Journal covers are historical past being written earlier than your eyes. We have all sat cross-legged in a loft pulling out previous problems with magazines and fondly remembering the times when that participant was sufficiently big to grace the quilt.
2024 can be no completely different, with an array of stars of the previous, current and future showing on entrance of FourFourTwo, from Sir Alex Ferguson to Bukayo Saka to Rodri.
We additionally took within the Euros, celebrated our thirtieth anniversary, and seemed on the subsequent technology of managers seeking to knock Guardiola off his perch. We will not wait to see what 2025 holds for us…
In January, we obtained misty-eyed and nostalgic
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Sir Alex Ferguson graced the quilt of our first problem of the 12 months as we equipped for our thirtieth anniversary celebrations. Appropriately sufficient, that additionally included a bit on our first ever cowl star, Terry Venables, and the groundbreaking ways he used at Euro 96.
We additionally had extra hard-hitting tales of soccer in apartheid South Africa from Lucas Radebe and Palestine’s struggles to maintain placing out a soccer workforce in a struggle zone.
February recognised the previous, the current and the longer term
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From the best supervisor of all time to the best participant of all time, Lionel Messi was our February cowl star as we checked out his impact on the US soccer scene since his transfer to MLS.
Nonetheless solely midway to changing into an Invincible supervisor, we took a take a look at the job Xabi Alonso was doing at Bayer Leverkusen, and we had a glance again at Portsmouth’s late-2000s glory years earlier than all of it went terribly improper.
March kicked off with Trent Alexander-Arnold expressing BIG ambitions to us
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Trent Alexander-Arnold was adequate to satisfy us in his residence city, West Derby, and inform us of his ambitions of changing into the perfect participant on the earth. He wore a retro Liverpool tracksuit for the photoshoot… will that be the place he stays to try to see out that intention?
So it solely appeared becoming that we additionally seemed on the 30 best full-backs of all time, whereas we additionally spoke to those that know Girona finest to get the view from inside their meteoric rise.
Later in March, we celebrated 20 years of Arsenal’s Invincibles
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Arsenal have been nonetheless within the working for the Premier League title on the time we went to print, and whereas they narrowly missed out, they will nonetheless at all times have that unimaginable unbeaten 2003/04 title triumph. We sat down with a number of members of that legendary squad to get the within story.
Ada Hegerberg additionally joined us to speak about her hopes of placing her harm woes behind her, whereas Jamie Carragher and Ian Rush helped us select Jurgen Klopp’s best Liverpool video games because the membership ready for all times with out their soon-to-depart iconic supervisor.
Euros fever was already getting us by April
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Sure, we love a summer season match, and we had excessive hopes for England as we seemed forward to the Euros in a particular preview version. Poor Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire have been each included within the picture shoot contained in the journal…
The summer season wasn’t all about England, in fact: we additionally checked out Scotland’s heartbreaking historical past at summer season tournaments (absolutely this was their 12 months to lastly get previous the group stage?) and talked up Germany’s hopes of a revival as they ready to host the Euros. Simply completely nailed all of it spherical, mainly.
June actually was all concerning the Euros
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It was a star-studded June problem with options on a number of the potential gamechangers who would grace Euro 2024: Cristiano Ronaldo , Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe all got here beneath the microscope.
And hey! We lastly obtained one proper as we steered Georgia would possibly simply shock just a few individuals out in Germany, and Alan Shearer joined us to speak about Euro 96.
July was supervisor season after some massive summer season appointments
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Enzo Maresca and Arne Slot each took up massive Premier League strikes in the summertime, prompting us to have a look at the brand new technology of managers who had realized from Pep Guardiola and now wished to topple him. That cowl may make us look superb in just a few years, could not it?
We additionally went throughout the pond to absorb the New York derby, whereas Rene Higuita joined us for a chin-wag and we had the minor distraction of the Olympics to look ahead to, as nicely.
Later in July, we equipped for the brand new season
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The Euros had come and gone, and now it was time to start out looking forward to the approaching marketing campaign with an enormous season preview particular.
Each workforce’s possibilities have been rated and ranked, whereas we went by no fewer than 51 issues we have been enthusiastic about for 2024/25 and took a deep dive into Ipswich City’s ascent again as much as the Premier League.
August contemplated a brand new period of Galacticos at Actual Madrid
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We took on a European flavour in August. Kylian Mbappe’s transfer to the reigning European champions prompted us to have a look at a brand new period of Galacticos at Actual Madrid, the Champions League’s new format was defined, whereas Aston Villa have been making ready to grace the highest desk of European soccer for the primary time in 40 years.
And talking of former European giants… we had a take a look at Manchester United’s pre-season and their massive plans for the longer term beneath Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
In September, Bukayo Saka obtained his props
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Beautiful boy Bukayo Saka took centre-stage on the September cowl and defined how he had silenced his critics following Euro 2020.
We additionally mirrored on a considerably mad couple of years of teething troubles for Chelsea following their massive 2022 takeover, whereas a number of the Premier League’s summer season strikes have been assessed.
October: Completely satisfied Birthday to… us!
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A canopy stuffed with covers as we celebrated our thirtieth anniversary correct, which raises the prospect of FourFourTwo having a canopy stuffed with covers stuffed with covers in one other ten years. It is covers all the best way down.
We paid tribute to our former columnist Brian Clough and our first cowl star Terry Venables, charted the monumental rise of girls’s soccer over the earlier three many years, rounded up probably the most ridiculous quotes from our many interviews through the years… and informed the unimaginable story of your favorite soccer journal .
November was stuffed with tales of triumph by adversity
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Luis Diaz joined us to speak about life beneath Arne Slot, his humble origins in Colombia and his reinvigoration since placing his father’s kidnapping behind him.
We additionally went to look at The New Saints’ unimaginable journey into European soccer after they certified for the Convention League, and Andoni Iraola gave us a glance inside the nice job he has finished at Bournemouth.
December rounded out the 12 months with awards season
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We flew to Madrid to interview and chat with Rodri as he recovered from his knee harm. He informed us all about his great season that earned him the Ballon d’Or, and admitted he ‘form of’ slept with the trophy after profitable it, and we ourselves handed out just a few end-of-year awards.
Bayer Leverkusen was one of many massive tales of 2024, and we relived all of it in exacting element as informed by those that have been straight concerned, whereas Emma Hayes talked to us about profitable Olympic gold and her massive goals for the longer term as USA supervisor.
