Manchester United has produced some great footballers over the years, but none more prolific than the group of David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, and Nicky Butt. That class of footballers defined Manchester United for many years. Cover Art Courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment The Class of ’92 is an incredible film about that special group of footballers. The film is absolutely first-class in every regard. Most importantly it offers a rare glimpse into the world of
An ISN Editor’s Pick Screenshots Courtesy of EA Sports If the FIFA World Cup results were based on a video game, Colombia would win it all. Brazil would never make it out of group play, and Luis Suarez would play all the way until the semifinals. Such is the life in EA’s take on the 2014 World Cup. In such an exciting time for soccer fans across the globe, picking up a copy of this year’s digital World Cup is a
Cover Art Courtesy of Princeton University Press There are different classes of soccer titles. At the peak is the scholarly research devoted to the beautiful game. Beautiful Game Theory: How Soccer Can Help Economics by Ignacio Palacios-Huerta represents the best that of the group, being the “Ivy League” title (both literally and symbolically) coming out in time for the World Cup. Enjoying the game of soccer is all about perspectives and this is certainly a different, but intelligent perspective. Applying
Cover Art Courtesy of University of Nebraska Press Being a true soccer fan is a lot of hard work. Finding matches online, tracking down the latest headlines, attending watch parties at the local pub, and actually going out to matches. Imagine this in the 1980’s, before the Internet and satellite TV. It was no picnic. So you can see that soccer is not always the most relaxing pastime, but it is a life-changing and all-consuming one. I have a feeling that
Cover Art Courtesy of Amberley Publishing Tony Matthews knows English football. His most recent work, England in the World Cup, is yet another excellent text that will help readers enjoy the World Cup just a little bit more (if that is even possible). You know that the World Cup is like Christmas for a month, the world’s best players and teams being watched by billions. England is a country of high expectations, being the birthplace of the modern game.
Yes, this is a time where publishers are scrambling for every World Cup dollar. They are looking to take advantage of the increased interest in the game and the huge audience that comes with it every four years. Well Bloomsbury has come up with an incredible read in Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life by Alex Bellos. This is a previously released title with some major updates and revisions specifically for the 2014 World Cup. It is well
Cover Art Courtesy of IPG David Beckham’s most recent autobiography is really a work of art. It is the ultimate coffee table book or conversation piece. Getting to see his words paired with iconic photographs is an experience to behold. Every part of Beckham’s 20-year career is shown in pristine detail from the England National Team, Manchester United, AC Milan, PSG, Real Madrid, and the LA Galaxy. A picture does tell a thousand words in this great book, but there
Sid Lowe is a Spanish football genius, the equivalent of a Messi or Ronaldo in the world of football pundits. Fear and Loathing in La Liga: Barcelona, Real Madrid, and the World’s Greatest Sports Rivalry is a masterpiece, something that explains the true greatness of the Barca/Madrid rivalry. Put it this way: you won’t understand the importance of “El Clasico” until you read this book. Cover Art Courtesy of Nation Books Yes, this derby is bigger than anything in
Football is life. That might has well been the title of David Goldblatt’s newest work, one that takes on the enormous task of explaining the Brazilian way of football. In Brazil football is a big part of life and politics and history, part of the social fabric of an emerging nation and future global anchor. It is an obsession that has taken the huge country by storm and it has been that way for years. Cover Art Courtesy of Nation
