Soccer Memoir

Everything changed for Pistorius in the early morning hours of February 14, 2013, Valentine's Day, when he shot and killed his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, through a closed bathroom door, allegedly because he mistook her for an intruder intent on doing him harm. He was arrested and charged with premeditated murder, and overnight, the public's view of Pistorius turned on its head. Not since the O. J. Simpson case has a courtroom drama riveted global attention on one man's fate.

"Quiero compartir lo que sé, lo que aprendí del juego y del deporte en general, y hacerlo no solo con los que aman el fútbol, sino también con aquellos a los que este maravilloso deporte no les es familiar, pero que también se preguntan cómo triunfar en la vida, cómo guiar y liderar un equipo hacia la victoria y de las lecciones que se aprenden de la derrota."

Growing up and living in Kibera, Kenya, Abdul Kassim was well aware of the disproportionate number of challenges faced by women due to the extreme gender inequalities that persist in the slums. After being raised by his aunts, his mother, and his grandmother, and having a daughter himself, he felt that he needed to make a difference. In 2002, Abdul started a soccer team for girls called Girls Soccer in Kibera (GSK), with the hope of fostering a supportive community and providing emotional and mental support for the young women in the town.

Basta is the raw, honest, but above all gripping autobiography of Marco van Basten. It's the unfiltered story of his rise to fame, from being under the wing of Cruyff and experiencing life as an Ajax player to being propelled into the spotlight following Euros '88 - and scoring the greatest goal ever to win a major final - and playing for AC Milan at the peak of Italian football's popularity.

Sam Kerr is widely considered to be one of the best female footballers of all time. She is famous worldwide for her skills on the soccer pitch – but before she was Matildas captain and leading goal scorer for Chelsea, she was just an average Aussie kid who wanted to play AFL. This is her incredible football journey to the 2023 FIFA World Cup and beyond, from making the switch to soccer to becoming one of the best female strikers in the world. Sam gives us insights into what keeps her motivated, how she handles the pressures of life and what she believes is really important in life.

Cuando estoy en el campo, sentirme querido me da un impulso impresionante. Pero el odio también me da mucho. Cuando me cabrean, paso a un nivel superior: estoy más atento, más concentrado, más fuerte, más ansioso por demostrar algo. Si me odian, me hacen mejor. Por eso, partidos como los derbis me ponen a mil por hora y me llenan de una rabia especial que me lleva más alto. Pero hoy tengo mucho más control que cuando era joven. También porque los niños me han dado una calma y un ritmo que antes no tenía.

From the wounds left by the civil war to the teams’ recent global domination, historian and expert on Spanish football, Sid Lowe lifts the lid on sport’s greatest rivalry. Lowe has spoken to the biggest names and the forgotten heroes who defined their clubs. Men like Alfredo Di Stéfano and Johan Cruyff as well as the only survivor of the most politically charged game in history, the Barcelona striker who knocked Madrid out of the European Cup for the first time ever, and the president who celebrated his club’s defining moment by taking a midnight dip in the Thames.

In Robbie Fowler: My Life in Football, Robbie takes us on a journey through the games that have shaped his career and thinking about football, from Hillsborough to Istanbul, via the cup treble, that celebration, all those goals, Houllier, Benitiez, Klopp and the rest. Personal and revealing, Robbie's stories come from a life spent inside the game. He invites us inside the dressing room, sharing stories of legendary teammates like Rush, Owen and Gerrard, his love of the Kop, his greatest achievements and his regrets - as well as the money, fame and hoopla that surround the game.

Retrato íntimo de Marcelo Gallardo, único hombre en la historia de River que ganó la Copa Libertadores como jugador y entrenador. ¿Quién es? ¿Qué piensa? ¿Cómo lo hace? Lo cuenta el propio protagonista en un recorrido apasionante por su vida y obra.

Michael Owen's new autobiography will enable him to open up about his football life for the first time and set the record straight once and for all. It promises to make for an explosive listen and one of the most hotly anticipated football books of the year. The legendary striker published his first book, Off the Record, in 2004 but feels he didn't have a voice during his playing days, and now, six years after hanging up his boots, he can finally lift the lid on what really happened during his career.

In I Love This Game, the long-awaited autobiography of Patrice Evra, the former Manchester United and France star looks back on a remarkable life and career. Having played alongside some of the club's greatest legends, such as Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes, in one of United's most successful eras, Evra has now found a new role as an in-demand pundit and social media star.

Thirteen Lessons That Saved Thirteen Lives is diver John Volanthen’s nail-biting account of the incredible rescue of a Thai youth soccer team who had been trapped for over a week in a flooded cave.

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?

Archie Macpherson's compelling biography reappraises Jock Stein's career and looks closely at the personality of the man whose shrewdness and cunning stamped him eventually with greatness. Stein hugely influenced the history of football between his debut as a professional player in Lanarkshire in 1942 and his death at the side of the pitch in 1985. He redesigned the landscape of the Scottish game as the great innovator and successfully exported his values outside the country when European football was in the grip of the ice-age of defensive football.

On the morning of Saturday 15th April 1989, Jenni Hicks, her husband and their two teenage daughters, Sarah and Vicki, went to watch a football match. That was to be their last day as a family. Sarah and Vicki didn't come home, and Jenni's world was changed forever. Since that fateful day, Jenni has tirelessly campaigned for justice for her own and others' families. But this is not the story of the Hillsborough tragedy. This is a story of what came before and after that day.

After covering the American sports scene for 15 years, Chuck Culpepper suffered from a profound case of Common Sportswriter Malaise. He was fed up with self-righteous proclamations, steroid scandals, and the deluge of in-your-face PR that saturated the NFL, the NBA, and MLB. Then in 2006, he moved to London and discovered a new and baffling world - the renowned Premiership soccer league. Culpepper pledged his loyalty to Portsmouth, a gutsy, small-market team at the bottom of the standings. As he puts it, “It was like childhood, with beer.”

In the heart of North London, beneath the iconic red and white banners, lies a tale of footballing glory, passion, and unwavering commitment. Come on You Gunners!: A Fan’s Brief History of Arsenal Football Club invites you to embark on a captivating journey through the rich and storied history of one of the world's most beloved football clubs. From its humble beginnings on the banks of the Thames, Arsenal FC emerged as a powerhouse in the world of football, leaving an indelible mark on the sport.

L'infanzia in via Vetulonia, i primi calci al pallone, la timidezza e la paura del buio, la vita di quartiere in una Roma che forse non esiste più. Gli amici che resteranno gli stessi per tutta la vita. Gli allenamenti a cui la mamma lo accompagnava in 126, asciugandogli i capelli con i bocchettoni in inverno. L'esordio in Serie A a 16 anni in un pomeriggio di marzo del 1993 a Brescia, con i pantaloni della tuta che al momento di entrare in campo si impigliano nei tacchetti; il primo derby, il primo gol, il rischio di essere ceduto alla Sampdoria prima ancora che la sua favola in giallorosso possa cominciare.

Why does an international footballer with the World at his feet decide to take his own life? On November 10, 2009, the German national goalkeeper Robert Enke stepped in front of a passing train. He was 32 years old. Viewed from the outside, Enke had it all. Here was a professional goalkeeper who had played for a string of Europe's top clubs, including Jose Mourinho's Benfica and Louis Van Gaal's Barcelona. Enke was destined to be his country's first choice for years. But beneath the veneer of success lay a darker story.

Football fans will love this insight into the life and mind of Big Sam. With nearly 20 years as a player - plus almost 25 years as a coach and manager - under his belt, Sam Allardyce is one of the most recognisable figures in British football. 'Big Sam' has been a robust defensive general throughout the seventies and eighties, and an imposing touchline presence as a gaffer since 1994. Over the last four decades, Allardyce has seen it all.