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From the Assistant Editor
Jimmy Greaves
Statistics can never fully encapsulate the magic of a footballer‘s talents; the way they moved, the joy they brought to fans, or the influence they had on the game. Still, when discussing players who were at the peak of their powers before the prevalence of TV cameras, sometimes it‘s the best we can do.
And the numbers behind the career of Jimmy Greaves are truly astonishing: 44 goals in just 57 England caps; a record 357 English top–flight goals; Tottenham‘s record scorer, with 266 goals, and 132 in just 169 games for Chelsea. Without doubt, the stats don‘t lie: Greaves was one of the most gifted forwards this country has ever produced.
Fortunately though, we don‘t have to rely on just numbers. Keir Radnedge bore witness to the great man’s career and, following the legendary forward‘s recent death, pays fitting tribute to it in our latest issue.
Strikers remain a theme throughout this issue. Following his explosive start to life at Roma, Tammy Abraham’s story is told by Nick Bidwell; Oluwashina Okeleji assesses Kelechi Iheanacho’s remarkable journey and impressive year, and Robert Lewandowski sits down with World Soccer after collecting his European Golden Shoe award for the 2020-21 season.
As usual we have the regular round–up of remarkable stories from around the world – from Sheriff Tiraspol and their incredible Champions League run, to Ghanaian side Hearts of Oak and their double-winning campaign, as well as Brazil‘s dominance of South America‘s club competitions – plus loads more.
Jamie Evans, Assistant Editor
Contents
THE WORLD THIS MONTH
People in the news…on and off the pitch
4 In pictures
12 On the radar
13 Jim Holden Champions League upsets
14 Keir Radnedge Football calendar rethink
16 Jonathan Wilson The Manchester Derby
18 Tom Saintfiet AFCON guest columnist
19 ESM XI
20 Ins & Outs and Obituaries
HEADLINERS
22 Sheriff Tiraspol
24 Mario Gotze
25 Stoycho Mladenov & Stanimir Stoilov
26 Amir Abdou
27 Didier Drogba
28 Jamaica
29 Dynamo Kiev
EYEWITNESS
30 Ghana
34 Germany
FACE TO FACE
56 Robert Lewandowski
60 Milan Borjan
64 Claude Le Roy
FEATURES
38 Player Biography Tammy Abraham
46 Jimmy Greaves Tribute
50 Kelechi Iheanacho
54 Talent Scout Top-flight Rookies
66 Special Report Loanee planet
70 6 Of The Best Loanees
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
72 NWSL scandal
MY BIGGEST GAME
98 Emmanuel Petit
WORLD SERVICE
Exclusive reports from our worldwide network of correspondents
79 Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps
80 UEFA Nations League finals
82 South America Copa Libertadores & Copa Sudamericana semi-final reviews
84 Africa CAF Champions League preliminaries
86 Philippines
