Football books for football enthusiasts
Football is a sport that thrives not only on the matches but also the narratives and the different events that have shaped the game into what it is today. That is something that tends to make every match a lot sweeter and there are a lot of books that cover the history of different elements of the sport, to the point that they can provide greater context for different things that the average fan perhaps missed or forgot.In that regard, there are different football books that deserve to be read by enthusiasts of the game. We list some of the very best ones here, and the reasons why they need to be given a chance.
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Louis van Gaal - The Biography by Maarten Meijer
Louis van Gaal is one of the most divisive figures when it comes to football managers. While most people respect his achievements in the games and the many titles, he has won in some of the best clubs in the world, his personality, training methods, and what is perceived as a rigid mentality tend to cause a lot of friction with people in the clubs he has been at.Maarten Meijer's book from 2015 tells the story of van Gaal from childhood all the way to the end of his first season with Manchester United. It provides a lot of details regarding his personal life, the reasoning behind his training and coaching methods, and a lot of information regarding major moments of his career, such as his time leading Ajax and Bayern Munich. A phenomenal read about one of football's most divisive personalities.
Inverting The Pyramid: The History of Soccer Tactics by Jonathan Wilson
The tactics in football tend to be everlasting but constantly evolving and coming up with new and interesting ways to overcome the opponents and win. However, it might be challenging for a lot of people to understand how things evolved and Inverting The Pyramid is a really good starting point, with writer Jonathan Wilson making a coherent timeline of the progression of the sport over time.Granted, it is fair to say that the book covers a lot of eras of football, and Wilson cannot develop all the points, but he gives a lot of good references. It gives young people and new fans of the sport a greater understanding of how tactics came to be in football and how they have progressed throughout the years.
Arsène Wenger - My Life in Red and White by Arsène Wenger, Daniel Hahn, and Andrea Reece
Arsène Wenger changed Arsenal for the better when he arrived in England back in the mid-90s and helped shape English football in a very different way. In that regard, this biography provides a lot of details regarding his life, his achievements in the world of football, and the different anecdotes that have made him the manager he ended up becoming.It is a wonderful read, filled with details, and also shares some behind-the-scenes moments during his prime years in Arsenal. Furthermore, it gives fans of the Gunners and the Frenchman coach a lot of details regarding his coaching methods, which is something that is always nice to read about.
My Life, My Football by Andriy Shevchenko and Alessandro Alciato
One of the greatest strikers of the 2000s, Andriy Shevchenko was a seminal part of AC Milan's success in that era and went on to become one of the finest players of his generation. It is of course true that younger football fans might have missed the chance to see him in his prime, this book provides a lot of information regarding his life and what he has achieved.Older football fans, especially those who have supported AC Milan since those days, are the perfect target audience for this book. It is the perfect present for Shevchenko fans out there and also for football collectors.
Alex Ferguson My Autobiography by Sir Alex Ferguson
The greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson has become a complete reference for coaches of the sport and also a prime example of how a professional of his caliber should run a football club. In that regard, his autobiography is a very good insight into his mentality, his approach to things, and the way he handled a lot of difficult situations during his almost three decades coaching Manchester United.This book works as a way to keep a record of Ferguson's thoughts and the way he ran things at United, which some people in business-based professions have taken as an influence. It is a testament to how much he has achieved and serves as something that highlights his role as possibly the finest-ever coach in the game of football.
Messi: The must-read biography of the World Cup champion by Guillem Balague
There is an argument to be made that the definitive Lionel Messi book has yet to be published. However, renowned writer Guillem Balague has a track record of making football biographies and has a lot of connections in the industry, leading to this updated 2024 book covering the Argentinian legend's career and his achievements throughout the years.This book covers the entirety of Messi's career until he signed for Inter Miami, including his childhood in Rosario, his early years in the Barcelona academy, and a lot more. Balague has access to a lot of different things, in the Argentinian's career, which is something that serves people to get a better understanding of the professional and person that he is. This is a very good read and provides a lot of information about one of the greatest athletes of all time.