Want to know what books Steve Bloomfield recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Steve Bloomfield's favorite book recommendations of all time.
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The Brazilian football team is one of the modern wonders of the world. Travelling extensively from the coastal cities of Rio de Janiero and Sao Paolo to the Amazon jungle, Bellos shows how Brazil changed football and how football shaped Brazil." more The Brazilian football team is one of the modern wonders of the world. Travelling extensively from the coastal cities of Rio de Janiero and Sao Paolo to the Amazon jungle, Bellos shows how Brazil changed football and how football shaped Brazil." less See more recommendations for this book...
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WINNER OF THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD
A poignant and moving account of the author’s search for the man his father was and the life he led as a well-known footballer, blending the personal and the historical into an unforgettable story
Stewart Imlach was an ordinary neighbourhood soccer star of his time.
A brilliant winger who thrilled the crowd on Saturdays, then worked alongside them in the off-season; who represented Scotland in the 1958 World Cup and never received a cap for his efforts; who was Man of... more
WINNER OF THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD
A poignant and moving account of the author’s search for the man his father was and the life he led as a well-known footballer, blending the personal and the historical into an unforgettable story
Stewart Imlach was an ordinary neighbourhood soccer star of his time.
A brilliant winger who thrilled the crowd on Saturdays, then worked alongside them in the off-season; who represented Scotland in the 1958 World Cup and never received a cap for his efforts; who was Man of the Match for Nottingham Forest in the 1959 FA Cup Final, and was rewarded with the standard offer - £20 a week, take it or leave it.
Gary Imlach grew up a privileged insider at Goodison Park when Stewart moved into coaching. He knew the highlights of his father's career by heart. But when his dad died he realised they were all he knew. He began to realise, too, that he'd lost the passion for football that his father had passed down to him. In this book he faces his growing alienation from the game he was born into, as he revisits key periods in his father's career to build up a picture of his football life - and through him a whole era.
‘The most emotionally charged and moving sports book I've ever read’ Daily Mail less
Dave CousinsIt harks back to a time before six figure salaries, when players travelled to matches on the same bus as the fans. (Source)
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The definitive book about soccer. With a new foreword for the American edition.
There may be no cultural practice more global than soccer. Rites of birth and marriage are infinitely diverse, but the rules of soccer are universal. No world religion can match its geographical scope. The single greatest simultaneous human collective experience is the World Cup final.
In this extraordinary tour de force, David Goldblatt tells the full story of soccer's rise from chaotic folk ritual to the world's most popular sport-now poised to fully establish itself in the USA.... more The definitive book about soccer. With a new foreword for the American edition.
There may be no cultural practice more global than soccer. Rites of birth and marriage are infinitely diverse, but the rules of soccer are universal. No world religion can match its geographical scope. The single greatest simultaneous human collective experience is the World Cup final.
In this extraordinary tour de force, David Goldblatt tells the full story of soccer's rise from chaotic folk ritual to the world's most popular sport-now poised to fully establish itself in the USA. Already celebrated internationally, The Ball Is Round illuminates soccer's role in the political and social histories of modern societies, but never loses sight of the beauty, joy, and excitement of the game itself. less 
John TurnbullIt’s more a work of history and sociology: the game, the matches that are played, are just a way of illustrating the social forces at work. (Source)
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occer is much more than just the most popular game in the world. It is a matter of life and death for millions around the world, an international lingua franca.
Simon Kuper traveled to twenty-two countries to discover the sometimes bizarre effect soccer can have on politics and culture. At the same time he tried to discover what makes different countries play a simple game so differently.
Kuper meets a remarkable variety of fans along the way, from the East Berliner persecuted by the Stasi for supporting his local team, to the Argentine general with his own views on... more occer is much more than just the most popular game in the world. It is a matter of life and death for millions around the world, an international lingua franca.
Simon Kuper traveled to twenty-two countries to discover the sometimes bizarre effect soccer can have on politics and culture. At the same time he tried to discover what makes different countries play a simple game so differently.
Kuper meets a remarkable variety of fans along the way, from the East Berliner persecuted by the Stasi for supporting his local team, to the Argentine general with his own views on tactics. He also illuminates the frightening intersection between soccer and politics, particularly in the wake of the attacks of 9-11, where soccer is obsessed over by the likes of Osama bin Laden. The result is one of the world's most acclaimed books on the game, and an astonishing study of soccer and its place in the world. less John TurnbullThis book was published in the United Kingdom in 1994 and, to me, it’s the most important book on soccer in English. (Source)
Steve BloomfieldFor me that was the first book that really tried to look at football through the political lens. It was just ahead of the 1994 World Cup in the US and it tells you just as much today as it did then. It set the template for a whole genre of using football to explain a whole country. (Source)
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