From the publisher:
In this issue, you’ll see that we have devoted 27 pages to “The Greatness Factor”, a celebration of football’s all-time best players–who’s undisputed? who’s nearly there? and who just might be one day? We kick it off with an intimate and compelling appreciation of Pelé, who’ll be 80 this year, by Eight by Eight’s writer-at-large, David Hirshey.
Lucy Bronze, widely regarded one the world’s top three female footballers, has a newfound prominence after starring in last year’s World Cup run with England. We caught up with Bronze in Lyon, home of her extraordinarily successful club side, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin. Photographer Roger Neve’s stunning images of Bronze enjoying life in the beautiful French city offer a completely different feeling to her all-business persona on the field.
The Watford striker, Troy Deeney, spoke to us candidly about the difficulties he faced overcoming alcoholism and depression, and offered his thoughtful advice on how leaders within the sport could improve its handling of racism.
Every great team is depicted as being on the verge of crisis if they don’t smash their opponents week in, week out. Those are the rules of football, and they don’t apply only to Real Madrid. What isn’t true of every other winning team, however, is the indifference shown to their success. Even as Zinedine Zidane’s Los Blancos hover in second place in La Liga, the lack of a clear on-field strategy continues to frustrate their fans.
Most of us haven’t a clue what Wilfried Zaha is like as a person. Certainly he’s complicated, but in his long career, he’s been capable of turning a game with one moment of sheer brilliance. We travelled to South London, where Zaha has lived most of life, to find out what makes him tick. We were relieved to find him relaxed, smiling and ready for his next challenge.
Other highlights in the new issue include: The 50 most important people in football, Pep Guardiola on the prowl, the 20 richest football clubs, and the heartbreaking story of Hungarian star, István Tóth, who was executed by the Nazis in 1945.
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