Soccer World

The World Cup is the largest sports event outside the summer Olympics: the progress of the 32 countries which qualify for the finals is watched by billions all over the globe. Since the very first World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, there have been 18 finals, held every four years (with a 12-year break over the World War II period). The World Cup in South Africa will be the 19th. Brian Glanville, the distinguished journalist and World Cup historian, has written a fascinating history of the event.

During Italia '90 I had the privilege of seeing Italy versus Republic of Ireland in Rome. The Italians beat us on the night but the tables were turned four years later when Ireland thanks to Ray Houghton beat Italy in New York's Giants Stadium during the USA World Cup of 1994. The loss didn't do Italy any harm as they went on to win the tournament and perhaps that sums up Italy and their approach to football. There is a story that Pope John Paul 11 blessed the Irish team (I witnessed that), but in a private audience he also seemingly blessed Schillaci and Donadoni.

Soccer has been America's Sport of the Future since 1972. The Men in Blazers are two English-born, soccer-obsessed broadcasters who have savored the dizzying growth of the game along with millions of Americans, as if it was a rollicking, sporting telenovela playing out in real life. Written in such a way that fully immerses Americans in the history and culture of the world's game, their Encyclopedia Blazertannica relives the careers of such greats such as George Best, Maradona, Beckham...and Alexi Lalas.

As an energetic six-year-old, Beth Mead was taken to a weekly local football session by her mum. Finding a passion for the game, Beth often found herself as the only girl on the team. Despite being laughed at for this, she let her natural talent do the talking. At 16, Mead was signed to Sunderland where she made a name for herself as a top goalscorer. Putting off offers from Arsenal until she completed her university degree, Mead continued juggling work, study and football until she graduated. She then signed to Arsenal and earned a place as a Lioness, representing the England national team.

The crowd roars. Soccer's ultimate prize is on the line. Listeners will delight in discovering the legendary players, thrilling games, and long history of the World Cup.

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 and expertise to this frozen country—and a crop of new superstar players who lifted the forgotten team into the international spotlight.

George Orwell once claimed: “Football has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words it is war minus the shooting.” From the killing fields of the 1916 Somme, to the Azteca stadium in 1986. A selection of occasions when the beautiful game has been used both as a weapon and indeed a field for revenge. And much more. As the bullets flew and the bombs dropped the game has always continued on and on...

How do you win the world cup? Godlike genius or the focus of a disappointed nation's fury—the world's most prestigious tournament makes or breaks a national coach. Only 20 managers have guided their team to World Cup glory, so what are their secrets? From revolutionary tactics to hare-brained schemes, this book searches for the keys to the most exclusive club in international football.

DISCOVER:: The Secrets of The World’s Best Ever Playmakers In this book you are going to learn everything you need to know about the world’s best ever playmakers. I am going to reveal their strongest skills, the ones mainly responsible for their success on the soccer field. You are also going to learn more about their background and what made them successful on the soccer field. YOUR MISSION: Unlock Your Playmaker Skills and Become Amazingly Good in the Process! By reading this book you will be able to pinpoint exactly how those playmakers reached the top level, which will indirectly ...

DISCOVER:: The Soccer World’s Greatest Ever Playmakers In the book you are about to read I am going to reveal all the facts about some of the world’s absolutely best playmakers. You are going to learn how they were able to dominate the game, their main skills but also what specifically made them successful on the field. YOUR MISSION: Unlock Your Soccer Skills and Become a Great Playmaker! By reading this book you are going to be able to understand how the world’s greatest playmakers were able to reach their level of success. This will indirectly affect your performance on the field as...

DISCOVER:: The Hidden Secrets of The World’s Greatest Soccer Playmakers In this book you are going to learn everything worth knowing about the world’s greatest soccer playmakers. I am going to reveal how they started, what contributed to their success and their strongest skills on the soccer field. YOUR MISSION:: Unlock Your Own Playmaker Skills & Become Really Good in the Process! This book reveals how to think like a true playmaker by simply adapting the tips shared from some of the best soccer playmakers ever. I can’t promise you to become equally good as the players in this book, ...

Often recruited before they've worn long trousers, today's footballers become superstars who earn huge amounts without ever learning much about the world beyond the training ground. But what do these Peter Pans, whose careers end just as most people's are getting going, do with the rest of their lives? Crouch speaks from his own experience and discusses with fellow former professionals too—just how do you safely release a near seven-foot striker back into the wild?

This entry in a brand new line of sports biographies from Matt Christopher takes listeners onto the field with a soccer legend Mia Hamm's speed, aggressive play, and ability to "read the field" helped her become the best women's soccer player in the world. Her stellar performance as a college, World Cup, and Olympic Champion made her a sports hero, and her story will inspire a new generation of young athletes. This comprehensive biography - with bonus photos and infographics - gives listeners an up-close look at one of America's greatest soccer stars.

Think you know everything about football? Which football match triggered a war? How did "the beautiful game" push back against the tyranny of dictatorship, and usher another into power? Kicking Off Around the World includes 55 incredible stories in which football clubs have been a mirror to—and a maker of—world history and politics.

Un libro revelador y autobiográfico que le tomo al autor 25 años para lograr terminar de escribir. Aqui el autor preparador físico, asesor nutricional, y consejero de Diego Armando Maradona ademas de grandes leyendas del deporte profesional, olímpico, amateur, y celebridades del mundo entero, Ing. MSS.MSN Marco Ossa; nos muestra de forma detallada desde lo mas intimo de su alma al gran futbolista Diego Armando Maradona, considerado el jugador de futbol o soccer como le llaman en USA.- todos los detalles compartidos de su diario vivir, intimidades nunca conocidas y los diferentes ...

DISCOVER:: The Secrets of The World’s Best Ever Strikers In this book you are going to learn everything you need to know about the world’s best ever strikers. I am going to reveal their strongest skills, the ones mainly responsible for their success on the soccer field. You are also going to learn more about their background and what made them successful on the soccer field. YOUR MISSION: Unlock Your Goal Scoring Skills and Become Amazingly Good in the Process! By reading this book you will be able to pinpoint exactly how those strikers reached the top level, which will indirectly help ...

There’s Evil Lurking in the Stands“An intense thriller linking football to the resurgence of right wing extremism by an author who has straddled the worlds of international football and modern Germany society.” -- Tariq Panja, New York Times journalist Racism has reared its ugly head across the globe, and the terraces are no exception. When a young refugee is murdered in broad daylight, it seems like just another blot on the society -- a group of racist thugs with a grievance that went too far. But when Annabelle Green is pulled into the chaos, she starts to unravel something far more...

Do you want to learn the keys to improving your defensive game? Or looking for ways to solidify your team's defense? This audiobook is your answer. As was said by a great soccer manager, "Offense wins games; defense wins titles." This is the case with every level of the professional and amateur game in all countries across the globe. Although there is a correlation between scoring the most goals and winning leagues, it does not seem to be quite as strong as having a watertight defense.

Fascinating for supporters looking to understand their club’s and its rivals’ strategy and methods, and those curious about finance and power in football, Who Owns Football? reveals how the game's custodians operate. Football club owners can take teams to the heights of the Champions League or financial oblivion. Still, in a world of super leagues, rapidly escalating wages, transfer fees, Financial Fair Play and an increasingly profitable women’s game, they tread a precarious tightrope.

In 2012, Hakeem al-Araibi was a promising young player on Bahrain's national football team when he was arrested for attacking a police station during the Arab Spring, despite television footage showing him playing soccer at the time of the alleged attack. After three months of torture and wrongful imprisonment, Hakeem was released. He fled the country and made his way to Australia, where he was granted refugee status. Hakeem made a life here and was playing for the suburban Pascoe Vale Football Club, in Melbourne. He thought he was safe.