Tabla de contenidos para July 2018 en Australian FourFourTwo

1 “WHAT DO YOU MEAN, I’M BANNED FROM THE STADIUM?” Turkey Denizli One Denizlispor supporter knew exactly what to do when he was slapped with a one-year stadium ban: hire a massive crane and park it outside the ground for the next home match. He was soon towering over his fellow fans at the Ataturk Stadium – attaching a giant green and black flag to the end of the crane, the scarf-twirling fanatic even conducted chants as Denizlispor beat Gaziantepspor 5-0. He’ll be selling tickets up there next. 2 BORAT’S A PLZEN FAN Czech Republic Plzen Viktoria Plzen have made it back to the Champions League group stage for the first time in five years: the excitement has clearly got the better of some fans. During a win over Karvina,…

I knew I made it as a player when I debuted for Iraklis against PAOK in front of 40,000 fans. I realised how much work I had to do to play at that high level. As a youngster, I saw PAOK come to Melbourne, I was at the canteen, then I saw these professionals come off a bus with the same bags and jackets and from that day onwards, I knew that I wanted to play overseas in Greece. I was happiest when I was playing with Adelaide United. I was so lucky and I’m so grateful I was there at the beginning and to be an inaugural player at the end of the NSL. Everyone who was part of the club that year made something special happen, just to…

What advice have you got for the class of 2018? Go out there and represent your country in the best possible way. If everyone goes out with that mindset, we’ll be a better team than what we’ve been showing recently. I think their attitude has been lax and our commitment has been a bit shallow. It’s time we got it all back and put it with the skill and ability we’ve got. We’d be a very different team. Who’s your favourite current Socceroo for the squad heading to Russia 2018? I’ve got to go to a goalkeeper. From what everybody thought he was to what he’s made himself to be now, Mat Ryan has done a phenomenal job. What he’s doing between the posts is very, very good. He’s delivering.…

QUALIFICATION What are your memories of the qualification process? We did it really well. It was a couple of games before the end that we qualified. And we didn’t even concede a goal. Pim Verbeek had a certain awareness of the Asian style, obviously, because he was involved with Guus Hiddink and South Korea. You saw that he had the awareness of what to do, how to set up and stuff like that. Toughest moment? There was one game, I think it was in Bahrain, where it was a proper smash-and-grab. Mark Bresciano scored in the last minute. I think it was a long ball. It was an absolute steal. We were like, let’s quickly pack up before this gets turned around, because it was just a bad game from…

What’s your advice for the class of 2018? Many will have had the experience of Brazil. You can’t buy that experience in those high-pressure games – although this group did it the hard way in qualification as well. They’ve had cut-throat games where they had to win against Honduras, and that’s the sort of atmosphere and pressure they’re going to be under. But basically, just enjoy it and embrace it. Don’t get wrapped up in the emotion of it – treat it like any other game and enjoy the experience, because you don’t know if you’re ever going to get another chance to not only play at a World Cup, but play for Australia. Things can always change at any time. There’s pressure and expectation but if you can enjoy…

LIONEL MESSI The Flea doesn’t strike FFT as much of a Talking Heads fan, but the 2018 World Cup really is the same as it ever was for the Argentina magician. Once more in his lifetime, Leo must try to win football’s ultimate prize and definitively escape the stocky shadow of Diego Maradona. Genuine greatness awaits if the 30-year-old can finally secure the trophy set. THOMAS MULLER Germany’s Raumdeuter (Space Invader) is one of three players to score five or more goals in two different World Cups, along with compatriot Miroslav Klose and Peru icon Teofilo Cubillas. If the Bayern Munich forward makes it three in Russia, he’ll already be closing in on Klose’s 16-goal tournament record. He may look a bit clumsy, but the 28-year-old guarantees goals. JAMES RODRIGUEZ…

The ever-grinning Son Heung-min may have established a reputation as one of the most happy-go-lucky players in world football, but his 2014 World Cup ended in tears. South Korea came bottom of their group in Brazil: after drawing their opener with Russia 1-1, they lost to Algeria and Belgium. Son at least scored in the 4-2 defeat to the North African surprise package, but it was an otherwise underwhelming tournament that concluded with a 1-0 loss to the Belgians – cue waterworks from poor Sonny. He knew both he and his team had not done enough to satisfy a generation of supporters still harbouring vivid memories of the iconic run to the 2002 semi-finals. Much has changed for Son since then. He joined Tottenham Hotspur from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015…

Raindrops ripple puddles and pelt the umbrellas of camera crews trying to wrap up a shoot, before Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard seeks salvation in the plush training facility that’s playing host to this afternoon’s activities. When he does step inside, he might decide he'd rather get drenched, as the walls are covered in Manchester City emblems and action photos of the Premier League champions. Lingard is not behind enemy lines, however. Bury have leased City’s former Carrington training ground and are yet to completely dress it with their own inspiring signage. The Warrington wonder is here to talk to FFT ahead of his first World Cup – once he's dried off. Soon, the 25-year-old bounces through the door, dancing and singing along to T-Shirt, a hit by American hip…

Some of Brazil’s finest players honed their skills out on the streets – were you the same? Yes, street football helped me a lot when I was younger. I learnt technical skills in really tight spaces, but I also learnt how to fight and battle, which were equally important. My experiences playing street football meant I was no longer afraid of facing a tackle on the pitch. Sometimes it was a bit dangerous, but it was worth it as I learnt to fight for what I wanted, and always with honesty. Whenever I’m playing now, I can still feel the benefits of street football. Who were your favourite Samba stars when you were growing up? The players I watched the most as a kid were Ronaldo and Ronaldinho (below). I…

MARK MILLIGAN His impact and presence on the pitch was a massive advantage for Melbourne Victory. His playing capabilities were excellent, from decision making, defensive effort and ballplay in starting attacks or controlling the tempo. He was also aggressive and even scored goals. Millsy was an all-rounder central-midfielder who could also play as a defender. SHINJI ONO In his time with Western Sydney Wanderers, his football brain, intelligence and ability to be able see and create was amazing. He was technically unbelievable and his range of passing was superb. ARCHIE THOMPSON As a central defender, when you’re faced with a player who has speed, intelligence to run behind the line and off the shoulder, he was difficult to mark. At Brisbane, we always tried to play a high line, but…

“I WAS ALWAYS COVERING EVERY BLADE OF GRASS, SO CITY’S FANS CALLED ME THE LAWNMOWER” CLUBS 2002-2006 Ajax 2006-2009 Hamburg 2009-2012 Manchester City 2012-2016 Milan 2016 LA Galaxy 2016-18 Galatasaray 2018- Mainz COUNTRY 2004-15 Netherlands It’s a roasting hot day in Mainz, the small German city sat cozily on the banks of the Rhine that’s home to around 200,000 people, and FFT has just asked Nigel de Jong to clamber aboard a giant lawnmower and look moody for the cameras. “I can do that,” he says with a smirk, before jumping on top of an orange mower and gripping the steering wheel. The choice of garden machinery is deliberate – it’s a nod to the nickname he was given by Manchester City fans during his three-year…

Russia vs Saudi Arabia The World Cup begins in Moscow: opening games surely don’t get any better than this??? France vs Australia Here we go! Look, in our heart of hearts, all we’re hoping for here is not to be disgraced. Brazil vs Switzerland Neymar and Coutinho once lost a key game to the Swiss at the U17 World Cup. Payback time? Denmark vs Australia Denmark’s not quite a one man team, but if we can stifle Christian Erikson, we may have a shot. Argentina vs Croatia One of the group stage’s most attractive games. Can Croatia fulfil their potential and stop Messi? Australia vs Peru The tie that offers the most hope – but Peru are still ranked way higher than us. Can we qualify?…

HELLENIC CLUB WODEN, CANBERRA The nation’s capital is not exactly famous for its late night venues and party all night vibe, but the Hellenic Club is the place to be. SYDNEY JUNCTION HOTEL HAMILTON, NEWCASTLE If you can pull yourself away from the local surf, the Sydney Junction Hotel has a big screen and a tasty froth with your name on it... REEF HOTEL CASINO CAIRNS Gotta love a casino for some late night sport and there’s only one place in town (possibly even the whole of Far North QLD...) SKYCITY CASINO DARWIN Is anywhere in the NT guaranteed croc-free, or have we just read too many NT News Tweets? Get your going-out thongs on...…

Is it fair to say you’re polar opposites? Steph: Like, I couldn’t think of any friends who are more opposite. I’m so girly. Ridiculously. I’ll get my nails done all the time, my hair… Caitlin just shakes her head at me. The first time she ever did dress up, I was so proud. I was like, you’re in make-up! Caitlin: Even in saying that, I had someone help me for the (Dolan Warren) awards. When I wasn’t really getting help, Steph would be the person – I’m like, okay you need to come shopping with me and I’ll just get her to pick everything out for me. Steph: When Cait used to have things like that, she’d always be like, what dress should I wear, do these shoes go with…

QUALIFICATION What are your memories of the qualification process? I always go back to the 2001 qualifiers when we missed out against Uruguay. I had to put up with four years of stick when I went back to Spain because I played with two Uruguayans at Osasuna. They used to tease me about Australia not being that good at football. When we actually drew them again, I couldn’t wait because I knew that this time around, we were better prepared. We had a lot of players who had been in a couple of campaigns already and we just believed it was our time to qualify for the World Cup. Toughest moment? There were plenty, but we were ready for it. I only came on for about 10 minutes in Montevideo…

MARCO ASENSIO Spain | Attacking midfielder | 22 One always wondered how Marco Asensio could top his 2016-17 season. It started with him scoring a sublime goal in the UEFA Super Cup win over Sevilla and ended with his strike confirming Real Madrid’s 12th coronation as European champions, adding their final goal in the 4-1 Champions League final victory over Juventus in Cardiff. It hasn’t always been straightforward during a campaign in which Zinedine Zidane’s side laboured domestically, when they were widely expected to embark on a new era of dominance. Yet much like the team’s centrepiece, Cristiano Ronaldo, the 22-year-old started to rev up as the season moved into the home strait. Asensio’s season is that of his team’s in microcosm. Many awaited a show of superiority and they…

HIGH: 2004 Lifts the Eredivisie title with Ajax at end of first full season in the Amsterdam side’s first team LOW: 2006 Loses place in Ajax midfield, opts against signing new contract and moves to Hamburg HIGH: 2009 Signs for Man City in $30 million deal on four-and-a-half-year contract at Etihad Stadium LOW: 2010 Becomes pantomime villain after tackle on Xabi Alonso as Dutch lose World Cup final to Spain HIGH: 2012 Part of City side who dramatically win the Premier League title on the final day of the season LOW: 2014 More World Cup agony – this time in the semi-finals as Dutch lose to Argentina on penalties HIGH: 2018 Helps Mainz avoid relegation from the Bundesliga after joining the German club from Galatasaray…

THE LEAD UP It was a huge game, I wasn’t there for the first season or two, but I watched all the derbies overseas and how big each game was getting. Living out west, playing for Sydney before I left, and then coming back and I guess honouring my word to come back. I’d seen a lot and I knew it’d be big and I’d heard from players and fans about how the atmosphere and emotions were like and to actually play in one was a special thing in itself. THE MATCH We went down 2-0. I thought, ‘Here we go, it’s my first derby and we’re going to cop a hiding here...’ Just before halftime, we pulled a goal back through Corey Gameiro. We went into the break with…

“WHO DUNNE IT?” Swindon’s James Dunne was sent off on the last day of 2017-18 following an altercation with Accrington’s James Dunne, who was also sent off “TREZEGUET!” Most of the focus will be on Mo Salah when Egypt take to the field at the World Cup, though he’s not the only world-renowned name in their squad. They’ve also got Mahmoud Hassan, who goes by the name of ‘Trezeguet’ – in honour of former France striker David, of course. “It all started when I was the top scorer of my school team,” the 23-year-old, who spent 2017-18 with Kasimpasa, tells FFT. “I scored a lot of goals and my coach called me Trezeguet, as I looked like him and he was taking Europe by storm.” Such a name could bring…

QUALIFICATION What are your memories of the qualification process? Jimmy Mackay’s goal against South Korea that took us to the World Cup was a goal that was worthy of winning a European Cup final, an FA Cup final - whichever way we want to put it. I can remember one of the games that led us up to that. It wasn’t a qualifying game, but one of the most important was going to play in Vietnam when the war was still on. There we are, flying into Saigon, bodies floating down the river and everybody getting quite concerned. The night of the game, 60,000 people turn up, nobody knowing what would happen - but they all put on a magnificent performance, won 1-0 and that was the beginning of a…

QUALIFICATION What are your memories of the qualification process? As a fan, I used to watch all the games. It wasn’t until Ange’s first camp, after we qualified, that I got called up. It all happened pretty quickly. Did you ever think Australia wouldn’t make it? It was looking reasonably tight but that’s the way it always is in Asia – other teams are improving so much. Gone are the days when you’re going to walk through qualification and get an easy road to the World Cup. The sooner everyone realises that, the better. What did it feel like in the moment when qualification was in the bag? It was pretty late on when big Josh Kennedy scored a trademark header into the bottom corner in the last game against…

It seems remarkable to think that in the run-up to Euro 2016, Paul Pogba was regarded as the most likely match-winner for the host nation. Two years on, the Frenchman’s star has fallen to such a degree in his homeland that there are even doubts about whether he will be an automatic inclusion in Les Bleus’ best starting XI, as they look to win the World Cup for only the second time in their history. Pogba’s predominantly humdrum displays for Manchester United and supposedly prickly relationship with his manager, Jose Mourinho, haven’t gone unnoticed in a country that laps up anything and everything on the Premier League. His underwhelming output for United in recent months means that serious questions are being asked in France about the size and nature of…

Boberto Firmino is a happy man, and when he’s a happy man, boy do you know about it. The Liverpool forward has just had his best season yet in a Reds shirt, and now the Brazilian is excitedly anticipating his first World Cup. The enthusiasm shows not only in that trademark pearly-white smile, but also in the way Firmino strides into the studio to meet FourFourTwo for a pre-tournament chit-chat and photoshoot, laughing and joking all the while. “I’ve seen this before but have never played it,” he says with a boyish grin as FFT’s snapper presents him with a Subbuteo table. Sure enough, his first flick results in a goal. “GOOOOOOOOOLLLL!” he screams, before collapsing into fits of laughter. Finding the back of the net has been something the…

wo things populate the internet: cat memes and how-to guides that will supposedly boost your self-confidence and help you make decisions, set goals and challenge yourself. After all, dogs don’t chase parked cars, do they? You don’t need to bother with any of them. Just stand in a room with Mats Hummels. From the moment the Bayern Munich and Germany defender walks into FFT’s temporary studio deep in the bowels of the Allianz Arena, he exudes the sense of serene self-assurance you’d expect from a world champion who has recently won yet another Bundesliga title. But Hummels is no arrogant prima donna, nor is his demeanour an overcompensating façade. The centre-back’s got an aura, a healthy, almost infectious confidence. “It’s so important,” he tells us, shortly before posing for the…