Ben Hayward

London

European Football Journalist at Freelance

European football journalist. @FourFourTwo. Previously @standardsport, @goal. Substack newsletter: https://t.co/UFXzH3fCFG

Articles

Players who scored 100 goals for Barcelona

2 weeks ago | fourfourtwo.com | Ben Hayward

Robert Lewandowski reached 100 goals for Barcelona's 3-0 win at Athletic Club on the final weekend of the 2024/25 season in La Liga. The Polish striker, recently recovered from a thigh injury which kept him out of the Copa del Rey final win over Real Madrid in late April, was without a goal in his previous six appearances for Barça.
Homegrown players who scored in European Cup finals

2 weeks ago | fourfourtwo.com | Ben Hayward

Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Inter 5-0 in the Champions League final last Saturday night and several young players impressed in a huge win for Luis Enrique's side. Désiré Doué continued his recent rise with two goals in Munich and another 19-year-old, Senny Mayulu, came off the bench to score the fifth late in the game. Doué was formed in Rennes, but Mayulu is a PSG academy graduate and becomes the latest homegrown player to score in a European Cup or Champions League final.
Real Madrid managers since Florentino Perez first became president in 2000

2 weeks ago | fourfourtwo.com | Ben Hayward

Real Madrid have appointed former midfield favourite Xabi Alonso as coach on a three-year contract. The Basque takes over from Carlo Ancelotti, with the Italian departing as Los Blancos' most decorated coach following a successful second spell in charge at the Santiago Bernabéu. Alonso, who has spent the past two seasons at Bayer Leverkusen and beat Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title in 2023/24, will take charge of Madrid for this summer's Club World Cup.
One-sided European finals

3 weeks ago | fourfourtwo.com | Ben Hayward

Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Inter 5-0 in Munich on Saturday night to win the Champions League for the first time in their history. Achraf Hakimi opened the scoring for PSG early on at the Allianz Arena and Désiré Doué made it 2-0 inside 20 minutes. Doué added another just after the hour and goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and substitute Senny Mayulu completed a huge win for the Parisians as Luis Enrique's completed a treble of league, cup and Champions League titles in some style.
Iconic players leaving their clubs in 2025

3 weeks ago | fourfourtwo.com | Ben Hayward

The 2024/25 season has reached its end and a series of high-profile players will be moving on this summer. Some of those footballers will be seeking pastures new after long spells at their current club, while others will be hanging up their boots at the end of long and successful careers. Meanwhile, the new FIFA Club World Cup will represent a finale for others, with that tournament kicking off later in June.
Every Tottenham season since last major trophy

3 weeks ago | fourfourtwo.com | Ben Hayward

Tottenham Hotspur's long wait for another trophy is finally over, with the recent Europa League final win over Manchester United in Bilbao ending a 17-year silverware drought for the north London club. Brennan Johnson's goal gave Ange Postecoglou's side a 1-0 victory at San Mames on May 21st and over 200,000 fans took to the streets to celebrate in a parade two days later.
Manchester United Premier League defeats in 2024/25

3 weeks ago | fourfourtwo.com | Ben Hayward

Manchester United's 2024/25 season will be one the fans will want to forget. Beaten by Tottenham in the Europa League final in Bilbao, United registered their worst-ever finish in the Premier League. With nine wins, 11 draws and a record 18 defeats, the Red Devils ended the campaign in 15th, ahead of 16th-placed Wolves on goal difference alone. You may like‘They've been getting out of jail with European football and it's been covering the huge cracks at Manchester United.
From Aberdeen to Manchester United: all of Sir Alex Ferguson's career titles

1 month ago | fourfourtwo.com | Ben Hayward

Alex Ferguson was appointed as Manchester United manager in 1986, but the first few years at Old Trafford were difficult for the former Aberdeen boss. Under severe pressure during his early seasons at United, Ferguson was understood to be very close to the sack, but the Scottish manager went on to win 38 trophies in an extraordinary 26-year spell at the club.
Biggest FA Cup final shocks

1 month ago | fourfourtwo.com | Ben Hayward

Manchester City went into last Saturday's FA Cup final as big favourites against a Crystal Palace side without a trophy in their entire history. But Palace came out on top at Wembley thanks to Eberechi Eze's first-half goal to win the cup for Oliver Glasner's side and spark huge celebrations in south London. Despite City's struggles in 2024/25, the result was still a surprise. Here, a look at some of the biggest upsets in FA Cup finals over the years...
Barcelona's best wins in special season for Catalan club

1 month ago | fourfourtwo.com | Ben Hayward

Barcelona bounced back from the disappointment of their Champions League exit to Inter by beating their two biggest rivals to clinch the La Liga title just nine days later. A 2-0 win at Espanyol last Thursday was enough for Hansi Flick's side to be crowned champions, with the Blaugrana seven points ahead of Real Madrid with just two rounds remaining in the competition.