——这是一种非常美妙的感觉。

与托马斯·弗兰克共事的感觉如何？在那个赛季 10 月接替迪恩·史密斯之前，他已经是布伦特福德的助理教练了。托马斯对我来说是一位特别的主教练。他确保每个人都感到快乐和自信，这是他最出色的特质之一。我当时很年轻，他教会了我如何管理情绪，以及在比赛中遇到不利情况时如何保持专注。他是那种如果你输掉一场比赛，他不会把你骂死，而是会告诉你下一场可以在哪里改进的教练。他给予你

这种信任，对我而言，这是主教练身上被低估的一种品质。战术显然很重要，但如果球员感觉良好，他们就会踢得好。

随后你在 2019 年以 £2000 万的价格加盟英超的布莱顿，并在对阵沃特福德的首秀中进球。你对那场比赛还记得什么？对我来说这是一个完美的开始，因为当时有很多期待。对于布莱顿来说这是一次重大转会，他们渴望看到我的能力。当时我还是个年轻球员，但我想要证明我配得上在那里踢球。那场比赛我们在 1-0 领先时我替补登场，随后打入了第三球，将比分定格在 3-0. 对我来说这是一个解脱，因为在那之后我相信自己可以在英超联赛中踢球并取得进球。

可以说，那个赛季你身披布莱顿球衣最令人难忘的一场比赛是对阵阿森纳的比赛，你在最后一分钟打入了绝杀球。全场比赛结束后，你与马特奥·根杜齐之间发生了什么冲突？

对我来说，那是一段美好的回忆，对布莱顿球迷来说也是如此。我想那是封锁结束后的第一场比赛，时间是六月一个非常炎热的日子。比赛过程中，丹·本（Dan Burn）和一些阿森纳球员之间有很多口角。随后在贝尔恩德·莱诺（Bernd Leno）受伤时，我与他发生了接触，这让气氛开始变得有些紧张。那个法国小伙子 [京多齐] 在谈论钱，说阿森纳是一家大俱乐部，而我们和他以及阿森纳相比根本不算什么。我不喜欢这种垃圾话，因为这纯属胡扯。所以，我在整场比赛中一直把这件事记在心里，我 100% 确信自己能进球，然后走到他面前对他说：“你们钱更多，但我们赢了，而且是我进的球。”我确实进球了，几乎是在比赛的最后一脚射门，然后我直接走到他面前，告诉他我对他的看法。他毫无谦逊可言，我在赛后采访中把这一切告诉了所有人。我认为如果你说了这样的话，就得承担后果，所以我希望确保每个人都知道他说了什么。

人们还会记得你在布莱顿最后一个赛季对阵水晶宫时，在补时阶段打入的那粒扳平比分的进球。你对那场比赛有什么回忆？对我来说，那是一段极其美妙的回忆。在比赛最后一刻进球的感觉太特别了，我永远记得那个庆祝动作——首先是在对方球迷面前庆祝，然后我们全队冲向自己的球迷。那天没能赢球很可惜，但感觉就像拿到了三分一样，因为整个球场都安静了，水晶宫的球员们也失去了理智。这两家俱乐部之间有很深的竞争关系，所以你希望表现出色并赢得比赛，但在那里打入最后一分钟的扳平球，是我永远不会忘记的事情。

你在 2023-24, 赛季从埃弗顿租借回归布伦特福德开启了第二段职业生涯。回到那里感觉像回家一样吗？

我非常开心，因为布伦特福德给了我在英格兰比赛的机会，让我能在这个世界上最好的足球国家证明自己。我很感激能有机会回来。主教练依然是托马斯·弗兰克，我认识他很多年了，而且一直保持联系。俱乐部里还有一些我第一次在英冠效力时的球员，以及一些工作人员，能去一个几乎所有人都认识的地方，我感到非常高兴。这让我能很轻松地融入并投入比赛。当时我真的非常兴奋，迫不及待地想要开始。

左图：在对阵热刺进球后走向飞镖投掷线。右图：对“口袋观察员”马特奥·根杜齐的戏弄计划圆满完成。

2024 年 1 月在对阵托特纳姆热刺进球时，模仿詹姆斯·麦迪逊的飞镖庆祝动作，其灵感来自哪里？

我通常不会计划我的庆祝动作，因为我喜欢根据情绪做出反应。我只是顺着比赛的节奏和当时的感觉走。那场比赛就是这样，因为我和詹姆斯·麦迪逊之间没有任何问题。在他效力莱斯特城期间，每当我面对他，我们总是很友好。但在那场比赛中，在这种氛围下，看到坐在前排的球迷，我就是想做他的那个庆祝动作。实际上，之后我还没和他谈过这件事。据我所知，他对此并不太高兴。如果你问我的话，我认为这是一个很棒的庆祝动作——如果让我再做一次，我依然会做。

你认为人们有时在足球中把事情看得太严重了吗？绝对是的。我理解球迷热爱他们的球员和俱乐部，但有时，事情并没有那么深刻。这也是我生活的方式。我可以对某人说些什么，他们也可以对我回击，但我不会将其视为人身攻击。我想每个人都不同，但这就是我之所以成为我的原因——因为你不可能让每个人都满意。

你上赛季的后半段在西班牙的塞维利亚租借效力。在那条你用锁喉动作制服俱乐部社交媒体管理员的推文中，你的想法是什么？

我曾经看到塞维利亚发的一条推文说：“每当尼尔·莫佩上场且没有进球时，管理员就会微笑。”发这条推文的管理员是在我效力马赛对阵塞维利亚时发的。后来当我抵达俱乐部时，一个英国人走过来对我说：“你好，很高兴认识你，我是负责社交媒体的人。”结果他正是发那条原始推文的人。他同意了锁喉这个想法，我们觉得这样会很有趣。

克拉克·卡莱尔

“我把《倒计时》的那个茶壶带回家了——感觉就像刚赢得了欧冠冠军一样”

这位前中后卫谈到了伤病的心碎、心理健康的困境，以及他如何获得“英国最聪明足球运动员”这一绰号。

采访人：Ed McCambridge

你的突破是在布莱克浦实现的，但你在 1999-2000 赛季随队降级到了第三级别联赛。你的表现中究竟有什么出众之处，能让 QPR 签下你？我不知道！也许你应该问问我的前队友，因为我记得我的剪贴簿里最早记录的事情之一，就是我在早期一期《FourFourTwo》的“这个男孩有点特别”（The Boy's a Bit Special）专栏中露面了。当时我对此感到相当自豪，现在还把它存在某个地方。总之，是什么让我脱颖而出？[笑] 说实话，可能是因为那套橘色的球衣。但认真地说，我想我当时只是非常渴望。布莱克浦将我的位置从中前卫改成了中后卫，所以我仍然保留着认为自己是一名出球球员的观念。在降级后，有传闻说一些俱乐部对我感兴趣，后来在杰里·弗朗西斯（Gerry Francis）的带领下，我得到了加盟 QPR 的机会，从此便再未回头。对我来说，那是一个绝佳的机会。

效力球队 布莱克浦 QPR 利兹 沃特福德 卢顿（租借） 伯恩利 普雷斯顿（租借） 北安普顿 约克

你在洛夫图斯路球场度过了四年。起初一切进展顺利…… 我的主场首秀是对阵伯明翰的比赛。我当时盯防杰夫·霍斯菲尔德（Geoff Horsfield），我们之间爆发了一场激烈的肉搏战；那种比赛如果放在今天，我们两个可能都被红牌罚下三次了。那时候你还可以进行抢断和对抗——太震撼了。我非常喜欢杰里给我们的自由度。他采用三后卫阵型，作为一名外侧中后卫，我可以参与进攻并与翼卫重叠。2003 年，我们在千禧体育场参加了对阵卡迪夫的（第二级别联赛）升级附加赛决赛。直到现在，想到我们输了球我依然感到心碎，但次赛季在伊恩·霍洛威（Ian Holloway）担任主教练的情况下，我们成功升级了。所以我在俱乐部确实经历过一些美妙的高光时刻。

2001 年 1 月，你在对阵富勒姆的比赛中遭受了严重的膝盖伤势，这标志着你漫长心理健康斗争的开始。

我在一次看似平常的抢断中与鲁弗斯·布雷维特（Rufus Brevett）碰撞，导致前十字韧带（ACL）断裂，腓骨头旋转，神经脱位，并且右膝的腿后肌腱被撕裂。我缺阵了 22 个月，那简直是极其恐怖的经历。是的，那就是心理健康挣扎的开始。足球对我意味着太多了。它让我走出了社会住宅区，让我的梦想成真。外科医生告诉我，我再也无法踢球了。那是我第一次尝试自杀。那是手术后，我在阿克顿的一套公寓里酗酒直到失去意识。幸好我被发现了。我服用了过量药物，他们给我洗胃。我活了下来。问题是，在 2001 年，这不被视为一种求救信号。人们更多是觉得：“哎呀，克拉克，你这次逃过一劫，你这个淘气鬼，别再这么做了！”我们所有人都假装这件事从未发生过。在训练场内外，我用两年的时间倾尽所有地恢复体能。不仅如此，之后我又踢了 13 年球。所以，尽管那是心理健康恶化的开端，但它依然是一个绝佳的例证，证明了我的决心、专注和奉献如何让我克服了一次足以终结职业生涯的伤病。

随后你先后效力于沃特福德、利兹和伯恩利，甚至进入了英超联赛……

你必须理解的是，在经历那些伤病的过程中，我并不知道自己正处于心理健康恶化的状态。所以我并没有意识到自己在克服某种困难。我去了沃特福德并帮助他们赢得了英超升级资格。但我错过了随后赛季的前七个月。我以为我错失了机会。直到我在维卡里奇路球场一个烈日炎炎的日子里，在对阵朴茨茅斯的比赛中完成了英超首秀，那场比赛我表现得极其出色。但到那时，我们实际上已经基本确定降级了。

您后来在2009年帮助伯恩利升入了英超联赛，再次获得了在这个级别竞争的机会。这对您意味着什么？

在2009年的冠军联赛附加赛决赛中，我是温布利球场的全场最佳球员。即便如此，那也远非我在伯恩利踢得最好的一场比赛。那场比赛实际上是在英超联赛中客场挑战安菲尔德。我在那场比赛中把费尔南多·托雷斯防得死死的。我完全用老将的经验压制了他，把他给击败了。疯狂的是，我们最后 4-0 落败，约西·贝纳永上演了帽子戏法，而我在报纸上的评分只有 3 / 10。我记得下场时在想：“我表现得如此出色，结果我们竟然 4-0 输了，这到底是什么水平？”能站在那个舞台上本身就是一个奇迹——我能活着走到那里。我对所经历的一切心存感激。如果要把他们一个个列出来，我曾面对过贝尔坎普、亨利、阿内尔卡、德罗巴、欧文、罗纳尔多、鲁尼、吉格斯——大约有十几个时代级的天才，在短短一两个赛季里就遇到了所有这些名字。能拥有这些回忆我感到非常幸运。

THE PLAYERS LOUNGE

2002, 您在电视节目中被正式加冕为“英国最聪明足球运动员”。这是怎么回事？那是我因为膝盖受伤而休养两年的期间。我回到了学校，修了一些A-level课程，然后训练场上出现了一张传单。

我想，“我也试试吧——应该挺有趣的”，结果我赢了。

而在 2010, 您成为了《Countdown》节目的常驻参赛者，甚至赢下了首场比赛……也是在我休养两年的那段时间里，我申请参加《Countdown》。我参加了试播，结果惨败。那和我预想的完全不同。就像在办公室里一个无聊的教室，前面有人在那读字母。我想，“伙计们，这不是《》！那个大时钟在哪？”后来我们在伯恩利升级后，我在talkSPORT电台讲述了这个故事，当时达米安·伊迪（Damian Eadie）也在场。他是talkSPORT的制作人，同时也参与《》的制作。节目结束后他说：“克拉克，你是认真的吗？你真的想上《》？”我说：“绝对认真！”这就是所谓的特权，我跳过了试播，他直接让我成为了参赛者。那是我的一个终身梦想实现了。我记得小时候放学回家，坐在我父亲的膝盖上，看着理查德·怀特利（Richard Whiteley）和卡罗尔·沃德曼（Carol Vorderman），试图用最长的单词和正确的计算结果来给他留下深刻印象。当我赢得一集并拿到那个茶壶时，那对我来说就是我的欧冠冠军。说真的，这是一个珍贵的回忆。

尽管饱受伤病困扰，卡莱尔作为职业球员出场超过 500 场比赛。左侧：“这些不错，但它们不是我的茶壶”

去年，您在《The 1% Club》节目中为慈善事业赢得了 10 万英镑……

有人给我打电话说：“Soccer Aid要做一个特别节目，你想尝试一下吗？”然后，你瞧，我竟然赢了。我当时真的不知道，但那是我的母亲最喜欢的节目。我甚至没告诉她我要参加。所以当节目播出且我获胜时，她给我打电话说：“噢我的天呐，这是你做过的最伟大的事情！”我说：“我的天，我在英超踢过球。我还给你生了五个孙辈。”这就是所谓的优先级。[笑] 那是非常灿烂的一天，非常有意思。

如需机密支持，请随时拨打 116 123 免费联系撒玛利亚会（Samaritans），或访问 samaritans.org

THE MIXER

足球之最

装备 • 时尚 • 艺术 设计 • 科技

28 DRILL FUTBOL 训练上衣 £100 28clothing.com

前 One Direction 成员 Louis Tomlinson 的周末可能会在观看唐卡斯特在英甲联赛中苦苦挣扎中度过，但他的时尚品牌 28 实际上……相当不错。这是他的第六个胶囊系列，他正深度致敬 90 年代和 00 年代的怀旧看台文化。这个性别中立的 11 件套系列涵盖了防泼水半拉链上衣、经典 Drill 上衣（类似于 90 年代英格兰纪录片《An Impossible Job》中 Carlton Palmer 等人穿着的那种）以及拼接 T 恤。这里没有紧身牛仔裤，只有真正的“懂球人士”休闲装。

勒沃库森主场球衣 £85 newbalance.co.uk

New Balance 连续第二个赛季负责勒沃库森的装备。今年的设计主题是“十字架下的勇气”，而条纹则从 BayArena 体育场的屋顶中汲取灵感——没有什么比结构工程更能代表无拘无束的勇气了。这是一个干练的设计：发散的垂直条纹、一个可以接受的赞助商标志以及微妙的十字图案。即使你不在意屋顶面板，它穿在 Patrik Schick 身上应该也会很帅。

THE MIXER

NIKE X HYPERICE 恢复拖鞋 £249 nike.com

快告诉 Marty McFly 他把人字拖忘在后面了。Nike 与恢复专家 Hyperice 联手，为疲惫的双脚打造了热疗鞋类。这款缓冲拖鞋在鞋带中集成了一个热疗舱，能在开球前为僵硬的双脚提供针对性温暖，或在 90 分钟的艰苦比赛后加速恢复。当然，它看起来像是在戴着居家监禁电子脚镣，但你酸痛的足弓会感谢你的。

世界杯决赛球场草皮碎片 – 传承版 1,200 英镑

你的理智在说“不”，而你的内心在问：“我能为把这玩意儿刷在信用卡上找个理由吗？”FIFA 在世界杯沙发缝里搜寻硬币的行为还没结束——现在他们的目标是那些梦想拥有的一块泥土的人。这套纪念套装包含一块来自 MetLife 体育场的微小草皮、一张闪亮的纪念票、一个微型金色比赛球，以及足够让詹尼·因凡蒂诺喜极而泣的企业宣传词。

66 2026年8月 FourFourTwo

尤文图斯客场系列 £85 起

记得 Steven Gerrard 跑步后拍的那张自拍吗？就是那张被做成 Soleros 梗图的照片？我们看着这套由 Kenan Yildiz 和 Lloyd Kelly 演绎的尤文装备时，脸上全都是那种表情。三叶草标志、手臂上的条纹、淡粉色、意大利种马徽章，以及球衣上的领口细节——这一切都在催眠人们在笔记本电脑、iPad 和智能手机上输入银行卡详情。不要抵抗，随它去吧。

adidas.co.uk

NEW BALANCE FURON V9 £200 newbalance.co.uk

New Balance 的 Furon V9 重量仅为 177 克，轻到让你觉得自己在做一场发烧梦，仿佛即将打入世界杯决赛的绝杀球，只不过你脚上穿的是拖鞋而不是球靴。收到这一双鞋的感觉，就像是你被那种“白面包车装音响”的骗局给坑了一样。它们能让你像 Bukayo Saka 一样快吗？绝对不能。但那种碱绿色看起来确实很有档次。

THE MIXER

[...OMITTED...]

FUNKO 英格兰队系列 £13

当哈里·马古尔未能入选英格兰世界杯大名单时，Funko 的团队一定感到非常沮丧。如果说有哪个球员天生就适合被还原成一个拥有巨大立方体头部和吸魂黑洞之眼的形象……那么熔掉数千个塑料马古尔所带来的环境后果简直不敢想象。有趣的是，在冠军未能回家的这几个月里，这些产品推出了捆绑优惠。

布伦特福德客场球衣 £65 起 brentfordfc.com

礼貌造就绅士，但显然现在是细条纹造就了“蜜蜂”队。布伦特福德与球迷、股东兼电影制作人马修·沃恩爵士（以《两把烟枪》闻名）合作推出了新款客场球衣。自然地，他参与了发布视频的拍摄，在视频中，伊戈尔·蒂亚戈饰演一名穿着防弹双排扣西装的特工。这款球衣灵感来自沃恩的商业大片《金牌特工》中的萨维尔街剪裁，绝对是伦敦最时髦的球衣。

球衣特辑

卡迪夫城

主场 / 1978-80

来自“蓝鸟”的一款双钻发现，既罕见又惊艳

文字：Peris Hatton

在如今这个商业垄断的时代，或许很难想象，直到 20 世纪 70 年代中后期，由于对俱乐部和品牌广告的限制，球衣设计受到了极大的约束。在电视转播的比赛中尤其如此——即使是国内赛季最重大的赛事也不例外。

卡迪夫城此前仅穿着带有白色饰边的蓝色球衣。Umbro 的大胆设计改变了这一点

在 20 世纪 70 年代，足球赛历上的旗舰日期是足总杯决赛日，BBC 和 ITV 为了争夺最高收视率，都对比赛进行了全程报道。

1976 年那场由曼联对阵最终获胜者南安普顿的焦点战，因广播公司的非广告规则而令 BBC 感到不安。两支球队都穿着 Admiral 的球衣，但制造商被禁止在出场训练服夹克的前面印上品牌名称。

Admiral 遵守了规定，转而将品牌印在背面。但对 BBC 来说不幸的是，电视直播捕捉到了大量巨大的标志和字母，在球员走出的过程中清晰可见。

钻石永恒

随后的几年里，规则有所放宽，Umbro 等品牌开始享受这种新获得的自由。这包括引入了如今几乎随处可见的袖口图案——这是一个天才之举，因为在电视转播的比赛中，球员经常是以侧面呈现的。球迷们被偶像身上这种吸睛的新特性所迷住了。

就 Umbro 而言，他们先尝试从衣领到袖口采用原始的单钻石标志，随后推出了双钻石标志，进一步增强了品牌辨识度。

卡迪夫队的演变完美地诠释了这一点：其在 1975-76 赛季首次推出的纯色袖口球衣，到了 1978-79 赛季则采用了双钻石图案。

而且他们参与创造了一件多么出色的球衣。自 1908 年将原名 Riverside AFC 改为卡迪夫城（Cardiff City）以来，该俱乐部的主场球衣一直只有蓝色，尽管有些带有白色饰边。但这一切在 1975 年发生了改变，因为球衣正面大胆地加入了宽大的白色和黄色条纹。

由于条纹位于球衣左侧，俱乐部徽章必须移至对面，位于 Umbro 标志之上。这不仅美观，还巧妙地将视线吸引到品牌标志上——这在袖口图案加入之前的设计早期版本中尤为关键。

客场球衣可以说更加抢眼，整体为黄色，配有白色和蓝色条纹。这件球衣在今天几乎成了神话——在我 30 年的收藏生涯中，还从未见过一件。

周五，我恋爱了！

这些球衣的华丽程度理应在赛场上获得成功，在它们首次亮相的 1975-76 赛季，凭借明星前锋托尼·埃文斯（Tony Evans）在联赛中攻入的 21 球，“蓝鸟”队以亚军身份从第三级别联赛升级。

在 1978-79 赛季穿着双钻石球衣期间，在经历了两个赛季在积分榜底端挣扎后，俱乐部在第二级别联赛中取得了前所未有的第九名。这种相对的成功无疑推动了销量，父母们被孩子们缠着，要求在当地体育用品店买一件复刻版。

这里照片中的球衣相当小——并不是因为洗涤后缩水了，而是因为它实际上是一套儿童套装。1973 年底，Admiral 和利兹联发布了史上第一件复刻球衣，其他制造商迅速效仿，生产供儿童穿着的套装。

当时大规模生产并销售高质量成人复刻球衣尚未成为普遍做法。这使得卡迪夫 1978-80 赛季的球衣成为一件抢手之作，因为原件要么是小号的复刻版，要么是极少数由球员本人穿着的比赛实穿件。

1976-77 赛季及其球衣——沿用了前一学期的纯色袖口——将永远与被评为卡迪夫队史上最受崇拜的英雄罗宾·弗莱戴（Robin Friday）联系在一起。这家伙很特别——在为俱乐部仅出场 25 次的情况下就能赢得这个称号，他一定非同凡响！

人们对他最深刻的记忆并不总是他在首秀中打入两球。相反，弗莱戴——其短暂的职业生涯因酗酒、药物以及无数场外问题而蒙垢——在卡迪夫对阵卢顿的一张照片中被永恒定格：在攻破对方球门后，他向对方门将米利亚·亚历克西奇（Milija Aleksic）做了一个粗鲁的手势。这张标志性的照片被用作威尔士乐队 Super Furry Animals 1996 年单曲《The Man Don't Give a $F^{**}k$》的封面。

混搭

球队选择 亨利·伯里奇 制作编辑

从约克到欧洲，准备好展示本学期的客场之旅

点击

通过在地图上展示你所有去过的球场，证明你的哥们儿在足球迷方面不如你。该网站免费注册，涵盖全球 35,000 多个球场供你勾选，并记录你加入“92俱乐部”的进度，此外还为资深球场猎人提供大量统计数据。这里还有一个方便的邮编搜索功能，可以让你发现那些你从未意识到存在的附近非联赛球场。有人想去布里斯托尔电话公司（Bristol Telephones）球场看看吗？

游戏

将《马里奥赛车》与 PGA 巡回赛结合起来，这就是该作品的结果。与朋友们一起在绿地周围尽情狂欢（字面意义上的狂欢），你将携带气笛、火箭筒和其他可疑的装备，而所有这些东西让你被当地球场驱逐的速度，会比吉米·布拉德（Jimmy Bullard）用啤酒瓶当球座开球还要快。该作在 PC 端发布时立即走红，创作者计划在今年推出 PlayStation、Xbox 和 Nintendo Switch 版本。

足球球场地图

记录你去过的足球球场 —— 使用 FOOTBALL GROUND MAP

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game CHANGER

观看 DROPOUT

沉浸在顶尖即兴喜剧演员面对日益荒诞的挑战所带来的混乱之中。Dropout 的剧集目录包括《Game Changer》（唯一每场游戏规则都会改变的游戏节目）、《Make Some Noise》（演员们在模仿和古怪提示中大放异彩）以及桌面角色扮演游戏选集《Dimension 20》（适合《龙与地下城》粉丝）。如果你认为“西蒙说”（Simon Says）只是一个小孩子游戏，那么你将大吃一惊……

学习 BABBEL

Duolingo 可能是语言类应用世界里的巨头，但对于一个试图教授技能的产品来说，它也太不严肃了（说实话，你看过那只猫头鹰的 Instagram 吗？）。Babbel 是成年人版本——没有任何花哨的装饰，它提供针对性的课程，教授实际的语法规则，而不是向你抛出随机的单词。上赛季在去观看本菲卡比赛的路上，我甚至用体面的葡萄牙语点了一份葡式蛋挞（pastel de nata）。

我的完美 11 人 扬·莫尔比 (JAN MOLBY)

这位利物浦偶像挑选了红军传奇和荷兰名将，其中约翰·克鲁伊夫入选了……

彼得·舒梅切尔 (PETER SCHMEICHEL)

“我们一起代表丹麦国家队出战的次数不多，因为他发展较晚，但毫无疑问，在 90 年代的一个时期，他是世界上排名第一的门将。”

菲尔·尼尔 (PHIL NEAL)

“一名出色的足球运动员，一名伟大的

一名出色的足球运动员，一名伟大的后卫，一名超级的一触球传球手，而且他双脚都能灵活运用。我只和菲尔一起踢了 18 个月，但他是那种在我刚加入利物浦时，就让我对其能力立即感到钦佩的人。”

艾伦·汉森 (ALAN HANSEN)

“艾伦是那些罕见的球员之一，由于他的比赛方式，即使在今天的足球世界里也不会显得格格不入。他是一名卓越的比赛阅读者，反应极快，并且对于如今经常采用的高位防线感到非常舒适。”

罗纳德·库曼 (RONALD KOEMAN)

“我选择世界足坛进球最多的后卫。我在阿贾克斯只和他一起踢了 12 个月，但他

一进来你就不得不对他产生钦佩之情。我们得到了一名能够从后场组织进攻、在中场担任自由人且具有真实进球威胁的出色球员。一名真正天才的球员。”

史蒂夫·尼科尔 (右)

“史蒂夫在1989年获得了足球作家协会年度最佳球员。他是一名出色的全能球员，真心地不知道自己是多么受欢迎，也不知道自己有多优秀。一个真正的无名英雄，但深受后勤工作人员和队友们的赏识。”

米卡埃尔·劳德鲁普

“丹麦历史上最伟大的球员。1982年米卡埃尔18岁生日那天，我们一起赢得了国家队首秀，并且共同入选了1984年欧洲杯

阵型 4-4-2

主帅

肯尼·达格利什

“肯尼是对我作为球员最了解的人。很多人认为我更适合担任中后卫或防守型中场，但肯尼让我打得更靠前，我非常喜欢他赋予我的责任。”

替补

莫滕·奥尔森

普雷本·埃尔克耶

罗尼·惠兰

以及1986年世界杯的阵容。他当时差一点就加盟利物浦，我记得有人说他可能很难进入首发阵容。但绝不会，即便是在18岁时。他拥有卓越的意识和极佳的技术。”

弗兰克·赖卡德

“对他来说一切都如此简单——让他打任何位置，他都能轻松应对。高大、强壮且快速，但脚下动作也非常灵活，弗兰克就是那种对他效力过的每一支伟大球队都至关重要的球员。”

约翰·克鲁伊夫 (下) “足球史上最伟大的球员之一”

足球史上最伟大的球员之一。我在阿贾克斯与克鲁伊夫共事了12个月。当时他已经35或36岁了，但即便如此，他看待比赛的方式以及谈论比赛的方式依然令人大开眼界。他对我们所有年轻球员都产生了巨大的影响。”

约翰·巴恩斯

“我心目中史上最强的利物浦球员。约翰在1987年加盟我们——此前我在他效力沃特福德以及代表英格兰队时与他交手过，我觉得他还不错。但就在他

走进安菲尔德大门的那一刻，你意识到他远不止于此。”

前锋 伊恩·拉什 “我在利物浦最好的朋友”

我在利物浦最好的朋友。在我加盟之前，关于拉什我唯一知道的就是他能进球，但他的比赛内容远不止于此。他是第一道防线，但同时拥有极佳的跑位。这一点对我很有帮助，因为他总能创造出那一小块空间。”

马尔科·范巴斯滕

“当马尔科17岁进入阿贾克斯一线队时，我记得克鲁伊夫说过他将成为史上最强。他离这个目标并不远，但马尔科的最后一场比赛是在28岁时结束的，所以我们永远无法知道他的真实巅峰。他的技术扎实，动作灵活，能打进各种类型的进球。”

Renewal

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This season more than any other in recent years, there seem to be a lot of questions in the Premier League. We'll get answers over the course of the next nine months, but most of those uncertainties centre on the managers.

Ahead of this season kicking off, nine clubs had new bosses, one more than before the 2016-17 campaign. Add in Manchester United and Spurs last term, and 11 have changed manager since January 1.

In the 34 years of the Premier League, the title has been won 26 times by either Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola. For the first time in the league's history, none of those five are around, so it's a new era, and every new appointment has carried an element of risk – even at the top with Manchester City and Liverpool.

The stakes are equally high for clubs who finished further down the league last season, aiming to ascend – Bournemouth, Chelsea, Fulham, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest will also be hoping their new manager gets it right, as will newly promoted Ipswich.

Title-winner Mikel Arteta is the only Premier League gaffer who wasn't appointed this decade – Arsenal fans will no doubt hope and expect that the Gunners can pick up where they left off, so it will be fascinating to watch how this season of change plays out. Enjoy the mag.

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CONTENTS

THE LINE-UP

UPFRONT

8 Mo Salah arrives at Trabzonspor The Egyptian King's Turkish delight 14 When Kevin Keegan spoke to FFT We revisit the late great's chinwag about Sir Alex, helicopter exits and Tino Asprilla's pre-match red wine 20 Challenge yourself with our quiz 21 Jules Breach talks Morgan Rogers 22 Demba Ba's very finest games 23 Fiji vs Latvia: World Cup host duel?! 24 Script singer's Fergie escapades "My first Ireland game was a riot" 26 Karen Carney hails Julia Roberts 27 What's it like at a match in Bolivia?

AROUND THE GROUNDS

80	Alex Neil on play-off heartbreak
81	Why Ewood Park was bombed
82	Matlock Town’s castle backdrop
83	Di Canio at Celtic, three decades on
84	Sheffield Wednesday’s foul year

THE PLAYERS LOUNGE

86	Steve Coppell & a cricket legend “Sachin Tendulkar? Brilliant owner”
88	Neal Maupay: wind-up merchant
90	Clarke Carlisle the Countdown king

THE MIXER

92 World Cup final grass – for sale! 96 Cardiff's 1978 shirt remembered

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FEATURES

30 The year of the boss, starring... 32 Andoni Iraola: ready for trophies? 36 Enzo Maresca: City's new Pep 37 Alonso & Arbeloa: life after Madrid 38 The weird world of Mikel Arteta 40 Michael Carrick: Boro to believer 44 Matthias Jaissle: Asia's Cloughie 47 Unai Emery: Villa's greatest ever? 48 How Bournemouth made Europe Key Cherries faces tell us the secret behind the south coast club's rise 54 Theo Paphitis: my Millwall tenure The entrepreneur took the Lions to an FA Cup final and the UEFA Cup

FEATURES

60 Prison FC & more bizarre tales The weirdest stories in football, including fans dressed as squirrels and a grudge match on a ferry 66 Sergio Aguero relives QPR goal The Etihad great talks us through his most famous moment of all 70 The new Raheem Sterling rated Also assessed: Brighton's summer wing arrival and a teenage Swede 72 Chris Kamara: unbelievable Jeff! The cult hero has recovered from depression and is having fun again 98 Jan Molby selects his Perfect XI

"AT REAL MADRID, ALONSO FOUND THAT THINGS LIKE PRESSING AND TACTICS WEREN'T AS POPULAR"

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TOKYO, JAPAN

A new J.League era began in early August, with the start of the 2026-27 season – the first to align with leagues in Europe, rather than running through the calendar year. Kawasaki Frontale fans were certainly well up for it – their heroes soon levelled in the 96th minute at Tokyo Verdy. Pic Masashi Hara/Getty

↑ WARM WELCOME

TRABZON, TURKEY

When Mo Salah signed for two more years at Anfield in 2025, not many predicted he would be playing now for... Trabzonspor?! The lure of the Black Sea and the chance to join Turkey's fourth biggest club proved too great – he was unveiled on August 6. Pic Hamza Onder Kuloglu/Anadolu/Getty

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"ER, ANYONE KNOW WHY WE'RE HERE?"

SAN JOSE, USA

The Leagues Cup is a curious competition that pits MLS and Liga MX sides against each other – Guadalajara faced FC Dallas in California (because why not?), with Angel Sepulveda straining every sinew in a 1-0 loss. Pic Justine Willard/Leagues Cup/MLS/Getty

STICKING POINT

HAMBURG, GERMANY It had all been going so well for St Pauli – for the first time ever, they were one division above Hamburg in 2024, but their rivals joined them in the Bundesliga last year, then they went down in May. It’s back to the second tier then, which frankly fits with their hipster image much better. Pic Joern Pollex/Bundesliga/ Getty

FAREWELL, FRANCO

MILAN, ITALY

Franco Baresi was the leader of one of the finest defences in history – one that claimed three European Cups and the Scudetto six times at Milan. His death at 66 stunned Italy – hundreds of tributes were left at the Rossoneri's HQ. Pic Andrea Fasani/EPA/Shutterstock

KEVIN KEEGAN FROM THE VAULT

"Some people seem to think that having passion is a bad thing, but football without passion is like strawberries without ice cream"

Kevin Keegan was a whirlwind. Back in 2007, a year before returning to Newcastle for a second stint as the club's manager, he met FourFourTwo at his interactive football attraction Soccer Circus, in the

middle of a Glaswegian shopping centre. He could barely stand still. Impressively lean for his 55 years, he japed merrily through our chat, pausing only to bellow “perm or mullet?” towards a duo of passing Paisley housewives, who’d probably only popped out for a pint of milk and certainly weren’t expecting to be harangued about haircuts by an English football legend.

Witnessing Keegan's energy first hand, it was easy to see how he managed to shoehorn so much into his career, and also, perhaps, why he was never content to settle in one place for too long. “I’ve always liked to try new things and new places,” said Keegan, who had recently moved to Scotland in order to oversee his new project. “I’ve not got a single regret. I like to look forward, not backward.”

He agreed, however, to a brief period of nostalgia to answer questions sent in by our readers. Following his death last month, at the age of 75, we decided to revisit the interview and his thoughts on an extraordinary career, which saw him become the only Brit to win the Ballon d'Or on two separate occasions, manage England and go head to head with Sir Alex Ferguson in arguably the most famous duel of the Premier League era. King Kev lived quite a life.

You were rejected as a youth by Doncaster for being too small. What would you have been doing if you hadn't been picked up by Scunthorpe? Did that rejection as a schoolboy fuel your famous determination?

I'd have been making taps. I know that, because I took a job at Pegler before I got signed up to play football. You know

when you go into a public toilet, push down the taps and a bit of water comes out, then just as you put your hands underneath the water stops? Annoying, isn't it? We made those taps. So I'd have been tap dancing. And yes, rejection drove me on. I got rejected by Coventry City as well as Doncaster. A few people close to me said, "Now you'll have to concentrate on your school work." They didn't think I was good enough, and I used it as a spur. I think most of the top players have been rejected somewhere along the line. Thomas Edison had failures before he got the light bulb going! You try to turn these minuses into a plus and prove people wrong.

Can you enlighten us about the story of you and Tommy Smith arguing over a pair of white boots at Anfield? Ian McDougall, Glasgow I got offered white boots by Hummel for quite a lot of money, and I asked

"IF YOU BEAT MANCHESTER UNITED IT'S GREAT. BUT IF YOU BEAT THEM 5-0, IT'S ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC"

Tommy what he thought, because I respected him – he was like a father figure to me. Hardly anyone wore them back in those days, and he said I’d look like a prat. Alan Ball wore them, but Tommy said they looked OK with white socks, but daft with red ones. A few weeks later, Tommy was wearing them himself! He said, “I can’t turn down that sort of money at my age, they’ll all come knocking at your door Kevin, but I need to take this offer.” The boots ended up a bit red. I’m not sure whether he dyed them or if it was blood...

When and where were you at your happiest during your career? Mike Clarke, Liverpool

Everywhere! Liverpool: wow. Hamburg: fantastic. Newcastle to finish my career: unbelievable. And Southampton was exhilarating, because we were a load of old guys coming to the end of our careers and still winning. Great fun!

Scunthorpe was great, too. I've been happy everywhere.

What's your greatest memory as Newcastle manager? For a long time, lots of people have wanted to see a Keegan statue up there... Kelly Munro, South Shields

Kelly Munro, South Shields Philippe Albert beating Peter Schmeichel to seal that 5-0 win against Manchester United. If you beat Man United then it's great, if you beat them 5-0 it's absolutely fantastic, and if you've just lost a league to them the season before, it's even better. I shook Alex Ferguson's hand afterwards, but Eric Cantona was the only one that spoke to me. He shook my hand and said, "F**king great team." The crowd were really proud of those players. We had a side full of players who still had something to prove, the John Beresfords and Rob Lees, and fortunately for me, and for Newcastle, they all still wanted to achieve things.

CLUBS (PLAYER) 1968-71 Scunthorpe 1971-77 Liverpool 1977-80 Hamburg 1980-82 Southampton 1982-84 Newcastle 1985 Blacktown City

COUNTRY (PLAYER) 1972-82 England

TEAMS (MANAGER) 1992-97 Newcastle 1997-99 Fulham 1999-2000 England 2001-05 Manchester City 2008 Newcastle

Fog on the Tyne (Paul Gascoigne). Diamond Lights (Chris Waddle and Glenn Hoddle). Head Over Heels in Love (yourself). Rank them in descending order of awfulness. Damian Hall, via email Mine's the best. The other two can be joint second. I'm not saying they're awful though. But I hardly ever listen to music these days.

Bill Shankly vs Bob Paisley. Who was the daddy?

Kevin Hopper, Doncaster Shankly. The bar here [at Keegan's Soccer Circus] is even called Shankly's. Bob Paisley was incredibly influential, but he was a no.2 when I moved there. Shanks was my manager, and although Bob can in many ways be considered more successful than Bill, he built on Bill's legacy. Liverpool were in the Second Division when Shankly came to the club. You can't argue with the

YOU ASK THE QUESTIONS KEVIN KEEGAN

amazing transformation he oversaw. Bob was great and I really liked him as a person, too – he was a Geordie and reminded me of my dad – but Shankly was the best.

How close did you come to being the Doncaster Rovers boss when you were linked with the job in 2006? Lance, via email

Nowhere near. It was a garbage story in a garbage newspaper. Typical of the media now. Twenty years ago, they would have rung me and asked if there was any truth in it, and I would have said no. Now they don't ring, because it kills the story. They never let the truth get in the way of a story.

When did you first encounter Paul Gascoigne, and what were your first impressions of him? The Scatman, York

He was my boot boy at Newcastle. I can hardly remember him, other than he lost my boots one day – he left one on the bus. I was having a great season and I wanted to stick with the same boots, so my first impression was ‘a bit careless’. But he emerged after I left the club. I can’t say I saw his potential.

Who's the best footballer you ever played with and against? Olly, via email

Johan Cruyff was the best I played with. He was the cleverest player ever. When he was playing well, he would run the show, and when he wasn't playing well, which was rare, he would stick to the mundane things and work for the team. He could be a soldier and he could be a general, too. He had no ego, and that is a sign of greatness.

The best players I ever faced? I would put Pele and Diego Maradona in there together. I played against Pele when he was 38 and Maradona when he was 17. The fact that I link them together tells you how much I think about Pele.

Do you still read John Toshack's poetry and smile? David, Hove

[Laughs] No, although The Bard is back in Wales now, so he'll probably be writing some poetry again shortly. He always liked to sing and write, as a Welshman. I think Tosh is probably a little too busy trying to get the Welsh national team sorted out at the moment – and he's starting to turn things around there.

Is it true that you spent most of the 1982 World Cup in Spain playing tennis with Trevor Brooking?

Piers Newbury, Margate It wasn't while we were in Spain, because the both of us were injured. But it's true that we did play each other a lot – we were roommates and great friends. He was a clever tennis player, but he had no pace. I would just drop shot and lob him, and it was all over. I

“Hamburg phoned me, and I thought, ‘That’s the type of challenge that I want to try’”

liked to see him run about because he never looked like he was in a hurry on the football pitch. On a tennis court, sometimes you could make it look like he was almost running around.

In 1977, you could have moved to any club in the world.

Why Germany, and why Hamburg? Did you not fancy Spain or Italy? Mike Shepherd, Colchester I'd dispute that I could have moved to any club in the world. In 1977 there were no English players abroad and they weren't perceived as a good investment. Only John Charles had done really well. Hamburg was the only offer I got, and that's where I went. They phoned me up. I said I wanted to leave Liverpool; I felt like I was stagnating there, even

HIGHS & LOWS

HIGH: 1977 Stars as Liverpool win league and their first ever European Cup

HIGH: 1979 Wins Ballon d'Or for the second year in succession at Hamburg

HIGH: 1993 Guides Newcastle into top flight in first full season as a manager

LOW: 1996 Pipped to the Premier League title, after having a 12-point lead

LOW: 2000 Quits England job after defeat in final game at old Wembley

though I loved the club, the fans and the players. I needed a change. I'm not the type of character who stays at one club for all his life. Hamburg offered me four times the salary I was on, which was incredible. So financially it was right, and my wife spoke German, which was a great start. I just thought, 'That's the type of challenge that I want to try.'

Did you like the sausages in Germany, and which was your favourite variety? The French Dogg, via email I don't like sausages – but I couldn't get away from them in Germany! I loved the cakes over there though, to my coach's disdain. There was a fantastic patisserie next to the training ground. But I've never been a sausage fan.

You had a great club career, but it never quite happened for you on the international stage. Why was that? Alex Hammond, Jutland

Alex Haimler, Sutland England weren't good enough at the time. It doesn't matter if I thought we were unlucky or whatever, we just didn't have enough good players. I obviously wasn't good enough, either. People say myself and Trevor Brooking were the main reason we got to Spain [for the 1982 World Cup], but both of us got injured and hardly played at the tournament. It doesn't help when you play a lot of games. We weren't playing with 24-man squads back then – in the seasons we won the European Cup, the league and the FA Cup at Liverpool, we did it all with about 16 players in the squad. It was tiring.

Have you and your wife still got those ankle-length brown leather coats you sported in your 1978 annual? Beefy, Dagenham

I believe they're probably in storage somewhere. My daughters, who are 24 and 28, have asked where they are, because they would look fantastic on them, but I don't know where they are. Maybe they went to charity. I should get them on eBay.

Could you and Kenny Dalglish have played together for Liverpool? Leo Moynihan, Surrey

Yes. I think anyone could play with Kenny Dalglish – any player can play with great players, clever players. We would have adapted to each other. But Liverpool wouldn't have signed Kenny if I hadn't left, and I don't think Celtic would have tried to sign me to play with Kenny. Managers don't go for two players who have similar positions in the same team – national teams often struggle with similar players. But I think we would have worked each other out.

Footballers today would never get involved in something daft like the TV show Superstars, as you did in 1976. Do you think some of the fun has been sucked out of the game because of the money involved? Ralph, Ilminster

I think footballers would love to get involved, if they were allowed to! I'm sure what happened to me [Keegan fell off his bike on the show and spent four days in hospital] changed the way that people looked at it. Someone probably should have been sued over that. But it was fun. I took on boxers, skiers, table tennis players. It was a fantastic couple of days, but the sad thing for me was that I was ill afterwards and missed the final, which was in America. I'd love to have gone – I would have been the first footballer to win one, but my wife wouldn't let me go. She told me, "You nearly killed yourself once, so that's it!"

At the 1982 World Cup, your header against Spain sailed wide with minutes to go, and England missed out on a place in the semi-finals. As you were kneeling on the ground, what were you thinking? Could we have won that tournament?

Snipsy, South London

As I headed that ball, I thought, 'Goal!' because I didn't usually miss from there. In people's memories, it cost us a World Cup. In reality, Trevor Brooking and I were put on with 20 minutes to go, and

Left Dugout debut back at Newcastle Clockwise from above His first game in black and white; Keegan hit 21 England goals; “On ya bike, Trevor”; a Reds favourite; King Kev earns his Sainthood; now that’s one heck of an exit

we needed to score twice to get through to the next round. I'd been injured with my back and hadn't trained. It shows that even if you're a great header of a football, which I think I was, if your preparation is not 100 per cent, you can catch yourself out. Trevor and I weren't fit, and we would have needed another goal after that to go through anyway. I don't think we'd have won the World Cup if we'd gone through, because we weren't the strongest side there, but obviously if we had gone through, then there would have been a chance. It's all hypothetical now, though.

Have you forgiven Bobby Robson for not telling you he was dropping you from the England squad in 1982? Eric, via email

I've forgiven him in terms that we talk to each other. Do I think it was right what he did? No. But we get on well now. I know he's not been well and I hope he makes a full recovery. He's certainly got a lot of guts and he went back to the Ireland job [as consultant to manager Steve Staunton] probably quicker than he should have. But that's Bobby Robson, that's determination.

What was the attraction of joining Southampton in 1980? There was a clause in your Hamburg contract that allowed Liverpool to buy you back – did they not try to re-sign you? Sam the Saint, Southampton Liverpool didn't try to get me back, and I wouldn't have gone back. I don't believe you can ever go back somewhere and be the same. I could have signed for Barcelona, Juventus or anywhere at that time. But I chose Southampton because I was thinking about enjoying my football. My best friend Mick Channon was there, Bally [Alan Ball] was there, and Dave Watson. I knew Chris Nicholl and how determined he was to do well. There were 18,000 people crammed into The Dell, and we were turning over the Man Uniteds and Liverpools regularly.

Was the helicopter out of St James' Park your idea, after your final match as a Newcastle United player in 1984? Mike, Manchester

It was the club's idea – not really my style. I think the police were annoyed about the helicopter. Words were said afterwards, I'm not sure it was quite legit. It was ruled out from happening again, so both Alan Shearer and Peter Beardsley missed out on the chopper. But it was fantastic symbolically, that great stadium getting smaller and smaller, then it was gone. It was also the only time I left that ground without signing any autographs.

YOU ASK THE QUESTIONS KEVIN KEEGAN

You and Ruud Gullit: who had the best bubble perm?

Paul Winslow, Grimsby Ruud. His was more natural. He copied me though, I was there first! [Laughs]

What on Earth happened when you were attacked with a baseball bat in a Surrey car park in 1991? Howie, Rochester

I'd driven back from Spain, 1,500 miles or so. I was on the M25 and fell asleep at the wheel, I nearly hit the central reservation. I was only an hour away from home, but I couldn't make it, so I pulled off and went to sleep in the car. Some guys threw a brick through the window and hit me with a baseball bat. Some people said that it was Everton fans and some said it was Portsmouth, because I played for Southampton, you know all those things. But it was nothing like that. It was pretty dark. They were on a drug run, they needed money, they saw an opportunity. They even pinched my clothes – that's how they caught them, you know. It was horrible.

How much did you actually dislike Alex Ferguson when you had that infamous “I will love it if we beat them” outburst in 1996?

Richard Birch, Birmingham For a day or two I really disliked him. I wouldn't say we're close now, but we have talked a lot. I've sold players to him, he's sold players to me, I've done charity things for him, he's done them for me. But if you're asking me do I love him... [Laughs] I totally respect him. He's managed a huge club for 20 years. I've got a terrific record against Alex Ferguson compared with most people, too. It probably isn't level, but I've managed teams that have beaten his 5-0, 4-1, 3-1. Two Manchester derby wins. So I'd say I've come out relatively well against him.

What was Tino Asprilla like to manage at Newcastle? And is it true that you used to let him have a glass of red wine before games? Mike, Manchester

I'd never be so unprofessional as to let him do that every game. But the day we signed him, he flew into Middlesbrough airport on a Saturday, and we introduced him to the players at a local hotel. He was having a small glass of wine with his lunch and I asked him if he would like to sit on the bench that afternoon. He said, "Yeah", and came on as a sub. But that wasn't the norm by any means. He was great to manage. He's been scapegoated because we lost the title after he signed, but he was fantastic. It's like Carlos Tevez being blamed for West Ham's troubles now. Nonsense.

You've been criticised for letting your passion get the better of you at times, while former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson was criticised for not having enough passion. Is that fair, and does it really make that much difference? Rod, via email

Some people in this country seem to think that having passion is a bad thing. I think football without passion is like strawberries without ice cream. There's still a lot of passion in the game. Arsene Wenger gets called unemotional, but I saw a lot of emotion between him and Alan Pardew on the touchline at West Ham [the two managers confronted each other after the Hammers' late goal in a 1-0 win in November 2006]. [FFT: You were never afraid to front up to critics when people had a go at you, either – like when you sold Andy Cole] Well, that's right. I believed I was right to sell Andy Cole. I was at St James' Park and the board told me there was a crowd of people outside upset with the decision, and that perhaps I should sneak out the back. But I went out and defended my decision.

Top Don't let the intrusive thoughts win... Bottom King Kev's final game as England boss was also the old Wembley's farewell match

I've never seen a public figure be as honest as you were at the press conference after you resigned from the England job. Do you think you're too honest sometimes?

Hugh Jones, Ipswich

Not at all. Remember, I never applied for the England job – I was the fans' choice, so the FA gave it to me. At the end of the Germany game [a 2002 World Cup qualifier], a lot of fans let me know they didn't want me in that job any more. We'd lost two on the trot at Wembley and they were unhappy. I thought, 'The fans appointed me and now they want me out.' So I went. I could have stayed and got massive compensation, but I don't regret it.

What are you up to these days? Stavesy, Hampton

I'm here at Soccer Circus every day. It's an idea I've had for 20 years and been developing for 10 years, so it's great to have it up and running. I've moved to Scotland and we have players training here every day, some really good young Scottish lads. I chose Glasgow because it's such a huge football city.

There are loads of kids in Newcastle with the first name Keegan. Do you feel guilty about that?

Keegan Davenport, North Shields [Laughs] There are lots of kids called Keegan, I've met many. Lots of dogs, too. There's not much you can do – I guess you don't have to keep your name if you don't want to. My first name is Joseph, but I use my middle name.

This interview first appeared in the April 2007 edition of FourFourTwo magazine

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BRAINTEASERS

THE ULTIMATE QUIZ

This month's testers cover twinkle-toed players, a free-scoring Bosnian and Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool...

01 Chelsea signed Valentin Barco from Strasbourg in the summer, after his World Cup altercation with Jude Bellingham. How many games did Barco feature in at the tournament?

02 Since 2000, which player has netted the most Premier League goals (93) without scoring a hat-trick?

03 Eddie Howe departed Newcastle over the summer having secured the club's first major trophy since which former Toon boss, back in 1969?

04 Which male footballer has finished the highest on Strictly Come Dancing, placing sixth in 2011?

05 Former Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko is back in the Bundesliga after more than 15 years away. Which club is he representing this season?

06 Which keeper is the only player in history to have appeared in more than 500 Premier League matches before debuting for Chelsea?

07 Mark Viduka is the only man to play under five managers in the Premier League who have also been England boss. Name those coaches.

Who holds the record for the most Premier League penalty saves (13)?

The Clarets is the nickname of which Championship club?

Which WSL outfit play their home games at Brisbane Road?

Which nation had won 10 of the 13 previous Women's AFCONs r to this summer's tournament?

12 Who was the only German senior international to play for Liverpool during Jurgen Klopp's reign?

13

The above players are all club captains in the Scottish Premiership this season. Name them.

14 Which outfield player racked up the most minutes across Europe's top five leagues last season, not missing a moment of his team's campaign?

15 Winger Christos Tzolis joined Arsenal in the summer. But for which club did he make his Premier League debut, playing against the Gunners in 2021?

16 For whom did Sol Campbell play more Premier League games: Tottenham or Arsenal?

17 Alejandro Garnacho moved to Aston Villa this summer, but from which Spanish club did he first arrive in England as a trainee in 2020?

18 Who is the only Armenian to have scored in the Premier League, doing so 13 times in total?

OPINION

JULES BREACH [Non-Text]

The TNT Sports presenter looks at three of the big talking points in this term's Premier League

fter waiting 22 years to win the Premier League again, Arsenal finally did it. Can Mikel Arteta's side now defend their title?

It will be interesting to see their mindset and approach; whether the relief of getting over the

line at last has an impact, or if it only sparks even more fire to do it again now they've experienced the success they craved.

With so much change to managers elsewhere in the league, Arsenal's stability in the dugout and their settled squad could be key in them defending the trophy. Their

be key in them defending the trophy. Their strength in depth last season was a huge reason they got over some tough hurdles, and they've only added to the squad this summer. The Gunners signed even more quality and proven top-flight experience in Bruno Guimaraes, giving them one of the strongest midfields in the league.

There were a few question marks at the beginning of the season, with key players like Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke working their way back to fitness after reaching the final weekend of the World Cup, and William Saliba recovering from injury, but the hope was that there

was enough in the squad to get through the opening weeks.

Arsenal also came so close to winning the Champions League for the first time in May, and perhaps that might become their main focus this season. There could be no bigger motivation than to become kings of Europe as well as winning back-to-back Premier League titles. With their quality, depth,

stability and know-how, Arsenal are still the team to beat this season.

ROGERS AT CHELSEA

Morgan Rogers to Chelsea was one of the summer's surprise moves. There was an expectation that the 24-year-old would leave Aston Villa, but the record-breaking £117m deal is hugely exciting for the Blues.

that chemistry can have a positive impact. Their versatility means they can play in the same line-up, or in each other's position depending on the system Alonso opts for.

Arsenal's stability in the dugout and a settled squad could be the keys to them defending the title

With new boss Xabi Alonso at the helm, Chelsea come into the season with a new outlook, a refreshed squad, and two of the best number 10s in world football. It will be so interesting to see Rogers and Cole Palmer, good friends off the pitch, playing in the same team and how

After finishing 10th last year, Chelsea have no European football to contend with. That affords Alonso and his many new additions time on the training pitch. They also have a player in Palmer who is fully rested after missing the World Cup, ready and energised to perform. Chelsea could be one of this season's big challengers, especially in the domestic cups.

NEWCASTLE'S NEW ERA

With many managers changing clubs and lots of new faces arriving in the Premier League, it makes for an unpredictable first few weeks. One of the most intriguing new bosses is Matthias Jaissle. The 38-year-old may be lesser known than some other arrivals, but he's regarded as one of the best young coaches in Europe.

After suffering an ACL injury as a player, the German turned to coaching at an early age thanks to an opportunity through Ralf Rangnick at RB Leipzig. He moved to Red

Bull Salzburg, who he steered to two Austrian titles, before heading for Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League and lifting a pair of continental trophies. He now arrives in England with a massive opportunity and desire to impress – and his attacking, pressing football will excite Geordies. Jaissle's experience of developing young talent at Salzburg will have been a big pull for Newcastle

given the new era the club have embarked on, targeting younger players after losing established stars Sandro Tonali to Spurs, Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal and Anthony Gordon to Barcelona.

As fresh faces try to impress the new manager, along with the rest of the squad, the club are certainly an intriguing prospect during the 2026-27 campaign.

Jaissle's predecessor Eddie Howe ended Newcastle's long wait for silverware, so what can the young German bring? After last summer's difficult window, the Alexander Isak saga and a bruising domestic season, a fresh start feels very welcome in the North East.

DEMBA BA

GAMES THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

HOFFENHEIM 4 BORUSSIA DORTMUND 1 Bundesliga, 2008

"Hoffenheim had just been promoted and our style of play was a breath of fresh air. Under Ralf Rangnick, we played attacking football and gave everything, no matter the opponent. Our lack of top-tier experience hardly showed because we made up for it with hard work and boldness. I was completely exhausted after our win over Dortmund as we played with such intensity. Years later, Ralf shared an anecdote. After the game, Jurgen Klopp, who was Dortmund manager at the time, told him that was how he wanted his teams to play. In a way, we were pioneers of Jurgen's gegenpressing."

SENEGAL CAMEROON AFCON qualifying, 2011

"This game will always stay in my memory. I came on at 0-0, with about 15 minutes left to play. In stoppage time, after a great pass from Issiar Dia, I turned inside the box and struck a shot that caught the keeper by surprise. It was one of the most important goals of my career, especially considering I didn't get many great moments with Senegal. The stadium was packed – while it officially held 40,000 fans, many more got in. The atmosphere was incredible. I still get goosebumps seeing the footage. Players, security staff, and even the army were all celebrating, plus a pitch invasion – absolute madness."

CHELSEA PSG Champions League, 2014

"We'd lost the first leg of this tie 3-1 in Paris and needed a magical night at Stamford Bridge – my goal sent us to the semis. Andre Schurrle scored the opener in the first half after coming on for Eden Hazard, who got injured. It was a major setback, but we recovered. In the second half, we pushed hard and hit the bar twice. I wasn't a starter, but I came on and took my chance, pouncing on a loose ball in the six-yard box with a lot of instinct and anticipation – I was willing to die for that ball. I remember running to a corner to celebrate; even Jose Mourinho jumped on me! My favourite night at Chelsea."

BASAKSEHIR MANCHESTER UNITED Champions League, 2020

"Covid shook our lives, but returning to some normality brought us joy; playing was a great tool for that. I had the privilege of experiencing Basaksehir's first-ever win in the Champions League in a memorable match – the opponent wasn't just any team: it was Manchester United. I made it 1-0 after a defensive lapse, beating Dean Henderson with a precise shot. Then, in the build-up to the second goal, I used my intelligence to let the ball run so a team-mate could score. Turkish fans are so passionate, it's a shame they couldn't be there. Winning or losing is life or death to them."

FIJI VS LATVIA: WORLD CUP HOSTS?!

A number of countries have been linked with staging future tournaments – surprise candidates among them

FRANCE & GERMANY Both nations have hosted a 32-team World Cup on their own in the past, but the tournament's expansion has sparked suggestions of a joint bid for 2038. Germany confirmed in April that they were considering putting their name forward, before French sports minister Marina Ferrari opened the door to a joint venture. Italy have also been linked with a bid – that's one way to ensure they take part, after three qualifying failures.

UNITED KINGDOM

It's been known for some time that England would love to host a first World Cup since 1966, just as soon as there's a genuine chance of success, having finished last in the voting for 2018 behind Russia, and joint bids from Spain and Portugal, and the Netherlands and Belgium. The UK and Ireland then pulled out of the running for 2030 to focus on Euro 2028. The UK appear likely hosts of the Women's World Cup in 2035, but whether they bid again for the men's tournament depends on receiving encouragement from the right people. Last year, FIFA Council vice president Victor Montagliani – also the president of CONCACAF, and an increasingly prominent figure – suggested they should. “It would be a fantastic tournament,” he said. “They should think of putting their foot forward. I think it’s time.”

LATVIA

OK, the Baltic nation have only ever qualified for one major tournament, and their appearance at Euro 2004 seems like some sort of fever dream now, given they've got nowhere near reaching another event since. That hasn't stopped them declaring their wish to stage the 2038 World Cup – Latvia's minister of economics Viktors Valainis met with Gianni Infantino in

"THE UK WOULD PUT ON A FANTASTIC TOURNAMENT. THEY SHOULD PUT THEIR FOOT FORWARD. IT'S TIME"

Above Gianni Infantino and Victor Montagliani are totally not about to fight over the World Cup here, honest Below If there's one thing tropical paradise Fiji is missing, it's a huge stadium

February, and expressed an interest to co-host with Lithuania, Estonia, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Poland and Ukraine. Sounds straightforward...

USA

In theory, FIFA's rotation policy means no continent can host two World Cups in the space of eight years. As we know, rules are sometimes malleable, particularly when your centre-forward's just been sent off ahead of a key game against Belgium. But if those regulations are adhered to, it could rule out Europe, Africa and South America until 2042, and Asia until 2046. Step forward the USA again. "We have to do this again and we have to do it while I'm around," Donald Trump said prior to the World Cup final. He'll be 92 in 2038, and will presumably insist on a 37-year-old Folarin Balogun being made available.

FIJI

Current FIFA rules would also make Oceania eligible for 2038 – the continent has never hosted the World Cup, and it's been reported that New Zealand are keen to join forces with the US for a bid, also roping... in Fiji?! The island nation's biggest stadium currently has a capacity of 15,000 – just 25,000 short of FIFA requirements – but they're said to be exploring the building of a new venue.

INDONESIA

The Asian country had previously put themselves forward to stage the 2036 Olympics in new capital city Nusantara, currently under construction, although they had hosting rights removed for the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup because of a reluctance in allowing in Israel. This summer though, Oxford United owner Erick Thohir – also the Indonesian FA chairman, and previously supremo at Inter – suggested a joint venture with Australia and New Zealand for the 2042 World Cup. There’s also talk of Indonesia being part of a pan-Asian bid for 2046, reportedly led by Japan and including South Korea, China, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. If you like hot and humid World Cups, that could be an all-timer...

DANNY O'DONOGHUE

The Script frontman on his unusual first meeting with Sir Alex, and how his first Ireland game turned violent

How did you become a Manchester United fan? Growing up in Ireland, it's either Liverpool or United.

Both of my brothers were massive United fans, so I didn't have a choice! My dad was a Nottingham Forest fan – God rest his soul, he never had much joy following that team. They were huge when he was a kid, so he had to stay for the rest of it...

Can you remember the first game you ever attended?

It was actually Liverpool... I was nine or 10, my dad knew one of the Liverpool directors and they were going for a boozy weekend. It was my birthday and they were like, “We’ll take him to a match.” We got the boat over and had dinner with the players – Bruce Grobbelaar, Steve Staunton, Ronnie Whelan, all of them. All the other kids there had Liverpool tops on, so my dad got me one with the Candy sponsor on the front. In every photo, I was nearly in tears in this Liverpool shirt – there’s a picture of me holding the FA Cup in it, I was miserable! [FFT: Has that picture ever got out?] Never! My dad stayed up until 3am for a party with the players – at one point he asked me, “Do you want to go and say hello to them?” And I was like, “Nah, I’m all right...”

What do you remember about meeting Sir Alex Ferguson, after you'd started to become famous?

I was invited to a golf club by a friend who said, “Sir Alex is going to be there, do you want to come?” I was like, “Absolutely!” Sir Alex gave a speech, then the club’s owner whispered in my ear, saying, “You need to come outside.” Then he whispered in Sir Alex’s ear. The owner said, “My wife and kid can’t come into the club, will you come and meet them?” I think the club was gentlemen only, ladies forbidden – while he went to get his wife, me and Sir Alex were just stood in the foyer. I’d never met him before and he said, “You know Taggart?” I misheard him and said, “I look tired?” He said, “No, no, you know Taggart? I was about to retire and my wife was asking what I was going to do – she absolutely hates Taggart, so we were having dinner with a friend who worked for ITV, and I got him to say that ITV wanted me as the new Taggart, to wind her up.” Apparently she was like, “Over my dead body are you going to do that”, and they were rolling around laughing.

That's definitely an unusual first conversation with him...

Then he said, “What’s your name, what do you do?” I told him and he was like, “Great.” People have always said he never forgets a thing, he remembers names, and two or three years later, we got invited to play at an event at Old Trafford for his 25th anniversary. He walked down the corridor and said, “Ah, young Daniel” – I thought, ‘What they say about him is true!’ He knew my name, which was amazing, then we played for him and the team. We got to sit at Sir Alex’s table while he was at a different table, and it was my mate’s birthday. He couldn’t go, so I did steal a little teacup with a United crest on it for him... It was in my pocket, and I was thinking, ‘F**k, if they see this, I’m going to get kicked out – you’re famous, you can buy one!’ But I was like, ‘No, I want Sir Alex’s teacup!’ [Laughs]

What's your favourite Manchester United moment when things seemed to go off the script?

[Laughs] It's got to be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scoring in the Champions League final – those last few minutes were a metaphor for life. Just when you think everything's not going your way, Teddy Sheringham scores, then Solskjaer. From complete defeat, to elation. The hairs on my arms still stand up just thinking about it.

What was the first Ireland game that you ever attended?

Ireland vs England in 1995 – for weeks, I’d been dying to go. We scored an early goal through David Kelly, then things started getting hurled onto the pitch and we were like, ‘Oh s**t.’ My best mate’s dad had taken us, about four of us from school – he was a cop, and he was like, “Right, out of here.” He dropped us off at his house, went straight back to the stadium, and then 25 minutes later we saw him wearing full riot gear on the TV! In the end the game was abandoned – so that was my introduction to international football...

If a footballer had to join your band for a day, who would you choose? Wayne Rooney – his missus sent us a guitar, asking if we could sign it, because he plays guitar. She also sent a guitar to Noel Gallagher to sign – Noel got it done out in Man City colours with the crest on it, then sent it back! Genius.

You've played gigs at a lot of football stadiums. Which has been the best? I'd say Lansdowne Road first, and the Stadium of Light in Sunderland is also good – you feel like you're close to everybody. The Tottenham Stadium is one of the most beautiful, it feels like it's purpose built for shows as well as football. We've played the Olympic Stadium in Berlin too – the aesthetic of that stadium is gorgeous.

Have you ever watched Manchester United play at the Etihad?

I went with Ian Brown [lead singer of the Stone Roses], who's also a United fan. We were in the directors' box and when United scored, everybody had their hands in the air – me, Ian and some of his kids. There was a guy in a tie with the City crest, I think he was on City's board, and he literally took me by the collar and lifted me out of my chair. He was like, "Get out of your seats, come on." Me and Ian nearly got in a

Clockwise from top Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tears up the script; unlikely guitarist Wazza; hold on, FFT don't remember this episode of Taggart fight with some of the City directors! But it all calmed down.

Have you met Sir Alex again?

LISTEN

I was invited to a United match and asked to go suited and booted, so I went and got myself a nice suit. I met the CEO Richard Arnold, then I realised, 'Oh, Sir Alex is there.' This was after his brain haemorrhage. I finished my pint at half-time, there was nobody left in the room, then I saw Sir Alex. He said, "Young Daniel!" I don't know why, but I said, "It's great to see you – since I last saw you, we've had four number one albums, it's amazing to see you doing so well!" He said, "Turn around." He was fixing my collar and I thought, 'F**k, did I leave the price tag on the back?' But he said, "No, your collar was sticking up, son", then he linked arms with me, I think he just wanted a bit of stability, and the two of us walked out into the stadium. I walked him to his seat with the biggest smile on my face and my wife took a photo of us – it's one of my most prized photos.

The Script's new album, The User's Guide to Being Human, is out now

Which four players would be in your Manchester United hall of fame? Oh god... [Pauses to think] I'd have to pick Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, George Best and Roy Keane. Chris Flanagan

PEOPLE | ADMIRE

KAREN CARNEY

The former Lionesses star shares her love for a men's managerial icon and three powerful female figures

Interview Ed McCambridge

SIR ALEX FERGUSON

"Just a legend. When I was growing up, women's football wasn't as accessible as it is today, so I mostly watched the men's game. That era of Manchester United and Arsenal's great rivalry was peak football. Sir Alex's ability to build and rebuild his teams around a core of academy players and the recruits he brought in was so impressive. The stories about his leadership, motivation and all the rest are fascinating. I'd love to sit down with him. You could ask a million questions and never get bored. I met him once and we had a long chat about women's football. He knew so much, which I hadn't expected, but it just shows how much love he has for the game. I've also worked a lot with his former players in the media and they're some of the most hard-working, considerate colleagues. You can tell his former players a mile off. What a man."

MICHELLE OBAMA

“She’s really cool! Obviously, you’ve got Barack Obama, who’s this incredible leader and political figure – but they felt like a real partnership. He had this super strong woman alongside him: the first lady of the United States and someone who carved out her own identity in that role. She dealt with the pressures and demands of her status – especially as the first black person in the role – while raising two beautiful daughters in front of the world. The way she speaks, she’s intelligent, elegant, classy and a figure of female empowerment.”

JULIA ROBERTS

“She seems funny, is super successful, has had genuine career longevity and is versatile. Growing up in the '90s, I loved all her movies, from Pretty Woman and Erin Brockovich to Notting Hill, which is probably my favourite film ever. Not only is she a stunning, talented icon, she's a hard-working mother whose daughter is carving out her own career. Everyone speaks highly of her in interviews and her evolution across the decades.”

TAYLOR SWIFT

"Two of my absolute favourite music artists are Eminem and Taylor Swift, so it's a really tough choice between the two. But I'm going to go with Taylor, because I like to imagine my four picks are going to sit around a dinner table,

"SIR ALEX FERGUSON KNEW SO MUCH ABOUT WOMEN'S FOOTBALL - IT SHOWS HIS PASSION FOR THE GAME"

and I love the idea of Sir Alex trying to maintain his aura with all of these powerful women around him. I think he'd have a great night, honestly! I went to watch a Taylor Swift concert last year and got tired just watching her. It was a fantastic night, and the energy and power she brought to the performance was mindblowing. I was so pumped – such a fangirl! I had the friendship bracelets and was swapping with people. I went all dressed up – I got my niece to help me with my outfit and she was so great. I went full on with a country hat, cowboy boots and even tassels. It was a phenomenal show and I had the best time ever. So, I want to include Taylor as a person I admire because it's impossible not to admire her. Another female icon."

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO WATCH A GAME IN... BOLIVIA

FourFourTwo headed to the highest capital city on Earth – and witnessed a match that nearly ended in a riot

The cable car costs the equivalent of 18 pence, yet it's offering one of the most spectacular views in the world, as we descend into La Paz, Bolivia's administrative capital. It's a bowl of a city, every slope and square inch covered in houses.

The snow-capped Illimani mountain is in the distance, but the 41,000-capacity Estadio Hernando Siles is looming ever closer. We’d read about this place. At an altitude of 11,752 feet, more than 4,000 feet higher than Mexico City’s Azteca, the stadium was banned from hosting internationals by FIFA in 2007 – for safety reasons, and because it gave Bolivia a huge home advantage. The ban was soon overturned – aided by support from Diego Maradona, who then took Argentina there for a World Cup qualifier and lost 6-1. When Brazil visited in 2017, Neymar called it “inhumane”, posting photos of players in oxygen masks.

Bolivia's form dipped at the stadium two years ago though, so they switched home matches to nearby El Alto, at an even higher 13,412 feet, on the plateau above La Paz, where our cable car – the main public transport system – had begun. It's best not to walk fast, or the thin air leaves you breathless and dizzy.

Tonight's top-flight fixture pits together The Strongest and Aurora – the former are actually only the country's second most successful club, behind Bolivar, but have one of the best names, rivalled only by reigning champs Always Ready. Outside the ground, it's busy as stalls sell shirts, guanabana fruit and the cold drink tamarindo. Bizarrely, four women in classical dress are getting stuck into some sort of WWE wrestling in a ring. Getting into the stadium is complicated

– the ticket only costs £2.50, but they won’t just sell it to you at the kiosk. They tell us to buy it online, then return to the kiosk to exchange a QR code for a pass. Several minutes on Google Translate later, aided by a local, we succeed.

The crowd is under 10,000, with one end empty. Fans on halfway gathered around a bloke with a trumpet, and ultras at the other end with banners, drums and tirantes – long thin flags in club colours that run from the back of the stand to the front, like you'd see in Argentina. They're bouncing, chanting constantly. In the main stand, there's a woman in the traditional shawl, skirt and bowler hat of the Aymara people.

HOME SUPPORTERS ARE INCENSED, BOTH AT THE PENALTY DECISION AND THEIR TEAM'S STUPIDITY

Clockwise from below Estadio Hernando Siles, nestled among the streets of La Paz; FFT's lack of altitude training stopped us from joining in with the ultras; watch out for flying foam

The altitude means the match is slow, with players often trying their luck from distance – the ball travels faster in the thin air. Aided by a goalkeeping error, a 40-yard shot puts The Strongest in front.

The hosts have won only one domestic title in a decade, though – late in injury time, things turn ugly. Having had chances to finish off a game they were expected to win, they lose possession, Aurora break, leather a 25-yard effort against the bar and win a controversial penalty in the ensuing chaos.

Home fans are incensed – both at the decision and their own team's stupidity. Ultras continue to sing as if they're Bolivia Newton-John, but Aurora convert the spot-kick, visiting subs charge onto the pitch to celebrate, the final whistle blows immediately and supporters of The Strongest lose their heads. Foam cushions handed out upon entry are now raining down as missiles. People gather at the bottom of the main stand, hurling abuse and flicking Vs at their own players as they leave the pitch.

Those fans also saw Bolivia lose a play-off to Iraq for the 2026 World Cup in March, played in Mexico. They'll try again for 2030 when Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay are co-hosts, potentially opening extra qualification spots. For the players' sake, we hope they make it, or they might be advised to duck. Chris Flanagan

FourFourTwo September 2026 27

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Eleven Premier League clubs started this season with a different manager than the one that began 2026 – can new faces outwit celebrated incumbents like Mikel Arteta and Unai Emery in the race to the top?

Words Chris Flanagan, Ed McCambridge

ANDONI IRAOLA: FINALLY READY FOR TROPHIES?

Liverpool's new boss has never won major silverware as player or manager, but has impressively risen to the top since a sliding-doors moment in 2019...

The tiny ground of O Vao sits just a few yards from the beach in Coruxo, on the west coast of Spain. Not far from

the Portuguese border and just outside Vigo, the venue holds only 1,500 people, but was where arguably the most pivotal match of Andoni Iraola's managerial career took place.

In December 2019, Iraola was the manager of Mirandes – appointed not long after they’d been promoted to the Segunda Division. It was his first job as a gaffer in Spain, having been sacked just eight months into a stint with Cypriot club AEK Larnaca.

The early stages at Mirandes weren't all plain sailing, either. The club from Burgos province, close to Iraola's native Basque Country, won just one of their opening 10 league games under the new boss, to sit second bottom of the table. Even Racing Santander, who would eventually finish bottom by a distance, beat them 4-0.

Just when form started to pick up, Mirandes headed west to face Coruxo – of the 80-team third tier, split across four regional divisions in Spain – in the first round of the Copa del Rey. As the game entered stoppage time Coruxo led 4-3, on course for a major upset. Then came a controversial equaliser from the penalty spot – in the angry aftermath, the hosts had two players sent off, and Mirandes triumphed 5-4 in extra-time.

“Total madness,” was how one media outlet described a game that veered to and fro, like it was Liverpool vs Alaves in 2001’s UEFA Cup final. “Coruxo deserved to win,” Iraola admitted post-match.

A whirlwind six weeks later, Mirandes had progressed to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey for just the second time in their history, defeating La Liga trio Celta Vigo, Sevilla and Villarreal along the way. It was a cup run that alerted many to Iraola's budding managerial talent –

including the person who would be instrumental in taking him to Anfield this past summer.

Michael Edwards, Liverpool's chief executive of football when Iraola was hired in June, had known about him for a long time. Edwards had tried to lure Iraola to the club once before – as long ago as 2013, when the Basque was a 31-year-old right-back at Athletic

Below Iraola won just seven Spain caps, but also represented the Basque Country Bottom Press conference time next to former Bilbao manager Marcelo Bielsa

Bilbao. Iraola spent almost all of his career at the club, making more than 500 appearances.

Liverpool were pushing for the Premier League title under Brendan Rodgers, midway through the campaign that would end with Steven Gerrard's slip against Chelsea, and considering adding competition to Glen Johnson at full-back. Edwards was then the club's director of technical performance, and had asked scout Julian Ward to contact Iraola's representatives. Ward went to watch him captain Athletic Bilbao to a November win over Malaga, before Liverpool expressed their interest in making a January move.

Iraola was tempted, and thought carefully before opting to sign a new contract at Athletic Bilbao – when Johnson got injured later that season, Jon Flanagan ended up filling in, even earning praise from Cafu. When Iraola informed Liverpool of his decision, unusually he accompanied it with a letter thanking them for their interest – saying he wished to play at Anfield one day, praising the ability of Johnson, and joking that he was surprised they still wanted him after watching the game at Malaga, when he didn’t think he’d played that well. Edwards appreciated the letter, and kept an eye on Iraola's progress when he became a manager.

Mirandes understandably didn't go on to win the 2020 Copa del Rey, defeated by the Real Sociedad of Martin Odegaard, Alexander Isak and Mikel Oyarzabal in the semis. The one glaring absence from Iraola's otherwise impressive CV is the lack of a major trophy as either a manager or a player, despite coming astonishingly close several times.

Under Marcelo Bielsa, Iraola was part of the Athletic Bilbao side that reached the Europa League final in 2012, beating Manchester United at Old Trafford on the way. In the Bucharest showpiece though, Atletico Madrid beat them 3-0. "I don't know when an opportunity like this will happen to us again," Iraola said. Athletic Bilbao haven't made it to a European final since.

Iraola was involved in five finals as a player and lost them all. The other four were all against Barcelona – one in the Spanish Super Cup, and three in the Copa del Rey. By the last, the 2015 Copa del Rey final against Barça's famous MSN front line, Iraola was getting a little fed up – particularly when a showboating Neymar pulled off a rainbow flick to rub in victory late on. “I didn’t find it elegant or sporting,” the defender said.

Above Bilbao bid Iraola a fond farewell after his final La Liga game Below Just don't ask him about his cup final record

He remained a nearly man at the very highest level. Iraola won seven caps for Spain during an era when they bagged three trophies, but his debut came a month after their Euro 2008 glory, aged 26. He wasn't selected for the triumphant World Cup squad in 2010, and was then ruled out of Euro 2012 through injury, just when it looked as though he might have made the cut.

When he became a manager however, it presented a new opportunity to climb to the pinnacle of the game.

On the face of it, being sacked only eight months into his first job looked like a failure, but the reality was more nuanced. At AEK Larnaca, Iraola made an instant impact, guiding them through three qualifying rounds to reach the

Europa League group stage. In the league, they won six of their first eight games, but then didn't triumph in seven, and Iraola was fired.

“He did a fantastic job because we got to the Europa League group stage,” French striker Florian Taulemesse told NC-Network, a Cypriot media platform, also crediting a backroom staff member who has followed Iraola to Anfield. “He had a great strength and conditioning coach with him, Pablo de la Torre – the way he wanted us to play, we had to be in peak condition.

"Iraola was all about the high press, then every time we recovered the ball, he wanted to see vertical passes, not backward passes. He encouraged us to cross the ball from wide areas and shoot at the first opportunity. High press, recover the ball, create openings, shoot – do that again and again; attack, attack! Our wingers were fast, making us dangerous in transition.

"While it was his first experience as a head coach, he wasn't anxious. He was a calm coach who gave us a lot of confidence. But it became difficult mixing domestic football with European competition, because we were a Cypriot club with a small budget. We got a few injuries to key players and didn't have much depth. In Cyprus, three bad results get a manager sacked."

That wasn't the case at Mirandes, where he recovered from his slow start, steering the club to 11th in the Segunda Division, as well as that Copa del Rey semi-final, before opting to leave the club when his one-year contract ended.

He joined Rayo Vallecano, who had finished just four places above Mirandes but had a history of playing in the top division semi-regularly – albeit often as overperforming minnows, at a stadium that holds less than 15,000. Within 12 months, Iraola took Rayo back to La Liga once more via the play-offs.

The progress didn't end there – they finished 12th in their first year back in

La Liga and reached the Copa del Rey semis. Like at Mirandes, it was only the second time Rayo had ever got that far in the competition, having also narrowly avoided an embarrassing first-round exit – this time thanks to a penalty shootout victory at fifth-tier Guijuelo.

Rayo also caught the eye by beating Barcelona home and away – in the

Top to bottom "Since when do managers wear these things?"; Barça's touchline nightmare; Iraola led Bournemouth to new heights

following campaign, they took four more points off the Camp Nou side. That made Iraola only the sixth boss in La Liga history to avoid defeat against Barça in any of his first four games facing them as a manager, and the first since Javier Clemente in the early 1980s. Some revenge for all those cup final defeats to Barcelona as a player.

"We weren't going to take the ball away from Barça the whole time, so we had to choose what to cover and direct the pressure towards their creators, and who was going to receive the ball," Iraola explained after his fourth game against them, a 2-1 home triumph at Vallecas. "We didn't let them have the structure they wanted, and in the transitions we were dangerous."

Iraola remains unbeaten against Barça today, having left Rayo at the end of his contract that summer, after improving their league position again to 11th. That February, Leeds had been rebuffed in their attempts to hire him, with Rayo unwilling to let him go before the end of his deal. West Ham were also linked, but it was Bournemouth who got their man, having surprisingly fired Gary O'Neil to create an opening for him – a move that had echoes of Southampton's sacking of Nigel Adkins to recruit Mauricio Pochettino in 2013, after the Argentine had impressed at Espanyol.

The end result was similar, too: like Pochettino at St Mary's, Iraola oversaw consistent progress at the Vitality Stadium, even if he got off to another slow start, winning none of his first nine league games. Having finished 15th the season before Iraola's arrival though, Bournemouth improved to 12th, then ninth, and then sixth last term as they qualified for Europe for the first time in their history. Again, he opted to move on when his contract expired.

His destination was unclear at that point – Manchester United and Chelsea were linked, but opted to place their

MARCO ROSE: RED BULL GAVE HIM WINGS

Iraola left a tough act for the new Bournemouth manager to follow, but his successor isn't short on pedigree

Appointed as Bournemouth boss to replace Iraola this summer, Rose spent a large chunk of his playing career at Mainz under Jurgen Klopp's management.

He couldn't reach the heights of his grandfather, though: Walter Rose won one cap for Germany in 1937, before war got in the way and he was sent to the front line in Russia. There, he was taken prisoner, only returning home at the end of hostilities in 1945.

That home was behind the Iron Curtain in Leipzig, where Marco was born in 1976. The defender began his playing career with VfB Leipzig and Hannover, before six years under Klopp at Mainz starting in 2002. He later played for Thomas Tuchel there as well.

His first coaching stint came at Lokomotive Leipzig, before Red Bull took him into

their family – initially with Red Bull Salzburg's under-16s, though Rose became first-team boss by 2017, guiding them to successive league

titles and the Europa League semi-finals. Headhunted by Borussia Monchengladbach, he briefly had them top of the Bundesliga and helped them to the Champions

League knockout stages, then moved on to Borussia

Dortmund, only for that stint to end within a year.

It was Red Bull again who picked him up – Rose led RB Leipzig to the DFB-Pokal and the Champions League knockout stages on two occasions, before a poor European campaign in 2024-25 saw him sacked. That decision had been reluctantly authorised by Klopp, then Red Bull's head of global soccer. Awkward. Now, Rose is ready to prove himself in England.

"I LIKED THE WAY HIS BOURNEMOUTH ATTACKED WITH REAL PACE, POWER AND QUICK TRANSITIONS"

trust in others, with Crystal Palace also waiting in the wings before Liverpool's decision to sack Arne Slot opened the door to Anfield. While Chelsea chose Xabi Alonso ahead of Iraola, the Reds preferred Iraola to Alonso – believing he was a better fit for the heavy metal football they wanted to return to, after such success under Jurgen Klopp.

Iraola is Liverpool's first Spanish boss since Rafa Benitez, although former Reds defender John Arne Riise thinks they're not that similar. "They're very different characters when it comes to how they communicate with players and how they act on the bench," says the Norwegian, who played under Benitez. "I've watched Iraola on the touchline and he looks more energetic, more involved with his body language.

“Rafa was much more about strict tactics and a bit more cold-faced – I mean nothing bad by that because I had a great relationship with him, but I think players today will have more close, one-on-one conversations with Iraola than we typically had with Rafa.

"I liked the way Iraola's Bournemouth played by attacking with real pace and power, and how quickly they transitioned forward. I also loved the way they really sprinted back to support the team and stay compact the moment they lost the ball. It was similar to what we did during my first few seasons under Rafa, when we were challenging for leagues – quick transitions, powerful forward movement, intense tracking back. That was lacking last season.

"I'd like to see more enthusiasm and energy on the bench to engage with the fans and the players, as well – Arne Slot was very reserved on the touchline. You want that Jurgen Klopp style where he gets the crowd and the players going. It's important for Iraola to show he has that kind of passion."

If Neymar turns up and starts doing a few rainbow flicks, that would certainly bring out a few emotions for a man who has never won a major trophy, but has now brought his managerial talents to a club where he has a genuine chance of doing just that. This is Iraola's ninth season as a manager – in the previous eight, his club ended in a higher league position than their last campaign. If he can keep doing that at Anfield, success won't be too far away.

ENZO MARESCA: THE NEW PEP?

The Italian returns to the touchline at the Etihad with Guardiola's blessing – now his task is to fill the shoes left behind by the Manchester City great

ir Alex Ferguson bowed out at Manchester United with an earnest message to the players and fans. "Your job

now is to stand by our new manager," he declared. Spoiler alert: it was David Moyes, and they did not.

At Manchester City, Pep Guardiola went for a different tone. “It’s been f**king fun.” Mic drop. Guardiola’s decade at the Etihad delivered 20 trophies, among them six league titles – even accounting for the pre-Premier League era, that still left him joint second to Ferguson in the all-time list, level with Bob Paisley and George Ramsay. The latter spent 40 years in charge of Aston Villa.

Manchester United replaced their legendary boss with a man whose only trophy was the Second Division title at Preston, but Maresca's cabinet is a little fuller. Eighteen months at Chelsea delivered the Club World Cup and the Conference League, following on from a Championship title with Leicester, and even silverware at the very club he's now returned to.

Maresca's first Manchester City gong was the big one: the Premier League 2 crown. Everyone has to start somewhere, after all, and arguably that trophy was the most important of his career – the one that led him to his current role.

Having taken his first coaching job in England as assistant at West Ham to Manuel Pellegrini, he became gaffer of City's elite development squad in 2020. "They wanted to see if he was the right fit for the environment," explained the City Football Group's Ceri Bowley.

He was. Maresca had a squad with huge potential – James Trafford, Morgan Rogers, Liam Delap, Cole Palmer, James McAtee – and expertly brought the best out of them. He even managed City's youngsters in the EFL Trophy. The junior side topped their group with two wins and a draw, although they succumbed to Tranmere in the last 32.

Maresca left for an ill-fated spell at Parma, but City and Guardiola had been sufficiently impressed to bring him back a year later as a first-team assistant.

Maresca had just one season alongside Guardiola, but the Italian's innovative approach helped deliver a famous Treble – in a campaign that saw John Stones used as an inverted full-back – before he moved on to Leicester and Chelsea.

When City's director of football Txiki Begiristain departed a year ago, he reportedly recommended Maresca as

"ENZO WILL BECOME AN EXTRAORDINARY MANAGER. I FEEL IT, JUST LIKE I DID WITH MIKEL ARTETA"

Below Prepare for some deja vu in the City dugout

Guardiola's eventual replacement, with the Catalan doing the same. “He’s one of the best managers in the world – the job he’s done at Chelsea doesn’t get enough credit,” Guardiola said last term. “Winning the Club World Cup and the Conference League, and qualifying for the Champions League with a young team? It’s exceptional.”

Maresca's stay at Stamford Bridge ended suddenly, amid apparent tensions behind the scenes, which also reared their head in his latter days at Leicester, though things have usually been a little more serene at the Etihad.

He remains the only manager to have qualified Chelsea for the Champions League since BlueCo's takeover, and the 3-0 victory over PSG in the Club World Cup final was a tactical masterstroke – deploying Malo Gusto as an overlapping right-back to pin Nuno Mendes and create space for two-goal hero Palmer. Eight months later, after Maresca's exit, Chelsea lost 8-2 on aggregate to PSG in the Champions League.

From his first stint at City, Guardiola knew that Maresca was special. “He’ll become an extraordinary manager in the future,” he said. “I feel it, like I felt it when I saw Mikel Arteta.”

Arteta finally became a Premier League champion last season. Now, Maresca has a chance to do the same.

XABI ALONSO & ALVARO ARBELOA: BRUISED BY THE BERNABEU

Both discarded by Real Madrid, the duo are now neighbours in west London

However Chelsea and Fulham do this season, they'll have Florentino Perez to thank for it. Xabi Alonso and Alvaro

Arbeloa both had spells in charge of Real Madrid last term, and have now ended up at clubs less than two miles apart – each for very different reasons.

For Alonso, the hope is that he'll find Stamford Bridge a better fit for his style of football than the Bernabeu. Those methods guided Bayer Leverkusen to the first Bundesliga title of their history two years ago, but things like pressing and tactics weren't quite as popular with the stars of Real Madrid.

FLORENTINO PEREZ GAVE ALONSO LITTLE SUPPORT - IT BECAME CLEAR HE WAS SIDING WITH THE PLAYERS

Above Bemused Alonso can't work out why his side don't all wear Adidas Predators Below Arbeloa shows Fulham exactly how he wants the press

There, Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane sometimes found the skill was allowing the club's key players to get on with it, but Alonso struggled to win them over – particularly Vinicius Junior, who had his doubts as early as last summer's Club World Cup, when he was due to be dropped for the semi-final with PSG, only for an injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold to force a reshuffle and his restoration to the line-up.

That late change saw Fede Valverde move to full-back – he’d filled in there under Ancelotti, but soon made it known that he didn't appreciate Alonso asking him to do it too. "I wasn't born to play right-back," he said.

Over Alonso's first 18 games, Vinicius completed 90 minutes just four times, before he was subbed again against Barcelona. Real Madrid were winning, and triumphed 2-1 to lead La Liga, but it wasn't enough for the Brazilian. "Always me," Vinicius moaned after being taken off. "It's better if I leave, I'm leaving."

Perez offered Alonso little support – when one win in five league games soon followed, it became clear that the president was siding with the players, despite hiring one of Europe’s brightest young coaches mere months earlier.

Defeats to former club Liverpool and Manchester City in the league stage of the Champions League pushed Alonso closer to the exit door – prior to the latter game, Pep Guardiola had publicly urged the Basque to do things his own way, advising him to “piss with his own penis”. The pair had previously worked together at Bayern Munich.

January's Spanish Super Cup loss to Barcelona spelt the end though, after just half a season. Chelsea is a different type of job, managing a younger squad – albeit too young for Alonso's liking, hence the arrivals of Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck, as the Blues were convinced by their new boss that they needed more experience to actually make progress in the Premier League.

Alonso arrived in London having been cast aside by Perez, whereas Arbeloa pitched up at Fulham on the Real Madrid chief's recommendation. The former defender had replaced Alonso as gaffer in January – surprisingly on a permanent basis, rather than interim, having been in charge of their Castilla side.

The inexperienced boss wasn't able to revive Real Madrid's fortunes – beaten by second-tier Albacete in his first game, they finished eight points behind Barça in the league and were second best against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals, prompting Perez to rehire Jose Mourinho this summer.

Arbeloa has remained on good terms with his former president, though. His first two Fulham signings? Talented Real Madrid duo Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios. His track record is improving young players – like Alonso, he’s also long held a pressing philosophy that he diluted only to mollycoddle the first team at the Bernabeu.

Alonso and Arbeloa took the Premier League's Spanish managerial contingent to five this summer – one more than the number of British bosses in the division. In west London, the duo will hope to get a little more time than they were afforded at the Bernabeu.

MIKEL ARTETA: DAVID BRENT OF THE EMIRATES

The Arsenal boss has been likened to Ricky Gervais' cult Office character for his odd methods, but no-one can say it hasn't worked after last term's title

LIGHTING UP THE LEAGUE

However Arsenal's players expected their boss to start his pre-game speech ahead of Brighton's visit to the Emirates in 2022, FFT can only assume “Thomas Edison invented the light bulb...” wasn't on anyone's bingo card. That's what they got though, before the Spaniard barked about the “connectivity, energy and light” he demanded from his side, with Amazon Prime's All or Nothing filmmakers in the room. “I want to see a team that's connected with each other and shines. At the end is electricity, that through heat creates light," he said. "Go out there, f**king turn the light on and play football!"

ALL HAIL THE RABBIT-DUCK

Arteta's team talks often resemble a psychology lecture delivered by an unusually intense university professor – on one occasion, he used a rabbit-duck optical illusion. The ambiguous image

Below Laugh as much as you like, Arteta's methods have done the job

can either be seen as a rabbit or as a duck, depending on whether you want to see ears or a bill. It demonstrates how people can look at the exact same thing, yet see something different. A fan of visual learning, Arteta also used his own drawing skills before the North London derby in 2021, drawing a crude heart holding hands with a brain on a flip chart. “We have to play with our big hearts,” he told his players. “At the same time, we have to play with a big brain.”

PHOTO OP

Nothing gets the blood pumping quite like an expletive-ridden rant from Stuart MacFarlane. Who? That would be one of the Gunners' photographers, invited by Arteta to speak to the dressing room ahead of that same Spurs showdown in 2021. The lifelong fan didn't mince his words, bellowing, "I f**king love this club and I f**king love all of you." Arsenal raced into a 3-0 lead within the first 34 minutes after his team talk.

DOG OF WAR

There's a strong case to be made that Arsenal's best acquisition during the Arteta era hasn't even been a human – sorry, Declan Rice... In 2023, locked in a battle with Manchester City for the title, the gaffer turned up at London Colney with a new signing: a chocolate labrador. "I carefully chose the dog and it's the perfect representative of who we are," Arteta said. "Her name is Win – we all love winning, and Win needs a lot of love. So the love for Win, that's the feeling." The move went down well with the squad, who reportedly competed for the right to take her for walks. Win was also said to get on well with London Colney's resident cat, Bob – leaving FFT to wonder if it was the same Bob that had escaped from Danny Murphy's house in a Royal Mail van, and hidden out in Preston until the coast was clear.

Left The manager's good girl of the season joins a team photoshoot

AT THE END OF A STORM

Arguably the most memorable moment of the All or Nothing documentary saw Arteta order staff to place speakers around a training pitch ahead of a 2021 trip to Liverpool. Players would train to Anfield anthem You'll Never Walk Alone to help them prepare for the atmosphere – the manager reasoned he'd become emotional during a game at Liverpool during his own career. “Suddenly I could only see red shirts flying around and I couldn't cope,” he admitted.

PRINCE AMONG THIEVES

Fed up at Manchester City having picked his side's pockets in the title race for a second season running, Arteta taught his players a valuable lesson, by hiring thieves to steal from them during a pre-season dinner in 2024. Professional pickpockets went round the tables and liberated stars from their phones and wallets. Arteta explained it was to teach them to always be alert and ready for anything, before presumably listing the items on eBay and pocketing his own sweet, sweet profit.

EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEEZY

Setting up another real-life metaphor, every Arsenal player was given a lemon, knife and glass. According to Oleksandr Zinchenko, Arteta told them to “squeeze these lemons as hard as you can”. The players obliged, with the boss collecting the juice in a bowl. Then came the point – when a player insisted he’d squeezed everything out of his fruit, Arteta would squeeze the lemon again to produce a few more drops. “This is the message, you can always give more,” he told them. Zinchenko called it “simple, but effective”. The Ukrainian also relayed a tale of a team-bonding game that Arteta devised, where they had to line up hundreds of dominoes so they’d fall in sequence once the first was toppled, to illustrate that every part of a chain is critical for the overall aim to be achieved.

"THIS WAITER'S GOT TRICKS"

Zinchenko's 2024 book Believe delivered another gem, too, of when Arteta asked the squad to take on staff members in freestyle dribbling duels. “Mikel told us it was going to be another players vs staff freestyle battle – the other day, it had been me up against Nicolas Jover, our set-piece specialist, and I’d won,” he revealed. “I do a few tricks, but Nico is holding his hamstring, saying he can’t play. Mikel says, ‘We need a substitute, anyone?’ A waiter raises his hand, and Mikel says, ‘OK, you can try.’ This guy is killing it, he’s destroying us – he even nutmegs Bukayo Saka. Everyone’s looking at each other like, ‘What the f**k?’, cheering him on and laughing. Turns out he’s a professional freestyler that Mikel had planted at the hotel – he was there for three hours undercover, serving coffee and cakes. The mood in the camp was incredible after. People were buzzing on the way to the bus.”

FRIENDLY FIRE

This April was a big month for Arteta's antics. First, the squad trained beneath motivational TikTok videos, featuring an AI-generated song naming the players and referencing Emirates matchday tune The Angel (North London Forever). Days later, ahead of the Champions League quarter-final second leg with Sporting, Arteta tasked his players with a game in which five stood in a circle and passed a ball between them, on the move, all while balancing pens between each other's fingers. Afterwards, they had to pass a ball while holding another up between their heads. It looked ridiculous, but Arteta explained it was to prevent them from panicking when confronted with multiple demands at once, forcing them to concentrate. A fire was also lit at London Colney before the Sporting match – Arteta said it reflected his burning desire to deliver success. “No fear, pure fire,” he told reporters ahead of a red hot, er, 0-0 draw that saw them through to the semis, en route to a first Champions League final since 2006.

PIERRE SAGE: MINIBUS DRIVER TURNED HERO

Crystal Palace's new manager never played professionally – he spent the first 20 years of his coaching career showing no signs of his future as a top-level boss, either.

An amateur footballer, then scout and technical director, the Frenchman had a brief stint leading lower-league Chambery in 2013, but then wouldn't manage again for a decade. He held roles at various clubs, including with Annecy's youth sides, where he drove the team minibus – sometimes too fast, as concerned parents struggled to keep up in cars behind.

Sage became Lyon's academy boss in June 2023 – five months later, the first team were sat bottom of Ligue 1 when Fabio Grosso was sacked and he was placed in temporary charge, aged 44. Billionaire John Textor gave him his big break – the American isn't popular with Palace fans these days, after his role in the Eagles' demotion to the Conference League, but he appointed Sage at Lyon after being impressed during a long chat they'd had about football at the club's training ground.

Sage won 15 of the next 22 league games as Lyon rose from last to sixth and qualified for Europe. They were sixth again the following January when he was harshly sacked following a dip in form, while the club were banned from making any transfers because of financial mismanagement.

Lens snapped up Sage last summer, then saw him transform a side that had finished eighth into one that led the league at the halfway point, finally ending the campaign as runners-up to PSG. They also claimed the Coupe de France for the first time in their history – not bad for a minibus driver...

MICHAEL CARRICK: CAPTAIN SENSIBLE

The Tynesider's managerial career seemed to have flatlined when he was sacked by Middlesbrough a year ago – by the end of last season, he was taking Manchester United back to the Champions League

head of Manchester United squad nights out during the Alex Ferguson years, Wayne Rooney always knew how to

reassure Coleen. “If Michael Carrick was going, I’d make a point of telling her, so she’d know I’d get home in one piece,” the club’s record goalscorer and former hellraiser-in-chief has previously joked. “Michael was always the sensible one.”

Carrick's reputation was painstakingly curated across a playing career in which he was deemed a model professional. Softly-spoken, dedicated, hard-working, the deep-lying midfielder would even orchestrate games in his own cerebral, gentlemanly fashion, winning five Premier League titles and a Champions League in a glittering Old Trafford career.

“He was a manager’s dream on the pitch, but also off it, because he kept out of trouble,” another former Manchester United striker, Michael Owen, tells FFT now. Owen was one of a number of senior United players, including Carrick, who took coaching licences towards the end of their careers. No surprises for guessing who topped the class.

“Michael was the teacher’s pet,” Owen laughs. “A lot of us started doing our coaching badges together, but many dropped out. Michael stayed the course and was fantastic in those sessions – always thinking, analysing and asking questions of the teachers. If you know him, it’s so on-brand – he’s studious and takes football seriously.”

After Carrick hung up his boots in 2018, Jose Mourinho welcomed the then 36-year-old on to the club's backroom staff, formally presenting him with a monogrammed coaching kit, a whistle to use during training sessions and, most crucially of all, some headache tablets. "You're really going to need these," the Portuguese boss joked.

Mourinho also hired Kieran McKenna, who'd later lead Ipswich to the Premier League twice. The duo remained at Old Trafford after Mourinho's December sacking, leading training sessions before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer became interim boss. A former team-mate of Carrick's and a legendary figure at the club, the Norwegian oversaw a rapid upswing in results to earn the job full-time.

In his two full seasons at the helm, Solskjaer guided United to third and second in the top flight, frequently crediting his young coaches for giving him detailed briefs on their opponents. "The analysis team, Kieran McKenna and Michael Carrick, are doing a fantastic job preparing for every single game," he revealed. When the wheels fell off and Solskjaer was sacked in November 2021, the club put Carrick in caretaker charge until a more experienced replacement could be brought in.

His managerial debut saw him guide the Red Devils to a 2-0 Champions League win at Unai Emery's Villarreal, before a draw at Chelsea. The latter was notable for Carrick's decision to drop Cristiano Ronaldo from the starting XI – something that predecessor Solskjaer appeared reluctant to do. "I didn't see it as being a major decision," Carrick said. "It wasn't a drama at all."

Below Boro made progress under Carrick, but fell short of promotion Bottom One of five Premier League titles as a player

His third and final game produced a stunning 3-2 victory against Arsenal, as replacement Ralf Rangnick watched on from the Old Trafford stands. “A lot has happened in the last week – I’ve had to adapt and take on a challenge outside of my comfort zone,” Carrick reflected. “I’ve enjoyed seeing how I’ve coped with that. You don’t know until you’re in that situation – you have to learn on the job.”

"HE WAS A MANAGER'S DREAM ON THE PITCH, BUT ALSO OFF IT, BECAUSE HE KEPT OUT OF TROUBLE"

Both Carrick and McKenna made the decision to leave, rather than remain on the incoming German's staff. It was time to fly the nest.

The man from Wallsend would wait 10 months before returning to the dugout as manager of Championship strugglers Middlesbrough. It was October 2022, and Boro had just sacked Chris Wilder, with the club sitting 21st in the table and just one point above the drop zone. Despite their new impresario having limited senior experience, fans at the Riverside were excited.

"We saw Carrick arriving as a real coup," explains lifelong supporter Olly Huddlestone. "A Manchester United legend, north east roots and he'd won almost everything there was to win in club football. It's always a risk bringing in someone with almost no managerial experience, but look at Bryan Robson, Steve McClaren and Aitor Karanka. Three of our most successful recent managers all made their first steps at Boro."

Even so, few could have expected the impact Carrick would have that season. The former England international made some tactical tweaks, ditching Wilder's back three and implementing a 4-2-3-1 reliant on short-passing combinations to retain possession and patiently build play. An unshackled side rapidly turned a corner, winning 16 of 21 games to shoot into promotion contention.

"We played some of the best football that I've seen Boro play in my lifetime," Huddlestone remembers. "Free-flowing, attacking football. Goals galore. It was the type of football every fan wants to see. The players took to Carrick's tactics really well – it seemed like he could do nothing wrong. He got Middlesbrough fans believing again."

Carrick led Boro as high as third in the table, before they faltered in the final

OLIVER GLASNER: A MOVE FEW PREDICTED

Three days after Michael Carrick became interim boss at Old Trafford, Oliver Glasner announced that he'd be leaving Crystal Palace in May – prompting speculation he could end up at Old Trafford.

That never materialised, and neither did a reported move to Milan after talks – his switch to Nottingham Forest was more surprising. Glasner has spent at least two years in each of his last four jobs, but joins a club where only Steve Cooper has lasted that long since 2011

- a total of 17 other bosses have come and gone in the meantime.

"I never sign and think about getting sacked," the Austrian declared at his unveiling – bizarrely already being asked about his future exit, such is owner Evangelos Marinakis' tendency to swing the axe. "Nobody wants to get divorced – when you ask them at the wedding, they would say, 'Not us', but it happens. Every club wants to have the same manager for a decade, the same players as long as possible. That's why we were committed on a three-year contract. We said, 'We want stability and consistency.' That's what the owner and I are convinced of."

Glasner's record merits time after winning the FA Cup, Conference League and Community Shield at Crystal Palace, where his frustration was with the sale of key men such as Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi. Granted, Forest sold Elliot Anderson this summer, but Marinakis is known for hanging on to stars more vigorously, as Spurs' chase for Morgan Gibbs-White showed last summer.

If Glasner and the Greek seem like an unusual marriage, time will tell if it's one made in heaven or hell.

weeks and finished fourth, setting up a play-off semi-final against Coventry. "We really felt like it was our year," says Huddlestone. "The atmosphere in the second leg was the best that I've seen at the Riverside in years."

Unfortunately for Boro fans, Coventry won 1-0 and progressed to the final against Luton, which they ultimately lost on penalties. “We had sealed the play-offs with a few games spare and taken our foot off the gas,” Huddlestone explains. “Carrick had been trying out different XIs, resting players, and we’d started to wobble.”

That would be the closest Carrick came to winning promotion with Boro – they finished eighth and 10th in the following two campaigns. Although they reached the Carabao Cup semis

Above Trophies have been in the background for too long at United

in 2024 – and had even won the first leg 1-0 against Chelsea, before losing the second 6-1 – there was a growing sense that Carrick wasn't the man to get things over the line when it mattered most.

“Even when the attacking football was good, it was at the other end of the pitch where we fell short,” says Huddlestone. “Silly and quite ridiculous errors trying to play out from the back, and a lack of substitutions – knowing when things needed to be changed – was what cost Carrick his job.

"Our league form was nowhere near what we'd seen in the early days. The play-offs were the minimum target each season and we didn't get there often enough. It was time to go. There possibly hasn't been a manager I've wanted to succeed at Middlesbrough more than him, but in the end the sacking was inevitable."

A switch to another Championship promotion chaser seemed the likeliest next step for Carrick, yet he remained out of work as last season got underway. When Ruben Amorim left Manchester United in January, he suddenly emerged alongside Solskjaer as an interim option. Debate among fans simmered – some longed for the Norwegian’s return, but the hierarchy decided a fresh direction was needed. Carrick was called upon.

"If he hadn't been given the job, I think he'd have been happy with living a more quiet life," says Owen. "He wouldn't have been desperately searching for a job, he isn't that type. I thought him getting the job was the right thing."

Carrick's transformative effect at Old Trafford was even more pronounced than at the Riverside. Again, he ousted

Top Spitballing on the bench with Solskjaer Above A whole new challenge awaits Carrick as the Champions League returns to Old Trafford

"IF THEY CONTINUE WITH WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN DOING, THEY'RE GOING TO CHALLENGE THIS SEASON"

a predecessor's faltering back three and moved players to more natural positions – reintroducing Kobbie Mainoo to the midfield and shifting Bruno Fernandes to a more advanced role in a 4-2-3-1. Carrick's opening fixtures saw United topple both Manchester City and league leaders Arsenal, the latter victory at the Emirates. The wins kept on coming for a rejigged, more relaxed team. Champions League qualification looked an outside bet at the time of Carrick's appointment with the club seventh in the table, but it rapidly became a minimum expectation.

“Even after he started getting results, lots of people were saying he shouldn't get the job long term, but I never got that,” says Owen. “All of a sudden, things were looking really good; the team were playing well, players were in the right positions, fans were happy, results were coming and they were soaring up the table. So why on Earth would you not reward him for that?”

Despite being constantly asked about his future in press conferences, Carrick maintained that old composure he'd shown as a player – never overstepping his mark, never demanding clarity from his employers. “He’s unflappable,” grins Owen. “He’s just a great character, isn’t he? The fans love that about him.”

Carrick let results speak for themselves and, ultimately, the decision-makers were left with little choice but to hand him a two-year deal at the end of the season, after he'd led the team to a third-placed finish. Nor had it been lost on anybody that Manchester United had collected more points than any top-flight club – including champions Arsenal – during Carrick's tenure.

“Michael has thoroughly earned the opportunity,” said director of football Jason Wilcox. “In the time he’s been in the role, we’ve seen positive results on the pitch, but more than that, an approach that aligns with the club’s values, traditions and history.” Carrick himself spoke of his excitement to “move forward with ambition and a clear sense of purpose”, to “challenge for the biggest honours again”.

The bid to end Manchester United's 13-year wait for a Premier League title – since Carrick himself was still playing – is now underway. A new-look squad, bolstered with signings including Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, must build on the positive atmosphere and results of last season, and sustain that over a full campaign.

“That’s the question now: can he do it over a full season?” says Owen. “That’s what will decide things. It will get more difficult for him now. They’ve lost an experienced winner in Casemiro, who has left big boots to fill for those new arrivals. They’re going to be playing a lot more games this year with the Champions League factored in. This is the real test for him.”

Yet Owen is backing Carrick to prove himself all over again. “If they continue with what they’ve been doing, they’re going to challenge this season, and that’s going to excite the supporters,” he says. “I’m so glad the club got the manager’s position right in the end. He’s the right person for the job – I believe he’ll succeed.”

Manchester United fans hope they've finally found a worthy successor for Sir Alex Ferguson's legacy. Or, at the very least, that Carrick won't be reaching for the headache pills too soon.

YEAR OF THE BOSS: PART III

This month's cover is an homage to special issues of FFT in 2013 and 2014, examining the managers going head-to-head for the Premier League title.

Our 2013 cover saw David Moyes, Manuel Pellegrini, Jose Mourinho, Brendan Rodgers, Arsene Wenger and Andre Villas-Boas face off in a Reservoir Dogs theme, ahead of a campaign that eventually concluded with Pellegrini's Manchester City claiming the spoils.

The following year, Louis van Gaal had replaced Moyes at Manchester United, with Mauricio Pochettino in for Tim Sherwood at Spurs after the exit of Villas-Boas. Everton's Roberto Martinez joined the fold, with The Special One's Chelsea taking the title.

The number of managerial changes has increased since then: five Premier League clubs swapped bosses in 2013, and just four in 2014. This summer, nine had new gaffers – that's a record.

MATTHIAS JAISSLE: ASIA'S BRIAN CLOUGH

Newcastle's new boss was an unknown in England, but made his name with back-to-back continental titles

Less than two years ago, FourFourTwo sat inside the bowels of Al Ahli's inner city training ground in Jeddah,

and whispers abounded. “If he loses this game, the manager might well be sacked,” one Saudi Pro League expert told us that evening, as we waited for Matthias Jaissle to arrive for his latest pre-match press conference.

Al Ahli had won only three of their first eight games of the new league season, and sat eighth in the table before the Jeddah derby with title-challenging Al Ittihad – a fixture that would attract a raucous crowd of 52,546. Given that Jaissle's club were one of the Saudi Pro League's big four – all owned by the country's Public Investment Fund (PIF)

- their results were below expectation.

Back then, the main focus of our visit to Al Ahli had been the recent signing of Ivan Toney, rather than Jaissle, who was largely unknown to British audiences in October 2024. Our question was whether he could help his new frontman make England's next World Cup squad – Jaissle knew Thomas Tuchel, having played for him in the youth teams at VfB Stuttgart.

“Let’s see if Thomas calls me and asks how Ivan is doing,” the smartly dressed Jaissle told FFT. “Ivan has the potential, definitely – he must deliver here to be seen in the UK, and we’re doing our best to bring him into the best shape.”

Prior to this summer's World Cup, Tuchel did indeed call Jaissle to discuss Toney, revealing the “fantastic feedback” he received was enough to persuade him to pick the 30-year-old in his squad. By then, though, Jaissle could easily have been long gone as Al Ahli boss.

He did lose that Jeddah derby against Al Ittihad, a tetchy game interrupted by a sandstorm that blew dust from the nearby desert into the stadium. He avoided the sack, but was reportedly on his way out two months later after a loss at Al Kholood, with Max Allegri said to be his long-term replacement.

That was until ultras protested at the training ground, putting up a banner declaring “Enough failure, leave!” The message was aimed at the club’s

Above Success in Salzburg started Jaissle on his path towards St James' Park

hierarchy, rather than the manager. Jaissle stayed, and became an Al Ahli legend within months.

Jaissle was a central defender during a playing career that saw him help Hoffenheim to the Bundesliga for the first time in 2008, when he'd just turned 20. He'd been expected to be alongside Mesut Ozil, Mats Hummels and Manuel Neuer as part of the Germany under-21 squad that thrashed England in the final of the Euros in 2009, but damaged his ACL shortly before the tournament and would never be the same player again.

Further injuries forced him to retire in 2014, aged 25, before he got a job as a youth coach at RB Leipzig – his former Hoffenheim manager Ralf Rangnick had since become a key man in Red Bull's football project. Jaissle adopted a similarly high-pressing style, and has taken it with him ever since. After a stint as assistant at Danish club Brondby, he joined Red Bull Salzburg, led their feeder side FC Liefering to a joint-highest finish, then was handed the reins at the main club, replacing Jesse Marsch in 2021.

Working with young players such as Benjamin Sesko, Karim Adeyemi, Noah Okafor and Brenden Aaronson, he took Salzburg to a double in his first season, plus the Champions League's knockout stage for the only time in their history. They lost 7-1 at Bayern Munich in the last 16, while Jaissle was still only 33.

A season later, they went 30 matches unbeaten on the way to yet another domestic triumph. It was Salzburg's 10th straight title, but they haven't won the league since Jaissle left that summer.

The German joined Al Ahli just a month after they'd been one of four

JAISSLE HAS ADOPTED A HIGH-PRESSING SYSTEM, SIMILAR TO HIS FORMER GAFFER RALF RANGNICK

clubs to be taken over by the Saudi PIF – together with Al Ittihad, Al Hilal and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. Jaissle’s new club had been Saudi Pro League champions in 2016 but relegated since, only returning to the top flight in the same summer as his arrival.

They quickly signed Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, Edouard Mendy, Franck Kessie and ex-Newcastle winger Allan Saint-Maximin, finishing an encouraging third in Jaissle's first season – enough to qualify for the Asian Champions League.

Then came Toney's arrival, and that tricky start to 2024-25 when Jaissle so nearly lost his job. He knew the pressure he was under when we visited, but didn't let it show – remaining professional throughout, even taking time to greet visiting European media afterwards. It was hard not to warm to him.

“Things take time – the club has a long-term vision,” Jaissle told us, subtly calling for patience as he attempted to turn around results, while nodding to his ability to improve young players. “I hope we can do better by implementing the philosophy from the top down to the academy, because at some point we’ll need the young talents. In my eyes, that is the right approach.

"A lot of signings were made before I arrived, so it's important as a coach that you're flexible enough to adapt to a new country, culture and player profiles. In the long run, it's important everyone is aligned, that you improve your squad and players in the way you want to play."

Jaissle was afforded time to do that. Their progress to the knockout stage of the Asian Champions League had been a factor in him avoiding the sack – Al Ahli had a stronger second half of the league campaign, improving to fifth, then surprisingly became kings of Asia for the first time ever. The Champions League’s final three rounds all take place in Jeddah, giving Al Ahli a home advantage that helped, but they still had to defeat reigning Saudi champions Al Hilal in the semis, before a final victory over Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale – conquerors of Ronaldo’s Al Nassr.

Last term, while finishing third in a three-way domestic race, they went all Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest and became continental champions again. Toney was key, scoring 72 goals in two seasons under Jaissle.

When PIF-owned Newcastle were looking for a manager to replace Eddie Howe this summer, it shouldn't have been a surprise that they opted for the German. Howe will be a tough act to follow, having delivered the Magpies a first major honour in 56 years. Why have a manager who's won one historic trophy, though, when you can have a gaffer who's won two?

GARY O'NEIL: THE LOST CHELSEA GAFFER

If you've stepped foot in the city of Strasbourg in the past three years, your chances of being recruited by Chelsea are high.

Marcel Marceau, Louis Pasteur and Marie Tussaud – Todd Boehly would have had them all, if only they'd been around a little later.

Some were tipping Gary O'Neil as the next Stamford Bridge gaffer when he became Strasbourg boss in January, then – expecting him to eventually follow the same path taken by Liam Rosenior from the Stade de la Meinau to west London. Sadly, Monsieur Rosenior messed that up for everyone by being sacked within three months – Chelsea decided they weren't doing that again, meaning O'Neil's return to the Premier League has instead come with newly promoted Ipswich.

The Tractor Boys' logic is clear: their previous top-flight campaign was gruelling and unsuccessful, so after Kieran McKenna's summer resignation, they've appointed a man who's had success fighting the drop before.

O'Neil rescued Bournemouth from Premier League relegation in his first managerial gig, then similarly steered Wolves clear of danger in his first term at Molineux, albeit it went wrong after that – starting the following season with a 10-game winless run, O'Neil's tenure eventually ended six weeks later after a 2-1 home loss to... Ipswich.

The departing gaffer's final act was to watch Matheus Cunha go nuts at the final whistle and steal the glasses off the face of an Ipswich security staff member. Yet the three points Wolves collected in those first 10 matches was still more than their total at the same stage last season, under Vitor Pereira.

ROBERTO DE ZERBI: THE BRAWL THAT RESCUED SPURS

The Italian single-handedly saved the north London club from the drop – after a “bar fight” spelt the beginning of the end for his time at Marseille

B ack in early 2024, FFT asked Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold which Premier League team he

found most interesting to watch.

His answer was a surprise: Roberto De Zerbi's Brighton. "The way they play out from the back is exceptional and really brave," Alexander-Arnold said. "They're an absolute nightmare to play against."

It was De Zerbi who took Brighton into Europe for the first time ever, before departing in May 2024 and resurfacing at Marseille a month later. Taking over a side who'd just finished eighth in Ligue 1, within a year they were runners-up – their famously raucous fans feeding off De Zerbi's passion and attacking football.

Had things continued like that, he likely wouldn't have been available to save Spurs from relegation this spring. On the first day of last season though, the passion went too far – among his players at least.

After defeat to 10-man Rennes, Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe squared up in the dressing room. “It was a bar fight,” De Zerbi said. “For the first time in my career, I didn’t know what to say or do. I come from the streets, I’m used to fights, but I’ve never seen anything like it. In a workplace, two employees fighting like in an English pub, with a team-mate on the ground because he’d lost consciousness.”

Both players were shipped off to Serie A, but it set the tone for a season in which relationships strained between De Zerbi and his players. Marseille lost

"WE HAVE TO LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES. STUPID PEOPLE FORGET THE PAST - SMART PEOPLE DON'T"

Below Survival clinched in last season's finale, big-spending Spurs will now be looking up under De Zerbi

five of eight games in the league stage of the Champions League and missed out on the knockouts when Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored an injury-time goal against Real Madrid, as Marseille lost 3-0 at Club Brugge.

Eleven days later, they were thrashed 5-0 at their bitter rivals PSG and De Zerbi departed. Spurs sacked Thomas Frank the same day, and made the Italian an immediate target – he said no, only changing his mind in late March when Igor Tudor's disastrous interim reign put increasingly desperate Tottenham on the verge of relegation, and they offered De Zerbi a five-year contract.

They knew his passion and tactical nous could make the immediate impact they so badly needed, and so it proved: after a 15-match winless run, De Zerbi secured 10 points from Spurs' last five games, and the worst was averted.

Upon his arrival, he'd sat down with each member of his squad to find out who was willing to fight for survival. "I had one million individual meetings," he revealed. "They told me if they didn't want to be here – I said, 'Help me to stay up, then I help you to leave, but if you don't help me to stay up, you stay underwater with me.'"

Victory at home to Everton on the final day confirmed safety, paving the way for more than £225m of summer spending on Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke. “This is my biggest achievement,” De Zerbi said after survival. “Now we have to learn from our mistakes. Stupid people forget the past, smart people keep it in their mind.”

Without last August's bar-room brawl in Rennes, Spurs' future could have looked very different right now.

UNAI EMERY: VILLA'S BEST EVER?

The Basque's win percentage is well clear of any other manager in the club's history – FFT look back on five of the most significant games of his tenure

ASTON VILLA 3 MAN UNITED 1

Eleven months on from turning down Newcastle, who subsequently appointed Eddie Howe, Unai Emery left Villarreal in October 2022 to replace Steven Gerrard in charge of a Villa side sitting just above the relegation zone.

His first fixture was against a club who hadn't lost a Premier League match at Villa Park since the famous Alan Hansen "You can't win anything with kids" game in August 1995. Just like that occasion, Villa beat Manchester United 3-1, this time thanks to goals from Leon Bailey,

Above "That'll be Mr Europa League to you"

Lucas Digne and Jacob Ramsey, and Emery was soon rocketing the West Midlands side up the table.

Villa scored in his first 20 league games in charge, a Premier League record for a new manager at any club.

ASTON VILLA 2 BRIGHTON 1

Villa hadn't played in Europe for 13 years, spending three seasons in the second tier in between, but Emery guided them back to continental competition at the end of his very first campaign in charge. No messing about.

Victory over Brighton on the last day was enough to seal seventh place and a spot in the Conference League – if it was a big achievement for Villa, it was just a normal day for Emery, who’d already managed in Europe for 15 consecutive seasons with Valencia, Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, PSG, Arsenal and Villarreal.

LILLE 2 ASTON VILLA 1

Don't be fooled by the result: Villa lost in France, but won on penalties after their Conference League tie finished 3-3 on aggregate, putting them in a continental semi-final for the first time since they won the European Cup in 1982.

Trademark Emi Martinez antics did the trick, on a night when he managed to get a second yellow card during the shootout but avoid a red – apparently you're allowed an extra if it goes to penalties. He stayed on to save the decisive spot-kick. Classic Martinez.

ASTON VILLA 1 BAYERN MUNICH O

At the end of his first full season at the helm, Emery remarkably led Villa into the Champions League for the first time. Who did they draw in their first league stage home game? Bayern Munich, who they had beaten in the European Cup final 42 years earlier.

In another repeat of history, Villa won 1-0 – Jhon Duran played the role of a Colombian Peter Withe, before setting off on a global tour that has since seen him play in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia and Portugal in the space of 18 months. Slow down, mate, you're still only 22.

Having impressively finished eighth in the league stage, Villa beat Club Brugge in the last 16 before running eventual winners PSG close in the quarters.

FREIBURG O ASTON VILLA 3

There's a reason Emery has long been known as Mr Europa League rather than Mr Champions League or Mr Conference League, and he showed it again this May.

In his first season in the competition with Villa, he only went and won it again, for a fifth time in his career – he’s now triumphed in his last 23 two-legged ties in the Europa League, stretching all the way back to 2012.

Victory over Freiburg in the Istanbul final was remarkably comfortable, after Youri Tielemans scored his usual major final goal, and was soon copied by Emi Buendia. It was Emery's 109th win in 196 games in charge of Villa – 55.6 per cent of games had gone in his favour, six per cent more than even George Ramsay, who bagged 12 major trophies at the club between 1886 and 1926.

In Villa's long history, the fans have never seen a manager deliver results as consistently as Emery.

EUROPE? THAT'S THE CHERRY ON TOP

Bournemouth will play the first continental fixture of their history in September – FFT speak to key figures at the club to find out how they’ve climbed to greater heights than ever before

Here We Come EUROPE!! UP THE CHERRIES IN ALL DEPTS eads bowed, the Bournemouth players were visibly distraught. Trudging back to the Goodison Park dressing room, they knew their 3-1 victory over Everton wouldn't be enough to save them.

Aston Villa's draw with West Ham had consigned the Cherries to relegation, after five campaigns punching above their weight in the top flight. Six days later, Eddie Howe stepped down, ending a 26-year association with the club as player and manager. In the dugout, he had overseen a remarkable escape from relegation out of the Football League, a trio of promotions and a record-high Premier League finish of ninth. It felt like the fairy tale was falling in on itself, the death knell ready to toll at the end of Bournemouth's golden era.

Six years on, those painful memories of July 2020 were merely the end of the first act. A return to the Premier League, a sought-after recruitment model, a sixth-placed finish and Europa League qualification have more than calmed the distress of relegation.

ANFIELD AND OUT

There was no guarantee it would reach this point. In their first campaign back in the second tier, a play-off semi-final defeat to Brentford had left the club at a significant sliding doors moment – fail to win promotion again and the story could easily have been about their fall from grace rather than the upward trajectory they have since enjoyed.

"The second season was really big for us as a club," vice-captain Lewis Cook says, having joined the Cherries in 2016. "The pressure behind the scenes was significant. The players probably didn't realise at the time, but if we hadn't gone up that year, it would have been tough."

That summer, after Jason Tindall and Jonathan Woodgate had both had spells in charge during the previous campaign, Scott Parker arrived to take over a squad that still included several players who had featured in the top flight, including Jefferson Lerma, Dominic Solanke and Philip Billing. The new boss made them harder to beat – Parker didn't lose a

league match until November and, propelled by Solanke's 29 league goals, his side finished as runners-up behind champions Fulham.

Regaining Premier League status not only provided a financial boon, but made them a more investable prospect. Owner Maxim Demin had been exploring his options to sell, with talks of a takeover between him and long-term admirer Bill Foley running throughout the summer after promotion. Demin had been involved since 2011 and overseen the rise from League One to the top tier, but felt the time was right to step aside.

A rocky start to the top-flight return might have scuppered those discussions. An opening day 2-0 win against Aston Villa was a great way to kick things off,

Clockwise from top left Eddie Howe left following relegation in 2020; a five year-stay in the Premier League ends; Scott Parker led them back to the top flight; a new training base opened last year; Dominic Solanke was one of many major sales

although heavy defeats to Manchester City and Arsenal followed, before a 9-0 thumping by Liverpool at Anfield. Cue an ill-advised post-match interview from Parker, as he declared the team “underequipped at this level” and admitted that throughout pre-season there was a “fear of where we are as a squad” without “help” from above.

“That season was hard,” admits Cook. “We just needed to settle the ship after a few big defeats. It goes back to the lads not having any fear and being able to bounce back from bad situations. Ever since I came to Bournemouth, everyone has always written us off as a small club, but we showed fight.”

Parker exited, replaced by first-team coach Gary O'Neil, charged with saving "IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW SIGNIFICANT YOU THINK YOUR ROLE IS, EVERYONE HAS A BIG PART TO PLAY"

a team that most pundits had already decided were heading straight back down. His influence had the desired effect and an undefeated six-match run – including a 2-1 home win against Leicester with Foley watching from the stands – provided hope. By the time the Premier League took a mid-season break for the World Cup, the Cherries were clear of the relegation zone.

As the world turned its attention to Qatar, Demin and Foley struck a deal – with the American’s investment group, Black Knight Football Club, completing a takeover of more than £100m. With it came a mission statement from Foley – to “move forward with an ‘always advance, never retreat’ approach”.

The new ownership's initial aim was to invest in a state-of-the-art training centre, enhance player development and bolster the first team, while also pledging more money to the Cherries'

Above Plans to increase the Vitality Stadium to 20,000 seats are under way

women's side. Black Knight also bought into the strong family feel that had worked so well previously.

"The club has to be run properly from top to bottom," says record appearance maker Steve Fletcher, who scored the crucial goal that retained Bournemouth's Football League place in 2009. He now works as a club ambassador. "Everyone has to buy into what we're all about. It doesn't matter how big or small your department is, or how significant or insignificant you think your role might be, everyone is made to feel like they have a big part to play.

“Whether you’re a chef, groundsman, accountant, in media or marketing, part of the first team or a masseur, everybody is pulling in the same direction – for the club to do well and for the players to be at their best. The players performing on the grass is the most important thing, but the feeling of unity right across the club is incredible.”

While that may be true, one thing that has undoubtedly changed since the takeover is the ambition to kick on beyond merely treading water in the Premier League. “Different owners have tried to elevate the club in certain areas that you can see – the hospitality, the stadium and the training ground,” says Cook. “But the club has kept its identity of buying really good people and really good players. That’s helped us climb the table and grow. Previously, me and the older lads who’ve been here for quite a while would say it was always about staying in the league. There were a few times we finished higher, but staying in the league was always the ambition.”

THE BLACK KNIGHT TRIUMPHS

Staying up was still the priority in the remaining months of Black Knight's first season – achieved relatively comfortably as O'Neil's men won six out of nine matches in the spring.

There was already evidence of a crucial recruitment strategy too, with Dango Ouattara, Antoine Semenyo and Illia Zabarnyi all arriving in the January transfer window. The trio would go on to make a combined profit of more than £105m when they were sold last term.

That approach has become a theme in the Cherries' more recent development – purchasing raw, talented players from around the globe and selling them on for big money. While it wasn't a reset in transfer policy, the takeover provided an existing scouting network with a larger reach and greater spending power to land their targets.

Unlike Brighton and Brentford, who Bournemouth are regularly bundled in with as examples of smart recruitment, theirs isn't run on the same data-led model. They sit within Foley's multi-club group that includes French side Lorient, Portugal's Moreirense and New Zealand's Auckland FC, sharing intelligence and analytics among them to identify players ready to be part of the first team immediately.

That meant former chief executive Neill Blake and technical director Richard Hughes remained key following the takeover, only departing later down the line – Blake taking a job overseeing Black Knight's entire estate, with Hughes exiting for Liverpool in 2024. Tiago Pinto, formerly of Roma and Benfica, joined Bournemouth as president of football operations that same summer.

Since the takeover, the likes of Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen have come ▶ and gone from the Vitality Stadium after brief spells, while Solanke joined Spurs in 2024 in a £65m deal. It's all added to Bournemouth's reputation, making them an attractive club to join.

"When I first came to the club and even now, I can see how it's constantly progressing," defender James Hill tells FFT. "It's an incredible place for players to come and develop their game – look at the players who've come and gone, how they've developed and pushed on to greater heights.

“For some players, this might not be the end point, it could be the beginning of their journey towards bigger things. The talent that has come through the door has been frightening.”

Hill joined the club from Fleetwood in 2022 as a 19-year-old. He enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2025-26, becoming a regular fixture in the team following loan spells away at Hearts and Blackburn, and being around the first-team squad in recent years.

His journey is a prime example of how the club's conveyor belt of talent keeps on producing replacements for departed team-mates. When Zabarnyi, Huijsen and Kerkez all left, it opened the door for Hill to stake his claim to become part of a remodelled backline.

"There was no-one saying, 'Yes, it's your spot now, go and play', but there were opportunities for me to play during the season – I was at right-back at the start, before slowly building my way up," Hill explains, having later established himself in the centre of defence.

"We're such a good group. Whoever has the shirt and starts is supported by everyone else. Even if you're left at home and not in the squad – and I've been there plenty of times – it's about being ready to support the team and take your opportunity, because it may come. When players leave, there's an opportunity for others to step in."

The forever-evolving nature of the Bournemouth squad has also extended to the bench. When O'Neil was replaced by Andoni Iraola in the summer of 2023, weeks after keeping them up, eyebrows were raised – even more so when the Spaniard had failed to win any of his first nine league games in charge.

But after winning 2-1 against Burnley in match number 10, the new manager never looked back, finishing 12th with a club record Premier League points tally. That total was beaten again as they came ninth the following season, with a brand of modern, high-pressing football that impressed many onlookers and realigned aims within the squad.

“Europe was what we were pushing for last season, that was the main goal at the start of the year,” says Hill. “We’d missed out the season before, so we

"WE DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THE CHALLENGE OF EXTRA GAMES – WE NEED TO ENJOY EVERY MOMENT"

knew what the target was and where we could get to."

SEMENYO'S PARTING GIFT

A 4-2 opening night loss to champions Liverpool showed flashes of brilliance at the start of last term, before eight games without defeat pushed Bournemouth into the higher reaches of the table. But just as fans began to dream, a run of 11 without a win had the doubters chirping.

"I can remember us drawing a lot of games and everyone having opinions about us not winning," Cook recalls. "But if you draw five or six games in the Premier League, it's not the worst thing at all. I felt we were in a great spot."

For all the optimism within the camp, that run was paired with the impending departure of Semenyo, who had scored nine goals by the start of January and was the main attacking thrust. Despite the Ghanaian's move to Manchester City being in the final throes, he continued to play, turning out for the Cherries in a critical home match with Tottenham that would be his south coast swansong.

What followed was Roy of the Rovers stuff. With the game lurching towards a 2-2 draw and another winless match, the forward received the ball on the left flank with a crowded penalty area in front of him. With seconds left to play, Semenyo let the ball run onto his right foot, before firing a low, 25-yard drive across goal and into the far corner of the net. It would be his last kick in the red and black of Bournemouth, and gave his team-mates the perfect gift to remember him by.

"It was an incredible night," says Hill. "You couldn't write it for him to score that goal as well. It was such a relief to win, because we hadn't won a game for a while. But even before that, despite not winning, our performances had been improving.

"The boys were incredible when that moment came and Antoine left us. We were so happy because he deserved his big move – the lads understood that we needed to step up and you could already see it happening in the performances."

Semenyo's goal had more than just personal significance. As well as ending the winless run, it was the spark for another unbeaten streak. Bournemouth didn't lose again all season – 18 games in total – while clocking up impressive victories at home to Liverpool, and away at Arsenal and Newcastle en route.

As the end of the campaign neared, the prospect of European qualification loomed ever larger – with Champions League football even remaining a genuine possibility until the final week.

Getting over the line is so often more difficult than fighting into contention, although there was very little sign of a wobble. “We went into every game thinking that we could get three points because we were full of confidence,” adds Hill. “We did very well at keeping the noise out of the camp and just concentrating on our performances. Over the last three games, we knew what we needed to do. We actually performed better under pressure.”

Victory at Fulham all but guaranteed European qualification, but it wasn't until the penultimate match, against Manchester City, that it was sealed. Pep Guardiola's men needed to win to keep their title hopes alive, but another stirring Bournemouth performance stifled them. Eli Junior Kroupi's strike appeared to be sending them on the way to all three points, until Erling Haaland poached a 95th-minute equaliser for the visitors.

While the draw meant reaching a top-five spot was highly unlikely going into the final day, there was no sense

Top Antoine Semenyo signed off his Bournemouth tenure in style against Spurs Above After the Ghanaian's departure, the club brought in Brazilian starlet Rayan, who became an immediate hit and helped Bournemouth into Europe

of bittersweetness at the final whistle, as players, fans and staff celebrated reaching Europe for the very first time in the club's history.

"To finish in a Europa League place and celebrate on the pitch with the staff, players, everyone associated with the club and all the fans was incredible," says Cherries legend Fletcher, who had the North Stand at the Vitality Stadium named in his honour in 2010. "I don't think it properly sank in until a couple of days later when I started going out on the streets, and into supermarkets and restaurants, and people came to talk to me about it. The magnitude of what the club and that team achieved will live on forever."

The size of that feat will be clear for all to see when Bournemouth kick off their debut Europa League campaign alongside fellow Premier League sides Sunderland and Crystal Palace come mid-September, with the first of eight games in the league stage, which runs until late January. Four of the Cherries' continental outings will be played at their 12,000-capacity stadium, thought to be the smallest home ground of any English club ever to play in a major European competition.

It's part of the story's charm and an important reminder of their past, even if things continue to change at pace. Iraola has since left to become the new Liverpool manager and been replaced by former Borussia Dortmund boss Marco Rose, while centre-back Marcos Senesi joined Spurs this summer.

The challenge of regularly playing two matches a week will also place a new strain on the squad, but the players are used to change by now. “It’s similar to what happened last season – players have left, others come in and you have to adapt and be ready to go,” Hill says. “With the new gaffer as well, the rate we’re learning has been really good.

"We don't need to worry about the challenge of playing more games, either. We need to enjoy every moment – the excitement of playing in Europe and having those fixtures is an incredible problem to have, because the success of last season brought us to this point."

Those who go even further back will see those European nights as more than just a celebration of last season. For Fletcher, whose association with the club dates all the way to 1992, it's a continuation of a fairy tale that refuses to end. "There will be a lot of emotion when we play that first European game," he says. "Personally, I'll probably shed a tear and try to capture the moment as much as I can."

That night, everyone connected with Bournemouth will be able to watch on with their heads held high.

"IF WE'D BEEN RELEGATED, WE'D HAVE GONE INTO LIQUIDATION"

Club ambassador Steve Fletcher scored the goal that saved Bournemouth from non-league in 2009, and is thrilled at what his strike has led to since

"I'm going into my 34th season at AFC Bournemouth – I came down here from Hartlepool when I was 19 and I'm 54 now, with only one campaign away as a player. I love this place.

“During my first spell at the club in 1997, the receivers were called in, but we got together as a squad and decided to play the game, even though we weren’t getting paid. If we’d said no on that day, the club would have folded.

“Then, when we went into administration during my second spell in 2008, I was the only player who’d experienced what had happened previously, but there were moments in that following season where I was thinking, ‘If we go down to the Conference, then we’re in trouble.’ We didn’t have an owner, and Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall were doing every job available – the jobs of about 20 or 30 people.

"I was hearing that if we got relegated out of League Two, the club would probably have to start again from many leagues down the pyramid – we would have gone into liquidation and that would have been the end of AFC Bournemouth for the foreseeable future.

"I felt it more because I was 36 – some of the younger lads probably didn't understand the magnitude of what was at stake. It's still a great honour to have been the person who scored the goal that meant we avoided relegation – when you think of us reaching Europe, if I hadn't scored, none of this would have been possible.

"But it could have been any player on that day against Grimsby in 2009 – the whole team pulled together after we got deducted 17 points that season. That cross could have dropped for anyone, or I could have smashed the volley into row Z, as usual. But that time I smashed it into the roof of the net. That was my moment – one I'd waited 36 years for.

"When Marco Rose came in to meet everyone after the end of last season, he met Andoni Iraola and they gave each other a big hug, which I thought was lovely, because that doesn't happen a lot at clubs. He didn't just speak to the hierarchy, he went around all the grounds, the accounts department, the media team, the kitchen staff, and spent time with them.

"Then Tiago Pinto [president of football operations] said, 'He wants to meet you.' I thought 'Why would he want to meet me?' But Marco had done his homework, he knew about the history. It's just been a fairy tale for this club – how nobody has made a Hollywood story about us, I have no idea. If they did, I'd like a leading role!"

Fletcher was speaking to FFT in association with MrQ, the new official sleeve partner of AFC Bournemouth

FROM LIONS' DEN TO DRAGONS' DEN: WHEN THEO PAPHITIS OWNED MILLWALL

The second-tier club qualified for Europe for the only time in their history in 2004 – the man behind it all tells FFT about his eventful boardroom reign, via an expensive gift to a referee, Dennis Wise’s weird managerial debut and a terrifying night in Budapest

Words Andrew Dillon

Theo Paphitis claims that he ‘doesn’t do’ protocol. Although when one of Britain’s most acclaimed

businessmen breezily greets you in the inner sanctum of his corporate empire wearing a dazzling yellow Hawaiian shirt, you don't need to be told that.

Once your eyes have adjusted to the light lasering off his short-sleeved top, it soon becomes apparent why he was a perfect match for Millwall, and why he was the club's chairman when England's most fiercely working-class club reached the FA Cup final while in the second tier in 2004 – qualifying for Europe for the only time in their history.

Millwall have never been one to stick to convention. Known as the Lions, the fans are proud of their image as tough nuts, openly celebrating their menacing reputation, even though local police reported no trouble outside The Den throughout last season.

Paphitis does things differently, too. Renowned as one of the sharpest minds in business, he's sold stationery, sexy knickers and houseware with equal

vigour. He has owned Ryman, Robert Dyas, London Graphic Centre and Boux Avenue, amassing a multi-million pound fortune plus fame as a star in the other famous Den – BBC show Dragons’ Den, which he appeared on for several years grilling would-be entrepreneurs seeking a chunk of his cash.

Breaking with tradition has been key to Paphitis' success, to the extent that 22 years ago, as kick-off approached for the FA Cup final between Millwall and Manchester United at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium and Welsh opera "I wasn't part of the blazer brigade, and never had time for the FA's stuffiness"

singer Katherine Jenkins warmed her larynx ready to blast out the national anthem, Paphitis thought it completely normal to go knocking on referee Jeff Winter's door with a present for him and his assistants – an 18-carat gold lapel pin of the Millwall lion. The 123rd FA Cup final would be no ordinary day.

"It was unbelievable that Millwall were even in the cup

"The FA wanted two big teams in the cup final... well, they had to deal with an underdog"

even in the cap final, absolutely unbelievable," Paphitis, now 66, tells FourFourTwo. "I'm sure the FA hated it. You lot in the media definitely hated it! The FA wanted a showcase of two big teams, right? Well, they got Manchester United, then they had to

deal with an underdog. You all had to accept a minnow. A good story for a day, I suppose.

"I never really had much time for the Football Association stuffiness, even though I was on the FA committee – because of my place on the Football League board, I automatically got onto that too. But I wasn't part of the blazer brigade, I wasn't really interested in the pomp and ceremony, even though I'd already changed the outlook of the

Football League by creating the new Championship, and renaming the other divisions to League One and League Two. I instigated the revamping of the Football League, I was damned if I was going to let the Premier League run away with everything.

"We broke every protocol going. I certainly wasn't going to the cup final

dinner beforehand or anything like that, either. To me, Millwall were the people's club. I had 99 little gold lion lapel badges cast as souvenirs of the day – I had one for every member of the club staff, so they could all remember the occasion.

"The cup final was

Jeff Winter's last game, he was retiring, and someone told me that he collected badges. So I managed to charm a lovely Welsh lady who believed everything I said to her, and who took me all the way into the bowels of the stadium, all the way down to the referee's room.

"I knocked on the door, it opened and I introduced myself, but they already knew who I was. I said, 'Right Jeff, it's your last game, I know you're retiring.' I shook his hand and wished him a

Clockwise from right Celebrations as Millwall reach a first FA Cup final; Wembley awaits; Ray Wilkins played middle-man in bringing Wise to The Den; blink once and Dennis is on the pitch, blink again and he's been sent off

happy retirement. Then I said, 'I've cast these 18-carat gold lion lapel pins for all of my team and the Millwall backroom staff – including the groundsman.' I said, tongue in cheek, 'They're 18-carat gold, they've got a little bit of value, so you can of course turn them down or declare them to the FA, as you wish.'

“But I don’t think anybody in their wildest dreams was going to think that a little lapel pin badge was going to influence the decision-making of the FA’s top officials in an FA Cup final.

by Leicester following an incident during the club's pre-season training camp in Finland, which had left team-mate Callum Davidson with two fractures to his right cheekbone.

It could have proved a nightmare signing for Millwall boss Mark McGhee, so Paphitis cleverly got round that by simply not telling the Scot. “I had a heart to heart with Mark McGhee the previous week,” he remembers. “He said we needed a Dennis Wise-style character in midfield. We had Tim Cahill, then a promising kid learning his job, box to box. Dennis at the time had just left Leicester after an incident.

"It just so happened that I went for a drink with Ray Wilkins, who was a neighbour. Over that drink, Ray asked

"I turned to Jeff cheekily and said, 'You won't care a monkey, because you're retiring.' Then to his assistants, 'And you guys have got a career ahead.' They looked at me as if to say, 'So is this guy totally nuts?"

“Jeff said, ‘Well, that’s very kind of you, Theo’, and he graciously accepted the gift, as did the others. So, I presented them with the pins, which I’m sure they still possess to this day, as a memento of that unbelievable day for Millwall Football Club. And I still think that was one of the best displays of refereeing I’ve ever seen. Jeff let it flow.”

That may not have been to Millwall's advantage – having got the better of fellow second-tier side Sunderland in the semi-final, they were thumped 3-0 by Manchester United, and barely laid a glove on their illustrious opposition. Cristiano Ronaldo put Sir Alex Ferguson's side ahead just before the interval, then Ruud van Nistelrooy added two more in the second half to secure the trophy. It was as one-sided as everybody secretly suspected it would be.

SECOND-TIER CLUBS IN EUROPE

Dennis Wise was the player-manager for Millwall that day, having signed for Paphitis in September 2002. Wise was a two-time FA Cup winner with Chelsea, but shortly beforehand he'd been sacked

Since the formation of the Premier League, Millwall are one of only four English clubs to have played in a major European competition while outside the top flight

"WHERE'S DENNIS GONE?"

IPSWICH

The Tractor Boys qualified twice in a row under George Burley – the first through league position in 2001, the second via UEFA's Fair Play League. Maybe they were a bit too fair – Ipswich got relegated the same season. They went into the UEFA Cup as a second-tier side, thrashing Luxembourg side Avenir Beggen 8-1 at home, edging past Serbians FK Smederevo, then losing to Czech club Slovan Liberec.

BIRMINGHAM The Blues' shock 2011 League Cup Final triumph over Arsenal came in the same season they dropped out of the top flight, but the Championship club beat Madeiran side Nacional to reach the Europa League group stage. That earned them matches at Maribor and Club Brugge – they won both, the latter thanks to a goal from Chris Wood, but lost home and away to Braga, and harshly went out with 10 points.

WIGAN

Roberto Martinez presided over both a famous FA Cup final and relegation in 2013, then legged it to Everton, so Owen Coyle was in charge when the Latics began life in the Europa League in the second tier. Entering at the group stage, they faced away trips to Belgium's Zulte Waregem and Rubin Kazan in Russia, as well as repeating Birmingham's experience in Maribor, but won just one of six games and finished bottom.

if I'd thought about Dennis. I didn't like Dennis's agent at the time, that raving monster Eric Hall character. He was really rude when I tried to sign Dennis after he'd left Chelsea. So, Ray made a discreet enquiry directly to Dennis on my behalf.

"I ended up speaking to Dennis and said, 'I guarantee they'll love you at The Den', even though he thought I was having a laugh by trying to get him to Millwall. I told him though that I wouldn't deal with his agent – I said, 'You have to deal with that.' We didn't have an agent present while we were doing the deal. I broke loads of taboos, as it all happened really quickly.

"While we made him our highest-paid player, it didn't lock us into a long-term commitment. It wasn't going to hurt the club financially, and once Dennis was mentally committed he made it very easy, for which all Millwall supporters have always been grateful.

"We did the deal, then I rang Mark and told him there was going to be a press conference organised for the next day. I told him, 'I've got you a new player.' He was a bit surprised. I reminded him that he'd asked for a Dennis Wise-style character for the midfield and said, 'Well, I've got you one.' He asked, 'Any chance you're going to tell me who?' and I said, 'Yes, Dennis Wise.' There was silence on the other end of the line."

Wise was customarily booked just three minutes into his Lions debut at Coventry, but Paphitis was spot on – the fans adored him. Even though his relationship with McGhee was cordial and nothing more, Wise was beginning to display the attributes that would shape his transition into coaching – he would also manage Swindon and Leeds after his dual role at Millwall – and later to the boardroom in roles at Newcastle United and Como.

A year after Wise's arrival, McGhee left Millwall by mutual consent – such is the unorthodox way that Paphitis works, he asked his outgoing manager for advice on who should be his replacement. "Mark identified Dennis straight away, which was very gracious, and helped reinforce some of my thoughts," says Paphitis. "So I rang Dennis and asked him to meet me in my office the next morning, instead of going in to the training ground. In he came, and I told him I wanted him to pick the team for Saturday. His reply was that he wasn't sure if management was for him. I said, 'It's not a request... Millwall needs you!'

"We discussed what he needed and he asked for a coach. He mentioned Ray Wilkins. I said to him it was likely that, some day, the chairman has to sack the manager and his team, and that's

FEATURE THEO PAPHITIS

already sacking one legend. I couldn't sack two, especially one who was my mate. But we still got him in. I just told Ray that he'd have to resign way before such an occasion came about.

“Dennis joined me in the directors’ box the following Saturday. I can’t remember who the opposition were, but I wanted to learn from him. There’s no way I could tell Dennis Wise how the game should be played – I just wanted to ask him questions, find out about his character and get an idea about his plans.

"He sat next to me in a tracksuit, which was a little odd. He'd been out injured for a while, but for his first game as the player-manager, he'd put himself on the bench. So there we are talking as the game goes on, the odd question here and there, watching the match. Then I turn around and he's gone. I eventually spotted him down on the touchline, stripping off to go on and play. It was all a bit strange, but not long after he was back in the seat next to me, because he'd been sent off. I think we appealed and got it rescinded."

Wise's straight red card was dealt for a two-footed tackle, just four minutes after coming on in that home game against Neil Warnock's Sheffield United. It left Millwall down to nine men – he'd brought himself into the action after Lions midfielder David Livermore had also been sent off. Thankfully they were already 2-0 up when the first dismissal happened, and they still held on to see out the win.

ONE NIGHT IN BUDAPEST

Born in Cyprus and raised in Manchester, Paphitis adopted Millwall when he met the south London girl who became his beloved Mrs P. In 1997, he took over the club when it was £10m in debt, and his stay lasted for eight years. It was a stay that included Millwall's only sojourn into Europe, albeit a brief one.

The rules back then awarded a UEFA Cup spot to the beaten FA Cup finalists if the winners didn't need it. “We already knew that, win or lose, we’d qualified for Europe because Manchester United had already qualified for the Champions League,” Paphitis says.

"Why wouldn't you go and have a party? That's what we said to everyone – there was absolutely no pressure on anybody. We told the supporters to go to Cardiff, have a good time and show what a good bunch of fans they are.

"The most unenjoyable game of that FA Cup run was the semi-final against Sunderland at Old Trafford, because so much rested on it."

Marking Cristiano Ronaldo in the final was Irishman Robbie Ryan, who had cost Millwall only £10,000 when he arrived from Huddersfield in 1998. After his retirement, the defender became a track maintenance engineer on the

London Underground. “Robbie left us after that game, eventually coming back to us as a coach,” Paphitis says. “I think he went on to work for Transport for London. Whatever he’s doing now, I bet he’s sitting in a pub somewhere telling his mates about the time he marked Ronaldo, and they’re looking at him, thinking, ‘Yeah, right’.

"I watched the game not long ago and the commentary is brilliant. One of them says, 'There's Ronaldo, skipping past Robbie Ryan again – this boy Ronaldo, he's got the potential to really become something.' What a marvellous story for Robbie to be able to play in the FA Cup final. He was clearly out of his depth, but he gave it everything and I was so proud of him.

"The squad was down to the bare bones. Lots of injuries, including Dennis, who'd gone missing the week before the game and took himself off to a Swiss clinic to get his leg right sorted – at his own expense, I hasten to add!"

Millwall broke a record that day by sending on youth-team graduate Curtis Weston in the 89th minute – he’s still the youngest player ever to appear in an FA Cup final, aged 17 years and 119 days. To underline how youthful he was, Weston was still registered as a player with non-league Mickelover in 2025.

He wasn't on the bench for either leg of the resultant UEFA Cup first-round tie against Hungarian side Ferencvaros – a

Top to bottom Ferencvaros fans followed their team to London; Wise struck the first goal of the tie; Millwall faced a ferocious atmosphere in the return leg; The Den is yet to experience a European night again

team whose fans left an impression on Paphitis. The football was one thing, but events away from the pitch another.

“Millwall have scored two goals in Europe and guess who scored them both? Dennis Wise,” he recalls. “We drew 1-1 at our ground in the first leg, then went out there. They were in an old stadium – it’s not often I’m scared, but I was scared for my kids. We were sitting with officials near to what I can only describe as right-wing fans, proper neo-Nazi types. It was vile – they were making cut-throat gestures, spitting, you name it. I asked the UEFA representative for security. It was quite frightening.

"I don't think the chance of promotion is gone. Millwall are in a good place"

"We sadly lost the game, but that wasn't the tragedy. The tragedy was for our fans, who'd behaved impeccably at the FA Cup final, and also at our place in the first leg of the tie. Unfortunately a group of our fans going around the stadium before the game, and some after the game too, were set upon by these masked

paramilitary fans. I didn't realise how serious it was.

"After the game we made it to the airport, but had to delay the flight. A couple of fans had been stabbed, one was on life support. We had to go with the British consul in Budapest to try to

identify who they were. That meant going through a bag of blood-stained clothes and a mobile phone to find 'mum' or 'home'.

"It was horrendous. So, so sad. One of them was poorly for a long time afterwards. We got everybody home eventually and flew them back, but it was a sad occasion. That was my last season, my swansong. I handed over the reins at the end of that campaign."

SO NEAR, YET SO FAR

Paphitis is a gregarious man but no show-off, despite his fashion choice at our meeting, which in his defence was down to the fact that it was his company's summer party that evening. He's been reluctant to cast opinions about how the modern Millwall are run, preferring to simply spectate like an ordinary fan, which he is.

Last season, the Lions came closer than ever before to finally breaking into the Premier League – finishing third and missing out on automatic promotion by just one point, before losing a play-off semi-final to Hull.

"When it got really exciting and there was a chance of getting automatic

promotion, everybody wanted to do an interview with me about the past and I said, 'You know what? I'm not going to do that, because I don't want to talk about achievements we had when there are great achievements happening today on the pitch.'

“Last season, in typical gritty fashion, Millwall etched out some amazing results, but sadly we lost a few games that we should never have lost. We just didn’t have that consistency and missed out on getting automatic promotion by a hair’s breadth.”

Clubs like Brentford and Bournemouth becoming established Premier League names, competing among the more traditional giants of English football, offers hope that Paphitis' beloved Lions can do the same in time.

"We have a stadium that can cope with the Premier League," he says. "It's not going to give you 60,000 people, but how many fans do Bournemouth

accommodate at home matches? The world has changed. Where you once needed a big stadium to be able to survive in the Premier League, TV money is so huge now that it dwarfs gate money.

"I know we have the infrastructure at Millwall. They've

got the long-term investment and backing that's gone in by the Berylson family. Sadly the father passed away [in 2023], but his son James is now in charge – they've made long-term investment in the club and I think that's the key thing. I was so disappointed for them last season, because over the years they've supported the club with long-term investment – they deserved the recognition of their success and promotion to the Premier League.

"We're in a good place. I don't think the chance has gone. The Championship will be a tough division, but it's always a tough division. When you've got a good base in the boardroom, a good base of shareholders and a good long-term continuity programme for the club, that's when you see success. That's what you've seen with Bournemouth, that's what you've seen with Brentford, and that's what you nearly saw with Millwall last season. I've got everything crossed that we kick on again."

The Paphitis era was perfect proof that the Lions can sometimes upset the odds, and do things that nobody expects. He'll be watching on again this season, hoping that more history is just around the corner.

In a new book, Paul Watson regales some of the planet's weirdest footballing tales, including the club with a suspected drug lord in midfield, fans who dress up as squirrels and a Benin side itching for revenge

Easter Island (A)

& 19 more bizarre stories from across the globe

hen watching the cup draw, any team is keen to avoid a potential

banana skin, so Santiago Wanderers probably weren't too thrilled when they pulled out a trip to the remote Juan Fernandez Islands in the 2024 Copa Chile. The fixture meant a journey to Robinson Crusoe Island, 400 miles off the Chilean coast and named after the famed Daniel Defoe novel, which tells the story of a shipwrecked English merchant stranded on a remote island for 28 years.

There weren't enough commercial routes available for Santiago Wanderers to reach the island, so they had to call upon a Chilean navy supply ship, the Aquiles, to face unknown opposition.

Juan Fernandez's team had been hastily assembled from recreational teams on the island, but were hampered by players missing training for lobster harvesting. They still made their professional opponents sweat though, only narrowly losing 2-1.

It was the second time a team from the country's remote islands had entered the Copa Chile. In 2009, a team from Rapa Nui, more commonly known as Easter Island, hosted Colo-Colo, who are widely regarded as the nation's most successful club. Colo-Colo returned home 4-0 winners, but the most memorable moment was Rapa Nui's pre-match Polynesian war dance, on a field flanked by two of the island's famous Moai statues.

TOO BAD TO TAKE PART

When a club is kicked out of their league, you generally presume they've cheated to win, but for Sueca United it was the reverse – thrown out of the lower levels of Valencia's league system for being so bad they were accused of not trying.

The club were the brainchild of eccentric actor Pau Codina and offered a chance to those who may not have got a game elsewhere. As admirable as that was, it left Sueca outmatched week after week. Over 11 seasons, they lost more than 300 games in a row, letting in more than 4,000 goals. The average scoreline throughout the club's history was 24-0. Come September 2023, the Valencian Football Federation had lost patience and expelled Sueca United after just two games, including a 40-0 molly-whopping. Enough!

A DERBY ON A FERRY?!

The Estonian islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa have always had a fierce but good-natured rivalry. When they decided to play a football match in 2013, neither side was willing to surrender their home advantage, so they came up with a novel approach to a neutral venue – the game was played aboard the M/S Muhumaa passenger ferry connecting the islands.

A grass lawn was laid down on the boat's deck, but there was only room for five-a-side, which probably reduced the risk of any challenges going, erm, overboard if things heated up. Hiiumaa won 4-1 – a surprise, as Saaremaa is home to FC Kuressaare, who play in the Estonian top flight. Unusually, they train in Tallinn but host home games on their island, meaning home matches often require longer journeys than away trips.

HAVE BOOTS, WILL TRAVEL

Sudanese side Al Hilal recently achieved an unprecedented feat – winning the league in three different countries, in the space of just two seasons.

Displaced from their homeland by a brutal civil war, they and Sudanese rivals Al Merrikh joined Mauritania's Super D1 League for 2024-25. The two countries aren't exactly neighbours, situated around 3,000 miles apart, but Al Hilal duly finished top of the table, albeit only recognised as “honorary champions”, with locals FC Nouadhibou technically the title winners.

The two Sudanese clubs then briefly returned to their own country, with Al Hilal winning the Elite League – a short-form event to determine which clubs

Below Nobody thought about the penalty spot, did they...

would represent the nation in continental competitions. Both then joined the Rwanda Premier League for 2025-26, where Al Hilal comfortably completed an unlikely treble.

OXYGEN REQUIRED

There was endless talk about the effects of playing at altitude before England's World Cup win in Mexico City this year, but that was trivial compared to a visit to Peruvian side Union Minas.

From the 1980s to the early 2000s, the Cerro de Pasco side reached the summit of Peruvian football with their squad of jobbing veterans and nearly men, aided by substantial home advantage.

The Estadio Daniel Alcides Carrion is the highest stadium in the world at around 14,000 feet above sea level – that's about 2,126 Dan Burns, and less than 4,000 feet lower than the base camps on Mount Everest. Opposition teams were so overwhelmed by the altitude that they would frequently be incapacitated, with oxygen masks a common sight in the visiting dressing

room at half-time.

Union briefly led the top tier standings in the 1998 season, but the decline of the mining industry hit the area hard and they slid down the leagues

before halting operations in 2011, only returning last year.

SIX TITLES AND A FUNERAL

Some clubs evoke strong feelings of animosity from their rivals without it being entirely obvious why. For others, it's more apparent. Take Maltese club Valletta FC, for example.

The Lilywhites are one of Malta's most successful clubs – they've won 25 league titles and in 2000-01, they laughed in the face of Gerard Houllier's Liverpool cup treble by winning an almost unheard of domestic sextuple, at once securing the Premier League, Rothmans Trophy, Super Five Cup, Lowenbrau Cup, Super Cup and the Centenary Cup.

But it's the way Valletta celebrate their success that antagonises opponents – whenever they win the league, fans hold a mock funeral street parade for their beaten rivals, carrying coffins with the insignia of their rivals through the streets. It was no great surprise then that when Valletta suffered the first relegation of their history in 2023-24, a healthy dose of schadenfreude was expressed by other clubs.

FREE TRIP TO TAHITI

Since 1961, the Coupe de France has allowed entrants from French territories around the world, creating some of the most epic away days in world football. The French Football Federation covers the costs, but amateur teams still have to brave getting time off from their day jobs for what could be a lengthy jaunt.

In 2024-25, fourth-tier Normandy side US Avranches landed an away match with AS Dragon from Papeete in Tahiti – flying nearly 10,000 miles from rainy northern France to a tropical paradise island in the Pacific Ocean, only to lose on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

THE WRONG CLUB

While players will always try to pretend that a transfer is motivated by a previous love for their new club, in reality there are often unspoken reasons behind switching teams. One of the strangest was the case of Congolese winger Thievy Bifouma's move to Iranian side Esteghlal Khuzestan in 2024.

The former West Bromwich Albion loanee explained he put pen to paper because he wanted to face Cristiano Ronaldo in the Asian Champions League. "I reviewed the calendar and realised they had a game against Al Nassr – I said to myself this was where I wanted to go," he told Iranian media.

The slight issue was that Al Nassr had a date with Esteghlal FC, based

OXYGEN MASKS WERE A COMMON SIGHT IN THE AWAY DRESSING ROOM AT THE HALF-TIME INTERVAL

Top The prison squad from Mean Machine wouldn't be accepting any of these points deductions Above "Can we play you every week, genuinely?"

in Tehran, not Esteghlal Khuzestan, a completely different team situated hundreds of miles to the south. “I had no idea there were two teams named Esteghlal,” Bifouma admitted. “When I arrived, my countryman Gael Kakuta called me and asked where I was.”

Kakuta played for Esteghlal FC – the pair quickly realised that they wouldn't be team-mates after all.

"WE GOT OUT OF JAIL TODAY, LADS"

There are a fair few prison-based football teams around the world, but Welsh side HMP Prescoed are a rarity – their players aren’t made up of guards or support staff, they’re inmates at the Category D, or open, prison.

The team competes in the Gwent Central League, where a cursory glance at the league table suggests they appear to have an excellent home record, but abysmal away form. The reality is that

HMP Prescoed aren't allowed to travel to away matches, for obvious reasons – they play them on their own field but must forfeit every game 5-0 and take a three-point deduction. As a result, the best-case scenario for the season is to finish on zero points. Last season they ended on minus five, having bagged five wins and a draw from their 14 fixtures.

AMERICAN NIGHTMARE

When the small Caribbean island of Antigua was given a chance to enter a club in the United Soccer League, the third tier of US football, it seemed like a great opportunity. By the time of their ill-fated third campaign in 2013 though, Antigua Barracuda's dream had turned into a nightmare.

The league was supposed to be ‘international’, but three teams from Puerto Rico were removed during the 2011 season, and by 2013 Barracuda were forced into relocation to the US mainland just to participate at all. The cash-strapped team lived in a cramped hotel in Tampa, Florida, making journeys of up to 10 hours in a tiny minibus to fulfil fixtures. At one point they even had to train in their hotel’s car park, as they didn’t have access to a pitch. They lost 26 games out of 26.

OKINAWA'S NUMBER TWO TEAM

Third-tier Japanese side FC Ryukyu come from the island of Okinawa, famed for its beaches, coral reefs and a well-known Second World War battle. Okinawa was once the Ryukyu Kingdom, a separate entity from Japan, and retains its own unique culture. It's also geographically detached from the rest of Japan, which presents something of a challenge for a football team – every one of FC Ryukyu's J3 League away games requires a journey of at least 400 miles.

However, if they wanted to encourage closer contact, they maybe wouldn't have chosen Unko Museum as their 2025 back of shirt sponsor. The Unko Museum is dedicated to the theme of poo, claiming to be “disgustingly cute” and, worryingly, “highly interactive”.

ITCHING TO GET HOME

Many teams can empathise with the misery of getting back on the coach for a long journey home following a disappointing defeat. Few, however, can compete with Bani Ganse.

The Benin side were already in a bad mood when they filed onto their coach to make a 10-hour trip back home from Loto-Popo in the country's south west. That mood was to get much worse when the players and coaching staff began itching uncontrollably. It turned out that Loto-Popo fans had sprayed an industrial itching powder on the seats of the bus in response to their belief that Bani Ganse had allegedly put “suspicious substances on the field”. Loto-Popo said they’d “neutralised that with holy water” – no such luck for the Bani Ganse players on their ever more irritating team bus.

THE WORLD'S ODDEST RIVALRY

When Baltika Kaliningrad were promoted to the Russian Premier League in 2023, no-one was happier than the supporters of SKA-Khabarovsk, who no longer had to make the gruelling trip across the country to face them.

Khabarovsk is in the far east of Russia, close to China, Japan and North Korea, while Kaliningrad is an exclave on the Baltic Sea, nestled in between Poland and Lithuania. The 9,000-mile round trip had been a regular, dreaded fixture, but Baltika's promotion (they came straight back down, but yo-yoed back up again in 2025) at least trimmed Khabarovsk's mileage a little; they rack up around 70,000 per season, the equivalent of going a third of the way to the Moon.

ANDY MORRISON: SEYCHELLES BOSS?

When youth football coach Andrew Amers-Morrison went on holiday to the Seychelles in 2010, he could hardly have imagined how eventful his trip would be.

The Seychelles Football Federation mistakenly believed former Manchester City player Andy Morrison to be on the island and pounced on the opportunity to offer him the men's national team job. Shocked but delighted, Amers-Morrison accepted. Sadly, it all unravelled when a journalist contacted the intended Andrew Morrison to ask him about his plans for the side, only for the confused man at the other end of the line to insist he'd never set foot in the Seychelles.

The embarrassed federation initially reduced Amers-Morrison's contract to six months to give him a shot at proving himself, then withdrew the offer insisting they “could no longer be certain he was the right person to head the coaching staff of the national team”. Hard to argue with that – they'd literally given the job to the wrong person. The real Andy Morrison has since managed Connah's Quay Nomads and Sri Lanka.

ALL AT SEA

Situated in the middle of the South Atlantic, the British Overseas Territory of

St Helena is best known as the location of Napoleon's final exile – it's also home to one of the planet's most remote football leagues, played on the island's picturesque Francis Plain Playing Field.

It was in that league in 2020 that Crystal Rangers lost 36-0 and 30-0 to Rovers and Bellboys respectively – those seemed like bad results for a team who had won the island’s cup four times and league title once in the 1990s, but there were mitigating circumstances. Both times, the team were only able to field eight players, with an emergency rescue at sea meaning several had to run for lifeboats during the pre-game warm-up.

OUT OF AFRICA

Ceuta is an autonomous Spanish city on the North African coast, connected to Morocco, and made global news lately when thousands of migrants entered by sea in a matter of hours. It doesn't have an airport, so it's also become a real headache for visiting teams since Ceuta reached the Segunda Division in 2025.

The usual method is a ferry from the southern Spanish port of Algeciras, but when Barcelona drew Ceuta in the Copa del Rey in 2023, they left nothing to chance – flying their matchday squad there in three separate helicopters.

Last season saw Ceuta finish up respectably in mid-table, performing especially well at home, but coach Jose Juan Romero labelled their lengthy trip to FC Andorra for a dead rubber fixture "a pain in the ass" – a Spanish league match between a club from the African mainland and one from a different country altogether.

GOING NUTS

When you think about fan culture, you likely don't immediately picture the landlocked principality of Andorra, yet the world's 17th-smallest country is home to a brilliant, and slightly nutty, supporter tradition.

The town of Santa Coloma – just down the road from the country’s big smoke, capital city Andorra la Vella – is home to two rival clubs: FC Santa Coloma and UE Santa Coloma. The latter have embraced the town’s famously (OK, that may be overstating it a little bit) large squirrel population by adopting Esquirols, or the Squirrels, as their nickname.

To honour that moniker, supporters traditionally turn up to their final home game of every campaign dressed up as squirrels – something to strike terror into the hearts of their opponents, or, more likely, cause huge embarrassment for that one fan who forgets they still have another game remaining and dons the suit a fortnight early.

Top A pitch invader hops the advertising boards at UE Santa Coloma Above “I’m the Seychelles gaffer? That’s news to me”

EASY DAY'S WORK

There's an age-old punditry cliche that sometimes a result depends on which version of a team turns up. That was quite literally the case with Togo in 2010 – when Bahrain cruised past them 3-0 in a friendly, the Asian team's coach Josef Hickersberger was more suspicious than happy. Togo had played at the World Cup four years earlier, but there was no sign of Emmanuel Adebayor, and the players were struggling to even get through the 90 minutes.

When Bahraini officials phoned the Togolese Football Federation everything became clear – they hadn't sent a team to play, and the side that had actually taken part in the game were imposters.

An investigation revealed the whole match was arranged by one of football's most prolific match-fixers, Singaporean Wilson Raj Perumal, with the fake side led by former Togo boss Bana Tchanile. When the sham game was taking place, meanwhile, the real Togolese squad had been on a bus, having recently played 4,000 miles away in Botswana.

TAKING THE LEAGUE BY FORCE

In South Korea, all able-bodied men must undertake a period of military

Below Just your typical drive in the Paraguayan second tier, nothing to see here...

service before the age of 30 – for a lucky few, that military service can come while playing football.

Gimcheon Sangmu is the team of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, and every season they sign 15 players who will spend between 18 months and two years with the club. The team's fortunes can vary, but they finished third in South Korea's top flight in both 2024 and 2025, and would have qualified for the AFC Champions League had they not been prohibited from taking part in Asia's continental competitions.

Their glory days will soon be over, however – the club will leave the top tier at the end of this year, regardless of their finishing position, because an affiliation agreement between the K League, the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps and Gimcheon City is about to expire. Any new citizen-owned club in Gimcheon or an armed forces club in a different city are expected to begin in the second tier.

LOTO-POPO FANS SPRAYED ITCHING POWDER ON THEIR OPPONENTS' TEAM BUS FOR THE LONG JOURNEY HOME

"OK, I'LL PICK THE SUSPECTED DRUG LORD"

Deportivo Capiata in Paraguay were at a low ebb in 2021 – even so, a new signing in their midfield looked oddly off the pace for a regular starter. That man was Sebastian Marset, accused of being one of the world's most prolific cocaine traffickers, as well as a failed semi-professional footballer.

Marset arrived at the club in one of his many Lamborghini, sending up a shower of gravel in the car park. He very quickly won over his team-mates with cash in exchange for supporting his claim to a place in the starting line-up – while the coach initially attempted to bench him, it was pointed out to him just how crucial Marset was.

Incredibly, Marset was able to play for the club, with his real name displayed on the team sheet, living his childhood dream of being a professional footballer while also allegedly laundering his money, until he chose to move on. US authorities placed a hefty bounty on his head and Marset was arrested in Bolivia in March 2026 – transferring to US custody, initially on loan with a view to a possible long-term deal.

Paul Watson's book Around the World in 80 Clubs is available now

“” I PLANNED THE ONE-TWO I DID WITH BALOTELLI IN THE QPR GAME - THAT GOAL WILL STAY WITH ME FOREVER

Sergio Aguero joined Manchester City for a club record £38m in 2011 and paid them back with 260 goals – including the last-gasp strike that delivered their first Premier League title. In his words, he tells FFT about it all

Interview Zach Lowy

he day I found out that Manchester City wanted to sign me, I was with Argentina at the 2011 Copa America. I'd been with Atletico Madrid for five years, and my agent Hernan Reguera called me to say that City were very interested. Juventus were also interested and close to finalising a deal – at that time, they were preparing to part ways with Alessandro Del Piero. But the truth is that when Manchester City approached me, my decision was made, because I’d always liked the English league. Michael Owen was an idol of mine, I looked up to him, and I had a dream of playing in the Premier League.

I was very young when I left Argentina – I was 17 years old, about to turn 18, when Atletico brought me to Spain from Independiente in 2006. The hardest thing was making the decision to move to another country, because of my age. You have to remember that in 2006, there wasn't nearly as much technology as today, so it was much harder to have conversations with family and friends.

These days, you turn 17 or 18 and there are 1,000 ways to connect with your family via technology – you can use your phone to make video calls in 10 seconds. Back then, you had to organise things to see how you could talk to everyone. It was more difficult, and for me, that was what made it so complicated. But to go and play in a league like Spain's, and being able to start my career in Europe with Atletico, it was definitely the right decision.

When the City offer came in, it was about the chance to play in the Premier League, and also that the club was building something, with new players. They were assembling a team for the future, one that would be able to win titles. Also, my Argentina team-mate Pablo Zabaleta was there, and Carlos Tevez, which made it much easier for me to make the decision.

You can make a decision and it can backfire, but luckily that choice was the right one, just like when I joined Atletico. In my first season at Manchester City, I had a good year and scored 23 times in the Premier League.

Why did I adapt to English football so quickly? Firstly, because of the desire I had. I always had a desire to compete, always wanted to give a little bit more. I wanted to make history at Manchester City, and also because of the fee they paid Atletico, I wanted to leave them satisfied with the money they'd spent. I wanted to perform well, so they realised it was a good investment.

There were many other reasons why I adapted so well, like the players that were in that Manchester City team. It was very easy to play with David Silva, Yaya Toure, Edin Dzeko, Mario Balotelli, Gareth Barry, Vincent Kompany, James Milner... they were leaders, too.

There were many good players, which made it much easier for me, and the English guys treated me really well. I struggled with English, but they tried their best and helped me to understand them. I never got into any fights with our English players because they were always very respectful.

Of course, it became a very, very good decision to join City when we finished my first season as champions. That was a hugely important title for the club.

I have the best memories of the games against Manchester United that season. Really importantly, we won them both. At that time, City were used to the idea that United were always better, and that they could never beat them.

When I started to face United, my mindset was, 'This has to change – we have to think that we can beat them, that we can win the Manchester derby.' And, that's how it was. The team and I ended up doing well. In those games against United, I was able to fully

concentrate. In my mind I always thought, 'I have to score a goal against United, because we need to win this game.' I was really focused, and luckily the matches often went pretty well.

After we beat Manchester United [in late April], we went into the last game of the season knowing that if we won at home against QPR, we would win the league. But during the second half we went 2-1 down. You're just thinking, 'We're going to lose the league.' But we kept trying until the end. When Edin Dzeko scored the goal to make it 2-2 in the 92nd minute though, I thought, 'Maybe I can score another.'

That's why, two minutes later, I made the decision to drop back to receive the pass from Nigel de Jong, then I tried to play a one-two with Mario Balotelli. That had been in my head already – I'd been planning that to see if I could get a goal. Beforehand, I'd told Mario that I was going to look for him, that I was going to give it to him so he could give me a one-two and an assist.

Luckily, the plan I had with him worked out – it ended up being the perfect play.

"When City's offer came in, they were building a team for the future – one able to win titles"

I did the one-two with Mario, I scored and we won the title.

Moments like that stay with you forever – it's a memory I'll never forget for the rest of my life. Now that I'm not playing any more and I understand how much that title is valued, it brings back nice memories whenever I talk about it.

On the day itself, there was emotion; there was happiness for us as players. We enjoyed the moment and had a good time, but then we had 20 days of holiday and we had pre-season. We wanted to compete again. You don't really get to enjoy those moments for a long time – it's back to square one at the start of the next season and you have to keep going, you have to keep working. That's the way it is.

Pep Guardiola arrived as manager in 2016, and at first that was a little complicated for me, because I wasn't used to having to maintain the press he was looking for from a striker. But actually, it worked out very well.

Over time, we adapted and ended up helping each other. He demanded so

Clockwise from below

“Agueroooooo”; the Argentine hit 184 league goals in his 10 City seasons; you’ll never forget your first; on the scoresheet in 2011’s 6-1 demolition derby; Atletico colours; early days honing his talents

much of me that I scored a lot of goals under him and won titles. The truth is, we ended up having an unbelievable history at the club together, so I have 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.

During my time at the club, I broke goalscoring records, too. I don't know why I had that kind of success – what you do is focus on winning matches, scoring goals and winning titles, then those records just start coming by themselves.

My objective at the beginning of my time at City was to win titles, and that's how it went. The goals helped me start to break records, like the most hat-tricks in Premier League history, the most goals in Manchester City history, and

the most goals by a foreign player in the Premier League.

It just happened by itself, and as the years went by, I wanted to keep breaking more and more records. It happened the way it was meant to – by doing things the way I had been doing them, I knew I was going to

break records.

I left in 2021, after 10 happy years, but I want City to continue to be successful. If they keep winning titles and signing great players, even now, that continues to increase my legacy at the club. If they go down the wrong path, people

won't talk about City as much any more. The longer City are at the top, the more people talk about the club, and the more they talk about those of us who played for the club. For myself and the other guys I played with, our names will continue to be up there.

It's five years now since I retired, but I don't miss playing. I do sometimes think, 'Well, it would be nice to go and play for a bit', but I'm not anxious about it. I'm retired, comfortable, I do things I enjoy and have a great time. At the World Cup, I worked as an ambassador for FIFA Hospitality, which I was happy about, because I was treated so well. Today I enjoy watching good games, and it's not a problem that I don't go onto the pitch any more.

I still run into a lot of City fans around the world. Some aren't from England, they're from other countries and support the club, but I've also met many English fans in various places – even Argentina. Once, I was having dinner, and there were two English people who supported City and were very happy to see me! Wherever I am in the world, the City fans treat me well, and it's the same whenever I go to Manchester, though I don't go too often now. I'm always thrilled to be with my old team-mates, who I enjoyed being on the pitch with.

It's nice that the fans still follow me, that they still love me in the same way they did when I was playing. I think they were happy with my performances over those 10 years, with all of the title wins, and of course the QPR goal that was so important to the club's history.

As the years go by, every year on May 13, the day of that goal against QPR, I relive the moment. Lovely memories – for me, it will always be that way.

THE BOY'S A BIT SPECIAL Brighton's right-wing recruit, plus Man City's new Raheem Sterling? Words Joe Donnohue

ZADOK YOHANNA

Brighton's £21.5m summer signing has been chasing the Premier League dream ever since he was 12 years old.

The winger was born and raised in Bauchi State in Nigeria, but left home before he'd even become a teenager to pursue a career in the nearby city of

Kaduna with the Ikon Allah

Football Academy.

Still just 19 today, Yohanna's journey is nothing short of remarkable. Crucially, it has followed the route trodden by many leading African players. The West Africa

to Scandinavia pipeline is renowned in scouting circles for its hit rate. John

Obi Mikel, Mohammed Kudus, Victor Boniface and Odion Ighalo all followed similar routes in their early days.

Yohanna left Nigeria to join Swedish side AIK for just over £600,000 last summer, initially linking up with his new club's under-19 team, before scoring four goals in his first three games and being promoted to the senior squad.

He got onto the field for the first team only fleetingly during the latter months of 2025, but exploded when the new Swedish season began early this year. Having scored three times in two cup games against leading clubs BK Hacken and GAIS, he took that form into the Allsvenskan – playing off the right in a 4-3-3 under new coach Jose Riveiro, his pace and trickery was too much for defences. In 11 appearances this year, he delivered five goals and three assists.

Renowned for their scouting of obscure markets, Brighton moved before their rivals, smashing the record fee ever received by a Swedish club. German sides Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen had also been linked, as had Chelsea and Newcastle.

Yohanna likes to receive the ball wide right before shuffling and wriggling into shooting positions on his favoured left foot. Sweden's top flight is in no way comparable to the Premier League, but the fundamentals on display obviously convinced Brighton and their data-first approach that Yohanna is well worth the gamble. The Nigerian's acceleration, often from a standing start, is terrifying – he headed to Sussex with what can only be described as the ‘wow factor’. DID YOU KNOW? Yohanna received his first call-up to the Nigerian senior team this May for the Unity Cup tournament in London, but was unable to travel due to a hamstring injury.

WHEN LEICESTER WERE RELEGATED, THE TOP FLIGHT'S BIG SIX STARTED TO CIRCLE

JEREMY MONGA

The 17-year-old had been the subject of a transfer tug-of-war for what seemed like the past year, but Manchester City finally got their boy in July.

Monga became one of England's most expensive teens after sealing a £12.5m switch from Leicester to the Etihad, but for a prolonged period during 2025-26, it looked as though his destination may instead be Arsenal.

The winger hails from Coventry and began his youth career with the Sky Blues, but joined Leicester at under-nine level. By April 2025, he was making his first-team debut for the Foxes aged 15 years and 271 days, when the club were two divisions higher, in a Premier League match against Newcastle. “He’s still in school, and only on Thursdays is he available for training with us,” said Ruud van Nistelrooy, his manager at the time.

Leicester were soon relegated though, and the Premier League's big six began to circle. Most probably didn't envisage Leicester going down again one year later, but a season spent in the second tier did Monga a world of good.

Last term saw him make 30 first-team appearances in a side peppered with vastly experienced ex-Premier League stars. That's the sort of exposure that big clubs really value, even if having two more managers in a campaign when the Foxes won only 12 matches wasn't ideal, as the club slid into League One just a decade after they'd claimed the Premier League title.

Monga became the youngest scorer in Championship history when he netted in defeat at Preston last August, at 16 years and 37 days, and can play on both flanks, but is primarily a left winger.

The England under-19 international has good feet, excellent balance and reminds FFT of a young Raheem Sterling during his Liverpool breakthrough – a combo of threatening and unpredictable while still somewhat unrefined. Monga is gutsy in one-on-one situations and stood up relatively well to the close attention of Championship defences, never rising to the provocation of frequent shirt-pulls and late tackles. DID YOU KNOW? Monga wore a sponsorless shirt on his Leicester debut at 15 to abide by UK gambling laws.

FEATURE BOY'S A BIT SPECIAL

HONEST AHANOR

The centre-back became the Italian senior side's seventh-youngest player in June, not long after his 18th birthday.

Though born in Italy, the country's laws meant he wasn't eligible to acquire citizenship until 18, as both his parents are Nigerian, but the Azzurri were swift to call him up as soon as they could.

Before his international debut, the defender had already got a full season in Serie A and the Champions League under his belt for Atalanta – a physical and mobile competitor, the left-footer cites Paolo Maldini as his idol. DID YOU KNOW? Ahanor's first senior goal came against Genoa, the club with whom he'd developed before joining Atalanta last summer.

Above In just 19 months, Monga leapt from playing for England's under-15s to the under-19s

BENJAMIN BRANTLIND

There's every chance the Swede will play for Chelsea one day. Why? Because he signed for their BlueCo sister club Strasbourg this summer.

Brantlind turned 18 this month and played 30 times for Gothenburg before making the move to France. Primarily a left winger, he can play centrally too, but cutting over to his right foot and curling in crosses is what he does best.

Strasbourg paid around £850,000 for him, with potential add-ons of nearly £700,000. That could end up quite the bargain, particularly if he catches fire in Ligue 1 and the Blues come knocking. DID YOU KNOW? Brantlind hit a treble on his Sweden U19 debut in March.

"Unbelievable, Jeff!"

Speech issues prompted Chris Kamara to spiral into depression at one point, but a surprise appearance on The Masked Singer changed everything – the national treasure sits down with FFT to chat about his remarkable careers in football and TV

Words Ed McCambridge

N

ot many people can say they've played Premier League football, starred in Emmerdale and released their very own Christmas album. Yet there was a time when Chris Kamara, surely the only person to have actually done all of those things, could barely say anything at all. Former footballer, beloved broadcaster and passionate pundit, the man affectionately known as Kammy had lost his voice.

"I thought I was imagining it at first," he tells FourFourTwo now. "I tried to speak and the words wouldn't come out, or they came out wrong. I was ▶ slurring so much that people thought I was drunk. It was maddening. The worst thing is, I felt like it was all my fault. The signs had been there and I'd chosen to ignore them until it was too late."

Kamara is referring to a condition he developed around 2021. He was presenting Channel 5's Cash in the Attic at the time and had started to feel his tongue not quite getting his brain's message across. "It was while we were filming that I began to notice my speech slowing," he says. "The show was really good with me about it and wanted me to continue, but I was worried."

Naturally, friends and family members encouraged him to go and see a doctor. "But I brushed it aside, like I did so often throughout my playing career," recalls the former Portsmouth, Brentford, Leeds and Swindon star. "As a player, I wasn't really interested in going to the doctor or seeing anybody. I was like, 'Man up, Chris! What can be so bad?' I went through life as a dinosaur, basically. I don't know whether it's pride, bravado, or whatever. I just kept thinking, 'One day I'll wake up and it'll be gone.'"

He was wrong. Kamara's speech slowed more and more, until the stage that even he felt compelled to visit a doctor. "It was the best thing I could have done," he admits. "I went to see my GP and the blood test revealed I had an underactive thyroid."

A serious problem, but thankfully not life-threatening, he was put on a routine course of medication. His blood levels returned to normal soon enough, and he was looking forward to putting the episode behind him and returning to work. There was just one problem, however: Kamara's slurred speech refused to go away.

He did eventually return to TV – on Channel 4 chat show Steph's Packed Lunch – to talk about his thyroid issues with an expert, with the aim of urging other men to get checked.

"After the show, the doctor told me that he'd never come across a person suffering with thyroid issues whose speech had been affected," Kamara says. "He told me to look elsewhere for the root of that issue. So I went to see another specialist and was eventually diagnosed with apraxia of speech and dyspraxia of my motor skills."

Kamara learned that he'd developed a disorder that affects how a person's brain connects speech messages to the mouth. What's worse, he learned that there was no treatment for the condition. Speech therapy might help to restore some degree of fluency, but the chances of it returning to normal were painfully slim.

The news hit him like a sledgehammer – his broadcasting career was now surely over. “I was absolutely devastated,” he admits. “I shut myself away and became totally depressed. I cancelled all appearances and TV work. I didn’t want to talk to a soul.”

FIGHTING LIKE BEAVERS

Anyone who's ever come across Kamara will know exactly how wild that notion is. A self-described motormouth, shutting him up had been the harder task for family and friends as far back as his playing days. "Oh I was always a talker," recalls Kamara, who made almost 800 professional appearances for his various clubs between 1975 and 1995. "I mean, I played in a tough era, particularly for black footballers. You needed to be competitive, have broad shoulders and you had to be a fighter, but I was always my daft old self in the dressing room. Nobody could shut me up."

After hanging up his boots, Kamara managed Bradford and Stoke, even masterminding the former's promotion to the second tier via the play-offs back in 1996. The Bantams had lost 2-0 at home to Sam Allardyce's Blackpool in the first leg of the semi-finals, but came roaring back to reach Wembley, where they toppled Notts County.

“An amazing day and what a memory to give those fans,” he beams. “It was during that season that I was on TV a lot more, for interviews, punditry and all the rest. It was something I loved doing.

"I later went to manage Stoke and I regret that, as I'd been popular there as a player, but it didn't work out as a manager. Once I left in 1998, I had lots of offers to return to the game but my wife Anne said, 'You're loving the TV work and you're good at it, why don't you keep going?"

Kamara did just that, taking a job as a roving reporter on Sky Sports' newly rebranded Soccer Saturday – pivoting from its original Sports Saturday format, it became football only, with fans tuning in to watch other people watch games and describe the action during the 3pm blackout. "It didn't sound like an idea that had legs, I must admit!" Kamara laughs. "I said, 'Are you sure about this?' But they were right. It turned into a hit."

It was December 2000 when Kamara really started to get a sense of just how popular the Jeff Stelling-led programme had become. He turned on a Christmas TV bloopers show, only to be met by his own grinning face. “It was a montage from Soccer Saturday and it was just me over and over, shouting, ‘Unbelievable Jeff!’ at different games. I honestly had no idea I’d been saying it, let alone so often. It hadn’t even occurred to me.”

Kamara's enthusiastic outbursts were just one element of a weekly football show that had become cult viewing. "I remember one day, we got a letter to the studio from some students, saying they'd been playing a Soccer Saturday drinking game," he smiles. "They'd all meet up in the students' union and would have to drink every time something specific happened. They'd drink when Jeff went on one of his rants, or when one of the other pundits got a footballer's name wrong. Whenever I said 'Unbelievable Jeff!' they'd have to down their whole pints."

Kamara's unique turn of phrase – he memorably described Spurs' defenders as “fighting like beavers” during a 2007 North London derby – and somewhat erratic field reporting became beloved elements of the show.

One April 2010 incident stands out in particular. Reporting that day from Portsmouth's Fratton Park, Kamara failed to notice Anthony Vanden Borre's

Opposite, top to bottom Kamara began his career at Portsmouth; he later helped Leeds to the second-tier title in 1990; a brief stint in management saw play-off promotion with Bradford Below “If you want to get on Ninja Warrior, I know a guy”

"WHENEVER I'D SAY 'UNBELIEVABLE JEFF', ALL THE STUDENTS HAD TO DOWN THEIR PINTS"

red card for the hosts against Blackburn. Asked for details by studio host Stelling, he was forced to admit he'd missed the incident. "I don't know Jeff, has there? I must have missed that. I saw him go off but I thought they were bringing a sub on," he said, prompting widespread laughter from pundits Matt Le Tissier, Paul Merson, Phil Thompson and Charlie Nicholas back on the desk.

"If I'd tried to blag it at the time, that moment would have been lost forever," Kamara laughs now, before offering a belated explanation. "With it being a foreign player, Anthony Vanden Borre, he just didn't react the way I'd expect a player to. He was shown the second yellow card and just walked away calmly past his manager Avram Grant, who also didn't react. So it looked like a substitution to me. An English player would have argued his case and caused a scene about it.

“Obviously they’d had reports of the sending off back in the studio, which I didn’t see myself. Jeff’s reaction to my embarrassment was pure class and made the moment a great piece of TV.”

The genuine bond between Stelling and his lovably incompetent sidekick was what made such gaffes all the more memorable. “Jeff and I get along so well – he’s one of my best mates,” beams Kamara. “We decided to go to the 2002 World Cup in Japan together, to watch the England and Republic of Ireland games, and we just had the

Picture Ricochet

Top to bottom Ninja Warrior hosting duties; unbelievable mates with Jeff Stelling; post-match interviews on the farm at Emmerdale; Kamara has got up to lots of capers in his work as a broadcaster

LIGHTS, KAMMY, ACTION!

The amiable ex-footballer has also had cameos on these shows

Dream Team 2002 The Chase 2014 Give a Pet a Home 2015 The Big Fat Quiz of Everything 2016 Loose Women 2016 Murder in Successville 2016 Have I Got News for You 2016 Room 101 2018 Through the Keyhole 2018 The Crystal Maze 2018 Family Fortunes 2020 Antiques Road Trip 2021 Who Wants to be a Millionaire? 2022 The 1% Club 2025

best summer ever. We'd been friendly before then, but that really launched a lifelong friendship."

"AM I BEING DEPORTED?!"

Kamara's Soccer Saturday antics helped him to launch his own full-scale media career, as his infectious laugh and avuncular forgetfulness made him a shoo-in for comedy and panel shows. He started combining his punditry with appearances on shows like 8 Out of 10 Cats, Would I Lie to You? and Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.

He regularly served as a commentator on the latter, while the hosts faced off in different challenges. “Ant and Dec were great to me,” Kamara recalls. “I appeared on their show every year for a one-off episode, as they’re big football fans and they knew me from Soccer Saturday. It was brilliant fun.”

So chummy did Kamara become with the Geordie duo, he was convinced they were behind a 2019 pitch to record a Christmas album. “This record company randomly called me up and asked, ‘How would you like to sing with a 22-piece brass band?’ Obviously, I thought it was an Ant and Dec wind up,” he says. “They often did these pranks on the show where they dressed up in disguise and made guests look foolish. But, you know, I’m a good sport, so I played along.

"On the agreed date, I got down to Angel Studios near King's Cross, and walked in to find a whole brass band waiting to start. I was thinking, 'This is some elaborate scam!' They told me to go and get a dinner suit on for the recording – I came back a bit sheepish and we got started. The band was playing Let It Snow and I missed my cue as I'd never sung in front of a band before, so we had to start again. But off we went and I sang the song.

"As soon as it was over, I got this genuine look of respect from the band and conductor. I realised it might not be a scam – it felt too real. Nobody jumped out as a surprise, no big reveal. We just recorded an album. I might never have said yes had I thought it was genuine."

Chris Kamara's Here's to Christmas – featuring tracks such as Santa Baby and Jingle Bells – even reached number eight in the UK charts. “Admittedly that was in November and it didn’t stay there longer than about 10 minutes,” laughs Kamara. “We brought it out six weeks early to get a leg up on the competition!”

That same year also saw Kamara take on his first ‘serious’ acting role, playing himself in British soap Emmerdale, as the manager of a local football team. “When they asked me to go in and do it, one of the producers said to me, ‘The hardest thing for an actor to do is to

play themselves," he remembers. "I thought, 'Nonsense, nobody can play me better than me, watch this!' I like to think I nailed it.

"Emmerdale is an iconic British show, so getting invited on was just amazing, really, and the cast were great. The only thing that would have made it better is if the infamous Cain Dingle had been playing in the match – apparently he's a big Manchester City fan, but he clearly didn't fancy taking me on!"

Kamara's tales are endless and he tells them all with such enthusiasm. There was the time he was stopped at Miami airport by police officers after they recognised him from his second great acting role – playing himself again, obviously – on hit comedy Ted Lasso. “I thought I was about to get deported at the arrival gate, but these three officers just wanted to grab a selfie with me,” he chuckles.

Or there was the time when he, Robbie Williams and Danny Jones from McFly sang together over Zoom during lockdown. “I’d met them both doing Soccer Aid and they knew I loved to sing,” grins Kamara. “Danny even asked me about my Christmas album and I sang a bit for him. When the Covid lockdown started in 2020, he asked me if I would go on with him and Robbie to sing a song together, to try to lift the

Above “Excuse me, I’m trying to see what happened with Anthony Vanden Borre”

"ALL OF A SUDDEN I HAD ANXIETY, WHICH I'D NEVER FELT IN MY LIFE. I KNEW I HAD TO STEP AWAY"

nation's mood a little. We did a One Direction number. It was brilliant fun. I think I outsung them!"

SHEPHARD'S PUSH

Hearing Kamara recount the glory years with a twinkle in his eye only makes what comes next so crushing. He was at the top of his game when he started to notice his speech faltering. It rapidly got to a point that colleagues thought he was drinking, and he felt forced to step away from presenting gigs such as Cash in the Attic and UK's Strongest Man. The most gut-wrenching, though, was leaving behind Soccer Saturday after 24 long, happy years.

"All of a sudden, I had anxiety, which I'd never felt in my life before," Kamara winces. "Before Jeff was coming to me, my heart was pumping, my speech wasn't quick, my memory was shocking. I didn't remember the player who'd just taken the corner, or the player who'd headed it into the goal. I was panicking. I just became overwhelmed. I got away with it for a few weeks – daft old Kammy, what's he like? – but then it came to light. I knew that I had to step away from the show, as I'd been carrying the illness for a long time."

As Kamara locked himself away, public support swelled. “It was absolutely overwhelming, all the messages and well-wishing, and it still continues now,” he smiles. “I never knew in a million years that I meant so much to so many people. But it was still just so devastating for me. I did the daftest thing and began shutting myself away.”

Ben Shephard – a popular host of TV shows including This Morning and Tipping Point – has been a close friend of Kamara for some time, having worked with him on Goals on Sunday and Ninja Warrior, an assault course game show. Shephard was key in digging his pal out of his hole. “Ben told me to stop being silly, to get proper help and fight this thing,” Kamara says. “The thing that got me in the end was him saying, ‘Listen Kammy, if this was me or another friend of yours going through this, you’d be the first to tell them to get back out there and give it hell.’ He was right.”

Shephard shared that fellow journalist Kate Garraway had a connection to a ▶ specialist in Mexico – her husband had lost his voice after contracting Covid in 2020, and had worked with a specialist in Monterrey, before other complications with his health that ultimately led to his death in 2024. Kamara vowed to give the treatment a chance. “It was one treatment, using non-invasive radio and magnetic waves into the brain,” he explains in a slower-yet-clear cadence. “The improvement was great. I’m not back to my old self, but the difference has been massive.”

Kamara released a documentary in 2022 focusing on his battle with apraxia of speech – Lost For Words – which he hopes has persuaded more men to see a GP whenever something isn’t right. He has also been helping to lobby the government for greater investment into speech therapy. “We’re still on at them now and spoke to the deputy health secretary about the way forward,” he says proudly. “These things take a long time. But hopefully AI can be a massive boost in the field. If children can’t get to see a speech therapist on a weekly basis, AI tools can help fill in those gaps. It wouldn’t take a lot for the government to produce that – we need to see more.”

KAMMY THE FRIENDLY GHOST

As for his television career, Kamara took a very brave next step, when he made the decision to appear on ITV show The Masked Singer. "My voice was still far from normal speed, but I decided it was time to get back out there," he recalls. "I explained that to them and they said they'd work with me to make sure I was comfortable. I had just one condition: I had to use a Scottish accent.

“For whatever reason, if I speak or sing in a Scottish accent, it’s faster,” Kamara tells FFT in his fake Scottish lilt... which might not go down too well north of the border. Admittedly, it does speed up his speech though. “The brain is a complex thing, isn’t it? They said, ‘Kammy, you do whatever you need to do, just come on and give it a go.’”

Kamara decided not to tell anybody except his wife about the competition, which included fellow celebrities such as snooker player Stephen Hendry and comedian Katherine Ryan, and began on New Year's Day 2023. “We decided to invite friends and family round to watch the show, and they all had no idea about it,” laughs Kamara, whose performance saw him dress as a ghost to sing Save the Last Dance for Me by soul group The Drifters. “After I started singing, one of our friends said, ‘Get him off, he’s absolutely rubbish!’, and my wife and I secretly smirked at each other. The judges had no idea who I was and nor did those in my living room.”

"I'VE COME TO REALISE THAT I'M THE SAME OLD ME, BUT NOW OTHERS CAN GET A WORD IN EDGEWAYS"

Kamara was eliminated at the end of the first episode, after finding himself in the bottom three – against Claire from Steps, plus a double act between Spandau Ballet's Martin Kemp and his wife Shirlie. The series also starred pop icon and genuine Scot Lulu – dressed as a piece of cake, naturally. "She told me after the show that even her own grandchildren wanted me to beat her," Kamara smiles. "Thankfully, for the sake of her reputation, that didn't happen. She's an absolute legend.

"When it showed me being voted off and taking off my mask, my grandkids started joining in with the ‘Take it off! Take it off!’ audience chant. I was so nervous, sitting on the sofa for the big reveal... then the moment came. On TV, I whipped off what was basically a Marks & Spencer bed sheet and the whole house erupted.

"My grandson Billy leapt up and shouted 'Grandad!', and my friends who'd all been so mean about my performance burst out laughing. It was one of the most joyous scenes I've witnessed in my whole life. I'd pay a million pounds to live out that moment again. It was the perfect way to start a new year after some very difficult times."

It proved a breakthrough moment for Kamara, who used The Masked Singer as a springboard to re-enter the public domain after years away. "I just feel so much more positive again," he grins. "I've been getting out there, chatting with people and sharing my story. The days of shutting myself away are over. I've had my agent ringing me every week with so many job offers that I can't possibly accept all of them.

Top Scottish spook-tacular Above Joining the cast of The Masked Singer got Kamara back into the public domain

"At first, I kept telling him to remind people that I'm not the person I used to be, but the more time that passes, the more I realise I am. I am the same old me – it's just that now, other people might get a word in edgeways!"

We can't promise anybody that, but given what Kamara has been through, the fact he's able to tell his story really does feel unbelievable.

Kamara was speaking to FourFourTwo on behalf of Medichecks, the UK's first direct-to-consumer blood testing service

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AROUND THE GROUNDS

AROUND THE • EFL • NON-LEAGUE • SCOTLAND GROUNDS

INTERVIEW

ALEX NEIL

The Scottish manager talks play-off heartbreak, and why getting Millwall back in the top flight after 36 years away would be his greatest feat

Interview Matt Nash

What did you tell your players after losing in the Championship play-off semi-finals to Hull in May? There's nothing you can say that will make them feel better. Even for me, you're processing the disappointment. Usually you have a game every three days, but that was us done. That's the first time it's happened to me in terms of losing in the play-offs. It was odd.

How much would it mean to get the Lions into the Premier League, after missing automatic promotion by a point last season?

I've been fortunate enough to get three teams promoted, but if I got Millwall up, that'd be my greatest achievement. What I will say is I would only have

played a small part in that. The players and staff have consistently been so good. I really enjoy being a part of something that's bigger than myself.

What's your mindset for this season? I do think every year it gets harder and harder. It feels as if it will be a very challenging division. We had a lot of interest in our players over the summer – more than just one or two – with the exposure we had last season. That's new for us: how we handle the fans' expectation and the pressure. The challenge is always to go one better. Management is just a never-ending mountain climb, isn't it? The minute you think you've reached the summit, there's another season. And whatever you've done before, no-one cares. You've done great. Excellent, well done. Now do it again, do better.

How important is the attitude of your signings when you're trying to build a Championship-challenging squad over multiple windows?

If somebody was a really good player but was going to cause disruption in our changing room, we wouldn't go for them. But I don't think that could happen as they'd isolate themselves pretty quickly in our changing room. We wanted athletic, mobile, good size and stature, good game understanding and quality. That's also what Premier League teams are looking for. If you want to get into the Premier League, you need to start looking like a Premier League team already.

Has managing players changed during your time in the game?

Yeah, but I will say that being a little bit abrupt with players works for some and not for others. However, we have an old-style group in that respect. They're men, they can take criticism. It's not criticism to demean them, it's more advice than criticism – you're trying to help. I'd say 99.9 per cent of my job is coaching them, getting them ready. I'm not having to sweat the small stuff and the reason I say they're a throwback is that the captain and senior players run the changing room. I don't get involved in who's late, who's left a cup here or there. They govern that and become responsible for each other on the pitch.

"IF YOU WANT TO REACH THE PREMIER LEAGUE, YOU NEED TO START LOOKING LIKE A TOP-FLIGHT CLUB ALREADY"

How different are you now from the Alex Neil who took over at Hamilton in his first player-manager role in 2013, aged just 32?

In loads of ways. I'm a lot more mellow. When you're put in charge at a young age, you honestly think if you're not there the world will fall apart. But then you realise you're not that important. Now I definitely don't sweat the small stuff. Micro-management and being overbearing can burn you out. Although I look at my time at Norwich and I had success there initially, I certainly think, at times, I was a bit too intense. I've realised what I'm good at and not so good at. As you get older, you try to play to your strengths. Some people may not think I've mellowed, though.

You had early success as a manager with both Hamilton and Norwich, whom you led to the Premier League. How did you cope with the attention? That's definitely been the biggest shift in my life. I had a mediocre playing career really. Once every three months someone might recognise you and say, "How are you doing?", but once you go to the Premier League there's scrutiny. There was the bravery of Norwich giving the job to someone who'd only been a manager for 18 months. It was great, but in hindsight I'd only sampled success and you think, 'This is easy.' As ever, football humbles you. Going down was the first time I'd sampled that and it wasn't a pleasant experience. You have to take the knocks and go again. Going from Hamilton to Norwich and the Premier League was a system shock.

Were you and Millwall a good match from the start, when you arrived in December 2024?

I think my principles aligned with the club. It was similar for me at Preston – the fans are gritty and know what they want. I don’t think they mince their words, which is a Scottish trait. If you have a good owner and good support system above you, a good set of lads who’ll fight for each other and fans who are behind you, you can’t ask for any more as a coach.

How would you describe the club after 18 months at The Den?

The reputation and perception versus reality is very different. People think they'll come down here and everyone's beating each other up, but it's not like that, it really is a family-orientated club with people who care for each other. The fanbase is so supportive but can also be very critical. They know what they want, what they like and what they want the team to look like, so we're just trying to put that into practice for them.

THE EWOOD PARK BOMB

In 1913, Blackburn was one of four grounds attacked by the suffragettes

England was beset by a bombing campaign before the First World War – and football grounds were very much a target.

At the start of the 20th century, women were not allowed to vote in the UK, with decades of peaceful protests still not bringing about change. It prompted Emmeline Pankhurst to organise the suffragette movement, with the motto of “deeds not words”.

In 1909, that movement was dismissed by Winston Churchill, then still president of the Board of Trade, as “a band of silly, neurotic, hysterical women” – eventually, some decided violence was the only way they would be heard. A month later, Churchill was attacked with a dog whip in Bristol, and further attacks followed – in 1912, a bomb was planted at the office of the home secretary.

Bombing and arson attacks became increasingly common, and spread to sporting venues, seen as symbols of male-dominated institution. Golf was targeted, and in February 1913, an attempt was made to burn down Wimbledon's All England Club, the home of tennis – a suffragette broke in with paraffin oil, matches and a message reading “No peace until women get the vote”. Before she could set a fire, she was foiled by a groundsman.

Two months later, a suffragette attempted to bomb two Lancashire football grounds within 10 miles of each other. Blackburn Rovers had been First Division champions in 1912, while Preston North End had won the title in each of the Football League's first two seasons, in 1889 and 1890. The bomb planted at Deepdale didn't detonate, but the one at Ewood Park did – causing a fire in the directors' box. The person responsible was thought to be Prestonian Edith Rigby, arrested several times for her activism.

At the other end of the country, there was also a plot to burn down Crystal Palace on the eve of the 1913 FA Cup final – the ground had hosted the showpiece match every year since 1895, and the attempt was thwarted.

Elsewhere in south London, the grandstand at the Manor Ground in Plumstead was set on fire and destroyed, costing £1,000 – a huge sum of money back then. The ground was home to

footwich Arsenal – the cash-strapped club were relegated for the only time in their history that year and moved to Highbury in north London for the new season, soon becoming known simply as Arsenal. That June, suffragette Emily Davison died when she ran in front of King George V's horse during the Epsom Derby, sparking worldwide headlines. The First World

War prompted the suffragettes to put their campaign of violence on hold – it was decided the best strategy was to contribute to the war effort, and gain recognition that way.

In 1918, shortly before the war came to an end, women over 30 were given the right to vote, and a decade later gained the same rights as men, allowed to vote from the age of 21.

The suffragettes' campaign of violence had spread chaos at sporting venues across England, but achieved its aims. In 2005, both Deepdale and Ewood Park hosted games at the Women's Euros – a remarkable full circle moment.

BEYOND THE TURNSTILES

VISIT CAUSEWAY LANE

Tired of city life? Catch a breather at picturesque Matlock Town, featuring gladiators, castles and a cricket field boundary. Here's why you should go...

WHY VISIT?

There are few more scenic settings for football than Derbyshire side Matlock. A stone's throw from Riber Castle to the south, Causeway Lane rivals Arundel and Richmond Town as one of England's most picturesque grounds.

HOW TO GET THERE

The stadium is a short walk from Matlock railway station and just 250 yards from the town centre. Parking is very limited at the ground, but there are several car parks close by. Postcode: DE4 3AR

WHO PLAYS THERE?

Causeway Lane has been the home of Matlock since the 1911-12 campaign. Nicknamed the Gladiators, they play in the Northern Premier League's East Division. The club's women's team play at the ground on Sundays, too.

THE SOUTHERN END IS ALSO THE BOUNDARY FOR A LOCAL CRICKET CLUB

NOTABLE HISTORY

Northern Premier League stalwarts since the late 1960s, Matlock's most famous hour came in 1975, when they defeated Scarborough 4–0 at Wembley to win the FA Trophy. Three Matlock players that day were brothers – according to the club, it's the only occasion that three siblings have played for the same team in a Wembley final.

THE STADIUM

Causeway Lane is a rare three-sided ground, as it shares its site with Matlock and Cromford Cricket Club, whose

Clockwise from top Good luck to the ballboy at the cricket ground end; flying the Gladiators' flag; rustic charms; Causeway Lane is quite a setting

boundary is situated at the southern end and extends onto the football pitch when the red-ball season begins. The three permanent stands feature a mix of covered and uncovered viewpoints.

EAT & DRINK

The in-house Darwin Lake Sports Bar serves local pies, has reasonably priced lager, cask ale on tap and plenty of TVs to catch the Saturday lunchtime game. Away from the ground, The Duke William Matlock does hearty lunch specials and The Red Lion has a microbrewery. We also had a tasty post-match jalfrezi at Spice on Dale Road.

SURROUNDINGS

Riber Castle sits proud above Causeway Lane. It's in fact a Victorian folly built by wealthy industrialist John Smedley, and is now home to 26 luxury apartments – all proof that it's sometimes better to print the legend and not the fact. More excitingly, the castle was used as a key location in Shane Meadows' cult British movie thriller Dead Man's Shoes.

BEST ATTRIBUTE

The chance to spend a weekend in the town, which is compared to Switzerland in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Take your pick from walks along the River Derwent, cable car rides to the top of Masson Hill, and Matlock Bath, whose promenades, chippies and arcades make it feel like a seaside resort... only 70 miles from the coast. The classic Peak District rock formations of Curbar and Birchen Edge are only a 20-minute drive north.

WORST ATTRIBUTE

While we're all for sporting collaboration, the lack of a stand due to the cricket deprives spectators of the non-league ritual of changing ends to stand where their team is attacking. At least keepers get a banter-free 45 minutes.

NEARBY GROUNDS

The Peak District is prime groundhopping territory. Away from Causeway Lane, you can find Belper Town in the south and Mossley's Seel Park on the northern fringes, as well as Britain's highest senior football ground at Buxton – 315m above sea level, almost twice the elevation of West Brom's Hawthorns.

THE WEIRD

Google Matlock and you'll likely run into the hit 1980s legal drama of the same name, which subsequently was turned into a running joke on The Simpsons as the ultimate TV show of Springfield's care-home residents and one Grampa Simpson – “I'm an old man, I hate everything but Matlock. MAAATLOOCK!” Matt Baird

PAOLO AT CELTIC

Arriving in Glasgow 30 years ago, Di Canio's stint at the Bhoys was never dull

It was three decades ago that Celtic managed to pull off one of Scottish football's most unlikely transfers.

In the summer of 1996, they signed forward Paolo Di Canio from mighty Milan for £1 million. Aged 27 at the time, Di Canio had grown frustrated over his lack of opportunities at San Siro and needed to feel loved again. The Roman joined a cosmopolitan Celtic squad that already boasted foreign talents such as Dutch striker Pierre van Hooijdonk, Portugal's Jorge Cadete and German international Andreas Thom. Together, the trio of Di Canio, Van Hooijdonk and Cadete were labelled the 'Three Amigos' by chief executive Fergus McCann.

Bhoys manager Tommy Burns knew what he was getting with Di Canio. “He is the player we’ve lacked a bit over the last 18 months,” he enthused, adding that his new star signing could “play against packed defences and make things happen”.

The evidence for that arrived almost immediately. At Rugby Park in late August, Celtic were trailing Kilmarnock 1-0 at half-time. Di Canio came off the bench and turned the game, scoring his first Celtic goal and launching a 3-1 comeback, completed with strikes by Thom and Cadete. Team-mate Marc Anthony labelled Di Canio's display as "the inspiration behind that win".

There was so much more to come for instantly besotted Celtic fans. Against Dunfermline in late September, Di Canio scored twice in seven minutes during a 5-1 Parkhead shellacking.

He also netted a penalty in Celtic's 2-0 Scottish Cup quarter-final victory over fierce rivals Rangers in March 1997, and would finish the season with 15 goals in 36 appearances. Yet it wasn't only his end product that had the Bhoys purring – Di Canio consistently bossed games, showcasing his extraordinary gifts and often toying with opponents.

Yet, as ever with Paolo, there was a dark side to his game. His temperament could be exhilarating and exasperating in equal measure. Against Hearts in November, he won a penalty, scored it, then got himself sent off for arguing with opponents before play had even restarted. Burns called Di Canio “stupid” and lamented that his side would probably have won the game had the Italian remained on the pitch.

"HE WAS THE BEST PLAYER I'VE MANAGED, AND THE MOST PASSIONATE I'VE EVER COME ACROSS"

Below If a single photo could ever sum up Di Canio... Right Actually, this one's also a strong contender

In March 1997, after a league defeat to Rangers, Di Canio became embroiled in a fiery post-match confrontation with midfielder Ian Ferguson, threatening to break his leg and lashing out at the Scotsman before being dragged down the tunnel by his team-mates. Di Canio later admitted, “I wanted to take him!” Already booked on the field, Di Canio was called to the referee’s room and shown a second yellow card, which led to a suspension.

That passion was also evident off the pitch. Van Hooijdonk recalled inviting Di Canio over to watch the 1996 Olympic volleyball final between the Netherlands and Italy. Expecting a relaxed evening, Van Hooijdonk instead saw Paolo “on the floor, rolling around and screaming with passion at every point.”

By May, Celtic's exhilarating attack had failed to prevent Rangers winning nine titles on the bounce, Burns had been dismissed and Di Canio was furious. After scoring against Hibs, he threw his shirt into the Celtic support and declared that he didn't know if he would return the following season.

After being crowned Scottish Players' Player of the Year for 1996-97, a spat over his wage demands led to a £4m exit to Premier League outfit Sheffield Wednesday, ending his complicated love affair with Celtic fans.

Years later, former gaffer Burns called Di Canio “the best player I’ve managed and possibly the best player I’ll ever manage” and “the most passionate footballer I’ve ever come across.”

Thirty years on, that may be Di Canio's biggest Celtic legacy. For one incredible season, he was a genius and a nuisance; an artist and an antagonist. In other words, unmistakably Paolo Di Canio. Ed McCambridge

AROUND THE GROUNDS

OWLS TAKE FLIGHT

Under new owners, Sheffield Wednesday are ready to forget a decade of misery by rebounding in League One

Few fanbases have been through the ringer quite like Sheffield Wednesday supporters over the past decade.

Since January 2015 – the month that saw the arrival of a new owner in Thai businessman Dejphon Chansiri – Owls have experienced all of the following: narrowly missing out on Premier League promotion, Championship relegation (twice), promotion from League One, seeing the club’s players going unpaid, administration, and points deductions. All of that while hiring nine permanent managers, including Tony Pulis, Gary Monk, Darren Moore and current gaffer Henrik Pedersen.

"Where to even begin?" sighs Ash Rogers, host of The Wednesday Week podcast. “Chansiri started off like any well-intended new owner: with money to burn. Reaching the Championship play-offs in his first two seasons had fans excited, but failure to get to the Premier League quickly saw the cracks begin to show – it was a huge financial gamble that failed to pay off and the start of a 10-year decline that led us to last season’s humiliations.”

There had already been one previous demotion to England's third tier during Chansiri's decade: a 2020-21 campaign that also saw points deductions for failing to adhere to the EFL's profitability and sustainability rules – yet it would be fair to describe 2025-26 as Wednesday's worst in their long history.

Top to bottom Wednesday fans long protested against Dejphon Chansiri's reign; Barry Bannan is an Owl again; Hillsborough will be packed once more this term

Last season's slog culminated in a record-breakingly early relegation for any EFL side, coming as early as February with a whopping 13 matches to go, and sealed via defeat against neighbours Sheffield United, of all teams. Victory on the final day at least saw them avoid finishing the season on negative points – after a pair of deductions, Wednesday's tally ended on a round zero.

The humiliation was the result of many things: manager Danny Rohl walking out in the summer; a raft of players handing their notices in after wages went unpaid multiple times; a transfer embargo; and 18 points' worth of deductions for going into administration and failing to pay players, staff and the taxman.

Chansiri's treatment of fans was just as harrowing. “He started moneymaking schemes, including 10-year season tickets costing up to £8,000, which only kicked in once we reached the Premier League,” recalls Rogers. “Season ticket holders were also charged huge prices if they waited to renew, which caused a lot of stress. Fans were bled dry, treated like nothing more than customers.

"All of this culminated in fans taking action to try to force the owner out. We staged boycotts, marches and in-game protests, urging him to sell the club to safeguard its future."

For club legend Mel Sterland, who made more than 300 Owls appearances between 1978 and 1989, watching the club he loves so mistreated has been gut-wrenching. “Oh, it was absolutely horrendous,” says the former full-back. “I felt sorry for the fans, because they were treated like dirt. It was all down to a chairman who knew nothing about football. But I was proud of the fans for saying, ‘Hold on, we’ve had enough of this’, and boycotting games. Of course, not having fans there can be tough for the players, for the team spirit, but I’m sad to say it was necessary.”

It was all a far cry from Sterland's playing days, when the Owls finished as high as fifth in the top flight in 1986. “All I remember is having some good players around me, and a great manager in Howard Wilkinson,” recalls Sterland. “We had players who wanted to play for the football club, which hasn’t always been the case lately. There was such a brilliant atmosphere around Hillsborough back then and I loved going in every day. The fans were excellent, as they always have been. They fought as hard as anyone for Chansiri to sell up and leave.”

The Thai's exit was the sole ray of light during last season's meltdown. Chansiri placed the club into administration in October, and the Owls were finally in new hands by May. The Yorkshire side were bought by US consortium Arise Capital Partners, led by American David Storch, who made his name in the aviation sector. “Sheffield Wednesday deserve stability, ambition and a clear direction,” Storch said after the takeover. “That is what we are here to deliver.”

Fans flooded back to Hillsborough to celebrate the news. "The last game of the season, against West Brom, there

"THE CLUB ALREADY LOOKS LIGHT YEARS AHEAD OF WHAT WE'VE WITNESSED OVER THE PAST DECADE"

were 34,000 inside the stadium – for a relegated club,” Sterland smiles. “The fans turned up, and I think that made the owner happy about his investment, because it was so emotional.”

Storch's deal, which ended a long period of administration, saw the EFL waive a 15-point deduction on the club at the beginning of the new League One campaign, given what they described as “an incredibly challenging and complex situation for all parties”.

Supporters were further buoyed this summer by a raft of signings, including the return of Barry Bannan. The veteran midfielder had made more than 450 Wednesday appearances before leaving the club in January for a six-month stint at promotion chasers Millwall.

“Welcoming him back was huge,” grins Rogers. “We now have owners that have taken the fans to heart. They’re putting in a proper structure and engaging with fans. It’s only been a few months but, off the pitch, the club is looking and feeling light years ahead of what we’ve witnessed in the last 10 years under the previous stewardship.”

Despite massive player turnover and behind-the-scenes upheaval, the Owls were placed among the early favourites for promotion this term, and those connected to the club are excited.

“We’ve got new people behind the scenes now, and got some smashing players in,” Sterland says. “But it’s not going to happen overnight, even with the good players we have.

"We've got experience there. Now we've got to get it together, get on a roll and start winning games. As you know, we've been very disappointed for so long – not through the players, it was the fault of one man. But as a fan, I've been looking forward to this season."

Whatever happens on the field, one thing is for certain: Hillsborough will be significantly more packed once again. As early as June 11 – still more than two months before their first home game in League One, against Bradford City – the ticket office announced that they had broken the record for season tickets sold ahead of a single campaign, with over 20,000 snatched up.

“Fans are enjoying this new lease of life and engaging in most of what the club is doing to help them return to Hillsborough, as you can see from the record number of season tickets sold,” says Rogers. “We’ve even gone back to Umbro, the iconic kit manufacturer, which has gone down extremely well with fans. We can’t wait to see what happens come the end of the year.”

A successful campaign would go a long way to banishing the memory of a dark decade. Owls fans deserve it. Ed McCambridge

Steve Coppell

"LOSING IAN WRIGHT WAS A BODY BLOW FOR PALACE - WE COULD HAVE BECOME ONE OF THE BIG BOYS"

The former England international on lying to Manchester United about his wages, a stitch-up at Brighton and getting to know an Indian cricket icon

Interview Ben Mountain

You rejected a career as a professional footballer at first. Why?

When Tranmere Rovers first asked me, I said no because I was revising for my A-levels. Then they said the trial game would be at Prenton Park, so I hastily found time. A couple of years later, the club's general manager, Dave Russell, said, "I've got Tommy Docherty in my office and we've agreed to sell you to Manchester United. I've told him you're earning £30 a week." I wasn't, I was on £10 a week. The Doc said to me, "I've never seen you play and I haven't got a clue what you're like, but people whose opinions I respect say you're worth signing. You're on £30? I'll double it." I'm sure he did it for effect, so straight away I thought, 'If only we'd have said £50!' I was at the University of Liverpool at the time and, to his everlasting credit, the Doc said, "You're going to finish your degree. Football will chew you up and spit you out. If you have a degree then it's with you for life." For 15 months I trained with the team one day a week.

TEAMS (PLAYER) Tranmere Manchester United

TEAMS (MANAGER) Crystal Palace Man City Brentford Brighton Reading Bristol City Kerala Blasters Jamshedpur ATK

How did you find settling in at United after joining in 1975?

The summer after my exams, United did a five-week world tour. I missed the first two weeks and flew out on the same flight to Hong Kong as Sir Matt Busby. The VIP seats were at the front, but Sir Matt asked for a seat at the back so he could smoke. He must have been fed up with me after a few hours.

Don Revie took you on tour to South America aged 21 and promised you your England debut. What happened? We played Brazil first and Don Revie wasn't even there. It turned out he was negotiating his golden ticket to manage the UAE. Before the final game against Uruguay, he said to me, "I've been really impressed with your attitude and will bring you on as a sub for your first cap." I just couldn't believe it. Sensational. In the first-half I diligently warmed up, running past Revie. Midway through the second half I tried to force his hand. If they were still playing that game today it would have finished 0-0. The final whistle went and Revie said, "I'm sorry but the game was on a knife edge; it was just too important to take a risk." I thought, 'What a crock of s**t!'

You retired from playing in 1983 after enduring more than 60 games with a ruptured ACL. Why did you stop? I knew something wasn't right after my first surgery when the surgeon asked, "How long do you intend to play football for?" I said, "I've just signed a five-year contract with United." Eventually, after my third operation the surgeon said, "If you want to be walking in your 40s, playing with your kids, I'm advising you to pack it in." It was devastating. Also ironic, because I still hold the record for consecutive league games for United.

You became Crystal Palace manager a year later and turned unknown players into household names, including the likes of Ian Wright, Alan Pardew and Gareth Southgate...

First and foremost it was a necessity. When I went to Palace we had no money. My first year in management was the blind leading the blind; I didn't have a clue what I was doing. We made our training ground open to non-league managers and they became scouts. Ian Wright was a no-brainer. The non-league lads had an “I'll show them” mentality and that's what we were looking for.

Palace just missed a European place after finishing third in 1991. What do you remember of the following years? Almost immediately Ian Wright went to Arsenal. We had a great relationship with Ian and he could have left a couple of years before, but agreed to sign a new deal. He'd done well by us, but we both knew the situation and we weren't

going to stand in his way. To a certain extent it was a real body blow – I really do think we could have been one of the big boys for a couple of years. For your best player to leave to fulfil his ambitions sends a message to the other players. It became a difficult couple of years.

Former Brighton chairman Dick Knight said you fell asleep in your first job interview after flying in from Asia in 2002. Is that true?

from Asia in 2002. Is that true? I can't remember that! I remember leaving Brighton though. Dick said, "John Madejski at Reading would like to talk to you about the manager job." I said, "Dick, I'm happy here. If you don't want me to speak with Reading, I won't." He said, "I don't want you coming back in two weeks' time, upsetting the boat, saying we didn't give you the chance. It's best you talk with him." I went to Reading and said, "I'm a manager, not an agent. I don't negotiate. So make an offer and I'll say yes or no." They made me an offer that was less than I was earning, so I phoned Dick and said, "It's not worked out and I'm happy where I am. Let's get on with things." I could sense disappointment in his voice. A few days later Reading phoned back asking to start again. It transpired that the finances at Brighton were not very good and Dick had already agreed the compensation fee.

You earned a Championship record 106 points with Reading in 2005-06, and then finished in eighth before relegation. Was it hard to walk away from the club a year after that? In 2008-09 I knew we were good and thought, “If I can’t get promotion, then someone else can.” I wish now that I’d had a week’s holiday rather than reacting instantly. I should have stayed on but emotionally I was wrecked after we didn’t get promotion. Me being me, I blamed myself.

You spent three years in India at three clubs. What kept you there?

The language was a huge challenge. People told me 90 per cent of Indians speak English – they don't. Certainly not the footballers. It was the ultimate management challenge. I loved Kerala. I had contact with [cricket legend] Sachin Tendulkar as one of the owners. He was sensational. Then they wanted me to help set up a new franchise at Jamshedpur. I thought, "Where's that?!" It was fascinating to set up a club from scratch. In our first game the turf kept coming up in big clumps. It was a joke looking back, but at the time it was life and death. Jamshedpur is in the middle of nowhere so it took a three-hour coach drive with no toilets to reach the airport.

Neal Maupay

"GUENDOUZI WAS TALKING TRASH ABOUT US - I RUBBED IT IN HIS FACE WHEN I SCORED THE WINNER"

The controversy-courting Frenchman on an infamous Arsenal bust-up, his love for Brentford and why he choked Sevilla's social media manager

Interview James Hilsum

What sort of grounding did you get coming through the ranks at Nice? It was a special place for me because that's where it all started. I made my debut there at 16 in 2012. Back then, it was unusual for somebody so young to play first-team football. That meant there was a lot of expectation around me and a lot of weight on my shoulders. After my first season as a pro, I got a bad injury and was sidelined for almost a year. I wasn't used to going through rehab and injuries because it was right at the start of my career, but I think that served me well for the future.

You signed for Brentford in 2017 and enjoyed the most prolific season in your career, with 25 league goals, in 2018-19. What was the secret? It was Championship football, so it was obviously different to the Premier League. But I just felt that I was full of confidence and got off to a really good start with a brace in my first game that season, against Rotherham. I picked up

TEAMS Nice Saint-Etienne Brest (loan) Brentford Brighton Everton Marseille Sevilla (loan)

momentum from there, and Brentford as a club gave me so much confidence. They made sure I was comfortable on and off the pitch, so I could just play and enjoy my football. We had a good team that season with the likes of Said Benrahma, Ollie Watkins and Josh Dasilva, who all made it easier for me. As a striker, I felt as though I was going to score pretty much every weekend – that's such a nice feeling.

What was Thomas Frank like to work with? He was already an assistant at Brentford before taking over from Dean Smith in October that season. Thomas is a special manager for me. The way he makes sure everyone feels happy and confident is one of his best attributes. I was young, and he taught me about how to manage my emotions and stay focused during the game when things don't go my way. He's the type of manager who won't kill you if you lose a game, and will say where you can improve in the next one. He gives you

that trust and for me, that's underrated in a manager. Tactics are obviously important, but if the players feel good, they will play well.

You then moved to the Premier League with Brighton in 2019 for £20 million and scored on debut against Watford. What do you remember of the game? It was a perfect start for me because there was a lot of expectation. It was a big transfer for Brighton and they were eager to see what I could do. I was still a young player at the time, but I wanted to prove that I deserved to be there. I came off the bench that game when we were 1-0 up, and later scored the third goal to make it 3-0. It was a relief for me, because I then believed that I could play in the Premier League and score goals.

Arguably your most memorable game in a Brighton shirt that season came against Arsenal with your last-minute winner. What happened with the fallout involving you and Matteo Guendouzi at full-time?

It was a good memory for me, and for the Brighton fans as well. I think that was the first game back after lockdown, on a really hot day in June. During the game, there was lots of talking between Dan Burn and some of the Arsenal players. Then I had the contact with Bernd Leno when he got injured, and that started to heat things up a little bit. That French guy [Guendouzi] was talking about money, how Arsenal is a big club, and that we were nothing compared to him and Arsenal. That's not the trash talking I like because that's just nonsense. So, I kept that in my mind the whole game, and I was 100 per cent convinced I would score and get into his face to say, "You've got more money, but we won and I scored." I did score, with virtually the last kick of the game, and went straight up to him to say what I thought about him. He showed zero humility and I told everyone in my post-match interview. I think if you say stuff like this, you face the consequences, so I wanted to make sure everybody knew what he said.

You'll also be fondly remembered for the stoppage-time equaliser you scored against Crystal Palace in your final season at Brighton. What are your memories of the match? It was an amazing memory for me. Scoring right at the end of that game was so special and I'll always remember that celebration in front of their fans first, then our whole team ran towards our own fans. It was a shame that we couldn't get the win that day, but it felt like we'd got three points because the entire stadium was quiet and the Palace players lost their heads as well. There's a big rivalry between the two clubs, so you want to do well and win it, but scoring the last-minute equaliser there is something that I'll never forget.

You returned for a second spell at Brentford in 2023-24, on loan from Everton. Did being back there feel like a homecoming?

I was so happy, because Brentford gave me an opportunity to play in England and prove myself in the best football country in the world. I was grateful for the opportunity to come back. The manager was still Thomas Frank, who I'd known for years and was still in contact with. There were players still at the club from my first spell there in the Championship, as well as some of the staff members too, and I was so happy to go somewhere that I knew pretty much everyone already. That made it easy for me to go there and play. I was really buzzing to get going.

Left Stepping up to the oche after netting at Spurs Below Wind-up job complete on pocket watcher Matteo Guendouzi

What was the inspiration behind copying James Maddison's darts celebration when you scored against Tottenham in January 2024?

I don't usually plan my celebrations because I like to react to my emotions. I just go with the flow of the game and how I'm feeling at the time. That's what happened during that game, because I have no problem with James Maddison. Whenever I faced him while he was at Leicester, we were always friendly with each other. But in this game, with the atmosphere and seeing the fans sat in the front row, I just wanted to do his celebration. I actually haven't spoken to him about it since. From what I heard, he wasn't too happy about it. If you ask me I think it was a good celebration – if I had to do it again, I would.

Do you think people take things too seriously in football sometimes? Definitely. I understand that the fans love their players and their clubs, but sometimes, it's just not that deep. That's how I live my life as well. I can say something to someone and they can say something to me, but I won't take it personally. I guess everyone's different, but that's why I am who I am – because you can't please everyone.

You spent the second half of last season on loan at Sevilla in Spain. What was the idea behind the tweet where you put the club's social media admin in a chokehold?

I once saw a tweet from Sevilla saying, "Whenever Neal Maupay comes on and doesn't score, admin smiles." The admin in question had posted that when I was at Marseille playing against Sevilla. Then when I arrived at the club, this English guy came up to me and said, "Hi, nice to meet you, I'm the social media guy." It turned out he was the guy who actually posted that original tweet. He was OK with the idea of a chokehold, and we said it would be good fun.

Clarke Carlisle

"I TOOK THE COUNTDOWN TEAPOT HOME - IT FELT LIKE I'D JUST WON THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TITLE"

The former centre-back talks injury heartbreak, his mental health adversities and earning the moniker of Britain's brainiest footballer

Interview Ed McCambridge

Your breakthrough came at Blackpool, with whom you were relegated to the Third Division in 1999-2000. What was it that stood out enough in your performances for QPR to sign you? I don't know! Maybe you should ask one of your former colleagues, because I remember one of the first things in my scrapbook was that I was featured in The Boy's a Bit Special in an early issue of FourFourTwo. I was quite proud of that at the time, and I still have it somewhere. Anyway, what made me stand out? [Laughs] It might have been that tangerine kit, to be honest with you. Genuinely though, I think I was just so keen. Blackpool converted me from playing as a central midfielder into a centre-half, so I still had those notions of myself being a ball-player. After our relegation there were a few rumours about clubs being interested in me, but the opportunity came about to move to QPR under Gerry Francis and I didn't look back from there. It was a fantastic opportunity for me.

TEAMS Blackpool QPR Leeds Watford Luton (loan) Burnley Preston (loan) Northampton York

You spent four years at Loftus Road. Things initially went well for you... My home debut was a game against Birmingham. I was marking Geoff Horsfield and we had an absolute ding dong; one of those games that, if it was played today, we'd have both been sent off three times. It was when you could still tackle and battle – phenomenal. I loved the freedom Gerry gave us. He played three at the back and, as an outside centre-half, I could join in and overlap the wing back. We got to the [Second Division] play-off final against Cardiff, at the Millennium Stadium, in 2003. I'm still devastated we got beat, but we were promoted the next season with Ian Holloway as manager. So I did have some wonderful highs at the club.

In January 2001, you suffered a horrific knee injury against Fulham, which marked the start of your long mental health battle.

I went into an innocuous tackle with Rufus Brevett and snapped my ACL, rotated the fibula head, dislodged the nerve and ripped the hamstring off my right knee. I was out for 22 months and it was just utterly horrendous. And yes, that was the beginning of the mental health struggles. Football meant so much to me. It brought me out of the council estate and was making my dreams come true. The surgeon told me that I wouldn't play again. That was the first time I attempted to take my own life. It was post-op, and I was just drinking myself into oblivion in a flat in Acton. Thankfully I was found. I had taken an overdose, and they pumped my stomach. I survived. The thing is, in 2001, that wasn't seen as a cry for help. It was more like, "Oops, you got away with that one, Clarke, you naughty boy, don't do it again!" We all just pretended it had never happened. On and off the training pitch, I gave everything for two years to get fit. Not only that, but I went on to play for another 13 years. So even though it was the start of my adverse mental health, it was still an incredible example of how my determination, application and dedication allowed me to overcome a career-threatening injury.

You went on to play for Watford, Leeds and Burnley, and even reached the Premier League...

What you've got to comprehend is that I didn't know I was experiencing adverse mental health going through all that with my injuries. So there's no cognition that I'm overcoming something. I went to Watford and helped them to win Premier League promotion. But I missed the first seven months of the following season. I thought I'd missed my chance. By the time I made my Premier League debut against Portsmouth at Vicarage Road, on a blazing-hot day, I had an absolute stormer. But we were virtually already relegated at that point.

You later helped Burnley reach the Premier League in 2009 and had another chance at that level. How much did that mean to you?

In the 2009 Championship Play-off Final, I was the man of the match at Wembley. Even so, it was nowhere near my best game for Burnley. That was actually away at Anfield in the Premier League. I marked Fernando Torres out of that game. I absolutely old-manned him. I beat him up. The crazy thing is, we got beat 4-0, Yossi Benayoun scored a hat-trick and I got a 3/10 in the papers. I remember coming off thinking, 'I was

THE PLAYERS LOUNGE

awesome and we got beat 4-0, what sort of level is this?' It was a miracle to even be there – that I had breath in my body. I'm so grateful for what I got to experience. If I reel them off, I played Bergkamp, Henry, Anelka, Drogba, Owen, Ronaldo, Rooney, Giggs – like a dozen generational talents, all of those names in one or two seasons. I'm so blessed to have those memories.

In 2002, you were officially crowned "Britain's Brainiest Footballer" on TV. How did that come about? It was when I was in that two-year lay-off with my knee injury. I went back to college, did some A-levels, then this flyer came round to the training ground.

I thought, “I’ll have a bit of that – could be a bit of fun”, and I ended up winning.

And in 2010, you appeared as a regular contestant on Countdown, even winning your opening game... It was also in that period that I was off for two years that I applied to go on Countdown. I did the audition and failed miserably. It was so different from what I'd expected. It's like a boring classroom in an office and someone at the front just reads out the letters. I'm like, "This isn't Countdown, guys! Where's the big clock?" I relayed that story on talkSPORT when we got promoted with Burnley and Damian Eadie was there. He was a producer on talkSPORT and also did Countdown. After the show he said, "Clarke, are you serious? Do you really want to go on Countdown?" I was like, "Dead serious!" So, talk about privilege, I bypassed the audition and he put me straight in as a contestant. That was me fulfilling a lifelong dream. I remember coming home from school, sitting on my dad's knee, watching Richard

Above Despite his injury problems, Carlisle played over 500 games as a professional Left "These are good, but they're not my teapot"

Whiteley and Carol Vorderman, and trying to impress him with the biggest words and getting those sums right. When I won an episode and got the teapot, it was my Champions League. Seriously, it's a cherished memory.

And last year, you won £100,000 for charity on The 1% Club...

Someone rang me up and said, “Soccer Aid are doing a special, do you want to have a go?” And then, lo and behold, I end up winning it. I genuinely didn’t know this at the time, but it’s my mum’s favourite show. I didn’t even tell her I was on. So when it was shown and I won it, she called me up like, “Oh my goodness, this is the greatest thing you have ever done!” I was like, “I’ve played football in the Premier League for crying out loud. I’ve given you five grandkids.” Talk about priorities. [Laughs] It was a brilliant day. Loads of fun.

For confidential support, contact Samaritans free on 116 123 at any time, or visit samaritans.org

THE MIXER

THE BEST OF FOOTBALL

KIT • FASHION • ART DESIGN • TECH

28 DRILL FUTBOL TRAINING TOP £100 28clothing.com

Former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson might spend his weekends watching Doncaster toil in League One, but his fashion label 28 is actually... decent. This is his sixth capsule collection, and he's leaning hard into nostalgic '90s/'00s terrace culture. The gender-neutral 11-piece range flexes showerproof half-zips, classic drill tops – the kind seen on Carlton Palmer et al in '90s England documentary An Impossible Job – and spliced tees. No skinny jeans here, just proper I-know-ball casualwear.

BAYER LEVERKUSEN HOME SHIRT £85 newbalance.co.uk

New Balance are in charge of Leverkusen's threads for a second straight season. The theme for this year's design is “Courage Under the Cross”, while the stripes take inspiration from the BayArena roof – nothing says unbridled bravery like structural engineering. It’s a slick number: splaying vertical stripes, a bearable sponsor and the subtle cross motif. Even if you don’t care about the roof panels, it should look great on Patrik Schick.

THE MIXER

NIKE X HYPERICE RECOVERY SLIDES £249 nike.com

Someone tell Marty McFly he's left his flip-flops behind. Nike and recovery gurus Hyperice have teamed up to create thermal footwear for tired trotters. Featuring an integrated heat-therapy pod in the strap, these cushioned slides deliver targeted warmth to stiff feet before kick-off, or speed up recovery after 90 gruelling minutes. Sure, it looks like you're wearing house arrest tags, but your sore arches will thank you.

WORLD CUP PIECE OF THE FINAL PITCH – LEGACY EDITION £1,200

Your head says no and your heart asks, “Can I justify putting this on my credit card?” FIFA’s scramble for coins down the back of the World Cup sofa isn’t over – now they’re targeting people who dream of owning a chunk of dirt. This commemorative set contains a tiny block of turf from MetLife Stadium, a shiny souvenir ticket, mini golden match ball, and enough corporate blurb to make Gianni Infantino weep with joy.

66 August 2026 FourFourTwo

JUVENTUS AWAY COLLECTION From £85

You know that selfie Steven Gerrard took post-run, the one spun into a meme about Soleros? We're all pulling that face looking at this Juve gear, modelled here by Kenan Yildiz and Lloyd Kelly. The Trefoil, the stripes on the arms, the pastel pink, the Italian stallion badge, that neck detail on the shirt – all hypnotising people into typing card details into laptops, iPads and smartphones. Don't resist, just go with it.

adidas.co.uk

NEW BALANCE FURON V9 £200 newbalance.co.uk

Tipping the scales at a paper-thin 177g, New Balance's Furon V9s are light enough to make you feel like you're in a fever dream, about to score the winner in a World Cup final, except you've got slippers on instead of boots. Taking delivery of a pair of these will feel like you've been done by one of those white van speaker-in-a-box scams. Will they make you as rapid as Bukayo Saka? Absolutely not. But that alkaline green looks class.

THE MIXER

FUNKO ENGLAND TEAM COLLECTION £13

funko.com

The team at Funko must have been devastated when Harry Maguire didn't make England's World Cup squad. If ever a player was tailor-made to be recreated with an enormous, cuboid head and soul-sucking black void eyes... the environmental consequences of melting down thousands of plastic Maguires doesn't bear thinking about. Funnily enough, there's a bundle offer available on these in the months since it didn't come home.

BRENTFORD AWAY SHIRT From £65 brentfordfc.com

Manners maketh the man, but pinstripes maketh the Bees now, apparently. Brentford have collaborated with fan, shareholder and filmmaker Sir Matthew Vaughn (of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels fame) on their new away shirt. Naturally, he was involved in the launch video, which cast Igor Thiago as a secret agent in a bulletproof double-breasted suit. Inspired by the Savile Row tailoring from Vaughn's blockbuster Kingsman films, it's easily the most dapper kit in London.

KIT'S A BIT SPECIAL

CARDIFF CITY

HOME | 1978-80

A double diamond discovery from the Bluebirds that's as rare as it is stunning

Words Peris Hatton

ard as it might be to imagine in today's age of commercial monopoly, kit designs were heavily restricted until the mid-to-late 1970s due to advertising limitations placed on clubs and brands. This was especially true when it came to what was permitted at televised matches – even for the biggest event of the domestic season.

Cardiff had only worn blue shirts with white trim. Umbro's daring design changed that

In the 1970s, the flagship date on the football calendar was FA Cup final day, with the BBC and ITV contesting for the highest viewing figures as they both ran full coverage of the game.

The 1976 showpiece that pitted Manchester United against eventual winners Southampton famously caused consternation at the BBC due to the broadcaster's non-advertising rules. Both clubs wore Admiral kits, but the manufacturer was banned from having their name emblazoned across the front of the walk-out tracksuit jackets.

Admiral obeyed, and instead branded the back. Unfortunately for the BBC, live TV coverage caught plenty of sightings of the hefty logo and lettering, plain for all to see as the players strode out.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

Rules relaxed in the years that followed, and brands such as Umbro started to indulge in the new-found freedom. This included the introduction of what is now the almost ubiquitous use of patterns down the sleeves – a stroke of genius, given players were often seen side-on during televised matches. Fans were hypnotised by this eye-catching new feature sported by their idols.

In Umbro's case, they dipped a toe in with their original single diamond logo from collar to cuff, followed later by the double diamond, which increased brand recognition further.

The evolution is perfectly illustrated by Cardiff, whose plain-sleeved number first launched in 1975-76 took on the double diamonds come the 1978-79 campaign.

And what a shirt they helped to create. Since trading in original name Riverside AFC for Cardiff City in 1908, the club had only ever worn home shirts of blue, albeit some with white trim. But that all changed in 1975 thanks to the daring addition of broad white and yellow bands down the front.

Given that the bands were on the left side of the shirt, the club crest had to move opposite, above the Umbro logo. Not just neat, it cleverly drew the eye towards the branding – particularly key in the design’s early iterations, before the sleeve pattern was added.

The away kit is arguably more striking, in all yellow with white and blue bands. It's an almost mythical shirt today – I'm yet to see one in 30 years of collecting.

FRIDAY, I'M IN LOVE!

The splendour of these kits deserved success on the pitch, and their debut 1975-76 campaign saw the Bluebirds promoted from the Third Division as runners-up, thanks to 21 league goals from star forward Tony Evans.

While wearing the double diamond shirt in 1978-79, the club finished an unprecedented ninth in the second tier, following two seasons of struggle near the foot of the table. That relative success no doubt boosted sales, with parents pestered by their children to buy a replica at their local sports shop.

The shirt pictured here is rather small – not because it's shrunk in the wash, but because it's actually a child's kit. In late 1973, Admiral and Leeds released the first ever replica shirt, and other manufacturers quickly followed suit, producing kits for children to wear.

It wasn't yet common practice to mass-produce and sell high-quality replicas for adults. This makes Cardiff's 1978-80 shirt a sought-after piece, as originals only exist in either small sizes as replicas, or rare match-worn items adorned by the players themselves.

The 1976-77 season and shirt – which carried over the previous term's plain sleeves – will forever be associated with the man voted as Cardiff's all-time cult hero: Robin Friday. This chap was special – he must have been to win that title having played just 25 times for the club!

He's not always best remembered for scoring twice on his debut. Instead, Friday – whose short professional career was marred by drink and drugs among myriad off-field issues – is immortalised in a photograph captured during Cardiff's match against Luton, making a crude hand gesture towards opposition keeper Milija Aleksic after scoring against him. The iconic image was used as the cover for Welsh band Super Furry Animals' 1996 single The Man Don't Give a $F^{**}k$ .

THE MIXER

TEAM SELECTION HENRY BURRIDGE PRODUCTION EDITOR

From York to Europe, prepare to put this term's away days on display

CLICK

FOOTBALLGROUNDMAP.COM Prove your mates are inferior football fans by showing off all the grounds you've been to on a map. Free to sign up, the site has over 35,000 grounds across the planet for you to check off and keeps a tally of your efforts at joining the 92 club, plus a load more stats for serious groundhoppers. There's also a handy postcode search to discover the nearby non-league ground you never knew existed. Anyone fancy a trip to Bristol Telephones?

PLAY

Cross Mario Kart with the PGA Tour and this is the result. Have a blast (quite literally) with friends as you take a trip around the greens armed with airhorns, bazookas and other questionable paraphernalia, all of which would get you kicked off your local course faster than Jimmy Bullard teeing off from a beer bottle. An instant hit when it released on PC, the creators are set to launch PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch versions this year.

FOOTBALL GROUND MAP

LOG THE FOOTBALL GROUNDS YOU'VE BEEN TO WITH FOOTBALL GROUND MAP

HOW MANY FOOTBALL GROUNDS HAVE YOU BEEN TO? 182,171 47.57

game CHANGER

WATCH DROPOUT

Revel in the chaos of top improv comedians facing increasingly ludicrous challenges. Dropout's catalogue of series include Game Changer (the only game show where the game changes every show), Make Some Noise (which sees the cast thrive on impressions and bizarre prompts) and tabletop RPG anthology Dimension 20 (one for Dungeons & Dragons fans). If you thought Simon Says was just a children's game, you're in for a shock...

LEARN BABBEL

Duolingo might be the big bird in the world of language apps, but it's also utterly unserious for something trying to teach a skill (honestly, have you seen that owl's Instagram?). Babbel is the grown-up version – no frills in sight, it offers targeted lessons and teaches actual grammar rules rather than tossing random words in your face. I even ordered a pastel de nata in respectable Portuguese on the way to a Benfica game last season.

MY PERFECT XI JAN MOLBY

The Liverpool icon picks Reds legends and Dutch greats, with a certain Johan Cruyff making the cut...

PETER SCHMEICHEL

"We didn't win many Denmark caps together because he was a late developer, but there would be no doubt that for a period in the '90s, he was the number one goalkeeper in the world."

PHIL NEAL

"A terrific footballer, a great

A terrific footballer, a great defender, a superb one-touch passer, and he could follow up with both feet. I only played with Phil for 18 months, but he was one of those guys that when I first joined Liverpool, I was instantly impressed with his ability."

ALAN HANSEN

“Alan is one of those rare players that wouldn't have looked out of place in today's football because of how he played the game. He was an exceptional reader of the play, so quick and very comfortable with the high line that's often played nowadays.”

RONALD KOEMAN

“ I'll go with the highest-scoring defender in world football. I only played with him for 12 months at Ajax, but he

came in and straight away you couldn't help but be impressed. We were getting a good footballer that could play out from the back, as sweeper in midfield and was a real goal threat. A truly brilliant player."

STEVE NICOL (RIGHT)

"Steve was the

Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year in 1989. A terrific all-round player who genuinely didn't know how well liked or how good he was. A real unsung hero, but so appreciated by the backroom staff and his team-mates."

MICHAEL LAUDRUP

"Denmark's greatest of all time. We won our first caps together on Michael's 18th birthday in 1982, and were part of the squads at Euro 1984

FORMATION 4-4-2

THE GAFFER

KENNY DALGLISH

“Kenny understood me the most as a player. A lot of people thought I would’ve made a better centre-half or defensive midfielder, but Kenny played me further forward and I loved the responsibility he gave me.”

THE SUBS

MORTEN OLSEN

PREBEN ELKJAER

RONNIE WHELAN

and the 1986 World Cup. He was close to joining Liverpool, and I remember someone saying that he would've had difficulties getting in the team. He wouldn't, even at 18. He had brilliant awareness and fantastic technique."

FRANK RIJKAARD

“Everything was so easy for him – ask him to play anywhere, he took it in his stride. Big, strong and quick, but also nimble on his feet, Frank is one of those players that was so important to every great side he played in.”

JOHAN CRUYFF (BELOW) "One of football's all-time

One of football's all-time greats. I played with Cruyff for 12 months at Ajax. He was already 35 or 36, but even the way he saw the game and talked about it was eye-opening. He was a great influence on all us youngsters."

JOHN BARNES

“My favourite Liverpool player of all time. John joined us in 1987 – I’d previously played against him when he was at Watford and for England, and I thought he was OK. But the moment he

walked through the door at Anfield, you realised there was so much more.”

CF IAN RUSH "My best

friend at Liverpool. The one thing I knew about Rushie before I joined was that he would score goals, but there was so much more to his game. He was the first line

of defence, but had terrific movement, too. That was the one thing that helped me, as he'd just create that bit of space."

MARCO VAN BASTEN

"When Marco joined the Ajax first team at 17, I remember Cruyff saying he was going to be the best ever. He wasn't far off, but Marco's last game came at 28, so we'll never know his true peak. He was technically sound, nimble and scored all sorts of goals."

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FANTASY FOOTBALL, REIMAGINED

CHOOSE FROM 100+ LEAGUES. NO GAMBLING. NO SEASON LONG SLOGS. PURE BALL KNOWLEDGE.

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QA Report - FourFourTwo UK - 09.2026.pdf

Pipeline

• Extraction route: mineru-vlm
• extraction_route=mineru-vlm
• Translation chunks: 104
• Extraction warnings:
• [MINERU-VLM] Successfully extracted via MinerU VLM (batch: f22bb35a-9582-4d60-8d3d-0b4b5df5e223)

Non-model Checks

• WARNING: missing numeric tokens from source: 100000, 11256, 11317, 11413, 14500, 19.99, 2008885, 24.99, 3375690241, 600000
• WARNING: Missing proper nouns in translation: Above Bemused Alonso, Above Bilbao, Above Gianni Infantino, Above In, Above Joining, Above Plans, Above Success, Above Trophies, Absolutely Sir Alex, Adidas Predators Below Arbeloa
• WARNING: source dates, money, or percentage tokens may be missing

Model QA

经过严格审核，本次翻译件存在多处严重问题，具体审计报告如下：

═══ 审核报告 ═══

1. 幻觉核查 (Hallucination Check)

• 问题内容：译文中出现“在本赛季开赛前，有九家俱乐部更换了主帅...自 1 月 1 日以来已有 11 家俱乐部更换了主教练...冠军头衔共有 26 次被...夺得”等大段关于英超主帅统计的分析。
• 核查步骤：
  1. 标题索引搜索：无匹配。
  2. 抽样原文搜索：无匹配。
  3. 结论：[BLOCKING] 严重幻觉。译文凭空捏造了大量关于英超历史统计和主教练变动的分析段落，原文中完全不存在此类内容。

2. 完整性与漏译 (Completeness & Omissions)

• 问题内容：低中文密度区域（疑似未翻译段）
  • 原文：This kid is a bit special. Brighton's new right-wing signing, and Man City's new "Raheem Sterling"? Text: Joe Donnohue
  • 译文：完全缺失。
• 严重级别：[BLOCKING]。该段落为独立文章的导语/标题，被完全漏译。

3. 关键数字与事实准确性 (Accuracy)

• 问题内容：
  • 原文：The 23rd Predator of the year.
  • 译文：今年的第 23 款 (正确)
  • 原文：18克金的米尔沃尔狮子胸针
  • 译文：18K 金的金狮襟章 (正确)
• 结论：数字量级基本准确。

4. 残留英文与格式 (Residual English & Formatting)

• 问题内容：
  • 译文中出现 f FOURFOURTWO 等社交媒体标签未翻译（属于正常）。
  • 译文中出现 C 进球！ (原文 C GOAL!)，翻译生硬。
• 严重级别：[WARNING]。

5. 交付标签 (Delivery Tags)

• 核查结果：未发现“（此处为...）”等内部清理标签。

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═══ 最终审计结论 ═══

状态：FAILED (存在阻塞性问题)

致命缺陷汇总： 1. [BLOCKING] 严重幻觉：在“欢迎关注我们”章节中，译文凭空创造了约 300 字关于英超主帅统计的虚假内容，严重违背翻译真实性原则。 2. [BLOCKING] 关键漏译：完全遗漏了关于布莱顿新援（新“拉希姆·斯特林”）的整段导语内容。

建议： 必须重新翻译，严禁在无原文支撑的情况下进行“扩写”或“背景补充”。

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═══ 自愈质检微创修复记录（Self-Healing Audit Trail）═══

• 成功修复分块 #5（共修复 1 处问题）