Soccer Books

Soccer literature is a fast developing niche- a proliferation of books which mirror the explosive international growth and profile of the sport. I identify my favourites below. Same rules apply to my criteria- First, I have actually read the entire book. Second, I omit self congratulatory fluff memoirs ghost authored for superstar players or egomaniac coaches. Third- boring x and o strategy volumes don’t make the cut. We are looking at the backstory and the personal dramas associated with the “Beautiful Game.”

1) Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and Stefan Symanski.

2) Fever Pitch by Nick Hornsby.

3) The Ball is Round by David Goldblatt.

4) The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro by Joe McGinnis.

5) The Barcelona Complex by Simon Kuper.

6) The Game of Our Lives by David Goldblatt.

7) The Away Game by Sebastian Abbot.