101 true stories to surprise and delight footy fans.Did you know:Why a soccer ball is black and white?The story behind the most red cards ever handed out in a single match?The largest own-goal loss in history?If a football club has ever been successful in achieving not one, not two, but three promotions in a row?Whether you’re a rookie or true footballing faithful, Alex Broad covers the funniest, s...

The Club is the inside story of how English soccer’s Premier League became the wildest, richest, most popular sports product on the planet, "a narrative that is part Great Expectations, part Game of Thrones, in equal measure." (Roger Bennett, NBC Sports, Men in Blazers)This is a sports and business tale of how money, ambition, and twenty-five years of drama remade an ancient institution into a twenty-first-century entertainment empire. No one knew it when ...

**Updated 2026 World Cup Edition In this modern classic, a leading sportswriter and an acclaimed sports economist apply high-powered analytical tools to everyday soccer topics.“Soccernomics is the most intelligent book ever written about soccer.” ―San Francisco Chronicle**Why do clubs almost always lose money—and does it mean some will disappear? Why doesn’t America dominate the sport internationally? Do coaches actually even matter? These are the question...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BEST SPORTS WRITING OF THE YEAR AWARDLONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDA GUARDIAN SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEARA WATERSTONES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR'A marvellous football book, although it is much more than that' The Times'More Than A Shirt shows why geopolitics keeps invading the pitch' The Economist

Whether you want to impress friends and colleagues with new-found football wisdom, brush up on details you're unsure about (the offside rule, anyone?) or improve your practical skills, this is the book for you! Covering all the basics of the game, rules and tactics, as well as giving an in-depth history of the sport and how it has evolved to the present day, this indispensable guide will get you up to speed on the most popular game in the world in no time. With dream team formations, tips ...

Football School Epic Heroes is part of the bestselling Football School series, which teaches you about the world through football, packed with superstar stories, fun facts and laugh-out-loud illustrations. Perfect for readers 7+ and recommended by the National Literacy Trust, BookTrust, the Premier League and parents and teachersCelebrate the greatest names and teams in football history with this collection of 50 true stories.Discover the g...

Tracing Canadian men’s soccer’s emergence from global obscurity to international powerhouse, featuring insight from star players like Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David and manager John Herdman.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 ...

**NATIONAL BESTSELLER“A captivating read from one of our country’s greatest athletes.”―Christine Sinclair, former captain of the Canadian Women's National Soccer Team and National Bestselling Author of Playing the Long GameOut of the Toronto suburb of Brampton comes an irresistible story of trials, perseverance, the limelight of international soccer, and—above all—heart.**Despite debuting on Canada’s senior national soccer team 20 years ago,...

**An opinionated masterclass in the art and science of “reading” a match from one of professional soccer’s most respected and beloved international figures."For Americans new to European soccer, terms like 'false striker,' 'double accordion' or 'moving trios' need Mr. Gullit’s expert explications." —Wall Street Journal**Ruud Gullit knows better than anyone else that to understand soccer you have to understand strategy. When he started playing soccer, his only “strategy” was...

Ex-referee and now fearless writer and football pundit, Graham Poll is no stranger to controversy. His latest book is an entertaining and provocative reappraisal of the major incidents in World and English football down the years – from Geoff Hurst’s goal in ‘66, through Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ to the infamous Battle of the Bridge in 2009.Graham Poll, England’s highest profile referee of the last two decades, refereed over 400 Premiership games, involving more than 1.5 million spe...

Simon Kuper's New York Times bestseller Soccernomics pioneered a new way of looking at soccer through meticulous empirical analysis and incisive -- and witty -- commentary. Kuper now leaves the numbers and data behind to explore the heart and soul of the world's most popular sport in the new, extraordinarily revealing Soccer Men.Soccer Men goes behind the scenes with soccer's greatest players and coaches. Inquiring into the genius and hubris of t...

Discover the most memorable moments in football history in this fascinating Ultimate Football Heroes collection!From the invention of the modern sport all the way to the present day, bestselling author and football expert Tom Palmer picks ONE HUNDRED of the most thrilling and significant goals, games, and players from more than 150 years of the Beautiful Game.Featuring Pele's World Cup, Maradona's Hand of God, John Barnes' Maracana...