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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 FourFourTwo wrapping paper, so you won’t be short when you’re putting presents under the tree this Christmas. Enjoy the mag.
The Lionesses’ remarkable run to Euro 2025 glory
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…
A manager on the rise at Coventry City
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.
World champ in two weeks
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…
Dan Burn: From Asda car park to England international
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.
Year of the underdog
There were plenty of stories that defied expectations during a weird 2025 – while Manchester City won nothing, others also enjoyed unlikely success.
England manager in the making?
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.
In memoriam: Diogo Jota
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.
Henry Winter meets Jack Wilshere
The renowned sports writer chats with an Arsenal hero who overcame adversity to run 26 miles and become Luton’s new gaffer in 2025.
The Boy’s A Bit Special
We assess a Chelsea-bound starlet and Bournemouth’s new strike ace in our latest scouting report.
The Joe Cole story
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.
Nemanja Matic answers YOUR questions
The former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder on Jose Mourinho, controversial drones and his weird escape act from Gareth Southgate’s Middlesbrough.
Around the grounds in the EFL, non-league and Scotland
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.
The Mixer
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.
Upfront
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.
In the Players Lounge this month…
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.
Perfect XI
Demba Ba picks a team from his Chelsea and Newcastle days, with an African icon thrown in for good measure.
