'Passion, positivity and precision ... and always be willing to learn something new.' Athlete Andrew Henderson was just sixteen years old when a horrific rugby injury put paid to his career in the game. So he turned his attention to football - more specifically, freestyling football skills - and never looked back. Now a five-time World Freestyling Champion and the UK Freestyle football champion for eight years running, in this unique manual Andrew brings together all his expertise and advice to help make you a better footballer. Packed with step-by-step skill tutorials, tricks, tips and guidance, Andrew also reveals how hard work, dedication and flair allowed him to become a master on the football pitch and beyond. Having worked with Cristiano Ronaldo, impressed the likes of David Beckham and Neymar, to performing at the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and various World Cups around the world, he is now sharing all his secrets and famous freestyling skills to help you improve your football techniques and take them onto the pitch. Interspersed with the jaw-dropping tricks, guidance on tackling, fundamental skills and tips on advancing your expertise, Andrew's passionate advice about following a dream and overcoming adversity prove that both enthusiasm and patience play a major part in any sporting arena. This isn't only about teaching the physical elements but learning from a master about how to focus your mentality to bring flair, passion and precision to your game.

'Very funny on almost every page, wonderfully self-deprecating and very sharp on the ludicrous behaviour of the modern player' - Sunday Times 'The funniest man in British sport' - Metro **A Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year** **Shortlisted for the National Book Awards** **Longlisted for the Telegraph Sports Book Awards Autobiography of the Year** You become a footballer because you love football. And then you are a footballer, and you're suddenly in the strangest, most baffling world of all. A world where one team-mate comes to training in a bright red suit with matching top-hat, cane and glasses, without any actual glass in them, and another has so many sports cars they forget they have left a Porsche at the train station. Even when their surname is incorporated in the registration plate. So walk with me into the dressing-room, to find out which players refuse to touch a football before a game, to discover why a load of millionaires never have any shower-gel, and to hear what Cristiano Ronaldo says when he looks at himself in the mirror. We will go into post-match interviews, make fools of ourselves on social media and try to ensure that we never again pay £250 for a haircut that should have cost a tenner. We'll be coached and cajoled by Harry Redknapp, upset Rafa Benitez and be soothed by the sound of an accordion played by Sven-Goran Eriksson's assistant Tord Grip. There will be some very bad music and some very bad decisions. I am Peter Crouch. This is How To Be A Footballer. Shall we?

"To have an idea is relatively easy or difficult. Nevertheless, what Dani achieves with this book is to make this idea into something feasible, comprehensible and thus, teachable. And it seems to me a one of those dribbles made by Iniesta without touching the ball. Beautiful because is effective, simple and lack of ornaments but at once, so powerful as to break any waist." From Preface of Adolfo Cartujo González (Football Coach)

Acclaimed essayist Mark Edmundson reflects on his own rite of passage as a high school football player to get to larger truths about the ways America's Game shapes its men Football teaches young men self-discipline and teamwork. But football celebrates violence. Football is a showcase for athletic beauty and physical excellence. But football damages young bodies and minds, sometimes permanently. Football inspires confidence and direction. But football instills cockiness, a false sense of superiority. The athlete is a noble figure with a proud lineage. The jock is America at its worst. When Mark Edmundson’s son began to play organized football, and proved to be very good at it, Edmundson had to come to terms with just what he thought about the game. Doing so took him back to his own childhood, when as a shy, soft boy growing up in a blue-collar Boston suburb in the sixties, he went out for the high school football team. Why Football Matters is the story of what happened to Edmundson when he tried to make himself into a football player. What does it mean to be a football player? At first Edmundson was hapless on the field. He was an inept player and a bad teammate. But over time, he got over his fears and he got tougher. He learned to be a better player and came to feel a part of the team, during games but also on all sorts of escapades, not all of them savory. By playing football, Edmundson became what he and his father hoped he’d be, a tougher, stronger young man, better prepared for life. But is football-instilled toughness always a good thing? Do the character, courage, and loyalty football instills have a dark side? Football, Edmundson found, can be full of bounties. But it can also lead you into brutality and thoughtlessness. So how do you get what’s best from the game and leave the worst behind? Why Football Matters is moving, funny, vivid, and filled with the authentic anxiety and exhilaration of youth. Edmundson doesn’t regret playing football for a minute, and cherishes the experience. His triumph is to be able to see it in full, as something to celebrate, but also something to handle with care. For anyone who has ever played on a football team, is the parent of a player, or simply is reflective about its outsized influence on America, Why Football Matters is both a mirror and a lamp.

A key guide to the tools and techniques for football intelligence that will give anyone a psychological edge, in the world of football and beyond.

Soccer Tough demystifies mental toughness and football psychology and offers practical techniques that will enable soccer players of all abilities to actively develop focus, energy, and confidence. Soccer Tough will help banish the fear, mistakes, and mental limits that holds players back.

Even in a stadium bursting with 50,000 spectators, you tell yourself, "This is so great - this is my day for showing what I'm worth"The book that will take you by the hand and show you how to play without hesitation! As a young football player, Eitan, searched for ways and methods to overcome the mental blocks he experienced, such as lack of confidence, fear of failure, performance anxiety, and differences between the ability he showed during games compared that he showed during practice. This led him on a personal journey, during which he studied almost every possible method used to fulfill potential. He made many mistakes, discovered what works and what does not. In the end, he packed all his knowledge into a practical, easy-to-read guide that enables every football player to show the same ability during games as they show so easily during practice. This book will teach you step-by-step how to develop the confidence needed by competitive football players who aspire to succeed in football and to fulfill their dreams. What will this book do for you? This book will show you how to easily overcome the fears, concerns and pressure that are preventing you from playing a relaxed game - and how you can show the true abilities that you have and that are waiting to come out. You will learn how to develop the character and personality of a fearless player! (...that player who performs special moves on the field that you too, can do well). You will learn how to become "that football player" who loves to receive the ball during the most critical minutes of the game! "That player" who believes themselves to be the best player at that moment to receive the ball and to have an impact on the game! After reading this book, you will be able to forget that you ever had fears or concerns such as:- The fear of making critical mistakes - The fear of ending your career because you missed something (and discovering that all your effort has been a waste of time) - The fear of being injured - The fear of failing during the last move - The fear of not being good enough - The fear of embarrassing yourself (and of making yourself look bad in front of everyone) - The fear of the coach replacing you if you make mistakes - The fear of losing the ball or of making a mistake when trying to score a goal - The fear of harsh criticism from your coach or your teammates - The fear of disappointing the people who are important to you - The fear of disappointing yourself... - The fear of missing a goal - The fear of your opponent getting behind you in 1 v 1 - The fear of being stuck on the bench for the entire season ...and another 10 common fears [that you may have without even being aware of them]. After reading this book, you will show the same abilities during games as you show during practiceYou will enjoy the game and be relaxed and good with the ballYou will have full concentrationYou will be focusedYou will think faster while you're in motionYou will succeed in those moves that before, seemed complicated or hard to performEvery game will leave you feeling good (even if you didn't play a perfect game) After this book you will not be able to wait for the game to start! Because you are already able to play with confidence You are able to focus and remain sharp during the final move You will become that player who does not need to prepare too much before a game to be good. You will simply come to the game and stick out!

This pioneering soccer book chronicles the evolution of the sport and how it has affected the lives of players, coaches, and fans–perfect for those who adore the timeless game. In Inverting the Pyramid, Jonathan Wilson offers a masterly global history of the world's game, from unruly beginnings to contemporary strategy. Fully revised and updated, this fifteenth-anniversary edition analyses the 2022 World Cup, charting the influence of the great Spanish, German and Portuguese tacticians of the last decade, whilst pondering the effects of football's increased globalization and commercialization. Inverting the Pyramid has been called the "Big Daddy" (Zonal Marking) of soccer tactics books; it is essential for all soccer afficionados.

This is not the usual football coaching book or manual. It does not contain text supporting illustrations or various drills or practices. Football isn't simply a team game, it's about individuals combining when necessary Foreword by Roy Hodgson John Cartwright has produced a thoughtful book which throughly differs from most books of this 'genre'. After a lifetime in football spent championing the need for more skillful players and better coaching to develop these individuals, John Cartwright has given us a book which pulls no punches. The book will not only provoke a lot of thought, and maybe even debate, but be one that can inspire coaches to follow his example and to dedicate the time and effort it takes to produce highly-skilled footballers who are capable of adapting to the needs of the modern game.

The truth about professional football by the man on the inside.