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Get your hands on the latest issue of Four Four Two magazine – available in print or on your device – from Thursday December 4
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Order the new issue with free delivery here – just select ‘January Issue 386’. Subscribe to Four Four Two today and save! You’ll get 13 issues per year… First a message from our editor, James Andrew: Just when football was in danger of becoming too predictable, along came 2025 to buck the trend and prove beyond doubt that the unexpected can always still happen. After years of dominance in the Premier League, there were zero trophies won by Manchester City this year. Instead we saw Crystal Palace secure their first ever major trophy and Newcastle bring an end to their 70-year wait for domestic silverware. Spurs won their first European trophy in four decades as they beat Manchester United to lift the Europa League, while Paris Saint-Germain claimed their first Champions League. On the international front, England retained both the Women’s Euros and the Under-21 Euros, but neither team did it the easy way. The new version of the Club World Cup, meanwhile, was clinched by Chelsea – how big that tournament becomes will be determined by a few more editions. In this issue, we look back on an unpredictable 2025 – Lee Carsley, Dan Burn, Joao Pedro and plenty more speak to us about their successes over the past 12 months, not all of them expected when the year first began. There’s also our 2026 calendar – we travel back to USA 94, as the World Cup returns to North America next year – and for the very first time we’ve created special Four Four Two wrapping paper, so you won’t be short when you’re putting presents under the tree this Christmas. Enjoy the mag. James
England flirted with elimination on several occasions during their dramatic defence of the Euros – through sheer grit and determination they survived, and then wrote history by becoming champions once more. Even Heather Small was impressed…
Frank Lampard didn’t always receive comparisons with Jose Mourinho during a mixed start to life as a manager, but this year he’s incredibly guided Coventry from mid-table obscurity to the top of the Championship. As he tells FFT, his early experiences in the dugout were vital.
Few people have ever started a new role quite as well as Joao Pedro. Within days, he’d scored three crucial goals to help Chelsea win the Club World Cup – he tells FFT how it felt, and why his three-year ban on soft drinks paid off…
Scoring at Wembley to bag Newcastle’s first trophy in 56 years, then making his England debut at 32 – it shouldn’t happen to a former non-league defender and Asda trolley-pusher, but Dan Burn wrote his own scripts in 2025.
There were plenty of stories that defied expectations during a weird 2025 – while Manchester City won nothing, others also enjoyed unlikely success.
After a stint as the Three Lions’ interim boss last year, Lee Carsley proved his credentials even further by winning a second successive Under-21 Euros in 2025 – he tells FFT why he’s improving as a manager.
Diogo Jota’s final act as a Liverpool player was to pose with the Premier League trophy in May – his tragic death devastated the football world, but his achievements at Anfield and beyond will never be forgotten.
The renowned sports writer chats with an Arsenal hero who overcame adversity to run 26 miles and become Luton’s new gaffer in 2025.
We assess a Chelsea-bound starlet and Bournemouth’s new strike ace in our latest scouting report.
Joe Cole went from wonderkid to Premier League winner, via showdowns with Abramovich and Sven, plus a phone call from Fergie. To coincide with his new book, he sits down with FFT to tell his story, in his own words.
The former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder on Jose Mourinho, controversial drones and his weird escape act from Gareth Southgate’s Middlesbrough.
We meet Hearts chair Ann Budge, who steps down this month having taken them from near liquidation to the top of the table – with a little help from Brighton owner Tony Bloom. Ferrari or football club? Harry Hugo tells us why he left a sports car on the forecourt to spend his dosh on non-league Farnham Town. In Best & Worst, a Carlisle United podcaster recalls play-off heartbreak and that Jimmy Glass goal. Former Leyton Orient chief executive Matt Porter also talks about running professional darts. Bantams’ wait is over: Bradford City were long odds for League Two promotion in January – now Championship football is a realistic aim.
Steal the show on office Christmas jumper day with a Cameroon-inspired sleeveless number, get the badge in with a Stone Island x New Balance collab and grab some stocking fillers from our ultimate gift guide.
Another bonkers year of football is over – but how much can you remember about 2025? Test yourself in our bumper quiz, then discover the games that changed Mark Lawrenson’s life and join the FFT debate on the best Premier League manager this year. TNT Sports’ Jules Breach explains how she covered Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest sacking live at the City Ground in her latest exclusive column, while we look ahead to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the inevitable chaos that awaits. In My Football, Kinks frontman Ray Davies talks about growing up as an Arsenal fan, almost missing a gig to watch England win the World Cup and the Emirates toilets. Find out why we named Hammarby women’s supporters our Fans of the Year and read all about 2025’s top individual displays in One-Man Show.
Morgan Schneiderlin explains why he never clicked with Louis van Gaal at Manchester United, Colin Todd tells us about getting bollocked by Brian Clough and Blackburn favourite David Dunn insists he’d try a rabona again, despite his humiliating Premier League trip.
Demba Ba picks a team from his Chelsea and Newcastle days, with an African icon thrown in for good measure. Henry joined Four Four Two in 2025 after a successful loan spell. He began his career as a sports writer at newspapers across the West Country and has created content for the Olympics, Asian Games and a host of industry-leading magazines. On top of being a battle-scarred Bristol Rovers fan, he loves visiting non-league teams you’ve probably never heard of. Anyone fancy a trip to watch Bristol Telephones? You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
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