{"id":260812,"date":"2026-07-13T17:55:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T14:55:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/fourfourtwo-uk-issue-389-april-2026-fourfourtwo-uk\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T17:55:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T14:55:36","slug":"fourfourtwo-uk-issue-389-april-2026-fourfourtwo-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/fourfourtwo-uk-issue-389-april-2026-fourfourtwo-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"FourFourTwo UK – Issue 389 April 2026 – FourFourTwo UK"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The mafia isn\u2019t romanticised here, because Palermitans have lived the reality. It\u2019s not a glamorous past and there\u2019s no mention of it beyond FFT\u2019s initial taxi ride from the airport. Massimo, a Palermo resident, takes the scenic route to our hotel, past the prison on the city\u2019s outskirts. He recalls four decades ago when a person was killed every day, and explains there are no mafia types at this particular prison \u2013 instead, they\u2019re sent off to Milan and other mainland lock-ups. Association with known organised crime groups carries a 10-year minimum sentence.<\/p>\n

The conversation takes turn after turn as Massimo\u2019s taxi weaves through the streets, lined by balconies and trees bearing citrus fruits on either side. He\u2019s especially eager to tell FFT all about the city\u2019s football club \u2013 that\u2019s the norm around here, as we discover later during our conversation with journalist Radicini from the local newspaper. \u201cThere\u2019s an unbreakable bond between the club and the city,\u201d Radicini explains. \u201cThe lives of the people revolve around the football club.<\/p>\n

When the team gets a good result, you can feel how the city\u2019s spirits are positive. When they suffer a defeat, the fans\u2019 lives are affected. It\u2019s an extraordinary relationship.\u201d Supporters are keen to point out that four members of Italy\u2019s 2006 World Cup-winning squad were Palermo players at the time: Andrea Barzagli, Cristian Zaccardo, Simone Barone and Fabio Grosso, who scored a memorable goal in the semi-final against Germany, then struck the penalty that won the trophy.<\/p>\n

Luca Toni had departed the club just a year earlier, having bagged 50 goals across 80 league appearances. He\u2019s now immortalised on a wall at the club\u2019s new training ground in nearby Torretta \u2013 the first facility of its kind that Palermo have ever had, previously training on pitches at an army base. The next morning, we\u2019re joined on the pitch at the Renzo Barbera, beneath the empty Curva Nord, by star striker Joel Pohjanpalo.<\/p>\n

An experienced Finnish international with a handful of goals in the Bundesliga to his name, he\u2019s the leading scorer in Serie B, lives within the city limits and enjoys bringing up his young family here. The Curva is where the club\u2019s diehard fans situate themselves for matches, behind the goal \u2013 many grounds in Italy have something of a similar name, even though some aren\u2019t curved at all. This one is \u2013 the 36,000-capacity stadium originally had a running track, but it was removed in 1948.<\/p>\n

Palermo currently average crowds of nearly 29,000 for their home games \u2013 Sampdoria, battling relegation to the third tier again this season, average around 23,000, but every other Serie B club is watched by attendances of less than 12,000. During the Covid pandemic, when games were played behind closed doors, some eager Palermo supporters even climbed Monte Pellegrino, a rocky outcrop next to the Mediterranean Sea that peers right over the Renzo Barbera, to watch their team.<\/p>\n

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FourFourTwo is the world\u2019s biggest and best football magazine, bringing you stories from the terraces to the touchline. Explore more than three decades of history, featuring well over 350 issues, for less than 14p per day! SCAN BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ith January underway and 20 Premier League matchdays played, it was beginning to look as though the season was done and dusted.<\/p>\n

Nottingham Forest had just beaten West Ham to open up a seven-point gap between the two sides, while at the top, Arsenal were six points clear of Manchester City. The fear was it could be a procession until May, with very little changing in the positions in the table that really mattered. By mid-February though, West Ham and Manchester City had narrowed those respective gaps to remind us once more that nothing is ever certain in the Premier League, before we reach the business end of the season in April and May.<\/p>\n

In this issue of the magazine, we celebrate the footballers who make the English top \ufb02 ight the exciting and unpredictable league it is, as we rank the very best 50 players of the 2025-26 campaign. There will be those who say that it\u2019s always the same players in the list every year, but think again. Of last year\u2019s top 10, only three even make the top 50 this time around, such has been the emergence of new stars from Aston Villa, Brentford, Sunderland and Fulham, to name just a few.<\/p>\n

Of course, if you don\u2019t agree with our list, then jump on social media and tell us what we\u2019ve got wrong, but make sure you use #FFTPL50. Enjoy the mag, and the twists and turns during the season\u2019s run-in. James Andrew X @JamesAndrew_ E james.andrew@futurenet.com FOURFOURTWOUK FOURFOURTWO FOURFOURTWO FOURFOURTWO.COM FOURFOURTWO SCAN TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER FOLLOW US HERE W FourFourTwo April 2026 3 Editor James Andrew Art Director Anthony Moore Production Editor Henry Burridge Online Content Editor Mark White Video Manager Matthew Frohlich Deputy Editor Matthew Ketchell Senior Staff Writer Chris Flanagan Staff Writer Ed McCambridge Senior Digital Writer Joe Donnohue Women\u2019s Football Writer Ayisha Gulati Future PLC Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA Phone 01225 442244 Email fourfourtwo@futurenet.com To contact an individual, email \ufb01 rstname.surname@futurenet.com Editorial Thanks to Joseph Killingley, Dan Parry, Ellen Adamson, Zoe Rundle, Rob Ellis, Russell Yershon, Joseph Eskenazy, Alex Holland Photography Getty, Alamy, PA, Offside, iStock, Reuters All copyrights and trademarks are recognised and respected Advertising Media packs are available on request Commercial Director Richard Hemmings richard.hemmings@futurenet.com Head of Sport Matthew Johnston matthew.johnston@futurenet.com Account Manager, Sport Liv Wilford liv.wilford@futurenet.com International Licensing FourFourTwo is available for licensing and syndication.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.<\/em><\/p>\n

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