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GOAL takes a look at some of the best magazines to read if you're a football fan

Whether you're looking for a magazine that covers football culture or one that keeps you up to speed on the latest happenings in the game, there is no shortage of football magazines out there.

But which should you be reading? Here, GOAL brings you some of the best football magazines to read right now.

MUNDIAL

MUNDIAL reminds you why you love football.

Described by Kelly Cates as "the world's most beautiful football magazine", MUNDIAL takes you on a journey through football culture in all its glorious forms, from grassroots astro dreams and classic kits, to cult heroes and raucous away-day capers.

If you're inclined to carefully chart the chronicles of Paolo Maldini, remember when Zinedine Zidane became a superstar at Bordeaux or worship at the altar of O Fenomeno, MUNDIAL is the magazine for you.

Released four times a year, MUNDIAL also has a membership club, with loads of perks and goodies for subscribers. Oh and they have a few decent podcasts too, such as GIANT and Reminding You Why You Love Football.

Get the latest issue of MUNDIALOrder nowAdvertisementWorld Soccer

World Soccer magazine is the oldest continually published football magazine in the United Kingdom and its pages have been graced by some of the best writers in the business.

Released each month, the magazine focuses on soccer around the globe, with specials on major tournaments, transfer window round-ups and scout reports on the best players to watch across the planet.

As well as providing insight, analysis and features, World Soccer also hands out awards for the best player, coach and team in a given year.

Four Four Two

Launched in 1994, Four Four Two magazine is a favourite of many football fans in the UK, with 13 issues each year.

The magazine is known for fascinating interviews with players and insightful features taking a look at the latest developments in the game.

Four Four Two can be purchased in print at most newsagents and there is also an app and a digital edition, with different options available for subscribers.

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When Saturday Comes

When Saturday Comes heralds itself as "the half decent football magazine" in typically self-deprecating style, but it is one of the leading independent football magazines in the UK.

Having launched its first issue in 1986, WSC has sought to provide a blend of insight from its readers as well as well known football journalists, giving its content a distinctly terrace-informed voice.

Interestingly, When Saturday Comes have also published a number of books and the podcast is worth a listen too.

USMNT coach Gianni Vio says Christian Pulisic’s “extraordinary goal” in a friendly date with Germany “reminded me of Alessandro Del Piero”.

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Pulisic scores stunner against Germany Leaves set-piece coach in awe Milan star looking to continue fine form for clubWHAT HAPPENED?

The AC Milan forward netted a stunning individual effort for his country during the latest international break, with the deadlock broken in what ultimately proved to be a 3-1 defeat against German opposition. Vio, who works as a set-piece specialist in Gregg Berhalter’s backroom team, was among those left impressed by Pulisic’s spectacular strike.

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Said effort has drawn comparisons with a Juventus legend from years gone by, with Vio telling of Pulisic and his Milan colleague Yunus Musah – who has also been starring for the USMNT: “Pulisic scored an extraordinary goal against Germany, it reminded me of Del Piero. He scored against Ghana too. They are players with excellent quality, so I am not surprised they play for Juventus or Milan. Pulisic joined Milan from Chelsea, he was already on a high level. Milan have signed a great athlete even if he’s still young. It didn’t go well at Chelsea, but it was a general situation involving more players. Musah has great personality and is smart. You can tell he is a leader. He has settled in well and is a nice person.”

WHAT THEY SAID

Vio claims to see similarities between Musah’s game and that of international team-mate Weston McKennie, who is another of those currently plying his club trade in Italy with Juventus. The 70-year-old coach added: “Weston has personality and physical strength. It’s clear that he is already an established player. He is important for USMNT and I imagine for Juventus too. [Tim] Weah is so quick and his technique is impressive as well. Hopefully, he will do well for Juventus so the national team can reap the rewards too.”

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After responding to their defeat against Germany with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Ghana, the United States’ collection of international superstars have now returned to their respective clubs ahead of domestic action resuming this weekend.

Rodrygo admits Brazil will need to be “very careful” when dealing with the obvious threat that Lionel Messi poses to them in World Cup qualification.

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Selecao searching for a sparkAlbiceleste reacting to rare defeatSuperstars on show in RioWHAT HAPPENED?

The Selecao are due to play host to old adversaries Argentina at the Marcana on Tuesday. Brazil have been scratching around for form en route to the United States, Mexico and Canada in 2026, while Argentina suffered a surprise defeat to Uruguay last time out.

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Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi will want to make amends for that setback in what will be his last competitive outing of 2023, with Real Madrid forward Rodrygo saying of how Brazil will tackle the challenge of containing the all-time great: “I think they are going to respect us, just as we are going to respect them. There is no way to deny it. He [Messi] is one of the best players in the history of football and we will have to be very careful with him.”

WHAT THEY SAID

While Brazil’s defence will be kept busy by Messi, Rodrygo needs to help provide attacking inspiration as all-time leading scorer Neymar and Real Madrid team-mate Vinicius Junior are ruled out through injury. Rodrygo added on that challenge: “I think they are going to expect more from me. We are sad for Vini, my national team and club team-mate.”

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Neymar is working his way back from an ACL injury, with several months on the sidelines mapped out in front of him, while Vinicius is nursing a thigh complaint that could keep him out of action for up to 10 weeks.

Cristiano Ronaldo has set a new record for most top-flight goals in football history after his latest double for Al-Nassr.

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Ronaldo scored twice in Al-Nassr winNow has 527 first division goalsSet a new record for most in historyWHAT HAPPENED?

The 38-year-old struck twice as Al-Nassr beat Al-Akhdoud 3-0 in the Saudi Pro League on Friday. That takes his league goal record to 527 – more than any player in history, reports.

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Ronaldo's second goal was particularly impressive, lobbing into the visitors' net from long range. The goal is his 15th in 13 appearances in the league this season and his 18th in all competitions. His side are now second in the Saudi Pro League, just a point behind rivals Al-Hilal, who face Al-Hazem on Saturday.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ronaldo set most of his top-flight goals record in La Liga with Real Madrid, scoring 311 times in the Spanish division. That adds to the 103 times he struck in the Premier League for Manchester United, while he also scored 81 Serie A goals for Juventus and three in the Primeira Liga with Sporting.

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Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr team-mates are in action again on Monday when they take on Persepolis in the AFC Champions League. The Riyadh side are top of their group with 12 points from four matches.

Tottenham may not have seen the last of Harry Kane, with James Maddison explaining why a Premier League return from Bayern Munich could happen.

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All-time leading scorer left for GermanyPenned a four-year deal at BayernRecords to be chased down in EnglandWHAT HAPPENED?

The England captain severed career-long ties with Spurs in the summer of 2023 when completing a €100 million (£86m/$109m) transfer to Germany. He is committed to a four-year contract at the Allianz Arena, but will only be 34 when that deal comes to a close. Tottenham have a buy-back option on their all-time leading scorer and Maddison can see him returning to the English top-flight in a bid to chase down Alan Shearer’s goal record.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT MADDISON SAID ABOUT KANE

Current Spurs star Maddison has told : “One of the positives (with me coming to Spurs) was Harry Kane being our No.9. In my opinion he’s the best nine in the world. He is showing that now – his numbers are ridiculous. But I knew there was a chance he might leave. There was a lot of talk. Me and Harry had chats in England camps. I think Harry would have been happy to stay as well. The feeling I got was that he was actually happy either way. I had a decision to make. I’m really happy for him to go to a top club. Did I want him to stay? Of course I did. He’s not over reliant on pace so I could see him playing for years and years and it wouldn’t surprise me if he had his eye on that goal scoring record in the Prem.”

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Maddison is now wearing the No.10 shirt in north London that Kane left behind, but the 27-year-old playmaker says he would happily have stuck with the unusual number that he was given in pre-season. Maddison added: “It all happened so quick. Me and H had a bit of banter. I was wearing No.71 in pre-season and I was getting a bit of stick. We wanted to see and weigh up what number I was going to wear. There was a bit of banter – ‘Madders, are you waiting for Harry to go?’ I would have stayed 71 believe me to keep him.”

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Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR MADDISON & SPURS?

Maddison made an immediate impact at Tottenham on the back of his transfer from Leicester, with three goals and five assists recorded through 12 appearances in all competitions, but he is now working his way back from a serious ankle injury that could keep him out of action until the spring of 2024.

Jesse Lingard appears to be working hard as he trains on his own while he continues to search for a new club.

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Lingard training alone as free agentWinger wrote 'Keep pushing' in captionEx-Man Utd star looking for new clubWHAT HAPPENED?

The 30-year-old is training on his own as he remains a free agent. He posted a video of himself working hard, doing passing and moving, dribbling and finishing drills, adding the caption "Keep pushing".

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The ex-Manchester United and England winger has been out of the game since his release from Nottingham Forest. He had a spell in Saudi Arabia training with Al-Ettifaq for a month, but was unable to convince Steven Gerrard's team to give him a contract.

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The United academy product will be aiming to attract some interest in the near future as he hopes to find a new club and earn another big contract. With the January transfer window fast approaching, Lingard's fresh challenge could be just around the corner.

Former Premier League referee Mike Dean slammed Kalvin Phillips as 'stupid' as the midfielder's horrendous start to his West Ham loan spell continued.

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Phillips sent off in dismal Forest lossDismissal compounds nightmare start to loanWest Ham still winless in 2024GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The 28-year-old was sent off after picking up two yellow cards in quick succession as the Hammers slid to a 2-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. And Dean was scathing in his new role as a pundit on ' Soccer Saturday when describing the incident.

AdvertisementWHAT MIKE DEAN SAID

An exasperated Dean said: "He's just been cautioned for getting involved with [Nicolas] Dominguez for no reason whatsoever. Then two minutes later he's just flicked the ball over him has [Morgan] Gibbs-White and he's just caught him on top of the foot. Stupid, your second yellow card. And he's just wasting his time playing, he doesn't even look interested for me."

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Hammers fans vented their frustrations on social media, with one irate supporter asking if Phillips' loan move could be cancelled mid-game.

It's been a troubled start to life in east London for the England midfielder who most observers deemed to be a useful winter signing for David Moyes' side when he left Manchester City to pick up regular game time. But errors in his first two appearances, last weekend's mauling at the hands of Arsenal and now a costly sending off means Phillips' hopes of recreating the form that made him a regular for England is shaping up to be a lot more complicated than anticipated.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR KALVIN PHILLIPS AND WEST HAM?

A suspended Phillips will have to sit things out when West Ham attempt to end their winless start to the year when they cross the capital to take on Brentford on Monday February 26. Events at the City Ground on Saturday are sure to ramp up fans' dissatisfaction with Moyes, who has never quite won over the West Ham faithful.

Alisha Lehmann caught up with Aston Villa team-mate Rachel Daly in Marbella while taking a break from international duties.

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Lehmann reunited with Daly in MarbellaCurrently on national team duty with England and SwitzerlandBoth Lehmann and Daly were on target for Switzerland and EnglandWHAT HAPPENED?

The Aston Villa stars are currently away on national team duty with the Women's Super League on pause due to the international break. In between their respective national team games, Lehmann and Daly caught up in Marbella.

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The Switzerland star even shared their photograph on her Instagram story with the caption, "Nice to see you, Rachel Daly."

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On February 23, Switzerland took on Poland in a friendly encounter where Lehamnn was on target in her team's convincing 4-1 win. On Saturday, England registered a thumping 7-2 win over Austria with Daly scoring a late goal.

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Lehmann will be next seen in action for Switzerland in a second friendly game against Poland on Tuesday. On the same day, The Lionesses take on Italy.

Bayer Leverkusen's flying wing-back Alex Grimaldo has heaped praise upon Liverpool and Bayern Munich-linked head coach Xabi Alonso.

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Grimaldo praises AlonsoLeverkusen could move ten points clearWing-back been instrumental to successWHAT HAPPENED?

Grimaldo opened up on how Alonso's coaching has enabled him to take his performance levels up a notch and continue to develop as a player. The defender has been integral to Leverkusen this season since joining on a free transfer from Benfica in the summer. However, the talented head coach has been attracting interest from two of his former clubs in Bayern Munich and Liverpool, with both set to be on the hunt for a new manager in the summer.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT GRIMALDO SAID

In an interview with Grimaldo said: “It was clear [I should join Leverkusen] once Alonso called me. Being coached by Xabi Alonso is something special and we have a very good project and a very strong team.

“I knew I was ready to take a step to any league. I’ve always had good numbers in my goals and assists. Making decisions in the final third of the pitch is one of my strengths. And this year, it’s true that everything is going very well, with the help of Xabi, his staff and my team-mates.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Since joining Leverkusen, Grimaldo has scored eight goals and registered nine assists. Despite being considered a defender, the Spaniard is the club's second-highest scorer in the Bundesliga behind striker Victor Boniface.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR LEVERKUSEN?

Leverkusen can move ten points clear of second-placed Bayern with victory over Koln on Sunday as they hunt down their first-ever Bundesliga title. Beyond this season, it remains to be seen if Alonso will stay at the club and if Grimaldo might follow his 'special' manager.

Reliable reporter Alan Nixon has revealed excitement after hearing Chris Kirchner’s public announcement of a deal to take over at Derby County, calling the American’s latest act a ‘bold move’ given the roadblocks still in place regarding the purchase of Pride Park.

The Lowdown: Kirchner announces deal

It was reported recently that Kirchner’s attempts to become the new leader of the Rams had hit a roadblock due to Mel Morris clinging on to the stadium.

Without the purchase of the famous ground, there could be no deal, but Kirchner has now rather bravely proclaimed on his own personal Twitter that this won’t be a problem.

Taking to social media, the American has decided to go public with the good news, claiming: “I will be the next owner of Derby County Football Club.”

However, the 34 year-old also confirmed that the move is still ‘conditional’ on the sale of the stadium and some other small issues.

The Latest: Nixon reacts

Reacting to Kirchner’s latest move, Nixon, who has been following the entire saga closely on Twitter, revealed his excitement at what Kirchner is doing: “I can only describe it as a bold move…”

The journalist said in a separate tweet that the news sounds ‘good’, perhaps implying a deal for the stadium must be close if Kirchner is taking to Twitter in such bold fashion.

The Verdict: Down to business

It certainly is a brash move from the potential new owner to announce his takeover before all the i’s can be dotted and t’s crossed.

He has until May 31 to sort out the finer details of the deal after the EFL gave their conditional approval, and all going well the first order of business will surely be to sort out the playing staff’s wages.

According to reports, the Rams could be hit with another point deduction to start life in League One if the players are not paid for May, so the new man in charge will have little time to soak in his surroundings and must get straight down to business.