Sports Biographies Football

Meet Tim Tebow: He grew up playing every sport imaginable, but football was his true passion. Even from an early age, Tim has always had the drive to be the best player and person that he could be. Through his hard work and determination, he established himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of college football and as a top prospect in the NFL.

Surround Yourself with Greatness takes listeners around the world while looking through the eyes, mind, and heart of Chad Lewis - a once freckle-faced, four-eyed, skinny teenager who at an early age wrote in his journal, “My goal and quest is to surround myself with greatness...only greatness will penetrate the walls of my heart.”

From Bill Cowher, the Super Bowl-winning, Hall-of-Fame Pittsburgh Steelers coach, and cohost of CBS’ The NFL Today, comes a poignant, inspirational story about football, family, and love.

According to investigative journalist Dan E. Moldea, for decades the National Football League has had a strong and unspoken understanding with a dangerous institution: Organized crime. In his classic expos, Interference, Moldea bares the dark, sordid underbelly of America's favorite professional team sport, revealing a nest of corruption that the league has largely ignored since its inception.

Cristiano Ronaldo overcame poverty and childhood illness to become one of the best football players ever. Escaping the hot streets of Madeira, Ronaldo first proved himself as a wonder-kid at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, before becoming a legend for Real Madrid and Portugal. This is the story of how the gifted boy became a man, a team player and a legend.

بعد إشارة بسيطة إلى تاريخ نشأة اللعبة في القارة السمراء، بَرَع المؤلف حين قرر تقسيم القارة إلى خمسة أقاليم كبرى: شمال وجنوب وشرق وغرب ووسط، ثم شرع في رسم شخصية دقيقة لكلٍ من هذه الأقاليم.

Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1996, Brian Dawkins fought to elevate not only his own game but that of his entire team. He sweat, bled, and dominated through sixteen seasons in the NFL, all the way into the Hall of Fame. Every step of the way, the Lord had his back. In the wake of his success, Dawkins comes forward to describe his journey to become one the best safeties in the NFL. Triumphs, pitfalls, love, and struggles—Dawkins shares them all, not for himself, but in gratitude to those who have helped him along the way.

Michael Owen's new autobiography will enable him to open up about his football life for the first time and set the record straight once and for all. It promises to make for an explosive listen and one of the most hotly anticipated football books of the year. The legendary striker published his first book, Off the Record, in 2004 but feels he didn't have a voice during his playing days, and now, six years after hanging up his boots, he can finally lift the lid on what really happened during his career.

Dave Zirin's book redefines an American icon, and not always in a flattering light. At 81 years old, Brown continues to speak out and look for fights. His recent public support of Donald Trump and criticism of Colin Kaepernick are just the latest examples of someone who seems restless if he is not in conflict. Jim Brown is a raw and thrilling account of Brown's remarkable life and a must-listen for sports fans and students of the Black freedom struggle.

Marcelo Bielsa is one of football's greatest eccentrics and greatest enigmas.This is the first English biography of one of football's most contradictory characters. A definitive and comprehensive biography, from growing up in Argentina under a military dictatorship to reviving the stricken power of Leeds United.

Mesut Ozil is a midfield magician, casting an elegant spell over opponents and conjuring passes through gaps lesser mortals can't even see. After an eventful sojourn among the Galacticos of Real Madrid, he has savoured silverware at Arsenal, while in 2014 he lifted the World Cup with Germany. But his life and career have been a test of resilience. Growing up in Germany's Turkish community, he faced prejudice from those who claimed his dual identity would prevent him giving his all for the national team.

In 2014, the conflict in the Donbas region of Ukraine began - and top football club Shakhtar Donetsk has since been in exile. This book tells their story; inevitably a story of the conflict and the recent Russian invasion but also a testament to the power of the game and the will of the players. It is ultimately a footballing story, exploring the experience and meaning of being a Shakhtar player through the lens of a country in the shadow of a huge aggressive neighbour.

Captain, father, leader, a fearless ambassador for the causes he believes in and a world-class midfielder, Jordan Henderson is all of these things—and it is why he is one of the most widely respected players of his generation. His story will go down in legend but his story also carries an inspirational message for anyone, showing hurdles and barriers won't stop you reaching your goals. In this, his first autobiography, Jordan reveals how an early love for the game as a kid became an all-consuming passion.

Larger-than-life football personality Micah Richards delivers the most entertaining sports book of the year. From experiencing the Manchester City revolution first-hand and achieving success with the likes of Mario Balotelli, Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero to becoming a popular TV pundit for Sky Sports, BBC Sport and Match of the Day, Micah Richards has seen it all–and laughed about most of it. In The Game, Micah reflects on how he got to where he is today and on the many wins and losses along the way.

Graeme Souness is a Glasgow Rangers icon and a Liverpool legend in the same bracket as Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. His Football: My Life, My Passion is a perceptive and opinionated assessment of the game which has been his lifetime obsession, drawing extensively on his incredibly rich and varied experiences as a player, manager and pundit.

One of the most talented and polarizing athletes of our generation, Michael Vick’s stunning story has captured news headlines across the nation. From his poverty-stricken youth, to his success on the field in high school and college, to his rise to NFL stardom and his fall from grace, Finally Free shows how a gifted athlete’s life spiraled out of control under the glare of money and fame, aided by his own poor choices. In his own words, Vick details his regrets, his search for forgiveness....

How does an underdog become a champion? One of the most innovative, gutsy, and dynamic head coaches in the NFL reveals the strategies behind building the Eagles team that shocked the world by winning the Super Bowl. In Fearless, Doug Pederson reveals the principles that guided him through the ups and downs and tough times of his career and what it took to become a champion.

For the very first time, and straight from the horse's mouth, a top manager's intriguing insights into the daily trials and tribulations, the joyous peaks and soul-destroying troughs of life as a football 'gaffer'. Ever wondered how a transfer deal is done? What a manager says during his pre-match team-talk? What he screams from the technical area? What goes on in training sessions, and on those long away trips? How a manager carefully builds a team, and what he does when the planning is disrupted by injuries?

The 1923 FA Cup final—aka the White Horse final—was the first football match played at the British Empire Exhibition Stadium. Although best-remembered for non-playing reasons that afternoon marked the historic opening chapter of the stadium’s long and eventful history, of the stadium soon to be known simply as Wembley. Nige Tassell chooses 100 matches—from the well known to the unusual—that have shaped Wembley's legacy and tells a lively and original alternative history of the past 100 years of football, and of Britain.

The amazing and blessed life of popular ESPN reporter and correspondent for College GameDay Marty Smith, whose mission in this thoughtful and funny memoir is to return fans to the true soul of sports in this country. Never Settle is the funny but oh, it's true story of how Marty got here, and a revealing look at his journey. Never Settle includes all the best stories and behind-the-scenes moments from Marty's wild life, covering topics including: college football, racing, fathers and sons, and how sports can bring us together.