world football magazine
TRANSCRIPT
WorldFootballMaga
zine
Marsh-BrownKeanuWembley Vardy 16/17 England
TonyAdams
SandyWalsh
DrStijn
Fifa World Champ
Copa AmericaPreview
Issu
e #1
£3
.20
Tony Adams answers your questions
Europe's Top 50 14
Sandy Walsh on life in Genk
Deadly Duos: Nolito & Aspas37
We meet FIFA World Champ Mohamad Al-Bacha38
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One for the Future: Ousmane Dembélé
Euro 2016 Preview
Rampant Rayados: How Turco Mohamed turned Monterrey into Liga MX's best side
What's Up, Doc? An interview with Dr. Stijn Indeherberge
Copa América Centenario Preview
Views from the Stands
The Ultimate Football Quiz
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Deadly Duos: Riyad Mahrez & Jamie Vardy
Non-League Goldmine
The Ultimate Football Quiz Answers
Keanu Marsh-Brown Exclusive
Free Euro2016 Wall ChartEditor: Ellis King
With thanks to:
PhotographyS.Plainehttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:BuffYorick Jansenshttps://www.yorick32.beCaio Fotografiashttps://www.facebook.com/caiofotografiasSerkan Göktayhttps://www.instagram.com/serkangoktayBenjamin Blacklerhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/benblacklerMarkus Ungerhttps://www.flickr.com/people/14385354@N00David Tinklerhttps://www.twitter.com/dtinklerphotosBiser Todorovhttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Bisodpmoore1988https://www.instagram.com/dpmoore1988p.powder123https://www.instagram.com/p.powder123obilicious_https://www.instagram.com/obilicious_ynysforgan_jackhttps://www.instagram.com/ynysforgan_jacklivia_vittyhttps://www.instagram.com/livia_vittybenjaminsvenhttps://www.instagram.com/benjaminsvenderrickmidwinterhttps://www.instagram.com/derrickmidwinterwessstepphttps://www.instagram.com/wesssteppjennytolhursthttps://www.instagram.com/jennytolhurstJoshua Rogershttps://www.vimeo.com/user40279857Alfonso Fontánhttps://www.flickr.com/people/alfonsofontanAlexander Hassensteinhttps://www.alexanderhassenstein.com
Creator: Ellis [email protected]
With thanks to:
DesignFirman Aliefhttps://www.twitter.com/mf_aliefGambar Vektorhttps://www.fredtezar.comContentThomas Harrisonhttps://tomharrisonfutbol.wordpress.comAdditional thanksShellie Heather & Tony Adamshttps://www.sportingchanceclinic.comTom Wintjens-Doctor Sijn Indeherbergehttps://www.twitter.com/docstijnSandy Walshhttps://www.twitter.com/sandywalsh_5Keanu Marsh-Brownhttps://www.twitter.com/KMarshBrownMohamad Al-Bachahttps://www.twitter.com/mobacha_Jon Robertshttps://www.twitter.com/mroobaloobaMel Bakerhttps://www.bakercollective.comTyler Jackhttp://www.tylerjackfilms.comTom Howehttps://www.twitter.com/_tomhowe_England Footballers Foundationhttps://englandfootballersfoundation.comFairplay Agencyhttps://www.fairplayagency.comFourFourTwohttps://www.fourfourtwo.com#5Maghttps://www.5mag.coAFC St Austellhttps://www.twitter.com/AFCSTAUSTELLBlauwwithttps://www.blauwwit.be
In This Edition...
VIEWSFROM THE STANDS
Get a glimpse of life from the perspective of fans around the globe
p.powder123 was among the Schalke faithful as they fell to Leverkusen by three goals to two. Schalke led the game 2-0 at half time, before three goals in quick succession turned the game around for Leverkusen, with Javier Hernandez netting their third goal within six minutes.
Full Time: Schalke 2-3 Leverkusen
dpmoore1988 captured this evening shot at Camp Nou as soon-to-be La Liga Champions Barcelona took on Sporting Gijón, who avoided relegation on the final day. Luis Suárez helped himself to four goals, as teammates Lionel Messi and Neymar also struck in Barcelona’s six goal thrashing of Sporting. The away side ended the match with ten men after Ognjen Vranješ saw red.
Full Time: Barcelona 6-0 Sporting Gijón
obilicious_ witnessed Frankfurt triumph over Mainz 05, unfortunately the home side were relegated from the Bundesliga at the end of the season. After taking the lead through Daniel Brosinski, Mainz were pegged back in the 28th minute by Marco Russ, before Frankfurt sealed the victory thanks to an own-goal from Stefan Bell.
Full Time: Frankfurt 2-1 Mainz 05
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livia_vitty stood at the heart of the celebrations in Turin as Juventus confirmed their fourth consecutive Scudetto. Between November and the end of the season the Old Lady dropped just five points as they leapfrogged a number of teams to win the title by nine points.
Serie A Champions 2015/16: Juventus
benjaminsven took part in Leicester City’s title celebrations as the newly crowned Premier League champions toured the city on an open top bus. After one of the most incredible seasons ever witnessed, Leicester won the title at a canter, finishing nine points ahead of 2nd place. They wrapped up the title after Tottenham Hotspurs were held to a 2-2 draw by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and the celebrations have continued to this date.
Premier League Champions 2015/16: Leicester City
ynysforgan_jack was in attendance as Swansea’s U21s took on Aston Villa’s U21s at the Liberty Stadium on a sunny evening in Wales. The division two play-off match ended in defeat for the home side, marking the end of what had been a successful first season in category one football for the young Swans.
Full Time: Swansea U21s 1-2 Aston Villa U21s
derrickmidwinter sat among the flares in Russia as Zenit St Petersburg hosted Lokomotiv Moscow at the Petrovsky Stadium. The game was as feisty as the crowd with Hulk giving the home team the advantage from the penalty spot, before another penalty, this time for Lokomotiv, was converted by Aleksandr Samedov. In the final minutes, Aleksey Miranchuk received a second yellow, sending him to the changing rooms early, but no goals followed.
Full Time: Zenit St. Petersburg 1-1 Lokomotiv Moscow
wessstepp made the trip to see Sporting Kansas City take on Orlando City and the SKC fan was delighted to see his team emerge victorious. Kansas trailed through a Jimmy Medranda own-goal, but substitute Jacob Peterson turned the game around with a goal and an assist to seal victory for the home side.
Full Time: Sporting Kansas City 2-1 Orlando City
jennytolhurst watched on below as Sevilla lifted the Europa League trophy for a third consecutive season, becoming the first side to lift a European trophy on three straight occasions since Bayern Munich in the 1970s. Liverpool took the lead through an outstanding finish from Daniel Sturridge, but Sevilla rallied in the second half with Kevin Gameiro equalising prior to a double from captain of Los Rojiblancos Coke.
Full Time: Liverpool 1-3 Sevilla
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Euro 2016Preview
With Euro 2016 less than a month away, we’ve compiled our preview for the upcoming
tournament, giving our thoughts on the favourites, the underdogs and the dark horses.
The Favourites
The Underdogs
FranceThe new age of
French football has continued to emerge since the 2014 World Cup, with the likes of Paul Pogba, Kingsley Coman, Antoine Griezmann and Anthony Martial having an increasing influence on the nation’s footballing hopes. To add to this, Leicester City’s N’Golo Kante and West Ham’s Dmitri Payet go into the tournament on the back of extremely successful seasons, giving the hosts a big opportunity to win the tournament for the first time in 16 years.
SpainAs reigning
champions, Spain were always going to have a good case to become champions for the third consecutive tournament. The World Cup in Brazil was a stark reminder than Spain are far from unstoppable, having been eliminated in the group stages, but they looked to be finding themselves once more during qualifying. Many of their former world-beaters may have retired, but there is a new breed of young talent, especially in midfield, thanks to La Liga’s abundance of youth. You can expect to see Koke, Isco, Thiago, Paco Alcacer and Morata all on the plane to France this summer.
GermanyIt would be foolish to
discount the current World Champions from the list of tournament favourites, but it’s not all champagne and roses for Die Mannschaft. Captain Philipp Lahm has retired, along with all-time leading World Cup scorer Miroslav Klose and international cap centurion Per Mertesacker, leaving the world’s best a little light in defence and attack. We’re likely to see a fairly young Germany side, with a number of players that have yet to prove their worth on the international or European stage, but with magicians like Mesut Özil and Marco Reus, as well as the intelligence of Toni Kroos and Thomas Müller, you can never rule the Germans out.
ItalySince winning the
2006 World Cup, the Azuri have had an indifferent time at major international competitions. They were eliminated at the quarter-final stage of Euro 2008 and failed to get out of their group for two consecutive World Cups in 2010 and 2014, the first time that has happened to them for almost 60 years. However, they did reach the final of Euro 2012, only beaten by then World Champions Spain. Their squad is considerably weaker than it once was, but, like Germany, you can never rule the Italians out.
BelgiumIn recent years Belgium
have perhaps been the victim of their players’ own individual success at club level. Or, as most Belgium fans will tell you, the victim of their manager’s selections. While some of Belgium’s biggest names have failed to perform on the big stage, manager Marc Wilmots has neglected potential key players in the past, encapsulated by his decision to leave Radja Nainggolan out of their 2014 World Cup squad. His reluctance to give players opportunities based on club form has damaged Belgium’s hopes since their fresh talent pool’s rise to prominence in the last few years. The nation’s chances of success at this upcoming tournament rely on Wilmots changing his ways and putting faith in some of Europe’s top performers this season, including Romelu Lukaku, Michy Batshuayi, Kevin De Bruyne and Moussa Dembélé.
EnglandEverybody knows
England’s international competitions record has been verging on embarrassing in recent years, especially given that the nation is home to the world’s most lucrative league. As usual, there’s an air of optimism among England fans. Some might say they’ve not learnt their lesson from every other year, when high levels of optimism have been met with supreme levels of disappointment come England’s eventual elimination. The Euro 2016 squad is likely to contain a lot of new faces compared to the squad that went to the 2014 World Cup, with the likes of Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Jamie Vardy, Danny Drinkwater and Harry Kane all having sensational seasons with their club sides. This new-look England side is bound to give fans renewed hope, but there are still big questions as to whether they’ll be able to cope in the European spotlight.
Group AGroup BGroup C
Group DGroup EGroup F8 9
Leicester survived relegation thanks to a late end-of-season surge in the 2014/15 Premier League and, while they were hoping for better this season, nobody could have foreseen the incredible rise they have taken. Now Premier League champions, Leicester have a number of players to thank, but perhaps the club’s two strongest performers have been PFA Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez and record breaker Jamie Vardy.
With over 50 goals and assists between them, Mahrez and Vardy have been the face of Leicester’s title push, combining searing pace with flair and clinical finishing to be the most effective pairing in the Premier League since Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez linked up at Liverpool in 2013/14.
Algerian international Mahrez worked his way through the lower leagues of France, starting at youth level with AAS Sarcelles, beginning his senior career at Quimper where he played for one season before moving to Le Havre II. After scoring 24 goals in 60 games for Le Havre II, Mahrez was promoted to Le Havre’s first team, where he didn’t fare quite as well, scoring just 6 times in 60 appearances.
However, Leicester City saw potential in the midfielder and forked out £400,000 to secure his
signature in January 2014. This potential that has since been realised, having become one of the most sought after players in the Premier League with the likes of Arsenal, Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain all being linked with a move for Leicester’s star man.
Vardy has had a similar rise from seemingly nothing. The Sheffield-born forward was playing non-league football up until he joined Leicester in 2012, having had spells at Stocksbridge Park Steels, FC Halifax Town and Fleetwood Town before making the jump to Championship football. After his £1,000,000 move to the Midlands, Vardy initially struggled for goals, scoring just four in his first season at the club.
Despite a slow start, Vardy showed his quality the following season, netting 16 times as Leicester earned promotion to the Premier League, where he has displayed a similar goal scoring pattern. On the back of scoring just five goals as Leicester scraped survival in the 14/15 season, Vardy has produced one of the most incredible seasons of any striker in the league’s history, with over 20 goals to his name and a new world record, having scored in 11 consecutive league matches.
The Dark Horses
PolandLead by Robert
Lewandowski, the man firing on all cylinders for Bayern Munich this season, Poland might be a few punters’ outside shot to win Euro 2016. Despite being pipped to top spot by Germany in their qualifying group, Poland won over a fair few neutrals with their open, attacking style of play, finishing qualifying as the highest scoring nation of all. Lewandowski could be the subject of some bets himself, given that he finished top of the scoring charts in qualifying, but Poland cannot afford to be reliant on just him if they have aspirations of going far in France.
PortugalPortugal have
performed fairly well given their stature in past European Championships. They’ve reached the quarter finals twice, finished 3rd three times and 2nd once but have never won the competition. This year, they’ll be aiming to do exactly that, but a semi-final appearance would resemble a good tournament for the nation. Like many of the other sides at this year’s tournament, there will be a youthful presence in the team, made up of Bernardo Silva, William Carvalho, Rafa, André Gomes and Renato Sanches, but, to the displeasure of many Portuguese nationals, there are a fair few older names too. Ronaldo is expected to lead the line, so you can expect Portugal to score goals at the very least.
AustriaWhen Greece won
the European Championships in 2004 they went down as the greatest surprise in the competitions history, nobody expected them to reach so far as the quarter-finals, let alone conquer Europe. This year, if anyone is going to truly upset the applecart, we believe that team will be Austria. Having only qualified once previously, in the year they were given automatic qualification as hosts, the Austrians are not too familiar with this level of competition. However, Marcel Koller’s side went unbeaten in qualifying, overcoming the likes of Russia and Sweden to top Group G. There are few stars in this side, barring Bayern Munich’s David Alaba, but they are an extremely strong unit as a team, something evidenced by them conceding just 5 goals in qualifying and having a total of 7 different goal scorers in 10 games. They might just be worth keeping an eye on this year.
Keep up to date with all the action of Euro 2016 thanks to our pull-out wall chart on pages 22-23!
Deadly Du s
Fact Files Jamie VardyAppearances 36
Goals 24Assists 8
Fee £1,000,000
Riyad MahrezAppearances 37
Goals 17Assists 10
Fee £400,00010 11
Q&ATONY ADAMSARSENAL'SQUICKFIRE
WorldFootball had a chat with Arsenal legend Tony Adams,
putting your questions to one of England's best ever defenders.
If you had to play against this current Arsenal side while in your prime, do you feel confident you would be able to throw them off of their game?
I was always confident of beating every team that I played against. Arsenal's defence has been its achilles heal for the last 10 years.
If you could have played with one player in the current squad, who would it be and why?
Jack Wilshere - I would have pushed him to become one of the greatest talents we have ever produced.
What is the best piece of advice a manager ever gave you?
Really great question! My dad gave me the best advice at the start of my career: "If you are going to try to learn anything, work with the best teacher."
Are you interested
in returning to management one
day?Yes, when the timing is right.
How did defensive tactics differ under Graham and Wenger during your time at the club?
George was more organised and structured and Arsene more open and creative.
What do you make of England's chances going into Euro 2016?[Reaching the] semi-finals
would be a good achievement for this group of players.
What centre-back in the modern game would you say is most similar to yourself?I like to think of myself as being unique. Every player has to develop their own style, the
game has changed and tackling is a dying art!
WIN a signed photo of
Tony Adams on our twitter
@WorldFootballMg
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EUROPE’STOP50
The £30m man has struggled along with his Chelsea teammates this season, but has still managed to score four and assist seven of Chelsea’s 55 goals, equating to the Spaniard directly contributing to 20%. With the likes of Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Oscar not reproducing the form they showed last season,
accompanied by a turbulent season at Stamford Bridge, it’s understandable that Fabregas has been unable to recapture the sort form he once displayed so regularly for club and country. Capable of playing in an advanced role or as a deep lying playmaker, Fabregas was crucial to Chelsea’s 2014-15 title winning campaign and you’d back the Spaniard to return to his best next season.
50. Cesc Fabregas
49. Edinson Cavani48. Blaise Matuidi47. Toby Alderweireld46. Anthony Martial45. Dani Alves44. Radja Nainggolan43. Vincent Kompany42. Gerard Piqué41. Karim Benzema40. Giorgio Chiellini
We’ve scoured the nations in order to rank the 50 best players in Europe’s top divisions in order to give you the lowdown on the
greatest talent the continent has to offer.
T ArtworkFirman Alief & Vektor Gambar
39. Riyad Mahrez38. Harry Kane37. Javier Mascherano36. Marco Verratti35. Diego Godín34. Marco Reus33. James Rodriguéz32. Thibaut Courtois31. Luka Modrić
Continued on next page...14 15
Arsenal fans will tell you that the Chilean winger had an indifferent 2015/16 season, struggling to find any consistent form in a campaign disrupted by injuries. Despite this, the Copa América 2015 winner still managed to score thirteen and assist five Premier League goals, a solid output for somebody not playing near the best of their abilities. With Copa América Centenario to come, Sánchez will face another summer of hard work, so Arsenal will be hoping he can avoid injuries in order to get back to his best for upcoming season.
30. Alexis Sánchez
Coming in at number 20 is Arsenal’s Mesut Özil. The German international ended 2015 in sensational form, looking set to break Thierry Henry’s Premier League assists record. Unfortunately, the assists dried up in the second half of the season, leading to Özil just missing out on surpassing the Frenchman’s 20 assists in a single season. However, he still managed to top the assist charts across Europe’s top five leagues, leaving him as the most prolific creative force on the continent.
20. Mesut Özil21. David Alaba22. Sergio Busquets23. Ivan Rakitic24. Jerome Boateng25. Philipp Lahm26. Douglas Costa27. Thiago Alcântara28. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang29. Gonzalo Higuaín
Juventus’ star central midfielder has had an up and down season, but there’s no doubting that the Frenchman is one of the world’s top talents, something we’re expecting him to showcase in his home nation for Euro 2016. His end of season form has been nothing short of sensational as Juventus propelled themselves to their fifth consecutive Scudetto, leaving United fans cursing that Sir Alex Ferguson allowed Pogba to leave the club when he was on their books as a youngster back in 2012. It’s likely to be another summer of transfer speculation for Pogba, who would command a hefty fee were he to be subject to interest from some of the world’s top clubs. In five years time, Pogba may just place number 1.
10. Paul Pogba11. Andrés Iniesta
12. Gareth Bale
13. Thiago Silva
14. Manuel Neuer15. David De Gea
16. Ángel Di Maria17. Kevin De Bruyne
18. Arturo Vidal19. Antoine Griezmann
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The ex-Chelsea winger is another Bayern player in our top 10. Despite injury problems throughout the season, he has netted against both Arsenal and Juventus in crucial Champions League ties, as well as opening the scoring in the DFL-Supercup at the beginning of the campaign.
He may be Brazil’s star man, but Neymar doesn’t make our top 3. His solo trickery, accompanied by his combination play with Barcelona teammates, is something that leaves football fans in awe, something that lead Ronaldinho to say: ‘I can’t explain how special he will become. In the next two or three seasons he will become the best player.’ We’ll be the judge of that, Ronny.
4. Neymar
5. Zlatan Ibrahimović
6. Arjen Robben
7. Robert Lewandowski
8. Thomas Müller9. Sergio AgüeroThe Argentine goal-getter has netted at least 15 goals in all but one of his last six seasons, a consistency unrivalled in the Premier League and matched by very few across Europe.
Polish striker Lewandowski fired his side to the Euros with 13 goals in 10 matches in qualifying and has a scoring rate of almost a goal a game for Bayern this season. Oh, and he scored five goals in nine minutes against Wolfsburg.
Jupp Heynckes once said: ‘Thomas Müller isn’t the best in the world, but, he is the best at what he does.’ And that’s good enough to take 8th on our list.
With his contract up this summer, Ibrahimovic will certainly be on the move from Paris, which means we’ll be seeing clubs, as well as fans, queuing outside the Parc de Princes for the Swedish powerhouse’s signature.
Ronaldo is arguably the most consistently efficient goalscorer in Europe. While there’s no doubt about his ability to be in the right place at the right time, we have to ask ourselves, does he play for the team? Ultimately, that’s what prevents Ronaldo from making our top two.
3. Cristiano RonaldoIn second place is former-Liverpool hitman El Pistolero. It’s been an incredible season for the Uruguayan, with the best goal contribution per minute rate of any player in La Liga, even Lionel Messi. In fact, his Barcelona team mate had this to say about him: ‘He is the best out-and-out forward there is in the game today. He has so much to offer the team and it is a pleasure to play alongside him.’
2. Luis Suárez
Who else? Suárez may have a better goal contribution rate than Messi this season, but the Argentine has been at the top of the European game since he emerged onto the scene in 2004. Having set the record for winning the most FIFA Balon d’Or awards (five) in January of 2016, Messi has once again reaffirmed his place as not just Europe’s top man, but the World’s best footballer.
1. Lionel Messi
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As Jamie Vardy hoist the Premier League trophy above his rain-soaked head, he became one of just two former non-league, current Premier League players to have done so, the other being Joe Hart. Yet there are plenty of rough diamonds that once shimmered on the muddy turf of the National Leagues.
One such example is Crystal Palace’s dazzling dribbler Yannick Bolasie. The Democratic Republic of Congo international began his career at Hillingdon Borough, just off the M40, moving on to short spells in Malta and the South West of England prior to establishing himself at Selhurst Park.
Swansea City and Wales international Neil Taylor was once flying down the flanks like Frankel at the Racecourse Ground, home of National League side Wrexham, before making the short trip to Swansea
where he has plied his trade since 2010. Manchester United Players’ Player of the Year
Chris Smalling was a star at Maidstone United before becoming a regular for both the Red Devils and England, playing in the club’s youth ranks ahead of a move to Fulham in 2008.
There are many more names, too. Charlie Austin, Craig Dawson, Ashley Williams, Lee Tomlin,
The successful transition of players from non-league football to England’s top division relies on equal measures of talent, hard work and opportunities, with the aforementioned players serving as perfect examples of what can be achieved through scouting the lower divisions.
In a recent interview, Luton Town manager John Still said ‘Jamie Vardy’s not a one-off. But the talent is being missed,’ he should know, given that his Luton Town side won promotion to League 2 with the line being led by Andre Gray.
Now Championship top scorer, Gray is potentially the next non-league to Premier League success story, having been promoted from the Championship with Burnley this season.
Leicester City’s scouting team will continue to scour the National Leagues in search
with Arsene Wenger expressing his love for the hunger that non-league instils within players.
Ex-Spurs and Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood claimed that it was ‘not as sexy’ to sign non-league players as opposed to players from abroad, which is something that could certainly change given the momentum behind the Vardy fairy tale.
There are many positives from Leicester City’s title triumph and Vardy’s enormous success in the Premier League, one of those is that we are much more likely to see non-league stars in the future due to the increased scrutiny that scouts will be placing upon the league.
What remains to be seen is who it’s going to be. You never know, they might be playing at a ground just down the road from you.
NON-LEAGUE GOLDMINE
Michail Antonio, Callum Wilson, Dwight Gayle, Ben Foster, Steve Cook and Danny Ings have all forged careers on the back of time in non-league football.
Vardy isn’t a one off.of the next Jamie Vardy, while it’s been rumoured that other clubs are likely to follow suit,
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Read our interview with Forest Green Rovers star Keanu Marsh-Brown on pages 24-25.
King Keanu
Non-League's Hottest Property
Keanu Marsh-Brown lived every young boy's dream as he rocketed the ball into the back of the Wembley net from 30 yards in the Vanarama Conference play-off final, but lived every footballer's worst nightmare just 30 minutes later as the full-time whistle sounded. Marsh-Brown and his Forest Green Rovers team mates had been denied promotion by Grimsby Town, falling to a 3-1 defeat in the final game of the season. It had been a long, hard season for Marsh-Brown, who won promotion with Barnet the year before – although didn't receive a medal after being frozen out of the side. WorldFootball spoke to Marsh-Brown, reflecting on a whirlwind year for the Forest Green number nine.Firstly, how did it feel to score such a fantastic goal at Wembley?
It was an amazing feeling, scoring the goal at Wembley was a dream come true. I've always dreamed of playing there, but scoring was the highlight of my career.
Was it a case of mixed emotions after falling at the final hurdle in the hunt for promotion?
Emotions were mixed because, on the one hand, I was buzzing that I scored such a goal, but on the other I was hurt to see us lose at Wembley and miss the chance of getting Forest Green into the Football League.24 25
You won promotion with Barnet the season before, but was this past year more memorable, despite not going up, because of your importance to the team?
Winning last year with Barnet was different because they held my career back from moving on to bigger clubs. They blocked moves, stopped me from being around the team and made me train by myself. The then-Barnet chairman and staff killed my career, but this season Ady Pennock, Jamie Day and Neil and Dale Vince gave me a chance to showcase [my talent]. I proved how I can be a vital part of a team by getting Forest Green to the final and nearly getting over the finish line.
You've faced some tough challenges in your short career so far...
It was hard for me at the time. It put a stop to everything in my career, before I did not play for a whole season I played three games and scored. To then be dropped for a season was the worst thing. Before, clubs and people were accusing me of certain things, I've had to get stuff from the internet and sue certain people.
The club parted company with Ady Pennock just a week before the play-offs, what impact did it have on the players?
Of course it affected us as players, but we still had a job to get done. We saw the staff, said our goodbyes, then got back to work, but we all thank of them for what they did for us and I thank him for bringing me [to Forest Green] and believing in me.
Do the journeys of the likes of Jamie Vardy and Charlie Austin serve as inspiration when it comes to reaching the very top from non-league football?
I want to get to the top and be playing as high as possible. My friend Andre Gray proves that anything is possible with hard work if you're given that chance.
There have been plenty of pacey and skillful forwards since the 1990's, but who did you look up to as a promising youth player?
I've always loved Robinho, I think he's my favourite player in my position. That's the guy for me.
Has there been any early interest from other clubs? If so, would you consider a move elsewhere or are you fully focused on next season with Rovers?
Right now I just want to stay fit and healthy, God has a plan for me and hopefully I can get to the top.
If a move were to be on the cards, would you push harder for it than before in your time at Barnet when Blackpool and Luton came calling?
If a move to play higher is on the table of course I'm going to want to play there, that's normal for any player.
26 27
Moving on from transfer talk, do you plan on joining up with Antigua and Barbuda soon, or are you hoping to reaching a point where an England call-up becomes a possibility?
I found out that I can play for Portugal as well as England and Jamaica, so any of those would be great.
Finally, what can we expect to see from you next season?
More goals, better entertainment, more celebrations and the dab will come out. You will see a King Keanu.
What attracted you to signing for Genk?
I signed for Genk because they give a lot of chances to youth players and it’s a good step to go to a bigger team.
How does it feel to have become a regular in this promising Genk side?
It’s a great feeling and a gift after so many years of hard work and disappointing moments, so I’m trying to keep on working and performing every game to keep playing every week.
Do you think your future lies at full-back, or in the centre of defence?
I think I could play in several positions, as full-back, centre-back or as a defensive midfielder. I think my future will be more as a defensive midfielder. I think I would suit doing a bit more organising and playing the simple ball, helping the defence in ball possession and when we don’t have the ball.
“I trained with them a nd scored the last
goal against Courtois... he will deny it”KRC Genk are arguably the brightest young side in Belgium. Having previously produced the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Benteke, Thibaut Courtois and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, the club certainly
have an eye for talented youth. We caught up with one such player, Dutch defender Sandy Walsh.
What has Peter Maes brought to the club?
Some structure, a stronger mentality and discipline. We need to perform every day in training, not just matches.
Are the likes of Christian Benteke, Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne seen as something to aspire to at the club?
For sure, because I got the chance to train with them every morning. It’s amazing how they performed with the club and that I can say that I trained with them and scored the last goal against Courtois in his last training session - he will deny it. It’s a challenge to try to make the same steps as they did.
How far do you think this Genk team can go in the next 3 years?
As far as playing in Play-Off 1 every year and European games. [Playing in the] Champions League would be amazing but I think Europa League is more for us - like we proved a couple of years ago. And also, in those 3 years we hope to win the Cup or Championship. And then I will take a step higher to a bigger club.
We asked KRC Genk fan forum blauwwit.be what position they saw Walsh playing in the future.
Centre-back
Full-back
Midfield 7
37
54
“Up until last season I pictured him as a ball playing centre back. Although he first emerged as a right wingback, I felt that he lacked the speed, crossing and stamina for this position, while as a centre back he was always capable of compensating for his lack of speed by excellent position play and timing. This season, however, he did a good job replacing Castagne in the right back position.” - Kz360028 29
WHAT’S UP,DOC?
Have you ever wondered what the life of a club doctor looks like? Our medical minded
readers might see it as the dream job, but there’s much more to the role than free front
row seats and magic sponges. We spoke to Dr Stijn Indeherberge, doctor for Belgian side
KRC Genk, about the good, bad and ugly sides of the position.
Firstly, what path led you to the role of Head of Medical Staff at KRC Genk?
In my third year of medical school I emailed KRC Genk to see if I could have the email address of the head of the medical department. They replied and I sent an email to the doctor asking if I could come and follow him for two weeks during my holiday.
I told him that I was very interested in joining his medical staff in six more years (med school is/was nine years). He answered my mail; I went for two weeks every year for the next six years and joined the club directly after my studies.
What does a typical day in the life of a football club doctor involve?
I’m working for approximately 20-25 hours a week for the club. I start every day-seven days a week-at 8am at the club where I check all the injured and sick players of the first team. Together with my physios we decide which players can take part in the team training, who has to do an individual program and what or who gets treatment only.
On Mondays, around noon, I have my weekly meeting with the full medical staff - first, second and youth teams. On Tuesdays I have
a meeting with the management. I have a meeting with the trainer/manager on a daily basis. Next to deciding who does what, we plan the prevention trainings, blood, physical and other tests.
I use Smartabase to keep my data. [The day also involves] doing the paperwork for the insurance and keeping in touch with the orthopaedic surgeons.
Next to the work at the club I have my private sports medicine practice which I think is very important because I see a lot of pathology there; this gives me a better insight into rare injuries – experience matters.
What causes some teams to pick up more injuries than others; even when playing at similar intensities? Is it purely coincidence or are there other factors involved?
There are multiple reasons. Like Jan Ekstrand shows in his UEFA research the trainer/manager and the way he gives his training is very important to reduce injury rates. Periodisation seems to be the key. This is something we try to give support with to all our medical staff.
We try to do several injury prevention sessions a week and every player has his personal prevention and performance program. We try to monitor as many variables as possible and act if needed. Also, working with top orthopaedic surgeons and a very good revalidation coach is super important.
Can you recall an injury that you found particularly difficult to deal with in your time at KRC Genk?
I had a player once with algoneurodystrophy; it’s a disease that makes other injuries very difficult to heal . After 2 cross-ligament operations he had to end his promising career at young age.
Has a manager ever gone against your advice and risked a player for an important match, or is your word final?
Managers always want a player to play and so does the player. So that makes the role of the doctor very important. I always try the maximum for a player to get fit but I also have to think about his health and the next months and years of his career, so not only short term.
At the end I decide. With a new manager it always gives some problems, but after a while, when they see how I work, they trust me. I’m working with my ninth coach/manager I think (I lost count) and it always works out.
If you were to give one piece of advice to the ordinary person on how to improve performance levels, what would it be?
It all starts with basic fitness. Don’t train blind. Do a test on a treadmill and train with a polar heart-rate monitor.
Where does the future lie in football medicine?
I’m very curious where stem cell treatments will be able to help us and the research about the role of sleep, or how the way to make surgery less invasive is developing.
Football is the most organised sport in the world and with this football medicine is too. So that’s promising!
Dr Stijn consoling Genk’s David Hubert Image: Yorick Jansens
Dr Stijn and his staff treating an injured player Image: Yorick Jansens
30 31
Antonio “Turco” Mohamed’s start to life with Monterrey was far from perfect.
After joining Los Rayados on 16th February 2015, Turco was unable to take Monterrey into the 2015 Clausura play-offs. This was always likely considering Monterrey’s poor start to the 2015 Clausura, but with a full pre-season and an impressive squad, failing to finish in the top eight in the 2015 Apertura was extremely disappointing.
A less patient board may have shown Mohamed the door, but those at the top in Monterrey kept faith in Turco, with his impressive past record at Tijuana and América, where he won league titles, perhaps the reason he kept his job.
Patience from Monterrey’s board has since been rewarded, as Los Rayados dominated the regular stage of the 2016 Clausura, finishing top of the pile with 37 points from 17 games.
Add these points to the 23 picked up in the Apertura, and if the 15/16 Liga MX season was run similarly to the big European leagues, with no play-offs and one competition per season, Monterrey would have been champions.
These are some of the key factors behind Mohamed turning Monterrey into the best side in Liga MX.
Turco Mohamed has regularly switched between tactical systems in the 2016 Clausura. Whilst a variant of a 4-4-2, more like a 4-2-2-2 or 4-2-3-1 in my eyes, has been most commonly used, Turco has also reverted to a 5-1-2-2 at times.
Being able to perform effectively in both four at the back and five at the back formations shows Turco’s impressive ability to train players to be able to execute different tactical systems and is a useful weapon in games where Monterrey are struggling.
For example, switching from a five at the back to four at the back formation at half-time in the game away at América this season saw Monterrey turn a two-one deficit into a three-two lead.
Monterrey's strongest line-up
Monterrey have dealt impressively in the transfer market during Turco Mohamed’s reign. The summer transfer window saw the arrival of three key members of the first team squad; José Maria Basanta, Walter Gargano and Rogelio Funes Mori.
The return of Basanta has added experience and quality to the defence, Gargano’s ball winning and retention abilities at the fulcrum of Monterrey has greatly improved their midfield, whilst Rogelio Funes Mori has filled the target man role that Monterrey lacked last season, scoring 19 league goals in the process.
Despite these signings, Los Rayados weren’t able to make the play-offs in the 2015 Apertura, and that failure was partly due to the gap that often appeared between the midfield and the front three; Funes Mori, Dorlan Pabón and Edwin Cardona.
The solution was to bring in Uruguayan Carlos Sánchez from River Plate. With high technical ability and intelligence, combined with superb lung power, Sánchez has plugged that gap effectively. Sánchez has perhaps been the best player in the 2016 Clausura, contributing an impressive eight goals and eight assists from midfield. Another winter addition, Walter Ayoví, has also improved Monterrey, with the Ecuadorian putting in noteworthy displays at centre-mid and left-back despite now being 36-years-old.
Unsure of how best to fit in Funes Mori, Pabón and Cardona, Turco tried multiple attacking systems in the 2015 Apertura. Despite Monterrey finding the back of the net regularly in the Apertura, 32 goals in 17 games, the attempted systems never looked quite right, and weren’t getting the best out of Los Rayados’ star studded attack. The gap between the midfield and the front three was often an issue, as was the waste of Pabón’s talent and clever movement when he was played on the right-wing.
Sánchez’s arrival in the winter has turned the front three into a front four, and Monterrey’s attack now look much more balanced, with plenty of fluidity and movement as well. Cardona and
Sánchez play on the left and right sides of midfield respectively, but love to drift inside and assert their influence on the game through the middle of the pitch.
There’s no lack of width despite Cardona and Sánchez cutting inside, with full-backs Edgar Castillo and Efraín Juárez providing support from deep, and Pabón often drifting out into the wide positions.
Colombian attacker Pabón has been the main beneficiary from the attacking tactic used in the 2016 Clausura. Playing as a second striker, Pabón has been given the license to roam behind Funes Mori, allowing him to occupy and exploit space on the pitch, particularly the spaces between opposition defences and midfields.
With a strong work ethic and good vision and awareness, Pabón has become a nightmare to mark with a record of eight goals and six assists this Clausura, illustrating his high level of performance.
Although there are still some question marks over whether Cardona’s incredible talents are being fully utilised, that the Colombian would have more influence over games playing in a “number 10” role through the middle rather than on the left, Turco Mohamed has found the best attacking system to benefit his current crop of quality attacking players.
The fluidity, movement and speed of Monterrey’s attacking play has led to Los Rayados topping the goal scoring charts in the Clausura.
Leaving Estadio Tecnológico at the end of last season, home of Monterrey since 1950, was undoubtedly a sad moment for Monterrey fans, but moving to the state of the art Estadio BBVA Bancomer has proven successful so far. As well as increasing attendances and the profile and stature of an ambitious club, Estadio BBVA Bancomer has become somewhat of a fortress this season.
Los Rayados may have lost the final of Liguilla, Liga MX's answer to the play-offs, to Hirving Lozano's Pachuca, but Mohamed's work remains nothing short of sensational this season.
Monterrey's new home Estadio BBVA Bancomer
Goalkeeper Jonathan Orozco plays his part in the team's defence
Thomas Harrison - @tomh_3632 33
Rampant Rayados
CENTE NARIOCOPA AMÉRICAPreview
It’s not just Euro 2016 that football fans have got to look forward to this summer! South America’s premier international competition returns for its 100-year anniversary, being played outside of South America for the first time, with the tournament taking place in the United States – kicking off on 3rd June.
THE FAVOURITESArgentina
It’s rare that a team featuring Lionel Messi will go into a tournament not favourites to win it, Copa América is not one of those unusual situations, as he and his fellow Argentines are the men the bookies are backing to triumph in Copa América Centenario.
It’s been a tale of near misses in recent years for Argentina, having lost the 2014 World Cup final in extra time to Germany, followed by defeat in last year’s Copa America final in a penalty shootout at the hands of then-hosts Chile.
They’ll be hoping for more luck this time around, with all of the regular star names once again likely to feature, could this be the year that Messi and Co. make the trophy their own?
Colombia Copa América Chile was
disappointing for Colombia. They struggled in the group stages, eventually qualifying as
the 2nd best 3rd placed team, before being eliminated by Argentina in the quarter finals, scoring just one goal throughout their time in the tournament.
On the plus side, defender Jeison Murillo won the competition’s Best Young Player award and will feature in this year’s tournament on the back of a solid season with Inter Milan.
La Tricolor’s frontline is likely to be lead by AC Milan’s Carlos Bacca, who found the back of the net 16 times in Serie A this season, with Dortmund’s Adrian Ramos and Juventus’ Juan Cuadrado providing support.
James Rodriguéz will be the man that Colombia look towards to produce something special, central to the nation’s strong 2014 World Cup performance, James earnt a move to Real Madrid in the August following the tournament, but has seen minutes limited under recently appointed Real boss Zinedine Zidane.
An inspiring performance in
the USA could earn himself a place back in Zidane’s plans, or put him in the shop window for a potential move elsewhere.
Chile The reigning Champions
showed the value of performing as a team in their home country last year, triumphing over Messi’s Argentina in the final, but that’s not to say they don’t have star names of their own.
Despite being embroiled in controversy after crashing his car in a drink driving incident, Arturo Vidal was vital to the country’s successes, along with Arsenal’s Alexis Sánchez and last year’s top scorer Eduardo Vargas.
Along with the offensive flair, they have the reigning goalkeeper of the tournament in Claudio Bravo between the sticks, which amounts to a difficult challenge for any side to relinquish the Copa América from Chile’s grasp.
Uruguay With Luis Suárez able to
feature in this year’s Copa América after missing out in 2015 due to his international ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini, the Uruguayans could be back in business.
As the most successful side in the tournament’s history having won 15 titles since its inception, La Celeste certainly know how to triumph against their South American rivals.
They’re likely to opt for a potent strike force of PSG’s Edinson Cavani partnering Suárez, but those playing behind them may be less well known. Aside from Atletico Madrid’s defensive duo Diego Godín and José Giménez, star names aren’t a feature of this Uruguay side.
One to watch is Monterrey’s Carlos Sánchez, who was voted Player of the Year in South America, pipping Boca Junior’s star Carlos Tevez to the title.
Mexico El Tri are Copa America
regulars, having placed 3rd on three occasions and 2nd twice since their first appearance in the competition in 1993.
Although they’ve failed to impress in recent years, a number of their star players are now regulars in some of Europe’s strongest teams.
Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez has been on fire since joining Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, finishing as the Bundesliga’s 4th highest goal scorer behind just Thomas Müller, Robert Lewandowski and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
To accompany Chicharito are the inform Raúl Jimenez, Hector Herrera and Giovani Dos Santos, as well as one of the country’s brightest young talents in Jesus ‘Tecatito’ Corona.
Brazil You may have expected the
Brazilians to be in the favourites band, but with star man Neymar left out of the squad, along with PSG’s defensive pairing of Thiago Silva and David Luiz, as well as Real Madrid full-back Marcelo, their chances aren’t looking too good for the upcoming tournament.
It’s expected that the aforementioned will feature at the Rio Olympics later on in the year and their clubs have ruled them out of playing in both competitions. Dunga’s selections often raise a few eyebrows, having previously opted to freeze Thiago Silva—largely considered one of the best defenders in world football—out of his Brazil squad for World Cup qualification.
Despite the absences, this is still a strong Brazil squad, with Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho likely to feature, joined by Hulk and Chelsea winger Willian.
THE UNDERDOGS
34 35
While Celta Vigo’s improvements may not have been quite as profound as Leicester’s, their gradual climb in La Liga has continued this season. Having finished 8th last season and 9th the season before, Celta set out with the target of qualifying for European football and, thanks to their 6th place finish this season, are in the draw for the Europa League qualifying rounds.
One of the stars of Celta’s 14/15 season was Nolito and he’s carried that form on into Celta’s best campaign of the last decade, but he hasn’t done it alone. Former Liverpool forward Iago Aspas has been alongside Nolito in Os Célticos’ front line, with the two combining to notch up a total of 31 goals and assists between them.
Now a full international for Spain, Nolito has kept up with some of La Liga’s biggest names, despite having spent almost two months out with a hamstring injury. He began his career at Atlético Sanluqueño, scoring 24 goals in 32 appearances, eventually leaving the Andalusias outfit for Écija, where he stayed for two seasons. Following on from his spell at Écija he signed for Barcelona B,
where he was part of the side that won promotion to Spain’s second division. In his time at Barcelona B, he was only called to play for Barcelona on two occasions, against RCD Mallorca and AD Ceuta.
Having become disillusioned with first team opportunities in Catalonia Nolito sealed a move to Benfica, where he stayed for two seasons ahead of signing for Celta Vigo in 2013, linking up once again with his former manager at Barcelona B Luis Enrique. In his 88 appearances with Celta, Nolito has scored a total of 36 goals, cementing his position as the club’s key man.
Iago Aspas has also struggled for first team opportunities at one of Europe’s biggest clubs. Unlike Nolito, Aspas is a player made in Galicia, having come through the youth ranks at Celta before his big move to Liverpool in 2013. The forward, uncapped by Spain, made just 14 league appearances for the Reds and was eventually shipped out on loan to Sevilla, scoring 10 goals in 25 appearances for Los Rojiblancos. Now back at Celta, Aspas has 11 goals and 5 assists to his name this season.
Deadly Du s
Fact Files Iago Aspas Appearances 35
Goals 14Assists 5
Fee £3,980,000
NolitoAppearances 29
Goals 12Assists 7
Fee £1,950,000
THE DARK HORSES
USA The USA are unlikely to pose
any real challenge to win Copa América, but as hosts they may just have the edge over fellow minnows.
A number of European-based players are expected to make an appearance in the tournament, including in-form Dortmund wide-man Christian Pulisic, Geoff Cameron of Stoke City, Borussia Monchengladbach’s Fabian Johnson and Sunderland’s pacey full-back DeAndre Yedlin.
Many USMNT fans have grown disillusioned with Jürgen Klinsmann’s team selections, leaving this tournament as potentially his last chance to win them over given the nation’s struggles in World Cup qualification.
Ecuador It’s been a tough ride for
Ecuador in recent Copa Américas, having not escaped the group stages since 1997.
The squad heading to the USA is likely to be a fairly inexperienced one with Gustavo Quinteros opting to give places on the plane to a large number of both young and Ecuador-based players; however, there will be a few familiar names.
Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia is likely to feature in midfield, along with UNAM Puma’s Fidel Martínez and the trickiest winger in Wales Jefferson Montero. Enner Valencia is expected to start up front for Ecuador having had an indifferent season with West Ham.
Peru Last year’s Copa América
was a resounding success for Peru, with Ricardo Gareca’s side reaching the semi-finals, only to be eliminated by eventual champions Chile.
They went on to win the 3rd place playoff match comfortably, beating Paraguay by two goals to
nil. The tournament’s joint-top scorer Paolo Guerrero is likely to return to the fold, as well as Jefferson Farfan, now of Al Jazira Club in the UAE, Juan Manuel Vargas and Sporting Lisbon’s André Carrillo.
Their impressive performance in the last tournament was partly down to a stout back line featuring Carlos Zambrano, Luis Advíncula and Carlos Ascues. Gareca himself said that the best was yet to come after Copa América Chile, perhaps they can go even further this year.
Group AGroup BGroup CGroup D
36 37
As the surge in popularity of eSports continues, the biggest event in the footballing eSports calendar is the FIFA Interactive World Cup. Thousands of FIFA players come up against each other every year, battling it out to crown a FIFA world champion.
The FIWC2016 final, hosted in New York City, was contested between England’s Shaun Allen and Denmark’s Mohamad Al-Bacha, eventually being won by the latter on away goals after a 2-2 draw in the home leg, followed by a 3-3 draw in the away leg.
Al-Bacha scored 2 goals in the final minutes of the game to snatch a grand prize of £20,000 and two tickets to the Balon d’Or ceremony in 2017. We caught up with the new FIFA World Champion.
Firstly, we saw some pretty emotional scenes in the last minutes of the FIWC final, what does it mean to you to have become champion?
It means everything. It’s the biggest thing you can achieve as a FIFA-player. It is every competitive FIFA-player’s dream to win the FIWC.
You were 3-1 down very late on in the final and managed to claw it back to 3-3, how did you swing the game in your favor?
I just believed in myself. When I got the second goal, I was like; well, I’ve done this before, so why wouldn’t I do it again? I kept believing in myself, I felt I played really well, but I was not getting the last move right, I did it at the end and a game of football is 90 minutes plus stoppage time, not 88 minutes.
What got you into thinking about playing FIFA professionally; at what point did you realise it was something you could make money from?
Well, I saw how much money I could make from it - the prize pools were quite big at some events. I started winning events and from there on I’ve been making a lot of money on it.
How has life been since the final? Has anyone recognised you in public or have you met any celebrities?
Well it has changed a bit. I was at a LAN-party today and I could see people talking about this [the FIFA Interactive World Cup], and people really wants to have interviews with me and stuff like that, but I’m calm and I will always be like that.
I want to be myself and just be a calm guy. I’ve been really busy in the days after the FIWC, but I’m just taking it with a smile.
Do you have any tips for the casual FIFA player looking to improve their skills?
Just improve and improve, and learn everything you can about this game. Practice makes perfect, just keep believing in yourself and never give up at any stage of your career.
Where can we keep up with the new FIWC Champ?
Follow me on twitter @mobacha_, my Facebook page Mohamad ‘’Bacha’’ Al-Bacha and I will start streaming soon on my twitch channel, but I am planning to make a new account, so keep updated on my channels.
What does the future hold for FIFA as an eSport and yourself, as a competitor?
FIFA is definitely growing as you see year after year and I’m looking forward to seeing how 2016 is going to be for FIFA as an eSport.
As a competitor, I just hope it is going to grow and it will make us competitive players hungrier and ready to compete, because this is what we love!
MOHAMAD AL-BACHAWe meet... THE ULTIMATE
FOOTBALL QUIZ1. In what year was Michael
Owen inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame?
2. Which European football club is nicknamed Zebrette (The Little Zebras)?
3. Which Spanish midfielder made 132 appearances for Sampdoria before moving to the Premier League?
4. In 2015, what position did Liverpool sit in a ranking of the world's most valuable football clubs?
5. Ahmed Hassan and Aly Ghazal play their football in Portugal, but from which nation do they hail?
6. Wissam Ben Yedder recently became the record goalscorer for which French club?
7. Which Scottish club plays at Almondvale?
8. Which South American footballer spent a portion of his club career at Tampa Bay Mutiny, Miami Fusion and Colorado Rapids?
9. Which Australian former-Liverpool player is head coach of Watford's U21s?
10. Jay-Jay Okocha is uncle to which young Premier League star?
11. Figure 1. is the logo for which national football team?
12. José Mourinho will take charge of the English team in 2016's Soccer Aid, but who will be tinkering in the Rest of the World dugout?
13. Figure 2. is a photograph of which then-Swansea, now Tottenham defender?
14. Name one of the PSV goalscorers as they secured the Eredivisie title at PEC Zwolle in early May.
15. Hungarian football club Újpest are owned by Roland Duchâtelet, which English club is Duchâtelet the majority stakeholder of?
16. Who did Arsenal legend Tony Adams say he would most like to have played with from the current Gunners squad?
17. Which side wore the kit in Figure 3. for the 2009/10 season?
18. Which Chinese defender score 3 goals for Manchester City between 2002 and 2008?
19. Who has held the record for most goals scored in a single World Cup tournament since 1958?
20. Air Force Central, Army United, Navy and Port are football clubs from which Southeast Asian country?
21. Hjaduk Split are a football club based in which European country?
22. The stadium in Figure 4. belongs to which German football club?
23. Poland international Kamil Grosicki played alongside Ousmane Dembélé at which club?
24. Jong Tae-Se, affectionately known as 'The People's Rooney', is an international footballer for which country?
25. Which footballer of Kosovar descent scored his first Premier League goal in Watford's 2-0 victory over Stoke in October 2015?
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4Answers on page ??38 39
OUSMANEDEMBÉLÉ
France’s conveyer belt of tremendous talent just seems to keep on churning lately. If Anthony Martial, Paul Pogba, Kingsley Coman, Raphaël Varane and Nabil Fekir weren’t enough, it seems as though Les Blues have another potentially world class player on their hands.
It’s been a breakthrough season for Rennes’ young forward Ousmane Dembélé, contributing to 17 goals in 25 games for the Brittany-based club. Dembélé has been with Rennes since 2010, having climbed through the youth ranks into Rennes II for the 2014 season scoring 13 goals in 22 games.
He followed that up by progressing into the first team and announcing himself with a debut goal against Bordeaux in a 2-2 draw at Roazhon Park.
Having recently won Ligue 1’s most promising player of the year, Dembélé’s talents are certainly being recognized in his home country, but it’s not just the French that acknowledge his potential.
The Vernon-born 18-year-old has attracted attention from some of Europe’s biggest clubs with Bayern Munich, Barcelona and newly crowned Premier League Champions Leicester City all expressing their interest.
Not forgetting that Liverpool and Manchester United have all been rumoured to be keeping tabs on him. Unfortunately for those clubs, it was Borussia Dortmund who acted quickest, swooping to seal the signature of Dembélé until 2021 in mid-May.
Like Anthony Martial, his close control and
fast feet allow him to cruise beyond defenders, ranking joint-3rd for the most dribbles of any player in Europe’s top five leagues, level with Neymar and only trailing Sofiane Boufal and Hatem Ben Arfa. Lionel Messi ranks 6th, while Dembélé’s fellow Frenchman Kinglsey Coman lies in 7th place.
Ousmane’s development is being propelled as he feels the weight of responsibility on his shoulders leading a fairly young Rennes side, with Chelsea’s on loan midfielder Jérémie Boga, as well Paul-Georges Ntep, another talented, young Frenchman, both looking to garner a similar amount of interest as Dembélé.
This pressure will help build Dembélé’s character, an opportunity he’d be unlikely to get were he to have been bled through the youth system of a club like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Juventus.
Despite Dembélé’s incredible season, Euro 2016 is likely to be a bit too soon for him – which is no slight on his ability given the quality of France’s squad – instead it’s expected that he’ll continue playing with France’s under-21s.
There’s no doubt the forward is going to play a big part in both Dortmund’s and France’s future, all that remains to be seen is just how far he can go in the professional game.
ONE FOR THE FUTURE
40 41
THE ULTIMATEFOOTBALL QUIZ
ANSWERS1. 20142. Udinese3. Pedro Obiang4. 8th5. Egypt6. Toulouse7. Livingstone8. Carlos Valderrama9. Harry Kewell
10. Alex Iwobi11. Ukraine12. Claudio Ranieri13. Ben Davies14. Jürgen Locadia &
Luuk de Jong15. Charlton Athletic16. Jack Wilshere17. Fenerbahce
18. Sun Jihai19. Just Fontaine20. Thailand21. Croatia22. VfB Stuttgart23. Stade Rennais24. North Korea25. Almen Abdi
WINFor your chance to win a signed photo
of Watford star Almen Abdi, we want you to tell us which team he scored his second Premier League goal against. To submit your answer, email or tweet us at the links below:
@WorldFootballMg
WIN To celebrate the upcoming Euro 2016 tournament, we're giving away an England programme signed by Arsenal star Danny Welbeck! Tweet us @WorldFootballMg with
'#DWelbz' for your chance to win.
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