Best of 2024 from The Athletic UK: our staff pick their favourite pieces (by their colleagues)

We didnt expect to write about flowery wallpapers in 2024, thats for sure.

Or Taylor Swift.

We did expect to write about Jurgen Klopp, and Erik ten Hag, and Lamine Yamal , and Andy Murray retiring.

It was a wild old year in the world of sport, and we wanted to take a moment to look back at and celebrate the excellent work of our writers over the past 12 months, covering not just football (soccer), but tennis, the Olympics , the Paralympics, and athletics too.

Advertisement We wanted to know what they liked too, so we asked them to nominate articles, podcasts or videos produced by their colleagues.

And tell us why.

So here are all the pieces of work selected by writers, editors and producers on The Athletic UK and North American soccer staff ( the editors in the U.S.

did their own version of this, too) .

Enjoy! By Jacob Whitehead Without wanting to embarrass Jacob, I could have picked out three or four of his pieces this year.

But this one gets the nod because I think it sums up what The Athletic does best in many ways daring to do something different, hearing about what might seem like a small detail to most journalists (a piece of wallpaper, in this instance) and developing it into a fascinating read.

The biggest compliment, perhaps, is that I really hope Pep Guardiola has read it because he would love it.

Txiki Begiristain, too, given that Manchester City s director of football, like Pep, has an office filled with Cruyff-related books.

Enjoy! Daniel Taylor By Jacob Tanswell A unique piece of journalism, brilliantly executed.

As an industry, we dont talk anywhere near enough about what a merciless meat grinder footballs academy system can be.

Jacobs personal journey was a perfect way into exploring the different directions the lives of young people can take when they fall out of the game.

Brutal and hopeful in equal measure.

Liam Twomey By Adam Crafton Its difficult to find the right tone with this kind of historical reporting and also to place the subject within its right context, but I thought Adam did that so well here.

Seb Stafford-Bloor By James Pearce Remember Jurgen Klopp? That guy with the big laugh and the large, very white teeth who used to be Liverpool manager? Time was, his departure from Anfield prompted end-of-days talk on Merseyside, with fans sobbing on radio phone-ins and rivals predicting the demise of Liverpool as a Premier League force.

Turns out that wasnt quite right but at the time, it felt like a monumental moment, worthy of the special series treatment.

Advertisement The Athletic produced a series of superb reports to mark the final week of the Germans tenure ( theyre all housed here if you want to read them ) and the culmination was James Pearces exceptional account of Klopp the coach.

James spoke to virtually everyone you want to hear on what made the the guy special (except his dentist although hed been quoted in part three) and how he made a club believe again.

By Simon Hughes One of the nice things about being an editor is that you get to do the fun bit of journalism shaping an idea with a writer and then let them get on with the hard work of actually doing it.

When I first discussed with Simon the idea of a piece tracing Amads journey from Ivory Coast to Europe, via an alleged people trafficker, I didnt have huge optimism it would come off.

Men accused of people-smuggling are not known for being talkative, and Simon was only going to be in Ivory Coast for a couple of weeks, covering the first half of the Africa Cup of Nations.

I should have had more faith: not only did he track down Hamed Mamadou Traore, he persuaded him to talk in-depth about Amad, and his role in how the Manchester United forward ended up in Europe.

It was some of the most resourceful and impressive journalism of the year.

Andrew Fifield The piece she produced showed the true value of on-the-ground reporting and how a brilliant piece of sports journalism can transcend sports.

As subscriber Michael P.

wrote in the comments: Im crying.

Thinking of my mom and my daughter and her mom and good moms everywhere.

Laura Williamson By Katie Whyatt It might be because I have a bizarre affection for Bradford City (long story), but I really enjoyed Katies piece on the fears and anxieties of lower-league players.

The first line couldnt really put it any better This is the part of players careers that doesnt really get spoken about.

Its quite easy to forget, as journalists and fans, the pressure players at the highest level are under, let alone those in League Two and the Womens Super League, with it always being considered a dream job to be a professional footballer.

Just like everyone else, they are humans and have the same anxieties and mental health concerns as anyone else.

Advertisement This piece was really illuminating on two passions of mine and Katie expertly managed to express the candid and vulnerable side of the players involved.

Jordan Halford By Lucy Oliva I dont generally enjoy articles about football fandom, but this account of a three-flight, 3,500-mile trip to see Chelsea play a Conference League game in Kazakhstan was absolutely brilliant, and deserves bonus points because the person responsible for writing it, Lucy Oliva, is actually one of our audio producers, rather than a written journalist! Michael Cox (seconded by Abi Paterson) By Jordan Campbell Jordan spent two years getting to know Aidan Pilkingtons family after the Celtic fan was killed in a drunken hit-and-run by Ciaran Dickson, a player for the clubs B team.

Through a fraught trial process, its a heartbreaking read which lays the decisions which took Dickson to this moment bare and questions the extent to which Pilkingtons family have received justice.

Embodies good court reporting, investigative ability, and soft skills.

Jacob Whitehead By Thom Harris I really enjoyed and learnt a lot from the tactical guides Thom Harris put together before the Copa America .

They were clearly the result of extensive research, but they were also to-the-point and elegantly written, like so much of Thoms work.

Jack Lang By David Ornstein and Laura Williamson David and Lauras powerful reporting showed the very best of what journalism should be about: telling a story that needs to be told.

Ronnie Gibbons bravery in telling hers (and the subsequent piece with her, Deena Greaves and Claire) was harrowing to read but it was sensitively handled and shone a light on questions about Mohamed Al Fayed, Fulham and the wider authorities that have to be answered.

Advertisement Ben Burrows This journalism has purpose, brings about change and has a long-lasting impact.

The tremors of this story were wide-reaching and went far beyond football.

The description of Ronnie Gibbons experience was so vivid, it brought me right to the heart of the scene.

But I was left with so many questions, not about the story itself, but from a journalistic perspective, how David and Laura brought it all together: e stablishing that first connection with a source, building trust, listening, knowing when to ask follow-ups while allowing them to speak, double-checking you have interpreted and conveyed everything they told you so you do their story justice.

Charlotte Harpur By Ahmed Walid First things first, Ahmeds tactical analysis is superb and always worth your time.

This piece on Brentford , about the teams evolution this season under Thomas Frank, is a case in point.

Elsewhere, Brentford 2.0 could easily go under the radar.

But Ahmed spots trends, writes about them with clarity and insight, and explains everything so clearly.

By Jack Lang Lang and Kerlon were always going to be a winning combination the only question was whether he could find the Brazilian.

The fact that he managed to not just track Kerlon down on the other side of the world but also got him to tell his story so candidly and perform his trademark move on camera, in between looking after a 48-year-old Bristolian during the Copa America (thats me), says everything.

The interview is an absolute joy.

Stu James By Charlotte Harpur Ive scanned the entries here and can only find one Harpur special.

Cant quite believe theres no mention of Charlotte tracking down that eccentric French fan, and son of a veteran from the Foreign Legion, Clement Tomaszewski, who has been bringing a cockerel named Balthazar Recommandato (there have been 35 Balthazars) into stadiums for four decades.

Imagine going to 305 games in 45 countries with a winged friend.

Bonkers.

James Horncastle By Michael Cox Long before I joined The Athletic as a writer, I had been an avid reader of the brilliant articles on the website, and my favourite ones have revolved around history, tactics and culture.

Therefore, I was torn between Stuart James piece explaining how the phrase Leeds Days have become part of South Korean culture , and Michaels incredible series on the history of the European Championship .

Advertisement Eventually, I went with the latter.

When it comes to mixing history with tactics, Michael is one of the best out there, and the series was eloquently written, with the perfect balance between storytelling and analysis.

I enjoyed every second of reading it.

Ahmed Walid By Jacob Whitehead When it comes to investigative sports journalism, Jacob is quickly elevating himself to being one of the most diligent and dogged reporters around.

This special report highlighted disturbing allegations of worker mistreatment within Noon, Newcastle United s sleeve sponsor, who also has a partnership with Manchester City, with Jacobs excellent sourcing leading to 12 workers from across the Gulf region speaking to him.

Whats more, this reporting had reverberations beyond merely just highlighting the issue.

It was published in June and, the following month, the government of Saudi Arabia announced it was investigating the allegations in the supply chain of Noon .

By Alan Shearer Alan from work, as we like to refer to him on Pod On The Tyne, our weekly Newcastle United podcast , is the clubs greatest-ever goalscorer.

Witnessing this conversation between a living Newcastle legend and the clubs current world-class striker was an uplifting way to start 2024, especially since Isak was fresh from scoring twice against Sunderland in the Wear-Tyne derby.

Both have an aura about them and hearing them speak about the art of goalscoring, and listening to Isak describe his thought process and technique when shooting in different scenarios, was genuinely fascinating.

It was a privilege to be there and provide the clips for the duo to analyse my Lenovo laptop really makes the above photo of the pair of them smiling, in my opinion and the written piece is so informative and, from a Newcastle perspective, something truly unique.

Chris Waugh By Katie Whyatt The highest praise for anything, I think, is that mixture of admiration and jealousy and bitterness and pleasure you get when you read something and think, I wish Id thought of that.

That feeling was almost overpowering with Katies piece on Taylor Swift and what, if anything, womens football can learn from other fandoms.

Its a great hook, its a compelling argument, its got brilliant reporting, and it changes as it goes in the way the very best pieces do, so that by the end its not a discussion of what football can learn from Taylor Swift but an examination of who gets to determine what the fan experience should be.

Advertisement Its amazing.

I wish Id thought of it.

Rory Smith By Roshane Thomas A recent one, but a brilliant one.

Roshane going to former West Ham managers and a current team-mate to talk about their love and appreciation for Michail Antonio , who broke his leg in a scary car crash shortly before Christmas.

Sometimes, football journalism can get stuck trying to talk about the bad things that dont fit cleanly into a sports narrative of rise-fall-redemption.

This is good writing, collecting stories of people who care deeply about a friend.

By Matt Woosnam I think Matt is one of the best journos in the UK when it comes to writing about the environmental impact of football.

Its all well and good having Green Football Weekends and talking about sustainability and edible cups, but it means diddly-squat if clubs are flying from Manchester to London because they (correctly) no longer trust the Avanti West Coast train service.

Matt is great at going past press releases and focusing on the reality of things.

Which is what good journalism should be.

By Charlotte Harpur Sir Jim Ratcliffe does not care about the Manchester United womens team.

Head coach Marc Skinner has taken the project as far as it can go, but he remains in place because his bosses are focusing on other things, creating a weird atmosphere among the fanbase where things are good enough but never serious enough for the team to be actually good and break into the top three.

The womens games at Old Trafford lack marketing and theres a whole bunch of drift going on.

How do you explain all of that well, without calling anyone involved a scoundrel? Charlotte finds a way.

She always finds the best way of explaining the complicated.

Carl Anka By Jacob Whitehead I think about this piece almost every time I go for a run around the docks in Liverpool.

I think about the chilling stories Jacob does so well in bringing to life, the raw emotions that their loved ones shared, the horrors these women and so many more faced and will face until more is done to protect them.

And unless pieces like this one are written, nothing will be done to protect these women.

I shared this piece with my old running group back in the U.S.

and it still gets brought up in our group chats from time to time.

Thats the sign of a good piece: when its unforgettable.

Megan Feringa By Oliver Kay Oli Kays piece charting the March of the Day fundraising initiative for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) really stood out to me.

Oli joined the three-day, 178-mile (286km) walk from Bradford Citys Valley Parade to Anfield taking in 17 other football grounds and wrote movingly about the experiences of those living with MND, including former Liverpool player Stephen Darby.

It held special importance for me, given family experience with the disease and I loved the hopeful note at the end of the piece.

Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero By Matt Futterman An incredibly moving and inspiring story, sensitively told by Matt.

The article was a long time in the making, and you can see that with the incredible depth of reporting.

This kind of investigation is the gold standard to which we should all aspire.

Charlie Eccleshare By Daniel Taylor What I love about The Athletic is the diversity of topics that get written about, and Im always looking for the unusual.

I particularly enjoyed Dannys semi-confessional piece about what it is like being a collector of football memorabilia and the lengths people will go to add to their collections.

Rob Tanner By Nick Miller Theres been so much great stuff over the year, but Nick tracking down Sukur and eventually getting to talk to him sticks in the mind, for the mix of football history/nostalgia and insights into the world of Turkish and global politics.

And also for Nicks persistence in telling a story that otherwise just would not have been told.

Dermot Corrigan By Adam Leventhal If the purpose of journalism is to tell the reader something they dont know, expand their understanding of a situation, or take them to a place they cannot see or reach, then Adam has done all of those things with this article about the Sudanese national team, which has qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations against the odds.

Simon Hughes By Jon Mackenzie There are a ton of videos I could nominate from Jon, but I think this one summarises what he does best.

Jon noticed a complex tactical issue with Villa which nobody else had pointed out, and broke it down using language that made it simple to understand.

The result is, within 60 seconds, youve learned exactly what the problem is at Villa and now have something to share with your friends.

Alex Barker By Stuart James Watching Wayne Rooney tear into everyone and everything put in front of him at Euro 2004 was special.

The, I dont know or care who you are, Im better attitude was as absorbing as it was true.

When I saw this piece from Stu was coming, it was obviously going to be brilliant.

Rooneymania retold brilliantly.

Great voices, anecdotes, details you forgot about...

you could read it again in 20 years and it would still stand out.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Athletic | Football (@theathleticfc) Rhodri Cannon The Athletic FC Podcast Football finances hurt my head, so were very lucky at The Athletic to have Matt Slater on hand to explain things so that the novices of this world, me, can understand them.

Matt was at his best on this episode of The Athletic FC Podcast when going through the various options laying before Everton when it really looked like there was no way out of the gloom.

Abi Paterson By Chris Waugh Its the oldest trick in the (journalistic) book; grab the reader in your first few words and youve got them (hopefully) for whatever comes next.

If Andy Carroll saying Pamplemousse French for grapefruit doesnt do it for you, then Im sorry, you have no soul.

Carroll, that wrecking-ball centre-forward and publicity-magnet at Newcastle United, Liverpool and West Ham United, is now playing in the fourth tier of French football with Bordeaux, where he is happy and scoring goals and spending more than he earns.

Advertisement Chris tells Carrolls reflective, incongruous story which contains some darker interludes with humour, empathy, a light touch and great skill.

Chapeau, Chris.

And pamplemousse.

By Michael Walker I would read anything by the peerless Michael Walker, including his shopping list.

Perhaps especially his shopping list.

This, his latest, is on the crazy-intense race for promotion from the 2024-25 Championship.

George Caulkin By Laurie Whitwell The 2023-24 season was one of Manchester Uniteds more extraordinary campaigns (well, until this one anyway).

Lauries article on how it all unfolded is true insider journalism, built off the back of months and months of reporting, to explain exactly what happened and lay the foundations for what was to follow.

David Jordan By Sarah Shephard Sarahs piece about Lorne Sam and his Leicestershire pub is proof that the best sports stories dont necessarily feature much sport, but rather the people involved.

Sam went from being an aspiring NFL wide receiver for the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers, to running a country pub in a sleepy English village.

Sadly, this was not just a quirky fish-out-of-water tale.

As Sam explained to Sarah, Sam saw his pub closed down, became embroiled in a bitter legal dispute with the buildings owner, and was left with the sense he had been excluded from the local community.

James Maw By Stuart James I love this format of interview, where our writers sit down with an elite footballer and ask them to watch clips of themselves and talk us through what they do, and how on earth they do it.

Stus understanding of football is elite too, which certainly helps.

He also spends hours and hours and hours preparing for each one of these pieces and the players clearly really appreciate that.

Advertisement Rice was a brilliant interviewee and his analysis, and Stus writing makes for a fascinating and enlightening read.

By James Horncastle Here at The Athletic , we love a moment.

Lamine Yamal slaloming his way through the France team and scoring one of the best goals in 2024 when he was still only 16 was certainly a moment.

We asked James to write something beautiful about that goal and the performance and, like Lamine, he delivered.

Poetry.

By Daniel Taylor Dannys work covering the heartbreakingly sad circumstances surrounding the death of Sheffield United Womens player Maddy Cusack in September 2023 has been simultaneously fiercely compassionate and fiercely relentless.

His dedicated pursuit of the truth has shone a light on the behaviour of individuals and institutions towards Maddy in the years before she took her own life.

Hopefully, football can learn from it.

Charlie Scott By Jordan Campbell It is strange sitting here, telling the story of what has happened to me, Darrell Currie, the Scottish TV presenter, said as he began an emotional conversation with Jordan during the summer.

I wasnt sure what or when to say it, as when things are complicated medically you want to tell the right story and maybe help people.

My two kids, especially my boy, were wondering why I hadnt said much.

His friends had seen me on TV and wondered where I had gone.

Currie was a rising star in the broadcast media, presenting Champions League coverage and, he hoped, in consideration for the industrys biggest jobs.

But then a mystery illness struck while he was on air and his life has never been the same again.

Advertisement He lives in chronic pain and was suffering during this interview at The Athletic s London HQ but he wanted to tell his story and he wanted to tell it to Jordan.

What followed was an extremely moving and powerful chat involving difficult topics, retold with empathy by Jordan.

Darrells story will stay with me for a long time and I know many readers were deeply moved by it.

John Stanton By Matt Futterman One of the stories of tennis over the past 25 years is the complete reconfiguration of greatness.

What does one Grand Slam title become when four players win 20 of them each? Well, an awful lot still during a players career and after it.

Matts profile of Andy Roddick asks what we dont know about someone whose persona is so public, as well as interrogating some of the narratives about retirement from sport that are taken as givens.

By Charlie Eccleshare The story of Saudi Arabias move into tennis has dominated machinations at the top of the sport, largely in numbers, business deals and sponsorships.

Then came the collision with reality at the first WTA Tour Finals in Riyadh, which Charlie meticulously detailed against the backdrop of the spectacle on court.

By Charlie Eccleshare Paying a personal tribute that hits right is very difficult, especially to a player as enmeshed in a nations sporting psyche as Andy Murray.

Charlies ode to defending him in nightclubs and living through his career is brilliant on its own; when put into the context of the other pieces on his career it helped form a rounded accounting of what he meant to tennis.

Advertisement By Matt Futterman How do you rebuild a lifetime of tennis knowledge in order to be a better player? How do you deal with everything in between matches that fans dont see? And how does a tennis serve even work? Matts look into the real story of Sabalenkas serve and ascent to the top of tennis is as moving as it is insightful.

By Charlie Eccleshare and Matt Futterman This story was published over a week after Joao Lucas Reis da Silva became the first out active professional male tennis player, and being slow made it better.

Matt and Charlie took the time to speak to Joao about his perspective, and what emerged was a thoughtful and nuanced look at the weight of advocacy and the normalcy behind milestones.

James Hansen By Mark Carey The great thing with Mark Carey is just how many layers of Mark Carey there are.

This article about the rise of the near-post shot (the sort of effort which goes against all received wisdom and angers PE teachers) required several stages of development.

First, you need to notice that its even a thing thats happening which is harder than it sounds.

Then you need to interrogate hundreds of thousands of pieces of data to pull out the relevant information and make sure that the theory stands up.

Then you need to code some bespoke data visualisation so the reader can clearly understand what you mean and make the piece look uniquely like The Athletic .

Finally, you need to pull it all together in an engaging and informative way.

Its a fiendishly tough ask but here, as usual, Mark pulls it off impeccably.

Duncan Alexander By Paul Tenorio and Adam Crafton The year started with U.S.

Soccer rehiring head coach Gregg Berhalter.

But after a disastrous Copa America performance, the federation moved quickly.

After a long meal in Barcelona over Argentine steak with U.S.

Soccer officials, former Premier League coach Mauricio Pochettino took charge of the mens team.

Advertisement Paul and Adam are excellent at getting people to share the story behind the story.

Shortly after the official announcement, our duo took you inside the deal, how it got done and what influence U.S.

womens national team Emma Hayes had in the matter.

By Chantel Jennings and Meg Linehan The U.S.

women won Olympic gold this summer, but Canada arguably stole the headlines of the tournament.

Luckily, we had Meg on the scene in the south of France as a drone spying scandal interrupted Candas run.

We also called in a favor to Paris, where Chantel was based for womens basketball coverage at the Games, to lend a hand.

The two covered Canadas final group match, where the team overcame infractions made by their coaches and subsequently a six-point deduction to advance to the knockout stage.

I am in awe at how Chantel and Meg captured the players emotions moments after the win.

Emily Olsen Mark has been an idol of mine since well before I joined The Athletic and getting to pick his brain on a daily basis this year has been an incredible learning process.

There are so many articles of his I could have picked here, but this one was my favourite from the year because of how well it outlines what has become arguably the biggest talking point in modern football.

We frequently see the on-pitch output of rigorous data analysis but rarely get a peek into what goes on behind the scenes and Mark captured it brilliantly through his trademark mix of easy-to-consume visualisations and interviews that add depth to the topic.

Anantaajith Raghuraman (Top design: Dan Goldfarb).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.