Introducing MUNDIAL Issue 34. The Sex and Love issue. Featuring Louis van Gaal, the grand old funky uncle of European football. A man who cannot and will not stop talking about sex. A lover, hater, pervert, and prude. Cover one of four. Get yours:

Paul Merson is not universally adored on Teesside. His single season at the Riverside was an incredible rollercoaster that culminated in a messy crash. The tale of Middlesbrough, new money and a Magic Man is on the site now.

Sarina Wiegman x Burna Boy is magnificent.

Big ski glasses, Burna Boy and Lucy Bronze dolls. Vibes don't get much better than this.

Not everything in England works or makes sense in 2025, but the Lionesses do. In a misshapen, sometimes unpretty, playing-with-a-broken-fucking-tibia kind of way, they represent the best of ‘proper England’. Free to read on our website now.

Jess Carter is the very best of us.

The return of the purple packet, tape cassettes, and Barry Can’t Swim. This is all the gear and stuff that's been driving us wild this week.

A story in three parts.

Aitana Bonmatí Conca. Simply the best.

A lot has been written and said about Keegan’s Entertainers, but what about what came before?. This week, the MUNDIAL Book Club is reading a tragi-comic memoir about what it was like to watch Newcastle struggle their way through to the early 1980s.

Michelle, you’re the one.

There once was a defender. Then there was the Pelé. And behind them both, there was Kolkata. Follow Chirag Sharatkumar’s incredible journey to find Bablu-da, the man who marked the King.

In an inquisitive moment, @JackBBClayton decided to find out what makes the people who make masterpieces out of turf tick and answer the key question: . Do you enjoy what you do as much as we think you do?.

Produced in collaboration with Athletic Club, Newport County’s new away kit pays tribute to the Basque Children of ‘37 who sought refuge in South Wales during the Spanish Civil War. The launch video is absolutely outstanding too.

Undersold and mistreated, but you can’t hide the promise of WAFCON. @adekaiyaoja explains how Africa’s biggest women’s football tournament is often overlooked by those running it.

James Maddison.

We support Lucia Tough Bronze now, and always.

There is probably no better non-native guide to the sexy city of Rio de Janeiro than @Tim_Vickery . Join us for a meander through the streets, past the cafés, through the motels, along the beaches and up the steps of some of football’s most iconic venues.

RT @joelgolby: i invented a really good game at the pub the other day: it's called 'Name A 28-Year-Old Footballer'. you and a mate try and….

An under-16s winning machine from East London is heading to the Gothia Cup. However, for Impact FC, glory on the biggest stage is not their sole objective. @jackbbclayton spoke to some of the club's driving forces to truly understand the Impact DNA.

Things we still cannot stop thinking about: this drawing of Zinedine Zidane in full flight. By the wonderful @CharlesDrawin.