Paul Hayward

Contributing Editor

Paul Hayward has been chief sportswriter at The Guardian, The Observer and Daily Telegraph and is a five-time Sportswriter of the Year. He is the author of England Football – The Biography, a 150-year history of the England men’s team, and has co-written books with Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Bobby Robson and Kevin Sinfield. He is also the co-host of the sports history podcast, How It All Played Out.

Paul Hayward

Contributing Editor

Paul Hayward has been chief sportswriter at The Guardian, The Observer and Daily Telegraph and is a five-time Sportswriter of the Year. He is the author of England Football – The Biography, a 150-year history of the England men’s team, and has co-written books with Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Bobby Robson and Kevin Sinfield. He is also the co-host of the sports history podcast, How It All Played Out.

Watkins double carries Villa to victory as number 10s battle for supremacy

The striker finds form in a match where his England team-mates vied for position

Sat, 27 Dec 2025

Jamie Vardy: The last underdog

After thirteen years, Jamie Vardy is leaving Leicester City. His time at the club is an example of not one, but two underdogs succeeding against the odds. Could anything like this happen again in the Premier League?

24 min • S1, E308

The audit: Crystal Palace

In the latest in our series, we examine a Premier League club in detail

Sat, 27 Dec 2025

Sabalenka vs Kyrgios: a charmless stunt that doesn’t say anything about battle of the sexes

The festive period exhibition is such a contrived tennis match that it won’t help women

Fri, 26 Dec 2025

Rebirth or obituary? King George Chase races against the developers

Nostalgia for bygone venues is all well and good, but racing has declinism on their minds

Fri, 26 Dec 2025

The end is nigh: Here lies the body of Bazball

England will unlikely learn from their reckless game as early Ashes series loss looms

Sat, 20 Dec 2025

Fifa’s money grab has turned the joys of a World Cup into pure business

For Gianni Infantino’s administration, the tournament isn’t something to administer but to gorge on

Thu, 18 Dec 2025

Arsenal beware – Man City are emerging like a monster in the night

Crystal Palace 0 - Man City 3: Haaland is in prime form, with Foden impressing in front of Thomas Tuchel

Sun, 14 Dec 2025

Kobbie Mainoo’s exile is emblematic of United’s wasted promise

Midfielder’s lack of games is mystifying the club’s famous former players

Sat, 13 Dec 2025

Sport is too nuanced to resort to ‘weak versus strong’ rhetoric

“Ben Stokes’s use of “weak” was an imprecision that has created a whole new sideshow”

Wed, 10 Dec 2025

The audit: Aston Villa

In the latest in our series, we examine a Premier League club in detail

Mon, 8 Dec 2025

Running through the tears, but Kevin Sinfield will never stop

The former rugby league star continues his mission to raise cash and awareness for MND and offer a ray of hope

Fri, 5 Dec 2025

Eben Etzebeth case shows the disconnect between criminal and sports law

You don’t need to be a cynic to wonder at the shameful delayed verdict for the Springbok or Fifa’s convenient decision for Trump’s friend Cristiano Ronaldo. There’s no real threat of sport throwing the book at a star

Thu, 4 Dec 2025