DECEMBER 2011

UPFRONT

24 Top 10 ‘David vs Goliath’ fallouts The off-field disputes that some clubs regret 36 Bebeto’s USA 94 baby signs for Flamengo Subject of that celebration is all grown up. Feel old? 40 The football apps that should exist Imagine: a Fergie Translator that fits in your pocket 49 FFT columnist: Salgado

Exclusive: foreigners are killing the England team 51 FFT columnist: The Player

Get out the violins – it’s not easy being filthy rich 52 Letters

Young stars, old managers, crap nicknames

FEATURES

COVER STORY One-on-One: Paul Scholes

10

Quiet? Shy? Nonsense. The Ginger Ninja cuts loose on team-mates, bad tackling and why England fail

56 COVER STORY The Prem’s new magicians

How tiki-taka came to run the show in England 60 Juan Mata exclusive

Spain’s latest export gives an amazing first interview on everything from Real Madrid to singing for his Chelsea chums – with a bank robbery along the way 64 David Silva exclusive

Best in the Premier League? Could be. He talks to FFT

66 Where did it all go wrong for Sheffield?

The Steel City derby sinks to the third tier – but is there any way back? FFT investigates 70 Aaron Ramsey exclusive

He’s back, and better than ever. Arsenal’s hot young talent talks leg-breaks, Wales and replacing Cesc 74 Revealed: why Spain will ‘do a Scotland’

The best league in the world, or the next SPL? Read the terrifying truth behind La Liga, and why it’s dying 82 Football clubs’ unlikeliest owners

Professional gamblers, celebrity boob barons, frozen food moguls – they’re all here and owning your club

88

Libya: taking the battle to the pitch Can a national side including rebel fighters qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations? FFT hits the road to see if war-torn Libya has a happy footballing future

94 Football’s maddest protests

Starring tennis balls, graves and greasy chip butties 102 Youth development part 5: Japan

A Yank-led footballing revolution in the Land of the Rising Sun: they’ll win a World Cup soon, you know... Action Replay: Team GB at the Olympics

108

From off-pitch squabbles to hatchetmen vicars, pikcing a GB team has always been a nightmare

PLANET FOOTBALL

115 Lino KO’d by paper She fell over! 116 Ryan Babel exclusive Anfield, Hoffenheim... rap? Plus The 19-year-old club president; the nuttiest

Boy’s A Bit Loco yet; the best chants EVER!

PERFORMANCE

125 Pomegranate juice for post-match recovery 128 Nemanja Vidic on how to tackle every threat Plus Perfect your pre-match sleeping pattern; how to defend deep; create a siege mentality

8 December 2011 FourFourTwo.com