Articles by Jack McRae
Bio: I am a freelance sports journalist and first began writing about football regularly for my university’s student paper. Despite then going viral and suffering humiliation for an article on why Turkey were the 'dark horses' at Euro 2020, my obsession with watching and covering the beautiful game remained strong. I wrote my History degree dissertation on the rise of xenophobia in South Africa during the 2010 World Cup before moving to north London, a stone’s throw away from both Highbury and the Emirates Stadium, to complete a Master’s in International Journalism. I have been lucky enough to interview a number of professional sportsmen and women and, since starting as a freelance writer for GOAL in November 2023, have been able to cover some of the biggest games and events in the all-consuming world of football and sport.
My Football Story: Before I could walk or talk, I was put into an Arsenal shirt and I went to my first ever game shortly after my fifth birthday. Yet, ever since that 3-0 win over Watford in 2006, the Gunners have never quite been able to replicate the golden years of the early 2000s. For each season I have lived by the Emirates, the club have tortured me with a run of consecutive second-placed finishes, but maybe this could be the year. Fortunately, we can always rely on the women’s team to produce some magic.
Areas of Expertise:Favourite Footballing Memory: It is impossible to split being behind the goal as Reiss Nelson fired in his 97th-minute winner against Bournemouth and standing in the Clock End as Declan Rice scored his second stunning free-kick in the 3-0 win against Real Madrid. Two moments in which I thought we would win it all, even if they ultimately led to nothing.