MUNDIAL 015

While the surge of optimism brought on during the World Cup may be a distant memory, MUNDIAL’s fifteenth issue remains intent on reminding you why you fell in love with football in the first place.

Filled with the best writing on matters on the pitch and off it, the cover story is a profile interview with Arsenal’s Héctor Bellerín. Instagram icon and one of the most divisive names in British football, we think he’s brilliant—a man who typifies everything we want in a modern player. He’s fun, has a cracking head of hair, and looks ace in a tracksuit, but, most importantly, he’s exciting on the pitch, embodying the modern full-back in full flight. Interviewed by editor Dan Sandison, styled by Elgar Johnson, and photographed in the heart of East London by Jack Johnstone, the Spaniard talks growing up with fashion and jumping fences with his father, falling in love with Arsenal and the importance of Steve Bould and Mr. Wenger.

That’s not it, though, obviously: Issue 015 also features the violent history of Argentine football, photo explorations of Palermo and Moscow, Sam Diss venturing to Sao Paulo with the best five-a-side players in the world, James Bird exploring the world of Premier League fanatics in Australia, an actually good interview with Michael Owen about growing old, and profiles of the communities intrinsic to the survival of Chester Nomads and Hampton & Richmond FC.

In the back section there’s incredible fashion features with old school football shirts, see-through rain jackets, and cult Copenhagen label Le Fix and, in the front, there’s loads of other weird stuff about skinning cucumbers and buzzards and Craig Shakespeare and beer and Nintendo and a football murder mystery movie from the 1930s.

They’re always good, but this is the best one yet.

You can order a copy of the magazine, or subscribe to Mundial at: mundialmag.com