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BBC Sport’s top 40 most engaging football stories in 2023-24

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BBC Sport’s top 40 most engaging football stories in 2023-24

For the second year running, we’ve been digging into the data to see what football stories engaged our audience the most last season across the BBC Sport website and app.

Engagement time of a story was determined by the average time it took to actively read the piece along with a quality ratio – a calculation that allowed us to weight the results so the list did not become one featuring only our longest pieces.

We’ve removed all the quizzes and the live match pages which would have dominated the list, and we omitted pieces that have since become dated by news events that followed.

So in no particular order:

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Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and the game that changed everything

Pep Guardiola was a coaching novice, so what did Barcelona see to convince them to turn down Jose Mourinho and give him one of the biggest jobs in the game?

The art of doing a transfer deal – and how to come out a winner

The insider tips on why some clubs ‘win the window’ by negotiating swift, good-value transfer deals and others do not.

The evolution of a full-back: Philipp Lahm on how the position has changed

Pep Guardiola has changed the role of the full-back and legendary Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm tells BBC Sport how it was done.

World Cup 2030: Six countries, five time zones, three continents, two seasons, one tournament

BBC Sport looked at the logistics and implications of the plans for the 2030 World Cup which will be held across three continents and six countries.

Terry Venables: ‘A special man and trailblazer’

Terry Venables, who died in November aged 80, had an impact as manager of Barcelona that cannot be underestimated, writes Spanish football expert Guillem Balague.

The trophies, the goals, the players – Jurgen Klopp in numbers

As Jurgen Klopp said goodbye to Liverpool, we weighed up his tenure by checking what the data says.

The big Postecoglou interview: ‘I never thought I would get here’

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou told Gary Lineker back in September that he was “last man standing” for the Spurs job last summer.

USA at Italia 90: Bags of urine, cans of Bud and a groundbreaking campaign

There was more on the line than a spot at the 1990 World Cup – the United States team feared for their jobs, homes and the very future of football in their country.

The lone away fan who led his club to glory

Tiago Rech had a moment of global fame as the only away fan to attend an FC Santa Cruz game. It was just the beginning of his remarkable story…

Why USA’s exit from 2023 Women’s World Cup was predictable ‘catastrophe’

The USA hoped to become the first team to win three successive Women’s World Cup titles but made history of a very different kind in 2023.

Twenty years on from Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United debut

“It was my job to go and tackle him. That is what I did. I smashed him – twice. Then he ran rings round me.”

Frank Soo: England’s pioneer who died with a tale untold

There was little fanfare when Frank Soo passed away in 1991, but his story as the first non-white England international deserves to be told.

‘Really, really special’ – Goalkeeper Jack Butland on Rangers love affair

Jack Butland told Tom English his eight months at Rangers was his career highlight and explained why he was never tempted to leave in January.

Austria Salzburg v Red Bull Salzburg: A derby 18 years in the making

It is 18 years since Red Bull took over Austria Salzburg. We look back at the history of the club’s takeover before their first meeting with the phoenix club of the same name.

How Lionel Messi is ‘gripping’ the United States

Roll up, roll up and welcome to the Lionel Messi show, currently the hottest ticket in the USA. A flash in the pan or finally a changing of the guard in American sport?

The 1970 FA Cup final and the most brutal game in English football history

This article was first published in 2020, but a meeting between Chelsea and Leeds in the FA Cup fifth round this year saw renewed interest in it. It is a good read, to be fair.

Former Cambridge United forward Liam Hughes on addiction and self-harm

Liam Hughes said he was “knocking on hell’s door” after going from Cambridge United goal hero at Wembley to a £600-a-week drug addiction.

When Romania broke Welsh hearts

The inside story of a defeat which still haunts Welsh football, told by the people who were there.

No England call, but has Jordan Henderson’s Ajax move worked out?

Jordan Henderson’s move to Ajax was not enough for him to make the England squad for this year’s Euros, so what next for the midfielder in Amsterdam?

£1bn of losses in 11 charts: Premier League clubs and PSR

It has been called “the season of asterisks” but with Premier League charges and points deductions dominating the news agenda, understanding football finances has become crucial for fans.

How Mauricio Pochettino, university and a golf buggy revitalised Ipswich Town

When Brenner Woolley, the man who has commentated on more than 1,000 Ipswich Town games for BBC Radio Suffolk, says this is “the happiest I’ve ever known” the club, it isn’t just hyperbole.

With Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham thriving abroad, BBC Sport looked at some of British football’s greatest exports.

Who starts England’s opener at Euro 2024 – do you agree with our pundits?

Do you agree with our pundits on who starts for England at Euro 2024? Have your say here.

Sarina Wiegman: The player, the manager, the leader, the person

BBC Sport spoke to players and coaches to get an insight into Sarina Wiegman as she prepared to lead England into the World Cup final.

Elton John tells Gary Lineker about his love of Watford and Graham Taylor

Sir Elton John says getting manager Graham Taylor to Watford was one of the greatest moments of his life and he still goes “crazy” supporting the team.

Paul Pogba doping ban: The end for Juventus and France star and what should have been?

Paul Pogba’s career could be over after his four-year ban for doping with the feeling the 30-year-old Juventus player never fulfilled his potential.

Chinese Super League: From bidding for Bale to selling the team bus

Once it was China, not Saudi Arabia, on a multi-million pound recruitment drive to buy in the world’s best football talent. In just a few years though, the Chinese Super League’s big-money plans have imploded.

Who owns your Premier League club and what does it mean?

With multi-club ownership under scrutiny from Uefa, BBC Sport breaks down all the Premier League club models.

Does Brazil superstar Neymar leave Paris St-Germain with a legacy unfulfilled?

BBC Sport charted the career of Brazil legend Neymar as he faced a long period of absence with a knee injury, suffered two months after leaving Paris St-Germain to join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

‘Special things can happen’ – Hollywood-owned Wrexham savour success

Even as the red smoke faded on another promotion party, the question already turned to how far can Wrexham go?

Sir Jim Ratcliffe: Man Utd co-owner on Glazers, Greenwood, transfers, catching Man City & Liverpool

Sir Jim Ratcliffe talked to Dan Roan about Manchester United, recruitment, working with the Glazer family and creating the right environment at the club.

Glory and fury: Liverpool, Boston and a tale of two teams

Owner John Henry has ended title droughts on both sides of the Atlantic, but neither Liverpool or Boston Red Sox fans are entirely happy with the direction he is taking their teams.

Saka & Martinelli: The art of the modern winger

Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott looks at the way the role of the winger has changed since he used to play the game.

How people, policy and the shortcomings of the city’s premier club have helped Paris export players in a quantity and quality unmatched anywhere in the world.

How Liverpool and Nottingham Forest fans found common ground in tragedy

Ninety-seven Liverpool fans died as a result of the Hillsborough disaster. None of the 28,000 Forest fans in attendance lost their lives, but Britain’s worst stadium disaster played out in front of them.

Taming the Crazy Gang, a blank contract & David Currie – the legend of Clough

Goalkeeper Mark Crossley spent most of his career at Nottingham Forest after making his debut in 1989 – and that meant he got a front row seat in the world of Brian Clough.

Premier League 2023-24: Fans’ verdicts on their club’s season

BBC Sport’s fan community have been providing analysis during the Premier League season, so we asked for their verdicts on their club’s campaign.

George Best and Barry Fry were football’s unlikely pals – this is the story of an enduring friendship forged at Manchester United.

Fights, bikes & late nights: Six images of a Manchester rivalry

Star players have come and gone, but through Manchester United and Manchester City’s Premier League rivalry, two local brothers have documented the characters and the chaos.

‘Eric, you can’t go around doing things like that, son’

Former Manchester United winger Lee Sharpe reflects on his time at the club to the Sacked in the Morning podcast, including that moment with Eric Cantona at Selhurst Park.

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