How to Be a Footballer

Product Information

If you want to be a writer, you must read this book. If you want to know more about football history, you ought to read this book. If you love football and good writing – and if you don’t, you’re in the wrong list – then this will educate and entertain. Gary Parkinson He also tells his side of the story on many issues such as his dismissal from Spurs, the England manager’s job and his tax evasion court case.

Some of the most mesmerising passages deal with the star’s status as the only free man in the vast prison camp of Stalinist Hungary in the early-’50s. Tragically, Taylor’s Hungarian co-author Klara Jamrich died of cancer at the age of 35. David Winner If you’re looking for one of those football books that are crammed with no-nonsense facts, tactical analysis and a serious tone then this book is definitely not for you. One of the last ‘old-school’ footballers, Bullard’s enthusiasm for the game is infectious and he never took his privileged position for granted. Hugely entertaining from start to finish, this light-hearted book from self-confessed football nutter Jimmy Bullard is full of hilarious stories from his playing career.Refreshing in its honesty, ‘Big Sam’, is a real earthy kind of book which is not pretentious in any way and gives readers a real insight into the trials and tribulations of a Premier League manager. 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. And you'll learn a lot more than just about coaching football: there are lessons for life here between the tales of obsession, camaraderie and primal competitive oneupmanship. Constant introspection and a fixation with detail remain rolling themes across all of Calvin’s subjects. "This job consumes your life. It eats you up, it really does," explains one. Gregor MacGregor

This book is a tale about one man’s journey through an unbelievable obsession with the beautiful game. Paulo dreams of becoming a football star and escaping his life of poverty. His all-boys neighbourhood team don’t think that girls can play football, but when one of his teammates is injured, the only chance they have of succeeding is if his sister Maria steps in to save the day. This beautifully illustrated picture book provides an insight into life within a Brazilian favela and will inspire young girls to be the hero of their stories. 5. Booked by Kwame Alexander Hamilton recalls, “I stayed well into the autumn afternoon and left hopelessly drunk on Bell’s Whisky. We never got to the champagne. My notebook was choked with stories.” Of course, the big hitters such as Roy Keane’s book or Robbie Savage’s book are heavily publicised and rightly so as they are not only controversial but highly entertaining.

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. Higginbotham doesn’t try to be too controversial within his book and doesn’t name names when he recounts his stories, it’s just simply an honest account of the modern-day footballer. I wanted football to have a proper place in popular culture; I thought someone should say ‘Not all of us are lunatics. We have legitimate emotional reasons for watching this game, which is incredibly important culturally and matters to everyone in the world.’” The role of Children's Laureate is awarded once every two years to an eminent writer or illustrator of children's books to celebrate outstanding achievement in their field. Find out what Joseph's been up to.

also includes Ferdinand’s views and opinions on his history with John Terry, ex-managers such as David Moyes and Sir Alex Ferguson and former team mates such as Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo. 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.

Savage’s second book, which was released in June 2016, gives the reader his thoughts on all aspects of the modern game with opinions on players, managers, cup competitions and even kids football. This isn’t one of those football books full of amusing stories from the dressing room, (although there are of course some funny ancedotes), it’s more of a book on leadership skills, qualities and values and how you can lead a team of people to success. An enjoyable book and a bit of an eye-opener when he talks about the racism he has experienced within the game.