WEMBLEY STADIUM — “Spygate!” a Middlesbrough fan shouts at his mates on Wembley Way while half-hidden in a bush.

The group crack up, the surrealness of this day translating to giddy excitement, as though they’re all up past their bedtime, their parents yet to spy the clock.

Spygate, aka one man behind a tree with his phone, is the reason Boro are here to face Hull City in this Championship play-off final and why Southampton are not.

There has never been a build-up like this in 40 years of the play-offs. “Challenging and overshadowed by events off the pitch,” is how English Football League chair Rick Parry put it in the match programme.

Quite.

“It doesn’t feel real, this,” another passing Middlesbrough supporter says. The sight of thousands descending on this stadium is an arresting sight on any given matchday, but for a final your side weren’t even playing in as recently as four days ago? That disbelief reaches a whole new level.

Holidays, weddings, anything but watching this match. Any previous Bank Holiday plans were rendered irrelevant now one match stood between their team and the Premier League, and you didn’t need binoculars to see the joy on Boro faces.

This was a bonus, and they weren’t going to let the occasion pass them by, nor forget how they got here.

Boro were riding on the high of a remarkable reprieve having lost their semi-final to Southampton before the Saints were expelled for cheating, found to have spied on numerous Championship rivals – including Boro – this season.

Hull City meanwhile were the lesser-spotted innocent team in all this. They had reached the final fair and square back on 11 May, beating Millwall, and it would be eight days before learning they would in fact face Boro and another day before Saints’ appeal was rejected.

A fixture with so much riding on it only confirmed on Wednesday. A final that has evolved into the £200m game, and here were Boro chasing that ultimate prize on the back of a three-game winless run.

Just as bizarre was the realisation this scandal might not be over if Boro won. The prospect of legal action had been exclusively reported by The i Paper on Tuesday.

So to kick-off – 90, 120 or more minutes away from a result that may still be contested.

Hull were looking to become the first sixth-placed side to earn promotion via the play-offs since Blackpool in 2010, and though rightful finalists it was still unexpected 12 months on from surviving relegation on goal difference.

They had defied stats and expectation to get here. They boasted the worst defence of any top-half Championship side this season, and had won just one of their final seven games before the play-offs, but they were then watertight against Millwall.

Here, Hull were up against it early on. With both teams attacking towards their own fans in the first half, Boro were in the ascendancy, dominating possession as many thought they would.

Read more

Premier League: Sunderland relegated and Thomas Frank the hero: Our worst takes of the season

Kevin Garside: England can forget winning the World Cup with this squad

The biggest chances for both came just before half-time, with Oli McBurnie’s header hitting the bar for Hull before David Strelec shot a whisker wide.

It wasn’t a thriller, but this fixture rarely is given what’s at stake – there were 22 goals in the previous 14 Championship play-off finals. All that mattered was that one moment as the game began to stretch in the 29C heat.

That moment arrived in the 95th minute, with extra time beckoning but never coming as McBurnie pounced on to the loose ball and sent the Hull side of Wembley into dreamland.

"Oli McBurnie, he's got the EYE OF THE TIGER!" pic.twitter.com/mbu5sxtTVc

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 23, 2026

McBurnie had unfinished business in the Premier League, he told The i Paper earlier this month, and now he was scoring the decisive goal to get them there after Boro goalkeeper Sol Brynn fumbled the ball in his direction.

The scenes on the pitch, the delight and despair in the stands, are what play-offs are really about, not scandals. Now Hull are going up, Spygate can’t taint that. The easiest outcome for the EFL has the Tigers roaring their way back to the north-east, and back to the promised land for the first time since 2017.

Cut to scenes of Ilicali hugging loved ones up high in a Wembley box. His summer is just beginning – and his lawyers can take it off.

from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/gUz4efj

There are no certainties in football but some of our pre-season predictions have aged like milk.

With the season drawing to a close, our writers look back at their most questionable calls.

I got everything wrong

By Daniel Storey, chief football writer

I picked all three promoted clubs to go, which was thick. I predicted Liverpool to win the league, which was thick. I predicted Maxim De Cuyper to be the signing of the season, because I tried to be a hipster and was thick.

Liverpool champions

By Kevin Garside, chief sports correspondent

Fooled by Liverpool’s conquest of the summer transfer window. The overhaul was too disruptive. Florian Wirtz struggled with the tempo of the Premier League, Alexander Isak never got going, Jeremie Frimpong was lost somewhere between right-back and wing and Milos Kerkez was not trusted by Arne Slot. Only Hugo Ekitike hit the mark. Add in the decline of Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool did well to avoid Chelsea’s dysfunctional fate.

Sunderland to go down

By Michael Hincks, sports writer

Through the gap in my fingers I noted my August prediction had Brentford finishing 16th and Chelsea coming fourth. Worse though was putting Sunderland 20th. Hindsight makes it easy to be critical, but I realise I had not fully appreciated the transformational work of Black Cats owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus. Sunderland were not merely another promoted club destined to go back down – as had been the case the previous two campaigns for all three teams – but snatching their Premier League place in the play-off final blinkered me into thinking, lazily, that they would go straight back down.

Thomas Frank to finish top eight

By Kat Lucas, football news editor

The hill I will die on is that this would not have been quite such a faux pas had Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison not been out for his entire reign. And yet – I believed Frank would bring the missing ingredients defensively that deserted Spurs in the final days of Ange Postecoglou. What I underestimated was the extent to which Brentford’s processes had helped foster a magic formula there – one that was never going to translate at Tottenham.

Liverpool’s ‘all-timer of a window’

By Mark Douglas, northern football correspondent

Scrolling through my WhatsApp messages for a story last week, I spotted one that said “Richard Hughes has had an all-timer of a window”. I know I wasn’t the only one who got this so badly wrong but what looked like Liverpool genius has turned out to be an absolute shocker.

How could the self-styled smartest guys in the room not notice the trend towards a more muscular brand of football? Or that signing talent only works if you get character to match? Alexander Isak deserved to fail for his conduct. Liverpool should have discouraged it but didn’t – and paid the price. Arne Slot seems to think one window will correct it but they look absolutely miles off it.

Man Utd should have appointed Frank

By Pete Hall, north-west football correspondent

As a Manchester United supporter, I was somewhat jealous when Tottenham moved quickly for Thomas Frank. I really felt United had missed out on a tactical flexible manager who could do great things at Spurs. From the press box at the Etihad in August, as Tottenham played Manchester City off the park, I was totally sold. That was as good as it got.

Read more

• Daniel Storey: Arsenal took your hate and won the title with it
• Kat Lucas: The four ways Arteta transformed Arsenal from bottlers to champions

from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/16nmYvX

After all the noise, the sad social media posts and the slightly overblown announcement, can we all agree on one thing at least?

None – if any – of those who dropped out of the squad would have been starters when England’s campaign kicks off in Dallas against Croatia on 17 June. Some might not have got even a minute over the seven weeks Thomas Tuchel hopes his England team are in North America.

But that doesn’t mean there’s no decisions to make. Three stick out: centre-back, left side of a forward three and right-back. Here’s the formula to unlock England.

Jordan Pickford

For the first time before a tournament there might actually be a case for a new keeper given Pickford’s recent form has been fairly ordinary. James Trafford has played well when given an opportunity and is the future. But Pickford has big game, big tournament experience so gets the nod.

Reece James

If fit, England have one of the best right-backs in the world in James – whose dead-ball prowess also gives him an edge over his rivals. Tino Livramento worries me as his understudy – his form and fitness have been iffy, to say the least.

John Stones

He might not have played much but he’s the natural partner for Guehi in the centre of defence if he’s over his fitness issues. In fact, he’ll be coming in fairly rested. Has never let England down and in the heat, his comfort in possession could be an asset.

Marc Guehi

One of four automatic picks in the side. Consistently good for club and country, absolute no-brainer.

Nico O’Reilly

There is always a player who breaks out in a World Cup cycle and O’Reilly is one. Even as recently as November I thought Lewis Hall would swipe the left-back slot (he can count himself very unlucky not to be in the squad) but O’Reilly has the game understanding and ability to make the competition his own.

Elliot Anderson

I’m not quite as sold on Anderson as everyone else for the attacking midfield role but he’s been brilliant over the course of the season and a straightforward qualifying campaign. Against the world’s best I still think there’s a question mark over him, which might make for fascinating viewing.

Declan Rice

I sometimes think Rice is asked to play within himself for England, where he’s primarily a holding midfielder. He has a different role with Arsenal and plays better for them. But he’s so ego-free, he’ll do it for England.

Marcus Rashford

This was Anthony Gordon’s position – and then Bayern Munich came along. Sorry, I can’t understand the agreement Newcastle have come to with Gordon where he has played once since March.

If it’s club-led, Gordon should be telling them he needs to perform. If it’s Gordon-led, he can’t complain that Rashford – who ended the season well with Barcelona – is the choice.

Jude Bellingham

Come on, who else? I like Morgan Rogers and he’ll keep Bellingham on his toes but Jude’s Jude. The argument that he has too much ego for an England side he’s frequently saved with stellar performances doesn’t wash. If we’re to go deep, we need him.

Bukayo Saka

His return to form is timely. In terms of attacking impact he’s done it for England across several tournaments and his workrate and discipline are underrated.

Read more

• Kevin Garside: England can forget winning the World Cup with this squad
• Bobby Manzi: The reasons behind Adam Wharton’s controversial World Cup snub

Harry Kane

You’d get hauled into the Tower of London for dropping Kane but – and stick with me here – I do have concerns. At Euro 2024 he looked jaded and barely made an impact. In the heat of the US, can he press as England need him to?

But he’s the best goalscorer England have had for a generation and scores even when not playing well. I just hope Tuchel’s given more thought to building a team to get the best of Kane than Gareth Southgate did two years ago.

from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/Lt13NZP

Thomas Tuchel has been bold with some surprise names included and omitted from his 26-man England squad for this summer’s World Cup.

Tuchel has said he would be willing to drop the most talented players if it was right for the team, but the decision to leave Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire and Phil Foden at home is especially daring – proof that the German is willing to stand by his forthright words.

In-form Morgan Gibbs-White is unfortunate to miss out, while Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton is another surprise absentee. Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is named, with Saudi-based Ivan Toney possibly the most staggering inclusion. Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah and Newcastle defender Dan Burn keep Maguire out.

England squad in full

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, James Trafford, Dean Henderson

Defenders: Marc Guehi, Dan Burn, Jarell Quansah, Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Tino Livramento, Reece James, Nico O’Reilly, Djed Spence

Midfielders: Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Elliot Anderson, Jordan Henderson, Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze

Forwards: Noni Madueke, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney, Bukayo Saka.

The 7 biggest calls

• Harry Maguire – Out
• Kobbie Mainoo – In
• Djed Spence – In
• Ivan Toney – In
• Cole Palmer – Out
• Phil Foden – Out
• Trent Alexander-Arnold – Out

Other notable omissions: Lewis Hall, Morgan Gibbs-White, Adam Wharton, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Danny Welbeck, Levi Colwill, Fikayo Tomori, Luke Shaw, Jarrod Bowen.

Tuchel has got this badly wrong

This squad has certainly got people talking. Some huge calls from a manager famed for not being afraid to upset the applecart.

While on the face of it, leaving generational talents like Foden and Palmer at home appears a seismic move, both have been out of form for too long for their lack of influence to be easily rectified in a few World Cup group games.

Of the most stellar names to miss out, 66-cap Maguire, one of Manchester United’s most consistent players this term, is the one Tuchel has got badly wrong.

When Maguire sat down with journalists at St George’s Park in March, the thrill of being back in the England fold for the last set of friendlies was etched all over his face. He beamed with pride at being recalled. The fact, after so many caps, it still meant this much to him was heartwarming to witness.

Maguire should not only be in the squad, he could easily have started against Croatia on 17 June. His leadership on and off the pitch is vital and is a key reason United executives were so desperate to tie the 33-year-old up to a new contract.

Read more

• Our writers’ Player of the Year: Bruno Fernandes, Antoine Semenyo, David Raya
• Daniel Storey: Arsenal took your hate and won the title with it

He openly admitted in March that he had changed with age to focus solely on the team and not on the individual. Maguire insisted he would be willing to go to the US and play one minute of action all tournament – if he could still help the team in any way, perhaps even offering younger charges advice, he would.

In a tournament that could come down to goals from set pieces, as knockout football often does, Maguire offers more aerial threat than any of his counterparts too.

For a nation that has produced many in the pantheon of central defensive greats, this is arguably the weakest group in English footballing history. Maguire’s absence makes a mediocre set of options look worryingly short.

from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/JmzMOy4

The season is almost over, so what better time to think about the Player of the Year awards?

Arsenal were crowned Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years, while Manchester City won their second Women’s Super League title in club history.

We asked our football writers to make a case for who they think deserve the glory.

Kevin Garside, chief sports correspondent

Men’s Player of the Year: Bruno Fernandes

Manchester United’s outstanding contributor since his arrival in 2020, Fernandes has embroidered every season with his class. The difference this time is an improved squad responding to his orchestral prompts. A record 21 assists, can’t argue with that.

Women’s Player of the Year: Khadija Shaw

Shaw fills a Manchester City shirt with the same prolific presence as Erling Haaland, scoring 21 goals in 22 appearances. There are many reasons why City climbed the summit again for the first time in a decade, but arguably none are as significant as the fit and functioning Jamaican.

Daniel Storey, chief football writer

Men’s Player of the Year: David Raya

My Player of the Year, as described so eloquently here, is David Raya. If he were an attacking player I reckon that he would be heavy favourite because he has changed Arsenal matches like nobody else. So he deserves it.

Women’s Player of the Year: Khadija Shaw

In the WSL, Manchester City were so dominant that there is no other choice but “Bunny” Shaw. Top scorer, piss-taker and the one that got away, if City let her leave.

Pete Hall, north-west football correspondent

Player of the Year: Bruno Fernandes

Easiest decision I’ve made in my entire career. The Manchester United skipper has been playing a different sport to everyone else this season. Just look at the chances-created numbers, if you think that is hyperbolic in any way. Having carried this fallen giant for years, Fernandes somehow keeps getting even better. A great person off the pitch, too.

Women’s Player of the Year: Alessia Russo

Another stellar season for Alessia Russo, who contributes so much more than goals for Arsenal. A third successive season reaching double figures in front of goal, along with six WSL assists, is no accident for a player who has shown an ability to drag Arsenal through some difficult moments on her own this season.

Mark Douglas, northern football correspondent

Men’s Player of the Year: Antoine Semenyo

First the mitigation: Arsenal are the best team in the land but their story is one of collective brilliance. Bruno Fernandes? Forgive me but it’s easy to look good in a team with no European commitments that got knocked out of both Cups early.

It’s Semenyo for me – who not only won the FA Cup with the best goal in a final for many a year but also played a huge part in Bournemouth’s brilliant campaign. His conduct during the Man City transfer was exemplary, and he has made a massive difference at the Etihad.

Women’s Player of the Year: Khadija Shaw

Sorry to be predictable, but she’s got the goals and now the WSL medal to back it up. Manchester City’s dominance is in large part down to Shaw’s 21 goals, and no one can really touch her when it comes to influence.

City should move heaven and earth to keep her.

Read more

• Daniel Storey: Arsenal took your hate and won the title with it
• Tim Stillman: I met my wife through Arsenal – this title win means everything to us

Michael Hincks, sports writer

Men’s Player of the Year: Bruno Fernandes

I am willing to board the hype train because of how much Fernandes has carried Manchester United to the Champions League, whereas Declan Rice and Erling Haaland feel like obvious, but not entirely outstanding, picks from greater collective efforts. That makes this a backhanded compliment; an award to the one-man team that is Bruno United.

Women’s Player of the Year: Khadija Shaw

A third-straight Golden Boot has been followed by the first of what the Jamaican has craved since joining Manchester City in 2021, the Women’s Super League title. Few deserve it more than one of the world’s best strikers.

from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/3gRJGYm

Newcastle United have recruited a rising Silicon Valley star as they accelerate plans to build a data department they hope can rival the Premier League’s best.

The i Paper can reveal that Kaustubh Deshpande, a 26-year-old AI specialist who has joined from top US tech firm Scale AI, began work at the club’s Benton training base last week. Deshpande’s route into the Premier League is not the usual path travelled – he graduated from UCLA with a masters in applied statistics before going to work in Silicon Valley – but there is satisfaction at the club that they have been able to attract a rising tech star to the North East.

Newcastle fought hard to get a work visa for Deshpande. The i Paper understands he is set to be joined by a second data specialist early in the summer as part of a new “vision” for the club.

Sporting director Ross Wilson, who was part of a Southampton set-up that pioneered the use of data a decade ago with their “black box” that continuously monitored potential targets, has worked with technical director Sudarshan Gopaladesikan on the strategy. It has the enthusiastic support of majority owners PIF, with data having been part of conversations at the recent Matfen Hall “off-site” summit.

Club sources have stressed that the appointments should be viewed as part of a plan to “build foundations” around the use of data at Newcastle rather than a short-term fix ahead of the next summer transfer window.

It comes alongside significant investment in scouting networks with Newcastle recently creating new roles to monitor youth markets in areas like the Balkans, Croatia and Southern Europe. The Magpies, it is being stressed, will continue to lean heavily on having expert eyes on every potential target.

Deshpande’s job will focus on recruitment but he is not a scout. He will not be finding the next Malick Thiaw or Sandro Tonali for Eddie Howe but he will help build systems and software that could give Newcastle a cutting edge when it comes to evaluating potential targets.

How Newcastle will use AI

Both new hires are about giving Newcastle deeper knowledge of the transfer market and crunching the numbers in a way that makes the almost endless amount of data out there more accessible. AI, for example, can be harnessed to accurately predict performance, injury risk or tactical fit – but it requires real experts to make that actually work in practice.

The i Paper understands that the club have already developed complex algorithms that quickly match players from around the world with their unique style of play but are keen to go much further.

Deshpande would be well-placed to help Newcastle develop their own ChatGPT-style chatbot that would allow the football and scouting department to ask quick questions of complex data.

Want a Bundesliga left-back under 24 who averages four progressive carries per game? Imagine a tool that crunches reams of data to create that shortlist in seconds. That is the sort of thing that could be coming to Newcastle in the near future. And sources insist that is just the tip of a very deep iceberg.

His arrival appears to be a sign of the direction the club is moving in. Just this week Newcastle announced a £30m investment in the existing training ground, stadium and pitch – and that will be matched by recruitment efforts centred around overhauling the squad.

There was a changing of the guard feel at St James’ Park last weekend as Kieran Trippier and Emil Krafth moved on and Howe admitted there may be a “freshness” about the squad that starts next season. But behind the scenes, new roles are being appointed and existing departments are being reshuffled.

As The i Paper reported earlier this month, former loans manager Shola Ameobi is changing roles and there will be a review of the department by Wilson.

Howe appeared to confirm on Sunday that the club’s long-serving head of medical Dr Paul Catterson is departing Newcastle at the end of the campaign too – seemingly for a new job with the Premier League.

The transfers it could lead to

The i Paper gave Analytics FC – a data-driven sports consultancy used by leading Premier League clubs and across Europe – a commission to go and find under-the-radar talent who are affordable and fit their needs through the spine of the team.

Strikers

Mohamed Kader Meite (Al-Hilal)

“He’s raw but profiles superbly as a quick, high energy striker with great off ball movement. Registration rules or squad bloat might mean both parties would be open it,” says Alex Stewart,

Fisnik Asllani (Hoffenheim)

Stewart admits he is a ‘left-field’ shout but has “a high shot volume, is tall striker with superb defensive output and clever creativity”.

Promise David (Union Saint Gilloise)

Stewart says he is “unproven but has the raw tools – and the sign-off of USG’s excellent scouting department – to prosper”.

Midfielders

Nicolo Fagioli (Fiorentina)

We asked for Tonali replacements if he goes – Analytics FC reckon he could be an upgrade, offering more in terms of passing.

Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest)

“The gold standard” is what Stewart calls him. The £100m-rated signing would surely only sign for Newcastle, though, if they sold bit.

Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart)

Not as defensively strong as Tonali but would give Newcastle a different profile. “He gives more ball progression from a screening six role, and can carry through a press,” Stewart explains.

James Garner (Everton)

“Stability, work-rate and a decent dead ball ability,” says Stewart. Recently capped for England.

Read more

• Mark Douglas: The awkward conversation Newcastle need to have this summer
• Pete Hall: Aston Villa and Newcastle lead four-way race for £40m goalkeeper

Goalkeepers

Diant Ramaj (Borussia Dortmund)

Was on loan at struggling Heidenheim but has impressed. “Long distribution is excellent and he’s a great one v one ‘keeper,” says Stewart.

Kayne van Oevelen (FC Volendam)

“A 6ft 7ins Dutch keeper with excellent passing skills, he looks like a decent prospect,” says Stewart.

from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/MbwsYvB

After Arsenal’s win over Burnley on Monday evening, I went back and forth on how to watch Bournemouth vs Manchester City. My friends who I go to games with had long since resolved that they would watch the game together in Islington. That’s the thing about going to lots of football games, you are always planning, scheming even. You always have your eye on the ramifications.

I resolved to watch it at home. I will be at Selhurst Park on Sunday and I will be in Budapest next week. My wife and my five-year-old daughter won’t be with me at those games. If the good thing was going to happen, I wanted to be at home with my family. And if the good thing didn’t happen, well, I could just go to bed and shrug it off and contemplate yet more grey hairs sprouting from my temples on the final day.

I met my wife through Arsenal but she had yet to experience a league title victory. A member of my immediate family has been at every coronation game since 1953. She was at my side at the 2015 and 2017 FA Cup finals. We watched the 2020 FA Cup final together while she was in labour. Our daughter was born 20 hours after the final whistle blew at Wembley.

Watching Arsenal this season has been an exercise in cardiovascular discipline. Arsenal have won 18 games by the odd goal this season. They have been behind by more than one goal for less than 30 minutes of the entire campaign. Nearly every game has been in the balance. Add to that, watching the team you are competing with for the league title and willing their opponents on. That is a lot of nervous energy to expend.

The instant the match kicked off, my heart rate climbed. I was at West Ham last weekend and if the heart really is a muscle, the four minute stoppage-time VAR check ought to have built supreme endurance levels. My wife and I watched this game and tutted and swore and kicked every ball. When Eli Junior Kroupi scored at the end of the first half, it’s incredible that our daughter remained asleep as we celebrated.

The second half was torture, just as Arsenal’s nervy second-half display against Burnley, which we were both at, had been 24 hours previously. Just at the point we had begun to relax and enjoy the inevitable, Erling Haaland scored with 90 seconds remaining. It was typical of Arsenal’s season that we simply could not be allowed to enjoy the run-up to the final whistle and the end of 22 years of hurt. We had to white knuckle it. Again.

The whistle finally blew and I just wept. I knew I would, there was no pretence. I had been in the press box 12 months ago when Arsenal Women won the Champions League in Lisbon. If I couldn’t keep it together in a place of work, there was simply no chance I would be able to keep a lid on it in my own home.

My wife and I met as a direct consequence of this football club. What’s more, she is from Brazil and only through the true globality of the Arsenal fan base and the immediacy of digital communication was that possible. The last time we watched Arsenal win a trophy together, she was undergoing induction and my breathing was probably just as laboured as hers.

Our daughter was asleep upstairs, so we could not scream and shout or run into the street. On this occasion, we did what most other Arsenal fans did. We sat on the sofa with a glass of wine in hand and watched footage roll in from all around the world. The Arsenal fanbase is a much more global phenomenon than it was in 2004 when I watched us win the league at White Hart Lane.

We looked on as the streets filled around Emirates Stadium, as fans desperate for company took trains, buses and hastily hired and discarded lime bikes to experience the moment with their fellow fan. 22 years of hurt expelled in an instant and the deep, primal instinct for companionship manifested itself on the streets of N5.

Read more

• Daniel Storey: Arsenal took your hate and won the title with it
• Kat Lucas: The four ways Arteta transformed Arsenal from bottlers to champions

But not just in London, we watched as videos rolled in from Africa, Asia and America. We watched as the Botswana government clarified there would be no public holiday for its citizens. We watched the whole world convulse under the weight of our collective happiness.

The last time Arsenal did this was a generation ago, I was 22 years old and several pounds lighter than I am now. I hadn’t met my wife, I didn’t have my daughter, I hadn’t begun to forge my career, I didn’t even have regular access to the internet. They say the past is a different country but 2004 feels like a different galaxy.

This feels so much bigger than it did then and that’s simply because it matters to more people and we all have access to one another on a daily basis. Football has taught me many lessons, chief among them is the power of perspective but also the power of memory. Because when you experience euphoria and you reflect on it in subsequent years, it’s more than just a memory. You feel that joy again.

from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/DUZck3q