Who is the greatest ever footballer? Pele? Maradona? Cruyff? Who is the greatest ever British footballer? Charlton? Best? Dalglish? Who is the country's greatest defender, midfielder, goalkeeper? What are the greatest teams fielded by every club in the English and Scottish leagues? And what is the greatest international team of all time? How do you decide? Well, the facts don't lie. Based on a unique and comprehensive network of national and international football databases, compiled by football statisticians across the globe, each player is awarded points (for games played for both club and country) according to a series of criteria, such as win, lose, draw, whether they scored, goals conceded, captaincy, etc. Points accumulated for each game are also weighted in line with the competition in which the game featured and the quality of the opponents played. Each player's points are then fed through to the Greatest Ever compilers who update their lists on a weekly basis. The end result is the only objective, comprehensive and incontrovertible record of who are the greatest talents ever to have graced the beautiful game.

'Incredibly well-researched and loaded with modern-day, high-tech football insights' – Tony Strudwick, Head of Performance, Wales national football team Professional football is more demanding than ever. Top internationals reach speeds of 36km/hr, run 12km each match and play up to 60 games each season. Sports scientists are now key figures at every top club, applying cutting-edge techniques to boost fitness, accelerate recovery and forge lean, mean, winning machines. This illuminating book uncovers the training and fuelling secrets of today's greatest footballers, drawing on access to the world's best clubs, including Barcelona, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and many more. Why does Cristiano Ronaldo have his own cryotherapy chamber? Why does Paul Pogba wear custom-made compression socks? Why does Sergio Agüero altitude-train when returning from injury? From virtual-reality units to the omnipresence of GPS vests, taking in brain-training, innovative gear and performance nutrition along the way, you'll discover what it takes to reach the top of the game – and how to apply this knowledge to your own training.

Football's Fifty Most Influential Players tells the story of football through its best and most influential players, from the 19th century to the modern day. Most of the 50 are household names--Pele, Charlton, Maradona, Jimmy Hill, Matthews, Best, Zidane, and Messi--and those who aren't certainly deserve to be. You'll read about football's first black superstar Jose Andrade, a 1930 World Cup winner with Uruguay who died in poverty. There's Lily Parr, a Woodbine-smoking behemoth of the women's game who is more famous now than when she died. Then there's Robbie Rogers, the second male footballer in Britain to come out as gay. Though Rogers wasn't a great player, his story will restore some faith after Justin Fashanu's appalling experiences as a gay footballer in the 1980s. Similarly, Jean-Marc Bosman made an indelible mark, not on the pitch but through the courts, changing the way footballers are treated forever. It's not about the stats, tactics, or managers--this is the players' story, from war heroes and match-fixers to superstars and an African president.

Provides brief biographies of hundreds of famous soccer players from around the world. Includes photographs of each player and information on their professional careers.

The greatest goals... The most spectacular saves... Meet the top 40 footballers of all time! Relive Ronaldo's most memorable moments, learn about Messi's legendary left foot, meet the youngest-ever World Cup goal scorer, Pelé, and see the some of the most spectacular saves in history. Every player is a winner in their own way, but who will you choose as your hero? Jam-packed full of fun footie facts about who each legend played for, how many goals they scored and the special skills they had, this is the perfect read for football fans all over the world.

Written by football fan and statistician Graham Betts, "The Little Book of Football Legends" is part of the fantastic "Legends of Sport" series featuring Football, Golf, Rugby, Cricket and Grand Prix. It is packed with 4 page profiles of 30 of the world's most admired and revered footballers. "The Little Book of Football Legends" includes key statistics about each legend, illustrated with some of the best known photographs of them together with a fascinating profile of their career. Featuring such greats as Pele, Maradona, Dalglish, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, this is a great look at the legends of world football.

Describes the achievements and career statistics of soccer's greatest stars.

'The definitive work on Diego Maradona' The 42 'One of football's greatest stories ... this is the best football book in ages' Goal 'A modern footballing classic' FHM _________________________ Anyone doubting that Diego Maradona was more than just a football player had only to witness the outpourings after his death on November 25th 2020. During his tempestuous life and career, he played for top clubs in South America and Europe, notably Napoli where he became an adored hero and adopted son, and grew to be a legend in his homeland of Argentina after leading them to victory in the 1986 World Cup. Having gained access to his inner circle, Jimmy Burns traces Maradona's life from the slums of Buenos Aires, where he was born, through his great years of triumph, to the United States from where, in 1994, he was ignobly expelled after undergoing a positive drugs test. He also tells of his failed attempt to bring further glory to Argentina as coach in the 2010 World Cup, and ultimately, his tragic decline and recent death. Widely regarded as the best and most revealing account of the highs, lows, genius and flaws of arguably the greatest footballer of all time, this biography inspired Asif Kapadia's award-winning 2019 film Diego Maradona. _________________________ 'Excellent and well-researched' Sunday Times 'I finished it thinking how great it would be to make something on Diego Maradona one day' Asif Kapadia, director of Diego Maradona

Robin Friday was an exceptional footballer who should have played for England. He never did. Robin Friday was a brilliant player who could have played in the top flight. He never did. Why? Because Robin Friday was a man who would not bow down to anyone, who refused to take life seriously and who lived every moment as if it were his last. For anyone lucky enough to have seen him play, Robin Friday was up there with the greats. Take it from one who knows: 'There is no doubt in my mind that if someone had taken a chance on him he would have set the top division alight,' says the legendary Stan Bowles. 'He could have gone right to the top, but he just went off the rails a bit.' Loved and admired by everyone who saw him, Friday also had a dark side: troubled, strong-minded, reckless, he would end up destroying himself. Tragically, after years of alcohol and drug abuse, he died at the age of 38 without ever having fulfilled his potential. The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw provides the first full appreciation of a man too long forgotten by the world of football, and, along with a forthcoming film based on Friday's life, with a screenplay by co-author Paolo Hewitt, this book will surely give him the cult status he deserves.