English Soccer

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of My Story by Steven Gerrard, read Michael Ryan. Steven Gerrard is the former captain of Liverpool football team and of the England national football team and is the only player ever to have scored in a FA cup final, a league cup final, a UEFA cup final and a champion's league final. His entire career, since 1998, has been spent at Anfield with Liverpool.

For football fans who hungrily feed on gossip and rumour, Christmas comes twice a year - once in August and again in January. These are the months when the transfer window dominates thoughts, when the prospect of a new signing or two reinvigorates the hopes and dreams of the hopelessly devoted. Nige Tassell goes behind the scenes to observe the workings of the transfer window and to examine why it continues to hold such fascination for a nation of football lovers.

Sonny Bill Williams (SBW) is a once-in-a-hundred-year athlete with immense sporting talent in rugby league, rugby union and boxing. Sonny Bill has built an incredible career and sporting reputation across the globe. His athleticism has taken him from inner-city Auckland, where he grew up, to the highest sporting moments in Twickenham, Eden Park and Sydney's Olympic Stadium. But there is so much more to Sonny Bill Williams' life and journey than his on-field and in-the-ring triumphs.

For almost half a century, the U.S. men’s national team existed on the fringes of world soccer—out of sight, out of mind, and, more often than not, out of the World Cup. Between 1950 and 1990, the program toiled in irrelevance, a collection of part-timers playing before empty bleachers. Then, things began to shift, and today’s U.S. men’s team is loaded with young and pedigreed talent, expected to make its mark at the 2026 World Cup.

Kate Connor is your average, everyday mom with two kids, a husband, and one very big secret...she used to be a Demon Hunter for a secret arm of the Vatican. Now retired, she's more interested in the domestic than the demonic. So when she catches sight of a demon in Walmart, she tells herself it's some other Hunter's problem. But when that demon attacks her in her kitchen, retirement is no longer an option.

Watford Forever is the remarkable account of Elton John’s ownership of Watford FC, and its transformational journey to the top of the First Division under iconic manager Graham Taylor, who was, in the words of award-winning journalist John Preston, “as traditional as Elton was unconventional.” Inspiring, funny, and ultimately heartrending, this is a tribute to soccer’s unlikeliest duo as Elton and Taylor—a straight-talking former fullback with literally no interest in rock music—both beat the odds and their personal demons to save a club and a community.

From award-winning ABC News Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman, and written using exclusive interviews and information comes the definitive account of the dramatic story that gripped the world: the miracle rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped in a flooded cave miles underground for nearly three weeks - a pulse-pounding account by a reporter who was there every step of their journey out.

The exclusive behind-the-scenes story of the Mauricio Pochettino revolution at Spurs, told in his own words. Since joining the club in 2014, Mauricio Pochettino has transformed Tottenham from underachievers into genuine title contenders. In the process, he has marked himself out as one of the best young managers in the world, more than holding his own against the Premier League's established heavyweights.

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.

In The Messi Effect, Paul Tenorio, national soccer writer for The Athletic, draws on coveted insider access to bring readers behind the ropes and into the inner sanctum and chronicle the last act of Lionel Messi. The Messi Effect takes you inside the locker room and behind the scenes as...

Soccer is the most popular game in the world, but does it truly belong in the heart of American sports culture? The answer is a resounding yes—and the 150-year journey of elite men’s soccer in the US is filled with drama, surprises, reversals, and triumphs that rival any world-class match.

Revered in Newcastle and the North-East, Sir Bobby Robson is a man whose fame knows no boundaries and who enjoys phenomenal popularity. His hugely successful playing days with Fulham and West Brom in the 1950s and 1960s, his 20 England caps and his brilliant management career over the past 38 years mean that he has inspired generations of fans.

Whether it is a manager being sacked, the signing of a new star player, television rights negotiations, player misconduct or multi-million-pound club takeovers, lawyers remain at the heart of all football business dealings. Written by leading Premier League lawyer Daniel Geey, who has dealt with all these incidents first hand, this highly accessible book explores the issues - from pitch to boardroom - that shape the modern game and how these impact leagues, clubs, players and fans.

Are you one of those players who doesn't believe in himself and always gets discourage by his performance during games? In this book I will explain how to really believe in what you are doing on the soccer field, which will indirectly improve your overall performance. By believing in yourself, you will also take several steps in your development and become that successful player you always wanted to be.

Behind every goal, there’s a story of grit, sacrifice, and relentless determination. Discover how two soccer stars turned childhood dreams into global dominance… Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo stand as two of the most celebrated athletes of all time. They didn’t just conquer the sport—they revolutionized it. This book promises a compelling journey into the hearts and minds of two of the greatest athletes in history.

Football management is like being a potato—you're never too far from the sack and everyone is constantly chipping away at you. It's not for the faint-hearted and unless you've got skin as thick as rhino and a wicked sense of humour, you've no chance of surviving. Ian Holloway—aka 'Ollie'—has all the above and more besides. He's been there, seen it and done it in his 40 years as player and manager. In the joyful How to Be a Football Manager, Holloway weaves a fantastically rich tapestry of hilarious anecdotes to reveal what being the boss is really like.

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.

In an ideal world, you have an infinite amount of time and energy to work on your strength, power, speed, endurance, and flexibility. However, we both know that it is hard to always find the time needed to train. Therefore, this book reveals the few key ways to dramatically increase your speed in a short time. This book details the most important 20 percent of fitness to help you get 80 percent+ of the results. Also, this book discusses the one type of stretching that you are probably doing that is increasing your chances of becoming injured.

Once Upon a Toon offers a unique perspective on life behind the scenes at one of England’s most famous football clubs. No other individual has had the immense privilege of working at Newcastle United in the capacity that Paul Ferris once did: as a player between 1981 and 1986, as a physiotherapist between 1993 and 2006, and finally as a key member of Alan Shearer’s management team in 2009.

On the second oldest football pitch in the world, Jonathan Sayer stands atop a beer crate to address the assembled fans of Ashton United FC. As his initial optimism and disillusionment begin to slip through his fingers, the new co-chairman and co-owner (alongside his dad) starts to realise the scale of the challenge ahead.