Books about Brazil are aplenty, but Argentina had been ignored, to my knowledge. Even though it maybe dated, there is still more than enough soccer history in the book to satisfy the reader.Īngels With Dirty Faces: The Footballing History of Argentina (2016)īefore this book was written, I had often wondered why the history of Argentine soccer had not been a subject for English-language writers. It is 14 years since this book was published but it is doubtful that things have changed for the better. Wilson travels through the Balkans, Hungary, the Caucasus states as well as Russia, Ukraine, Poland and others documenting and assessing the changes to the game since capitalism replaced communism. This is the first book written by Wilson and it has a “Lonely Planet” feel to it as he document’s his travels in eastern Europe. However, Wilson’s book differs in that he takes us through the decades leading to the creation of the team that many consider, with good reason, to be the greatest never to have won the World Cup.Īll of this is done within the context of politics, religion, the dynamics of a dysfunctional empire and two World Wars.īehind The Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football (2006) There have been books written about the Magnificent Magyars of the 40s and 50s. (Photo by Karl Schnörrer/picture alliance via Getty Images) picture alliance via Getty Images

Guttmann was one of the many Hungarian coaches who took. Hungarian - and the odd Austrian - coaches then evolved these ideas and, in turn, spread the “new gospel” across the globe.īela Guttmann, during his time with Benfica. Wilson spends time describing how Hungary embraced ideas of how the game should be played. I read this book as 2019 was ending and it became my favorite Wilson book and perhaps my favorite football book of all time.įor younger fans it might seem odd that someone would write a book about Hungarian soccer given that the national and club teams have been also-runs for the last half-century or more.ĭon’t tell England, but for many decades Hungary was the soccer world’s hub. The Names Heard Long Ago: How the Golden Age of Hungarian Soccer Shaped the Modern Game (2019) “Inverting the Pyramid” was shortlisted for the 2008 William Hill Sports Book of the Year and won the “Best Football Book” award a year later at the British Sports Book Awards. But more often it was forward thinking coaches in charge of underdog teams who needed to find a way to match or beat stronger teams by the clever use of resources.Ĭredit to Wilson for digging deeply into the history of the game and recognizing the coaches who were often the genesis for ideas that were then adopted and built on by others. offside rule in the 20s and the no pass back change in 90s. Sometimes the changes were a response to rule changes e.g.

Tactical soccer books