How to Be a Footballer

Product Information

Legend is a word that is banded around freely nowadays but you could arguably put former Aston Villa, Manchester United and Irish international Paul McGrath into this category. Released in 2014, Harry Redknapp’s book is a fantastic stroll down memory lane from one of the most iconic managers in the modern game. A fascinating read for any football fan but less so if you just want to know more about Gerrard as a person. One of the greatest footballers of his generation, Rio Ferdinand’s autobiography charts his rise from West Ham’s youth teams to Manchester United legend.

I had mixed feelings when I began work on the book,” confesses Kuper. “I felt that the whole thing might be too big for me, and I was concerned about what friends would say when they read it. Yet I also had a sort of blind confidence in my writing ability. An established author probably wouldn’t have taken on such a project. It’s the sort of thing that a young writer needed to do.”Throughout the book, Hamann expresses his thoughts and opinions in a no-nonsense way but at no point do you think he is trying to be sensational. Maybe it’s his German charm! Gillespie comes across in the book as a really decent man who unfortunately has a really sad story to tell. One thing to note is that there are a few swear words within the book therefore it’s not suitable for some of Ronaldo’s younger fans.

The only negative point of the book in our opinion is that he doesn’t talk as much about his 20 year playing career as maybe he should have, considering that he made over 400 first-team appearances. Barton comes across in the book as a man who has a huge desire to win football matches at all costs, even at the expense of personal relationships, and he goes into detail about many of the scrapes he has been involved in over the years on and off the pitch.Wright also talks about his retirement from playing and the career change into punditry and his TV and radio career. Regarded by many in the game as the best football manager in the world, Carlo Ancelotti’s book is a must read for anyone wanting an authentic insight into how to get to the top of your chosen profession without compromising your values. Enter the Ultimate Football Heroes Hall of Fame! These legends of the game have made their mark on footballing history. We love reading football autobiographies so we have compiled a list of the best football books for you to have a look at below.

He reveals the truth about his darkest times since retiring from playing which include problems with drugs and gambling and his recent prison sentence after his conviction for grevious bodily harm. Released in 2015, The Second Half book talks about the end of his playing career, move into management and his new career as a television pundit. A player who came into the Manchester United team around the same time as the Class of 92, Gillespie talks about his rise to fame and the trappings and temptations that go hand in hand with it ultimately leading to a gambling addiction and bankruptcy.This riveting, passionately written inside story of the England team and its fans during Italia 90 made ‘football literature’ mean more than daft ghosted biographies. “There had been good football books before,” recalls Davies, “but they were rare, and there’d been bugger all in the 1980s.

No one really gets the hang of me,” Brian Clough once told its author. Duncan Hamilton got closer than anyone. Huw Davies Supporters can easily become obsessed by tactics and formations. Whether the “diamond” trumps the “ false nine” or whether 4-3-3 is just 4-5-1 with lazier forwards? And for those who (pre-Covid) lived for those never-ending pub arguments with no hope of resolution, this book is their bible. Although it stops short of explaining the theory of the ‘67th-minute’ goal. That’s explored in detail in There’s Only One Danny Garvey. A collection of portraits are neatly interwoven as some of the leading helmsmen in English club football talk candidly about their route to the top, the day-to-day and what they stand for in one-to-one interviews with the author. Among the men featured are Alan Pardew, Garry Monk, Mark Hughes, England U21 caretaker coach Aidy Boothroyd and that great hope of the English coaching fraternity, Eddie Howe. This isn’t one of the longest football books and you’ll find it really easy to read so don’t be surprised if you finish it within a couple of days. This book is not just about football, it’s also a story of how someone can wrestle with alcohol addiction whilst at the same time playing at the very top-level of the game.Author Priscilla Mante shares some fantastic books for children that just happen to be about football (among other things) – perfect for every child, whether soccer-mad or not!