Soccer History

The last time Canada qualified for a men's World Cup was in 1986. For a generation afterwards, the Canadian national men's soccer team struggled in obscurity, an afterthought in a country that was not yet soccer-mad. The twenty-first century brought a wave of soccer passion and expertise to this frozen country—and a crop of new superstar players who lifted the forgotten team into the international spotlight.

In 2015, FIFA - the multibillion dollar governing body of the world's most-loved sport - was brought down by allegations of industrial-scale bribes, kickbacks, money laundering, racketeering, and tax evasion. Beginning with early morning raids in Zurich and the indictment of 27 executives by the US Department of Justice, the rottenness at the core of FIFA seemed to extend throughout all of soccer, from the decision to send the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar to lesser known cases of embezzlement from Trinidad to South Africa.

From tennis legend Billie Jean King to the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team, athletes have fought for equity and fairness for women in professional sports. Discover the pro athletes who have used their platform to speak out and affect change for all women.

The US Women’s National Soccer Team has won three World Cups and four Olympic gold medals, set record TV ratings, drawn massive crowds, earned huge revenues for FIFA and US Soccer, and helped to redefine the place of women in sports. But despite their dominance, and their rosters of superstar players, they’ve endured striking inequality: low pay, poor playing conditions, and limited opportunities to play in professional leagues.

Once upon a time football was run by modest local businessmen. Today it is the plaything of billionaire oligarchs, staggeringly wealthy from oil and gas, from royalty, or from murkier sources. But who are these new masters of the universe? Where did all their money come from? And what do they want with our beautiful game? In The Billionaires Club James Montague delves deeper than anyone else has dared, to tell this story for the first time.

Set against the backdrop of an American town that without its consent had become a vast social experiment, Outcasts United follows a pivotal season in the life of the Fugees and their charismatic coach. Warren St. John documents the lives of a diverse group of young people as they miraculously coalesce into a band of brothers, while also drawing a fascinating portrait of a fading American town struggling to accommodate its new arrivals.

For the Redknapp clan, football is a family concern; it's the family business. Me, Family and the Making of a Footballer is a deeply moving, heartfelt and beautifully personal account of growing up as the second son of Harry Redknapp, and also an enchanting love letter to football.

Are you searching for the perfect book to ignite your child’s love for soccer, even if they’ve never kicked a ball before? Look no further than A Kid’s Guide to Soccer Legends! This engaging, fun-filled guide is packed with captivating stories, powerful lessons in perseverance, and motivational heroes both on and off the pitch.

Barcelona and Real Madrid: two of the most powerful and popular clubs in world football, and one of the world's most bitter sporting rivalries. Going far beyond the boundaries of just sport alone, this is a rivalry at the heart of Spanish life, taking in politics and culture and splitting a country in two. El Clasico gets to the heart of that rivalry, investigating the intrigue, the larger-than-life characters, the key flashpoints and their consequences.

In this fascinating and exhaustively researched book, the first of its kind in the English language, Tom Williams brings to life French football’s chequered coming of age over the last 40 years. Featuring exclusive interviews with great figures of the French game such as Alain Giresse, Jean-Pierre Papin, Emmanuel Petit and Blaise Matuidi, and with a cast of characters that also includes Michel Platini, Thierry Henry, Karim Benzema, Chris Waddle and Lionel Messi, it's a book no football fan will want to miss.

Soccer has been the world’s most popular sport for the last century, and an irresistible game for political and social leaders seeking shortcuts to the hearts of their people. Sometimes it worked, momentarily, but as renowned sports journalist Luciano Wernicke writes in this fascinating and original audiobook, the game and its glories have survived them all.

Looking for the perfect gift for a young soccer star? Whether it’s for a birthday, Christmas, or just because, Soccer Success Playbook is the ideal present for any child aged 8-12 who dreams of improving their skills and becoming a soccer champion! This playbook is packed with 70 essential skills, drills, and winning strategies designed specifically for kids. It’s a comprehensive guide that covers everything from mastering ball control and perfecting passing techniques to advanced tactics and team dynamics.

When James Montague first began covering football in the Middle East two decades ago, people asked him what future there could possibly be for the beautiful game in one of the most volatile regions in the world. In the years that followed, it would become one of the biggest stories in global sport, from the from revolutionary ultras of the Arab Spring and the takeover of some of the world's biggest clubs by the Emirati super rich, to Qatar's controversial journey towards hosting the 2022 World Cup finals.

Each November, about a hundred people with paper poppies pinned to their coats gather around a memorial in Edinburgh. They're there to commemorate the more than a dozen members of the local football team, Heart of Midlothian - almost every member of its starting lineup and many of its backup players - who went to war. A Bigger Field Awaits Us tells the little-known but poignant story of a group of Scottish athletes and their fans who went to war together - and the stories of the few who made it home.

The exciting story of one of the fastest growing sports in the world, played by over 30 million girls and women. Over 25 million people tuned in for the Americans' 2015 Women's World Cup final victory - the most-watched football match in United States history. The Making of the Women's World Cup details the most incredible tales from previous Women's World Cups.

The World Cup is the largest sports event outside the summer Olympics: the progress of the 32 countries which qualify for the finals is watched by billions all over the globe. Since the very first World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, there have been 18 finals, held every four years (with a 12-year break over the World War II period). The World Cup in South Africa will be the 19th. Brian Glanville, the distinguished journalist and World Cup historian, has written a fascinating history of the event.

El mejor mundial de la historia ocurrió en México. El mejor gol, la mejor afición, el hombre que se deshizo de medio equipo... Dios mismo extendió la mano en el Azteca para anotar y crear historia. La Copa del Mundo de 1986 nos regaló color, pasión y jugadores que hasta los más agnósticos reconocen como eternos: Platini, Hugo Sánchez, Maradona. Leyendas unidas bajo el cielo mexicano. Es hora de volver a ser testigos de una de las gestas más grandes del futbol.

¿De qué hablamos cuando hablamos del futbol latinoamericano?¿Se trata, apenas, de una coincidencia geográfica? El futbol latinoamericano no existe ni como un relato único, ni como un desarrollo homogéneo, ni como un modo colectivo de jugarlo o de mirarlo, ni siquiera como un origen común y mucho menos como un destino. Narrar una historia de ese futbol exige construir una historia de la complejidad, las divergencias y los desgarramientos que lo fueron inventando.

El Real Madrid tiene más de 150 millones de seguidores en las redes sociales. Su estandarte: una camiseta blanca. Su misión: trascender a través de la victoria. Esa es su gracia y su condena. Una religión para quienes lo aman; una mentira para quienes lo odian.

Narrated by the daughter of one of the team members, Janice Barton, with unprecedented access to the secrets and insights of the first ever woman's team, this is a multi-generational story celebrating the power of a group of women who refused to accept the status quo - revealing how the events of 1971 shaped mother and daughter's lives both personally and professionally.