WHY NOBODY HAS CHANGED FOOTBALL LIKE FRANZ BECKENBAUER

FFT salutes the late German juggernaut’s groundbreaking effect on the game, first as a player and later a manager

DECO

\"I was upset when Porto didn't let me join Barcelona in 2003 now, I can't deny it was good to have stayed for one more year!”

30 MADDEST MOVES OF LEGENDS

Long before Lionel Messi headed to MLS, these stars also travelled the world - ending up in surprising places...

8 THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE KNOCKOUT STAGES

Xabi Alonso will have to wait until next season for a crack at Europe’s premier club competition before then, though, the bunfight to lift Ol’ Big Ears enters its business end once more

"Finally, a game where the referee doesn't rule out my goals"

EA Sports releases a new game under a new name this month, following the end of a 30-year partnership with FIFA. From Sol Campbell to Avril Lavigne and a Polish MMA fighter, it's an era that'll live long in the memory

"AFTER THAT MISS AGAINST FRANCE.I NEVER TRIED TO CHIP A KEEPER IN MY CAREER AGAIN"

The tireless midfielder talks FA Cup heartbreak and finds common ground between himself and Pele (er, sort of)

"I PUT THE BALL BETWEEN ALVES AND PUYOL AND SMASHED IT PAST VALDES - AN INCREDIBLE FEELING!"

Leeds' favourite magician recalls developing with David Silva, destroying Pep's Barça and winning silverware at Swansea

"I'D LOVE TO ASK ROY IF HE WISHES HE DIDN'T WALK OUT IN 2002. HE MUST REGRET IT"

The Ireland stalwart between the sticks remembers Saipan, his Manchester City spell and Magpies magic with Sir Bobby

"JUNINHO WAS SO SMALL I COULDN'T DRIVE HIS CAR. HE TOLD ME TO STOP TAKING THE PISS!"

The combative midfielder on Strachan shellackings and why Steve McClaren deserves more love, any given Sunday

ENGLAND U21. GOLF. BORO.

Once a walking yellow card, Lee Cattermole has discovered his inner peace on the golf course since retirement, and he might be even better than Gareth Bale

ARLIND THE GROUNDS

MATT TAYLOR: Shrewsbury's new boss discusses his coaching aims, scoring worldies and the day he dared to turn down Roy Keane...

BASQUE IN THE GLORY

Four decades ago, Athletic Club took the fight for Spanish supremacy to Real Madrid and Barcelona. Showing spirit and skill, the Bilbao boys won La Liga... and then defended it, too

"DES LYNAM SAID, 'DRURY, YOU'RE LUCKY. YOU CAN WALK INTO SAINSBURY'S AND NOBODY KNOWS WHO THE HELL YOU ARE'"

After 30 years of turning football into poetry, Peter Drury has stepped into Martin Tyler's sizeable shoes this term - from Tshabalala to Manolas, Sky's new commentator relives some of his most famous moments, and tells FFT why he's happier out of the spotlight

THE KLAKSVIK MIRACLE

Alone in the middle of the North Atlantic, the Faroe Islands were once the continent's whipping boys - now one club in the archipelago have reached a first European group stage, thanks to an unlikely bunch of part-timers...

NO GIRLS ALLOWED HOW SARINA WIEGMAN ROSE TO THE TOP

During childhood, she pretended to be a boy just to play football - now, she's the best female coach in the world. After Euros glory and the Lionesses' first World Cup final, FFT uncovers the story behind their greatest-ever gaffer

"WHY DIDN'T I LEAVE ARSENAL? I'M A LIFELONG SUPPORTER, SO IT WAS MY LOVE FOR THE CLUB"

Eddie Nketiah has been reunited with his pal Declan Rice at the Emirates this season, and tells FFT why he surprised many by opting to stay put a year ago

RICE RICE BABY

Recent months have been memorable for England's rapping midfielder - after lifting a European trophy in his last game for West Ham, he joined Arsenal for a club record £105m in July. As he tells FFT, he's determined to guide the Gunners to glory

CHRIS SMALLING

The Englishman was shunted out of Old Trafford in 2019, but has since become key at Roma

AARON RAMSEY

\"I was 17 years old and I was getting voicemails from both Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger - it was all a bit mad\"

"What makes the ownership conversation difficult is that, ironically for Newcastle, none of it is black and white"

The Magpies' Saudi Arabia investment has divided English football down the middle. Lifelong supporter Adam Clery explains why it's left the fanbase in a tricky position

QUEEN'S GAMBIT

The oldest club in Scotland's attempts to modernise have paid on-field dividends, but also left them homeless

BEST & WORST SWINDON TOWN

Richard Pullen from Robins podcast The Loathed Strangers remembers Hoddle magic and Di Canio mayhem...

GOOD CALL, REF!

Lucy feared that simply being herself would prevent her from refereeing games, but a brave move has brought her peace, new friends and even a world record

INTERVIEW: PAUL SIMPSON

The Carlisle gaffer chats League One ambitions, World Cup ecstasy with England Under-20s and battling kidney cancer

POHNPEI A DECADE ON

Paul Watson chronicled his improbable exploits coaching a tiny Pacific island team in his cult 2012 book Up Pohnpei. More than 10 years on, with Micronesia still struggling for FIFA recognition, an unexpected email inspired him to return this summer, and document the trip for FFT...

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF THE PEA AWARDS 1973 - 2023

On August 29, the Professional Footballers’ Association celebrates a half-century of giving out gongs for great individual seasons. Erling Haaland won’t receive the same sort of smooch that Les Ferdinand did, but he should follow in famous footsteps, from Elton John to Steve Ogrizovic

RECRUITMENT, RECRUITMENT, RECRUITMENT

As Brighton begin their first ever European campaign, having unearthed gem after gem in the transfer market, FourFourTwo chats to key figures inside the club to discover their secret - from algorithms to clandestine spreadsheets...

HERE TO COMPETE

Almost two years since their controversial takeover, Newcastle are going where no Magpie's flown for 20 years: the Champions League. Ahead of the curve their new owners plotted, they feel they have a man, a plan and the fans to sustain it - plus a sovereign wealth fund

IVAN RAKITIC

\"England were surprised what we could do. All of their players were worth £70m, £100m, £150m but they had to play against us”

"If god took my brother, it was because he wanted me to do something in football"

The Marseille match-fixing scandal turned Emmanuel Petit into a zombie, but the midfielder hit back to become a champion with Arsenal and France, driven by a desire to honour the sibling he lost as a teenager