Sports Soccer

Before agents and TV mega-rights ushered in multi-millionaire players, footballers’ wages were capped, with even the game's biggest names earning barely more than a plumber or electrician. Footballing legends shared a bond of borderline penury with the crowds they entertained on Saturday afternoons, on pitches that were far away from the pristine lawns of the modern era. Instead of the sports cars driven by today's top players, the stars of yesteryear travelled to matches on public transport and returned to homes as modest as those of their supporters.

For football fans who hungrily feed on gossip and rumour, Christmas comes twice a year - once in August and again in January. These are the months when the transfer window dominates thoughts, when the prospect of a new signing or two reinvigorates the hopes and dreams of the hopelessly devoted. Nige Tassell goes behind the scenes to observe the workings of the transfer window and to examine why it continues to hold such fascination for a nation of football lovers.

إذا كنت من محبي كرة القدم فسوف تقع في غرام هذا الكتاب أمّا إذا لم تكن كذلك فستستمتع به وربّما تُغير رأيكَ في مشاعرك اتجاه معشوقة الجماهير فهذا الكتاب هو رحلةٌ عجيبة في عالم الكرة، قصصٌ ممتعة وقصيرة عن مارادونا وبيليه وكرويف وفريدناند..

Foot-ball: Its History for Five Centuries by M. Shearman and J.E. Vincent, narrated by Gary Middleton, explores the fascinating evolution of football (soccer and rugby) from its medieval origins to the early modern era. This comprehensive historical account delves into the sport’s early rules, traditions, and development across centuries, shedding light on how it grew into the beloved global phenomenon it is today.

For 30 år siden var Europas herrefodbold martret af vold og tragedie. Fodbolden var blevet synonym med grove tackling og tilskueruroligheder, der kulminerede med stadiontragedierne på Heysel og Hillsborough. Det stod så slemt til, at Margaret Thatchers britiske regering overvejede af indstille den professionelle fodbold. Det skete ikke, i stedet voksede en ny sport ud af ruinerne. Klubfodbolden blev rigere, dyrere, smukkere, renere, mere højlydt og global, men også mere ulige og forudsigelig.

Ramón Rodríguez Verdejo (San Fernando, 20 de septiembre de 1968), más conocido como Monchi, se ha convertido en un icono de talla internacional. Director deportivo autodidacta, empujado al cargo como solución de urgencia en un momento en el que en la caja fuerte del Sevilla FC había impagados y poco más, Monchi ha logrado lo impensable con un club que jamás había descollado a escala planetaria hasta su llegada.

When Trent Cotchin was handed the reins of Richmond Football Club's team in 2013, he was a 22-year-old star, skilful and fearlessly hard at the ball. Coming off a Brownlow Medal-winning season, he embraced the captaincy and continued his quest to get the most out of himself for the benefit of the club. Yet by the end of 2016, Trent was suffering from serious self-doubt. With nothing to lose and facing down his own fear of failure, Trent put himself on the line in a new way.

A player who could hardly defend. A bleak soccer future as a bench-warmer. An athlete who lacked confidence in their game. Are you or a loved one enjoying soccer, but can’t stand not being confident on how to defend? Do you or a child have a problem stopping the team from shooting? Are you a parent or player that would love to stop the dribble of each opponent, but struggle even stopping the foot skills of one player? If any of these situations describe you, you are not alone. Coaches of soccer are good at having the team work together. Sadly, your abilities as an individual are often lost in the team’s tactics unless you are the star player on the team. The coach lets the best player do as they please but every other player must do their job, even though the coach may not always teach exactly how to do that job.

Hristo Stoichkov, El Pistolero del legendario Dream Team del FC Barcelona, nos trae su auténtica autobiografía. El máximo goleador de la Copa Mundial de 1994 nos revela su alma sin maquillaje, pretensiones ni cohibiciones. Directo, volcánico y fiel a su imagen de aquella época en la que millones de seguidores admiraban al mágico Nº8.

When a career-ending injury saw former Ireland and Millwall striker Richie Sadlier retire from football at age 24, his life spiralled out of control. Without structure or a sense of purpose, fuelled by a dependency on alcohol, he spent years running from the dark memories and feelings that had haunted him since childhood. Until one day he hit rock bottom and decided to confront his demons.

In the mid-1990s, Kevin Keegan brought sporting romance and expectation of trophies to Newcastle, Sunderland moved the the Stadium of Light backed by a wealthy consortium, Middlesbrough signed one of the best Brazilians of the era and won their first major trophy - even little Darlington had a former safe-cracker turned kitchen magnate in charge, promising the world. The region even provided England's two key players in Euro 96 in Alan Shearer and Paul Gascoigne - the far corner seemed destined to become the centre of England's footballing world. But it never happened.

When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer returned to Old Trafford as caretaker manager midway through the 2018-19 season, he breathed new life into a team that was drifting. In this new and definitive biography, Jamie Jackson investigates why he was the perfect man for the job to bring back the glory days. After the confusion under David Moyes, the stagnation of Louis van Gaal and the growing trauma under Jose Mourinho, Manchester United were a club increasingly struggling to challenge for major honours, something the fans had been accustomed to during the reign of Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Wizards FC was a team of former school friends who - with the help of a few star ringers - slogged their way through mud, skinheads, and Staffordshire bull terriers to win the Edmonton Sunday League. Team captain Ewan Flynn brings alive a world of young men giving it their all on sloping pitches a million miles from the glamour of the Premier League, and officials who volunteer to maintain some sort of order. Along the way, he charts the bittersweet stories of mates who brought success to the Wizards.

The England team that touched down in Russia for the 2018 World Cup was a new-look outfit: there were no real stars, no overblown egos and no dickheads. Still reeling from the wincing exit to Iceland in the 2016 Euros, expectations were at an all-time low. Qualification had been smooth if not spectacular, and pundits and fans alike were lukewarm about the team’s chances. Just avoiding embarrassment would have counted as some kind of success. How wrong we were.

A sport unlike any other in the world, football has always been Australia's bellwether. But at a time when politics is increasingly conducted like sports, football is the one institution that's more relevant than ever. And it's Richmond that's out in front of the pack. Before it could win the 2017 premiership, the club had to change how it thought about good leadership.

Pers wunderbare Fußball-Welt: kurzweilig, anekdotenreich und voller unvergesslicher Momente. In England nennt man ihn liebevoll "Big Fucking German" - aber nicht nur mit seiner Körpergröße von exakt einem Meter achtundneunzig ragt Per Mertesacker heraus: Er ist für seine überaus faire Spielweise bekannt, er hat ein feines Gespür für den Raum und ein exzellentes taktisches Verständnis, er ordnet alles dem Erfolg unter. In seiner Autobiographie blickt der Defensiv-Spezialist auf eine einmalige Karriere zurück.

Jimmy Bullard may not have had the perfect hair-do, his Granada Ghia may not have been the flashiest of cars, and he definitely didn't have a string of Page 3 girls trying to sell kiss and tell stories about him to the tabloids. But what he has in spades is a genuine love for The Beautiful Game that few of his peers can match. One of the last graduates from football's old school, Jimmy actually worked in the real world - including as a painter and decorator - before turning pro. Maybe that's why he played football with a smile on his face, always says what's on his mind, and is no stranger to a spot of mischief.

With 19 spells at various clubs in the Football League, Jon Parkin has cut an instantly recognisable figure in English football for the past 20 years. At 6'4", and weighing in as one of football's heavyweights, Parkin has played more than 600 games during his time with Barnsley, Hartlepool, York, Macclesfield Town, Hull City, Stoke City, Preston, Cardiff, Doncaster, Huddersfield, Scunthorpe, Fleetwood, Forest Green, Newport County and back to York, where he is currently top scorer. This is his no-holds-barred life story.

"Hasta la vista, Bayern finalista!" Spontane, unvergessliche Sprüche wie dieser sind das Markenzeichen des Fußballreporters Wolff-Christoph Fuss. Im Jahr der Fußball-WM 2014 erzählt er aus der verrückten Realität seines Traumberufs und einer häufig überdrehten Branche. Er erinnert sich an peinliche Patzer bei seinen ersten Spielkommentaren, an emotionale Augenblicke wie beim "Spiel für die Ewigkeit" zwischen Inter Mailand und Schalke 04 oder an Vorgänge hinter den Kulissen.

Am 13. Juli 2014 schrieb Mario Götze Fußballgeschichte. An diesem Tag schoss er die deutsche Nationalelf mit seinem 1:0 im WM-Finale gegen Argentinien zum Weltmeistertitel. Das Tor war der vorläufige Höhepunkt der noch jungen Karriere eines der talentiertesten Fußballer, den Deutschland je hatte. Wenn nur Pep Guardiola, sein Trainer bei den Bayern, die Fähigkeiten des Ex-Dortmunders endlich voll ausschöpfen würde.