Fußball

Simboli di fedeltà, rappresentanti dei colori e della gloria di un club. Garanti dell'unità della squadra, in campo e fuori. Campioni che hanno consegnato le loro gesta alla leggenda. Condottieri capaci di migliorare i compagni, dando l'esempio con generosità, mentalità vincente, attaccamento. Gianfelice Facchetti racconta storia, aneddoti e virtù dei capitani del pallone, capaci di accendere l'immaginario collettivo dei tifosi, dalle origini del football fino al meno romantico calcio-business di oggi. In queste pagine incontreremo uomini di poche ma incisive parole, come Armando Picchi, Gaetano Scirea e Franco Baresi (o come Gigi Riva, capitano di fatto anche se mai ha voluto indossare la fascia), e trascinatori sempre pronti a suonare la carica ai compagni, come Valentino Mazzola e Giampiero Boniperti. Miti immortali capaci di rappresentare un popolo, come Francesco Totti e Totonno Juliano, o di unire le generazioni, come Cesare e Paolo Maldini. Capitani per supremazia tecnica, come Roberto Baggio o Alex Del Piero, e capitani punto di riferimento pur senza essere campioni. Dal primo capitano della Nazionale Francesco Calì, a Giacinto Facchetti, padre dell'autore, a cui la fascia sopra la maglia azzurra conferiva responsabilità degne di un diplomatico. E poi Zanetti, Di Bartolomei, Piola, Antognoni, Zoff; e stelle internazionali come Puskás, Jasin, Charlton, Beckenbauer. Le loro storie di passione, coraggio, lealtà insegnano che nel calcio il capitano non è solo il leader di una squadra, ma un simbolo capace di unire tutti gli appassionati, incarnando lo spirito del gioco e i suoi valori.

A series of short stories profiling ten individuals, with the why, how, and when they came to love football and what it means to them personally. The stories demonstrate that 'the Beautiful Game' is home to the world's biggest community, and within that community are thousands of stories from people from all walks of life. Different races, ethnicities, religions, genders, sexualities, and more. All come together around the call of football.When Mum and Dad See Me Kick covers stories from vastly different members of that community and shows how football changed their lives forever.From a young woman who was once on the boy's team, to a displaced Palestinian immigrant who finds hope in the game and more, these stories make a chorus to the world's most beautiful song.

Geht man der Frage nach, wer die Fußballvereine im Ruhrgebiet in den letzten 100 Jahren groß gemacht hat, kommt man an diesen zwölf Männern kaum vorbei. Es sind Männer mit Sachverstand, Ehrgeiz, aber auch mit Charisma und Selbstbewusstsein. Letzteres war nicht unwichtig, denn die spezifische, mitunter raue Fußballkultur des Reviers erforderte ein dickes Fell und Nehmerqualitäten.Die hier porträtierten Vereinslenker bieten in Sachen Temperament und Selbstverständnis eine ordentliche Bandbreite an. Vom fröhlichen Daueroptimisten über den beinharten Krisenmanager, den smarten, umsichtigen Socializer bis hin zum Patriarchen alter Schule - alles ist dabei. Auch die Wege ins Amt waren unterschiedlich. So gab es ehemalige Aktive, die ihrem Verein verbunden blieben und schließlich an die Spitze rückten, ortsansässiges Bürgertum, das gegen mehr Bekanntheit, mehr Renommee, mehr Kundschaft nichts einzuwenden hatte, oder auch klassische Selfmade-Mittelständler, die mit dem Erreichen und Sichern ihrer ökonomischen Ziele ihrem emotionalen Haushalt etwas Gutes tun wolltenSie alle verstanden die Seele der Vereine; beherrschten instinktiv die Gefühlswelt der Mitglieder und Fans. Ihre Arbeit zeichnete sich durch Ideen, Eloquenz, Hartnäckigkeit, Bauernschläue aus. Ihre Pläne und Projekte, egal ob es um Aufstieg, Meisterschaft, Stadionbau oder Nachwuchsförderung ging, wurden zu Quantensprüngen. Oder zu Rohrkrepierern. Mit Mittelmaß gaben sie sich nur selten zufrieden. Dafür war zu viel Herzblut und manchmal auch ein wenig Eitelkeit im Spiel.Porträts in Band I:Fritz "Papa" Unkel (Schalke 04)Peter Maaßen (Rot-Weiß Oberhausen)Ottokar Wüst (VfL Bochum)Günter Siebert (Schalke 04)Walter Hellmich (MSV Duisburg)Dr. Reinhard Rauball (Borussia Dortmund)

Franz Beckenbauer – known as ‘the Kaiser’ – was Germany's greatest-ever footballer and one of the game's biggest icons of all time, a World Cup winner as player and manager. But what is often described as a blessed life was in fact a rollercoaster ride with stunning highs and bitter lows.<BR><BR> He rose to fame at the 1966 World Cup in England, where after West Germany’s final defeat the British press marvelled at the grace of a ‘beaten but proud Prussian officer’. Yet there was nothing Prussian about the Bavarian boy who flouted authority, disregarded rules and viewed the traditional German work ethic with the disdain of someone to whom everything comes naturally.<BR><BR> After a glittering early career at Bayern Munich – captaining them to three European Cup victories and pioneering the playmaking libero role in central defence – Beckenbauer made a controversial move to the recently formed New York Cosmos in 1977. Praised as ‘the greatest’ by none other than Muhammad Ali, he gently warded off overtures from Rudolf Nureyev and partied the night away with Mick Jagger and Grace Jones at Studio 54.<BR><BR> Back home, though, people often wondered what to make of this most famous German athlete who was so un-German. Beckenbauer’s country had finally learned to love him by the time he managed the national side to World Cup glory in 1990, but allegations of corruption surrounding Germany’s successful bid to host the 2006 World Cup made him a controversial figure all over again. In The Three Lives of the Kaiser, leading football writer Uli Hesse gives us the definitive biography of this truly remarkable legend.

Von legendären Fußballspielen und der richtigen Einstellung in Sport und AlltagEr ist ein Fußballer für die Ewigkeit, blieb dem 1. FC Köln auch nach seiner Karriere als aktiver Kicker erhalten und spielte bei drei Weltmeisterschaften für Deutschland: Wolfgang Overath ist einer der ganz Großen des Sports. Mit dem Sportjournalisten Sven Pistor verbindet ihn natürlich vor allem die Liebe zum Spiel. In diesem ausführlichen Gespräch über das Leben, Fußball und den Herrgott da oben zeigen sie, dass sie auch in Dingen abseits des Rasens übereinstimmen.- Vom Straßenfußball an die Weltspitze: Der Werdegang einer Fußball-Legende- Ein Stück Fußball-WM-Geschichte: Drei Mal dabei, ein Mal Weltmeister!- Familie, Freunde, Weggefährten: Wer die Fußballkarriere abseits des Felds beflügelte- Für Erfolg muss man kämpfen! Parallelen zwischen Erfolg im Sport und Privatleben- Fußball-Geschichte und Geschichten: Einer der ganz Großen erzähltZwei Fans kommen ins Plaudern: Gespräche über Karriere, Glück und das LebenFür Wolfgang Overath ist Fußball schon sein ganzes Leben lang eine bedeutende Konstante. Sein Weg vom Bolzplatz bis zum WM-Titel klingt dabei wie der wahrgewordene Traum jedes fußballverliebten Kindes. In der Unterhaltung mit Sven Pistor wird deutlich, wie wichtig der nötige Biss für diese Fußballerfolge war - und nicht nur dafür. Die deutsche Fußball-Legende zieht Parallelen zwischen Disziplin beim Spiel und in allen anderen Lebensbereichen. Auch der Glaube an Gott ist und war immer ein bedeutender Faktor für Wolfgang Overath. Ganz getreu dem Motto: Allein kannst du nicht gewinnen! Ein großartiges Fußballfan-Geschenk mit Einblicken in das Leben eines Fußballspielers, dessen legendäre Spiele bis heute ein Begriff sind!

'The game isn't what it seems from the outside. The game isn't quite what I was expecting. The game doesn't always work like the people on television think it does. The game is better, worse and stranger than you can imagine, and that is coming from someone who saw it all with their own eyes.' Ever wondered what really goes on inside a Premier League dressing room, what it's like to train under Roy Hodgson, Roberto Mancini and Fabio Capello - and what happens when you kick a sandwich at one of them? When it comes to football, former Manchester City and England star Micah Richards has seen it all - and laughed about most of it. In The Game, Micah shares his funniest and frankest stories from on and off the pitch, be it arriving at his first England training session with two left boots, attempting to supervise the infamous Mario Balotelli or winding up Roy Keane on Super Sunday. From how he spent his first Premier League paycheque and how he prepared - financially and mentally - for the day they stopped coming, to the euphoria of lifting the Premier League trophy and the physical and emotional impact of injury, Micah reflects openly on the many wins and losses in professional football. Full of Micah's signature cheeky wit, this intimate, unmissable memoir goes behind the scenes of the beautiful game and a remarkable life and career.

'On the pitch he was a magician' - Arsène WengerThe first full autobiography from former footballer and England manager Glenn HoddleGlenn Hoddle was one of the most celebrated footballers of his generation. A wonderfully talented No. 10 - he formed part of the great Spurs teams of the early 1980s and cut his teeth in the blood and thunder of an England team that prioritised aggression over creativity.Often seen as a player 'out of time', Glenn was a playmaker in the purest sense. A creator and a goal scorer, he rose through the Tottenham youth academy - playing under Keith Burkinshaw and crossing paths with the likes of club legends Bill Nicholson and Danny Blanchflower - before going on to play in Monaco under the tutelage of Arsène Wenger. In Playmaker, he looks back on his rise as a prodigious young footballer and talks at length about his career that took him from cleaning the cockerel at White Hart Lane to managing the England football team at a World Cup.From scoring in an FA Cup final to winning the league in France; from revitalising Chelsea in the early 1990s, to managing the fall-out after David Beckham's infamous sending off at the 1998 World Cup; from surviving a near fatal cardiac arrest at the age of 61, to continuing to work within the game he loves - Playmaker is a life lead through football, and an autobiography of one of the game's most admired, thoughtful and respected personalities.

LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE<BR>'Excellent and compellingly honest' Alyson Rudd, The Times<BR><BR>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 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.  But, as he reveals in this frank, often shocking, but always compelling memoir, beneath the surface things were not so simple, and he had to fight all the way to get to the top. Initially, it was football that saved him from being sucked into the gang culture of his tough neighbourhood of Les Ulis in the suburbs of Paris. Then, once he achieved his dream of becoming a professional, he had to deal with racism and a notorious dispute with Luis Suarez; he also became a central figure in the infamous ‘strike’ by the France national team in the 2010 World Cup; and there was the moment he launched an attack against a Marseille fan while warming up.  ‘I Love This Game’ has become Evra’s catchphrase. Throughout this wonderful book, his passion for his sport shines through and there are revealing and entertaining behind-the-scenes insights about the players and managers he’s worked with, from Sir Alex Ferguson to Paul Pogba, who knows him as Uncle Pat. With infectious enthusiasm and sharp observation, Evra takes the reader where few football autobiographies dare to tread.  <BR>  

The Jimmy Greaves We Knew celebrates the life and career of a national treasure through the memories of friends, family, team-mates, the media and fans. They recall a goalscoring great, a TV celebrity - most notably as one half of the legendary Saint and Greavsie - a newspaper columnist, comedian and raconteur who battled alcohol addiction. The modern game also pays tribute to this charismatic, friendly, down-to-earth, witty individual who built a reputation for hitting the back of the net playing for Chelsea, AC Milan, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and England. Greaves set a European record of 357 goals in 516 top-flight games and netted 44 in 57 full international appearances. Tragically, Greaves suffered a stroke in 2015 and died on 19 September 2021, when two of his former clubs, Spurs and Chelsea - plus 60,000 fans - gave him a minute's applause before they played each other at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The love and affection is as strong as ever.

In just two years, the Wales soccer team went from wooden spoon holders in the British Championships for four years in a row to 1976 European Championship quarter-finalists, within an ace of reaching the semi-finals of the continent's top international competition... How on earth did manager Mike Smith's men achieve this amazing turnaround? The book includes background on the period before qualification started in 1974; a blow-by-blow account of all the matches involved, drawn from contemporary newspaper reports, TV footage and the author's own interviews with key figures from the team and coaching staff; player profiles; examination of the fallout from the Wales campaign's controversial ending; and a 'Where are they now?' section looking at what has happened to the players involved. Though Wales' 2016 and 1958 teams are rightly fêted, the feat of the 1976 squad is largely forgotten, and theirs is one of the most unsung feats in British soccer.. This is an overdue celebration of a group of people who restored pride in the Welsh soccer jersey and gave the soccer public of Wales a reason to believe. An important contribution to British social and cultural history and a book which will fascinate soccer fans.

MARADONA is the definitive new biography of a true global icon, from world-renowned football writer and journalist Guillem Balagué.<BR><BR> Diego Armando Maradona was widely acclaimed as a genius. One of the greatest footballers of all time, he was also one of the most controversial. In an international career with Argentina he earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals and played in four FIFA World Cups. With his unforgettable 'hand of God' goal and unsurpassed second one in the 1986 quarter-final against England, he captained his nation and led them to victory over West Germany in the final in Mexico. His vision, passing, ball control and dribbling skills, and his presence and leadership on the field, often electrified his own team's overall performance.<BR><BR>Maradona's club career included dazzling spells in his own country at Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors and Newell's Old Boys, and in Europe with Barcelona, Napoli and Sevilla. Yet his life was one of relentless media attention, including tales of drug abuse and constant health issues.<BR><BR>Based on in-depth interviews and first-hand stories, Guillem Balagué's masterly biography represents a psychological and sociological approach to the legend. This journey of exploration takes Guillem to Argentina, Spain, Italy and Dubai. Along the way, he asks what fosters such adulation, and how this adoration engendered a self-destructive personality. Even after his untimely death in 2020, Maradona continues to fascinate: his divine status seemingly preserved for ever.

MARADONA is the definitive new biography of a true global icon, from world-renowned football writer and journalist Guillem Balagué.<BR><BR> Diego Armando Maradona was widely acclaimed as a genius. One of the greatest footballers of all time, he was also one of the most controversial. In an international career with Argentina he earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals and played in four FIFA World Cups. With his unforgettable 'hand of God' goal and unsurpassed second one in the 1986 quarter-final against England, he captained his nation and led them to victory over West Germany in the final in Mexico. His vision, passing, ball control and dribbling skills, and his presence and leadership on the field, often electrified his own team's overall performance.<BR><BR>Maradona's club career included dazzling spells in his own country at Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors and Newell's Old Boys, and in Europe with Barcelona, Napoli and Sevilla. Yet his life was one of relentless media attention, including tales of drug abuse and constant health issues.<BR><BR>Based on in-depth interviews and first-hand stories, Guillem Balagué's masterly biography represents a psychological and sociological approach to the legend. This journey of exploration takes Guillem to Argentina, Spain, Italy and Dubai. Along the way, he asks what fosters such adulation, and how this adoration engendered a self-destructive personality. <BR>Even after his untimely death in 2020, Maradona continues to fascinate: his divine status seemingly preserved for ever.

Peter Schmeichel is an undisputed giant of the global game.<BR><BR>He was a serial winner with Manchester United and Denmark, and he rivals Gordon Banks and Lev Yashin for the title of the greatest goalkeeper of all time. Alex Ferguson labelled him 'bargain of the century' when he reflected on the £505,000 Manchester United paid to sign him in 1991. Schmeichel became a key figure in the club's successes during the decade ahead, culminating when he captained United in the incredible, last-gasp Treble-clinching win over Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final.<BR><BR>A complex character, Schmeichel's story is no mere litany of triumphs. In the book, he recalls how he nearly died at the age of 15. The son of a Danish nurse and Polish musician, his own son Kasper has followed him to the sport's summit, winning the Premier League with Leicester and taking over in Denmark's goal.

As the year comes to an end, with all of us isolated from each other by this pandemic, I realize that the football club in which I have been heavily involved in is now 40 years old. I decided to put down in words those who care to share my memories of the club. The best place to start, so I'm told, is at the very beginning, so that would be 1976. (Yes, I know that is more than 40 years ago.) I had recently left lye town football club and really had no more interest in any involvement with football. Joan and I started to frequent the birch coppice pub on Friday nights, where we always met up with a great bunch of lads from quarry bank. Several of these lads all worked together at M&G trailers in lye and played for the local football team, Dunn's banks rovers. During a conversation, I was told the manager at M&G trailers wanted to speak to me. As I pointed out, I was not looking for a job, so I inquired as to why he wanted to see me. It turned out he himself managed a local works team in Brierley hill and was looking for someone to take over the first team. my initial feelings were forget it, I'm not interested, but after several of the lads continuously bringing it up every week, it got to the point I said I would go along and meet this bloke, really, just out of courtesy. So up to the trailers I go, ask if I can see the works manager and become bombarded with questions: what's your name, have you got an appointment, what is it about. I was just about to say 'bollocks I'm off' when this bloke pops his head round the corner. "Are you Joe, I'm Alan bishop". That was the start of a great friendship with Alan and his wife Shirley.

'Quando sono in campo, sentire di essere amato mi dà una carica impressionante. Ma anche l'odio mi trasmette tanto. Quando mi fanno incazzare, vado a un livello superiore: sono più attento, più concentrato, più forte, più desideroso di dimostrare qualcosa. Se mi odiano, mi migliorano. Per questo, partite come i derby mi caricano a mille e mi riempiono di una rabbia speciale che mi porta più in alto. Ma oggi ho molto più controllo di un tempo, quand'ero giovane. Anche perché i figli mi hanno dato una calma e un ritmo che prima non avevo. Fino alla nascita del primo, portavo in casa il calcio e tutta la mia rabbia. Poi sono cambiate le cose. Tornavo a casa, guardavo i bimbi e dimenticavo tutto. Ecco, loro sì che mi hanno rovesciato. Sono entrati nella mia vita e il calcio all'improvviso ha smesso di essere la cosa più importante. Contava solo che stessero bene.' Cosa rappresenta la rovesciata per il giocatore al quale viene attribuita la più bella ed esaltante della storia del calcio? Che valore ha oggi un gol per il calciatore che festeggia i suoi quarant'anni in piena attività? E cosa significano per lui il dribbling o il passaggio? Zlatan Ibrahimovic non ha più bisogno di dimostrare la sua forza o ricordarci i grandi successi sportivi che lo hanno reso un campione unico al mondo, così decide di mettersi a nudo, in maniera sincera e onesta, per raccontarci come un dio del pallone cambia e affronta gli anni a venire senza ipocrisie, con la maturità e i dubbi da imparare ad accettare. In costante equilibrio tra Adrenalina e Balance, si svela in una narrazione piena di confidenze e aneddoti, dove anche la paura trova spazio tra le pieghe del fuoriclasse, insieme alla dolcezza e alla fragilità, sentimenti che si aggiungono alla forza, alla determinazione e al coraggio che hanno portato il ragazzino di Rosengård sulla vetta del mondo, da dove ora ci parla di allenatori e calci di rigore, spogliatoi, avversari e pallone, oltre che di felicità, amicizia e amore. Das Urheberrecht an bibliographischen und produktbeschreibenden Daten und an den bereitgestellten Bildern liegt bei Informazioni Editoriali, I.E. S.r.l., oder beim Herausgeber oder demjenigen, der die Genehmigung erteilt hat. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.