APR I L 2012

UPFRONT

20 Top 10 Ghosts in The Beautiful Game Football’s Most Haunted, from Oldham to Peru 22 England’s best-supported youth team is... Rushden & Diamonds?! Read on to find out why 36 The Prem’s 1,289 foreigners in numbers

Pub ammo alert! Our biggest infographic ever 41 FFT columnist: Salgado

Exclusive insight into the Suarez racism debacle 43 FFT columnist: The Player

Caution: do not always believe a player’s ‘injury’

FEATURES

8 One-on-One: Nobby Solano

Peru’s music man and Toon hero tackles your posers 48 COVER STORY Robin van Persie exclusive

The unbelievable truth from Arsenal’s magic man himself on captaincy, breaking records and why he’ll always be “the disappointment of the family” 54 How foreigners took over the Prem

In 20 years, the top flight has seen a mere 13 imports grow to over 300. FFT investigates the foreign invasion – and how England has benefited 60 Your club’s best and worst foreign player

The overseas players you loved and hated, picked by us with the help of fans from 92 English and 12 SPL teams. From Brolin to Brian Laudrup, it’s a feast of exotic delights and unknown nightmares 80 Inside the life of a Premier League import

Our imports special continues as we ask Argentina’s Jonas, Oman’s Al-Habsi and a pair of Brazilians what it’s really like to live over here

The search for Ali Dia

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FFT goes on the trail of the Premier League’s worst ever player, and uncovers a tale of lies and laughter

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Clint Dempsey exclusive The Premier League’s most underrated player and greatest ever American talks Texas and Fulham

94 Picture Special: How our football used to be

Terraces, mud and food trolleys – step back in time and marvel at these photos (may contain nostalgia) 100 The truth about Europe’s new big spenders

FFT visits Anzhi Makhachkala to see what enticed Roberto Carlos and Samuel Eto’o, and finds unbuilt stadia, violent uprisings and a lot of expectation

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Action Replay: the great Jesse Carver English football’s best ever coaching export – aman who conquered Serie A in slippers – remembered

PLANET FOOTBALL

113 “I support pricking” – manager’s needle shock 114 Jerome Boateng on Munich, Man City & Mancini 120 Ronaldinho’s crazy year: video nasty, anyone? Plus Luke Rodgers: an Englishman in New York;

‘star sickness’ explained; 2010’s best goal retold

PERFORMANCE

123 The Olympic football can help your first touch 126 Yaya Toure’s midfield masterclass and workout 132 Phil Jones solves every defensive problem Plus The healthy fry-up; how to swing in the perfect cross; cope with squeaky bum time

6 April 2012 FourFourTwo.com Nobby Solano p8

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APR I L 2012

“I’ve improved, butIwillnever besatisfied”

BEST&WORST FOREIGNPLAYERS

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