AUSTRALIAN April 2018 fourfourtwo.com.au MBAPPE - WINKS - KLUIVERT MEET THE NEW BREED OF WORLDBEATERS + CAN ANYONE STOP THE MATILDAS AT THE 2018 ASIAN CUP? WHY THE WORLD FEARS US.. Win 2 Tickets To The 2018 FIFA World ™ Cup Russia Plus many more prizes up for grabs!* For your chance to win purchase any Hisense product at a participating retailer register at hisense com au/worldcup competition and tell us in *Ends 15 April 2018 11:55 PM AEST. Entry is open to Australian residents aged 18 years+ who have a valid Australian passport with 12 months validity and hold no criminal record. One entry per purchase. One prize per person. Entrants must be available to travel so they can be in Russia from 15 June 2018 to 27 June 2018 (travel dates determined by Promoter). Major prize is a 13 days/12 nights Follow Australia package for two people (the winner and one travel companion aged 18 years or older) to the 2018 FIFA World Cup™, valued at up to $24,000 depending on the winner’s place of departure. For full terms and conditions see hisense.com.au/worldcup-competition EVERY GAME LIVE WITH NO AD-BREAKS DURING PLAY. Foxtel and some services not available to all homes. Foxtel marks are used under licence by Foxtel Management Pty Ltd AUSTRALIAN LEVEL 6, BUILDING A, 207 PACIFIC HIGHWAY, ST LEONARDS, SYDNEY, NSW 2065 EDITORIAL Tel (02) 9901 6100 Fax (02) 9901 6116 Websites fourfourtwo.com.au thewomensgame.com FTBL.com.au Email [email protected] Straight from the stands [email protected] [email protected] Facebook www.facebook.com/FourFourTwoOz Twitter @FourFourTwoOz You can follow me Instagram @FourFourTwoOz or send me a tweet on @KevinAirs442 Australian Editorial Team Angela Bacic @AngeBacic, John Davidson @JohnnyDDavidson, Cheryl Downes @ChicasFootball, As another A-League season draws to a close, despite Sydney’s runaway win and a Leo James @RealLeoJames, William McInnes @William_ McInnes, Lucas Radbourne-Pugh @LucasRadbourne, Lazarus-like revival of football fortunes (and crowds) in Newcastle, many would say Ben Somerford @BenSomerford, Con Stamocostas @ this season has been a flop with freefalling metrics across the league. But regardless ConStama10, Kathy Stone @SheWritesMe, Clement Tito @ClementGTito of what some might try to persuade us, football in Australia is not just the A-League... With the promotion-relegation row rumbling on – and the ongoing interest in the FFA Art Director Danny McGonigle Cup (and FFA reform) – there feels like there is a much keener awareness of lower Group Editor Kevin Airs @KevinAirs442 league football in Australia than at any other time in the last decade or more. With the Head of Sport - Digital @ Next Media A-League feeling stale, many fans are turning their attention back to the local teams Email [email protected] playing at local venues with local players for local fans. ADVERTISING But on the bigger stage, the Matildas are the flagbearers for football in Australia right Head of Sport - Sales now. They are not just the most exciting team in the country: on their current run of Adam Jackson Tel (02) 9901 6109 form, they are one of the most exciting teams in the world. No, really. Email [email protected] They go into next month’s Women’s Asian Cup as favorites but with a hell of a group PUBLISHING to qualify from, coming up against reigning Asian champions Japan and South Korea. In such a tight group it may come down to the number of goals they can score against Prepress Manager Jonathan Bishop Production Manager Alison Begg what should be the group’s cannon fodder side Vietnam. We may need to do better Circulation Director Carole Jones than the 2-0 wins that we’ve had against them in every previous Asian Cup clash where Associate Publisher - Sport Hamish Bayliss we’ve faced them... but with Sam Kerr in her current form, you’d hope that might not be FOURFOURTWO GLOBAL too big an ask. And if we don’t get done over by goal difference, we will be in the box seat to avenge the last tournament’s final heartbreak and bring home the trophy once UK Editor Hitesh Ratna International Director Alastair Lewis more. Hopefully this time round it will be more widely appreciated than it was in 2010. Brand Director Andy Jackson And later this month we finally get to see what Bert van Marwijk has planned for the Socceroos at the World Cup. We caught up with him on the day of his appointment and his biggest worry then – back in January – was the lack of game time for most of our key players... a situation which hasn’t improved much in the couple of months since. He Subscriptions hotline 1300 361 146 vowed to play his own style, so expect a return to a back four - but will we press and Email [email protected] Level 6, Building A, 207 Pacific Highway, pass or be strong, physical and counter? We’ll find out soon... St Leonards NSW 2065 Locked Bag 5555 St Leonards NSW 1590 Chief Executive Officer David Gardiner Commercial Director Bruce Duncan This magazine is published by nextmedia Pty Ltd ACN: 128 805 970, Level 6, Building A, 207 Pacific Highway, St Leonards NSW 2065 © 2017 under licence from Haymarket Media Group. ISSN 1832-987X. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the prior permission of the publisher.Printed by Bluestar WEB, Sydney, distributed in Australia by Gordon & Gotch. The publisher will not accept responsibility or any Kevin Airs liability for the correctness of information or opinions expressed in the publication. All material submitted is at the owner’s risk and, while Editor every care will be taken nextmedia does not accept liability for loss or damage. Privacy Policy We value the integrity of your personal information. 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You are welcome to access the information that we hold about you Follow the game in 140 characters Polls, pics, debates and exclusives by getting in touch with our privacy officer,who can be contacted at nextmedia, Locked Bag 5555, St Leonards, NSW 1590 with updates @FourFourTwoOz at Facebook.com/FourFourTwoOz Printed on paper sustainably sourced from PEFC certified forests fourfourtwo.com.au April 2018 5 UPFRONT 8 8 One on One Rafael van der Vaart 14 12 Global Stories 16 Games That Changed My Life 17 One Question Quiz 18 Talentspotter Lautaro Martinez 20 My Greatest Goal Mate Dugandzic 24 At The End Of The Day Roddy Vargas 26 My Best Mate’s A Football Star Mitch Austin and Martin Ross FEATURES 28 The Best Young Players This is the world’s next gen of awesome. Meet the new Messis and Ronaldos... 29 Kylian Mbappe A year ago, Kylian Mbappe was largely unknown – now he has Champions League and World Cup glory in his sights 28 38 Ryan Sessegnon EFL’s first $100m player? Oh yes... 42 Richarlison Growing up on the mean streets 48 Henry Winks The Spurs star still cleans boots 54 Justin Kluivert A big name on his shoulders 60 Timo Werner Don’t think, just shoot 66 Gianluigi Donnarumma Heavy lies Buffon’s crown... 72 Matildas at the 2018 Asian Cup Alen Stajcic tells us how he handles the pressure by having higher expectations than you. Katrina Gorry tells us why we’ll win – and we assess the 92 rivals and our own squad. PERFORMANCE 92 Masterclass Domenic Calvert-Lewin 94 Like A Pro 95 Tried And Tested Team Management App 97 Get fit for the new season 98 My Perfect XI Denis Law 72 UnLEASH THE DOGS OF WAR There’s no fixture in world football with as much loathing as Bucharest’s Eternal Derby between Dinamo and Steaua. THE BEaUTIFUL GAME The February 18 edition was no different, the home side’s fans unfurling a series of banners depicting the Red Dogs’ nickname, badge and the Grim Reaper to ensure Steaua would face an intimidating atmosphere. For 83 minutes, it worked as Dinamo led 2-0, but Filipe Teixeira’s injury-time equaliser – after Dennis Man had pulled one back – earned Steaua a point. Their bark must be worse than their bite. Picture Alex Nicodim/NurPhoto/Getty UPFROnT UPFROnT BIBLICAL The World Cup may be plagued by locusts, a Russian >< agriculture official has warned. “Football fields are green, and locusts love it where there’s green,” he stated. Sounds logical... You grew up on a trailer park, didn’t really liked to make them myself. I did you? What was that life like? not want to be the next version of any OnE-On-OnE Jon Sharpe, via Twitter player – I wanted to establish my own I was raised there so to me it was just name.