Photo of Paul Hayward
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.

Photo of Paul Hayward

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
    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

  • Paul Hayward
    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

  • Paul Hayward
    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

  • Paul Hayward
    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

  • Paul Hayward
    The audit: Aston Villa

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

    Mon, 8 Dec 2025

  • Paul Hayward
    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

  • Paul Hayward
    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

  • Paul Hayward
    Slavish adherence to Bazball risks disenfranchising England’s fans

    If it’s hard to say who owns the England cricket team, it’s easy to say who doesn’t – and it’s not Baz

    Sat, 29 Nov 2025

  • Paul Hayward
    Arsenal’s Eze signals a future at the heart of England

    Eze's hat-trick drove Arsenal to a commanding victory, underlining both his personal redemption and the growing gulf between the capital rivals

    Sun, 23 Nov 2025

  • Paul Hayward
    The audit: Arsenal

    After an impeccable performance against Tottenham, it’s clear the league leader’s £325m investment in midfielders is paying off

    Sun, 23 Nov 2025

  • Paul Hayward
    Ben Stokes’s England just can’t kick their fatal addiction

    The completely reckless attacking of England spurned the opportunity to go one up in the Ashes

    Sat, 22 Nov 2025

  • Paul Hayward
    World Cup qualifiers reignited joy of football despite – not thanks to – Fifa

    It’s increasingly hard to square the romance of Cape Verde and Curaçao qualifying with what the carnival has become

    Thu, 20 Nov 2025

  • Paul Hayward
    England turn from nearly men to great entertainers

    The win was just England’s second against the All Blacks in the last 12 head-to-heads

    Sun, 16 Nov 2025

  • Paul Hayward
    Profile: Ben Stokes, England’s fiery captain

    The champion cricketeer ready for the Ashes whatever the ‘has-beens’ say

    Sun, 16 Nov 2025

  • Paul Hayward
    Where the heart wants to be: England’s happy Ashes exodus

    Thousands are flocking to sun-soaked stadiums down under

    Thu, 13 Nov 2025

  • Paul Hayward
    Sunderland is a team reborn in the Premier League

    In our continuing series, Paul Hayward examines a Premier League club in detail

    Tue, 11 Nov 2025

  • Paul Hayward
    Abramovich complains about his money, but he is winning, even as a pariah

    The proceeds from his sale of Chelsea are still frozen more than three years on

    Sat, 8 Nov 2025

  • Paul Hayward
    The audit: Brentford

    As part of our occasional series, we examine a Premier League club in detail

    Tue, 4 Nov 2025

  • Paul Hayward
    West Ham fans protest against a stadium that never felt like home

    The team’s best performance in months could not disguise fans’ anger

    Mon, 3 Nov 2025

  • Paul Hayward
    The Premier League’s big data clubs threaten the big money

    Cleverness, ingenuity and innovation have narrowed the gap between the empires and the dreamers

    Thu, 30 Oct 2025

  • Paul Hayward
    The audit: Tottenham Hotspur

    In the first of an occasional series, Paul Hayward examines a Premier League club in detail

    Mon, 27 Oct 2025

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