The best of football

Ubiquitous Marmite footwear brand Crocs isn’t going anywhere. Function has officially met fashion, with Gen Z’s penchant for casual comfort snapping them into the mainstream. So why is Lukas Podolski

Simon Kuper World Cup Fever A footballing journey in nine tournaments 352pp. Profile. £20. Jonathan Wilson The Power and the Glory A new history of the World Cup 608pp. Abacus. £25. In 1994, a column

After the FA lifted their ban on women playing at Football League grounds, England’s Lionesses played their first international in 1972 – two years later, Liz Deighan won her first cap against France

Had qualification for the World Cup been decided by population, Spain would only just have made it for the past seven tournaments. Ranked 31st by that metric, they lag behind Myanmar, Sudan and Colomb

The end. The collapse. The exhaustion of 11 Arsenal players, slumping to the turf against the glittering backdrop of a Toon foil display. Mikel Arteta’s thousand-yard stare. Granit Xhaka’s chevron bro

When Sir Alex Ferguson signed Nani for Manchester United in 2007, the first thing he wanted to know was whether the young Portuguese winger had the mentality required to succeed in the Premier League.