Martin Odegaard has been living with Arsenal’s past for almost as long as he’s been alive. When the club last felt invincible, Odegaard was a small child in Drammen, Norway, kicking a ball against the

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

Most children dream of becoming firefighters, astronauts or footballers – but Liam Rosenior wasn’t most children. From an early age, he wanted to become a football manager. “At the age of nine, I read

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

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

JOHN DUERDEN Asia Finalists…Jordan players celebrate after beating ...