Euro 2016: Ultimate Indie 5-a-Side

Independent football magazines offer a brilliantly varied view of the beautiful game. But with so many to choose from, which one is right for you?

With Euro 2016 upon us, we asked some of our favourite football titles to describe themselves in terms the true fan can appreciate, by comparing themselves to a player taking part in the tournament. The result is the Stack Ultimate Independent Magazines Five-a-Side Team 2016; a formidable squad of international stars (including one sub) assembled for your viewing pleasure…

Mundial magazine / Thomas Muller

Refreshingly weird and scrappy and really good, he – like us – sees the game differently with big, wild eyes and a huge gob. Sometimes it seems like he’s playing a different sport to everyone else, you know? Oh, and he dances like an idiot… But, like, in a good way – he just doesn’t care. We can defo relate to that.

Shukyu magazine /  Paul Pogba

Imagining Shukyu as a football player, we think of the first touch as the surface of the paper. The style of play as the typography. The hair style as the cover image. The way he wears his socks as the detail of the pagination…

Taking all that into consideration, we’re choosing Paul Pogba. His name is unique and mysterious. His play is always full of surprises and he has a playful spirit that the fans love. He has perfect control, touch and balance in speed. Hard and strong, but also flexible and soft. His play may give us a new perspective on what it means to play football.

Glory magazine / Gylfi Sigurdsson

If Glory were a player at Euro 2016, we’d probably be Gylfi Sigurdsson. We look for the beauty in the beautiful game, and Gylfi represents that. He’s not a marquee name, but his showreel of incisive passes, pinpoint set pieces and concussive shots from distance make him one of the tournament’s most watchable players. Also, having just returned from the Faroe Islands, we’re still very much feeling that North Atlantic Vibe.

Season zine / Olivier Giroud

I’d say Season zine and Olivier Giroud have qualities in common. The Frenchman is more than just a pretty face: he’s powerful and uses his head with great link-up play. Giroud is a hit with the ladies and scores important goals but his contribution to the team is sometimes underrated. But as Euro 2016 is the striker’s home tournament, and is based in and around fashion capital Paris, it feels like it’s his time to shine.

Surface magazine / Anthony Martial

The young boy able to surprise everybody with unexpected, but smart, choices. He sees things in a different way and creates his own game without caring about the others, we have the same motto: difference is Gold. Time to let the new generation shine! Experience doesn’t matter much when you are impetuous and stylish like Martial and us.

Sub: Rabona magazine / Andrés Iniesta

Known for his grace and style but also plenty of substance, this smooth operator quietly does the business in the background. Impressing since an early age, he consistently punches above his weight!

–

Discover even more of the world’s best magazines (football-related and otherwise). Sign up to Stack and we’ll deliver a different title to your door every month.