There is no question that Raphael Honigstein is the world’s top expert on German soccer. It’s no accident that his most recent offering, Das Reboot: How German Soccer Reinvented Itself and Conquered the World, is one of the most promising books of the year. It is a definitive text on the modern German game, much like David Winner’s Brilliant Orange was for Dutch football.
We had the pleasure of reading this one during a bit of talk (i.e. controversy) surrounding the Jurgen Klinsmann and the U.S. Men’s National Team. It shed a lot of light on Klinsmann’s past, his work as a player, and even more about his mindset on the game. To say it was good timing is a bit of an understatement.
This book breaks down the Germans’ recent run of success, both at the club and international level. The German Bundesliga has risen to the world’s very elite as the league focused on developing German players, an added consequence being success at the German national team. The Bundesliga in Germany is arguably the world’s top league even though La Liga and the EPL get a bit more press.
German soccer actually has never been more popular in the States thanks to a national broadcast deal involving FOX Sports. The deal put the German league in front of millions of Americans on a regular basis. Even though it didn’t receive as much publicity as the NBC/EPL deal, it was just as significant.
Honigstein takes the reader from the lows of the German national team to the heights of winning yet another World Cup in 2014. Yes, they had a bit of a down spell, but that disappearred thanks to collecting some more hardware. This is a country with four World Cup titles, a country with high expectations for their football.
The revitalization of German soccer was a revitalization of the global game as other countries, leagues, and clubs tried to replicate their meteoric return to the top. Just look at the number of German players that are stars throughout the world. It’s not hard to name a dozen German players that are making a big impact.
The author talks to all the biggest names: players, coaches, and administrators in order to provide a “big picture” view of the German game. It’s a special text, a must have for anyone interested in the beautiful game. You certainly don’t have to be a fan of just German soccer. Anyone interested in the current Jurgen Klinsmann controversy better read this one to get some much needed insight.
