Zinedine Zidane still had a full head of hair as he emerged from the bench in Bordeaux for his France debut in 1994.
Within minutes, the 22-year-old had picked up the ball midway into the opposition half, bamboozled one Czech Republic player with a stepover, sidestepped another, then hammered a left-foot shot into the top corner from 25 yards. Two minutes later, he rescued a 2-2 draw by heading home a corner, foreshadowing his famous brace in the 1998 World Cup Final.
Zizou had arrived, and he wasn’t alone in shooting to prominence that day. Just hours earlier, on the other side of the English Channel, the very first issue of FourFourTwo magazine had launched with a similar mission to entertain. Granted, we’re yet to win a World Cup and four Champions League trophies, but nor have we headbutted someone in front of 715 million people watching on TV, so swings and roundabouts.
Launching a new football magazine in the UK might have seemed counterintuitive in 1994, shortly after the only World Cup without any British involvement since 1938. But football was changing. The Premier League was two years into its breakaway, Sky Sports had burst onto the scene with the tagline ‘A whole new ball game’, stadiums were starting to be modernised, and Fantasy Football League and Gazzetta Football Italia were gaining cult followings on TV.
The idea for a new monthly publication came from a staff member at Wine and Spirit International, part of the Haymarket Media Group. “I went to my boss at Haymarket and said, ‘I would like to launch a football magazine’,” Norwich City supporter Karen Buchanan explains now. “In the 1980s you’d had the Heysel and Hillsborough disasters, and a perception of football being full of hooligans. But I had fallen in love with football at Italia 90, because of England and the brilliance of Gazza.
Denne historien er fra November 2024-utgaven av FourFourTwo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra November 2024-utgaven av FourFourTwo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
MY PERFECT XI ANITA ASANTE
The former Lionesses defender selects a cosmopolitan side brimming with talent and guided by an all-time great
Complete TOSH
John Toshack's remarkable career took him from Wales, Liverpool and Real Madrid to Azerbaijan, Morocco and Iran. After a brush with death in 2022, he tells his story to FFT
30 WONDERKIDS WHO FADED
FFT remembers the young stars who slipped by the wayside, via backflips, seal dribbles and a suffering goose
Diego on for The son of God
Growing up as the initially unrecognised offspring of Diego Maradona wasn't easy, but after winning his dad's heart and enjoying success in beach soccer, the Neapolitan explains why he's now found peace
VIVA LA REVOLUTION
Horrified at the Glazer family's impending takeover two decades ago, a group of Manchester United fans went to church. FC United was their divine inspiration, a phoenix club born at the heart of the community
THE SLOT MACHINE
Via the shock exit of Jurgen Klopp, key figures tell the inside story of how a group of rising stars and future kings were brought to Liverpool - and how their new Dutch boss led them to the top of the Premier League
SCOTLAND'S OTHER DERBY
It may lack the Old Firm's toxicity, but Edinburgh's head-to-head is no less hostile. FFT went to witness it first hand
LIFE BEGINS AT 40
Now in his fifth decade, Cristiano Ronaldo has no intention of retiring - not with a World Cup in his sights and while still scoring for club and country. But should that decision be taken out of his hands, and could less be more?
SUCCESSION
Bob Paisley delivered glory when he followed Bill Shankly as Liverpool boss. At other clubs, though, following a legendary gaffer has had mixed results...
SING WHEN YOU'RE WINNING
FEATURE FOOTBALL SONGS SING WHEN YOU'RE WINNING From El Tel to John Barnes, footballers once delivered a string of memorable tunes and even the odd No.1 FFT salutes a lost tradition
