An enthralling story of a poor and gawky kid who mysteriously becomes the world's greatest goalkeeper — a seamless blend of magic realism and exhilarating soccer action. "And you found it, this thing you were looking for?" It was darker now, and the city below Faustino's office was a jazzy dance of neon signs and traffic. The big man went to the window and looked down at it all, spreading his large hands on the glass. "No," he said. "It found me." When Paul Faustino of LA NACION flips on his tape recorder for an exclusive interview with El Gato — the phenomenal goalkeeper who single-handedly brought his team the World Cup — the seasoned reporter quickly learns that this will be no ordinary story. Instead, the legendary El Gato ("The Cat") quietly narrates a spellbinding tale that begins in a mythic corner of the South American rain forest, where a ghostly but very real mentor, the Keeper, emerges to teach the gangly boy the most thrilling secrets of the game. Combining vivid imagery and heart-stopping action, this evocative, strikingly ethereal novel about loyalty, passion, and magic will haunt readers, regardless of their love for soccer, long after the story is ended.

'The ever-readable Wilson explores the psychological pressures of being cast in the role of the scapegoat ... Thought-provoking and full of interesting detail ... this book scores on every level' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY Aloof, solitary, impassive, the crack goalie is followed in the streets by entranced small boys. He vies with the matador and the flying aces, an object of thrilled adulation. He is the lone eagle, the man of mystery, the last defender' Vladimir Nabokov Albert Camus, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Pope John Paul II, Julian Barnes and not forgetting Nabokov himself ... it's safe to say the position of goalkeeper has over the years attracted a different sort of character than your average footballer. In this first-ever cultural history of the 'loner' between the posts, Jonathan Wilson traces the sometimes dangerous intellectual and literary preoccupations of the keeper, and looks at how the position has secured a certain existential cool. He travels to the Bassa region of Cameroon, which has produced two of Africa's greatest keepers, and also to Romania to talk to Helmuth Duckadam, who saved four penalties for Steaua Bucharest in the 1986 European Cup final. His absorbing tactical and technical insights into football history even take us back to the days when matches were contested without a man between the sticks. THE OUTSIDER is the definitive account of that most mysterious of footballing personalities - the goalkeeper.

BBC sports presenter Mark Chapman is no longer in his physical prime. There is an argument to suggest he has never been in his physical prime. Now in his forties, he is facing a world of knee replacements and ever-expanding waistlines, whilst his children are thriving. There is huge pride that they are doing so well, mixed with a fair amount of jealousy that actually they are better at a wide range of sport than he ever was. He is passionate about sport and it has played a huge part in his life. His parents encouraged him from a very early age and he wants to pass the baton on to his son and daughters. Although there is every chance he might drop it and have a massive strop instead. He is also very aware of the huge changes in sport today compared to when he was growing up; and he is determined that his own attitude to his son and daughters' sport - be it football, netball, cricket or gymnastics - will be exactly the same. And he wants to shine a light on grass roots sports - the incredible and largely unsung contribution that volunteers make in the sporting commnity, without whom - for example - no professional footballer would be in the game today. Funny, touching, passionate about sport and parenthood, Mark Chapman paints sport as a touchstone for everything important: growing up, becoming a parent, enjoying family time, getting old, learning how to win (and how to lose gracefully), the legacy we all hope to leave our children; in short, life and all that goes into it.

In Soccer Goalkeeper Training the authors explain and show through detailed photos and coaching points the physical and technical skills required for novice goalkeepers to improve their current level with easy to follow progressions. Another topic is how to make decisions in tactical situations on the soccer field, for example using communication as a tool for organizing the field player of one’s team. The authors also delve into the more advanced and scientific areas of periodization and mental preparation used by the most accomplished goalkeepers in Major League Soccer and the US National Team to achieve ultimate success at the highest levels of the game. Hereby, some psychological aspects covered by the book are the relationship between goalkeepers and their coaches and giving feedback. Also, readers will find a training guide which is divided into exercises by various themes. Whether you are an aspiring young goalkeeper or a more advanced collegiate player, regardless of the level of goalkeeper you currently coach, Soccer Goalkeeper Training will have something to help bring out the best in you and your most important player. The books includes a foreword by Daryl Shore, Director of Goalkeeping, Real Salt Lake (MLS).

WINNER OF THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR WINNER OF THE BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS FOOTBALL BOOK OF THE YEAR Why does an international footballer with the world at his feet decide to take his own life? On 10 November 2009 the German national goalkeeper, Robert Enke, stepped in front of a passing train. He was thirty-two years old and a devoted husband and father. Enke had played for a string of Europe's top clubs, including Barcelona and Jose Mourinho's Benfica and was destined to become his country's first choice in goal for years to come. But beneath the veneer of success, Enke battled with crippling depression. Award-winning writer Ronald Reng pieces together the puzzle of his friend's life, shedding valuable light on the crushing pressures endured by professional sportsmen and on life at the top clubs. At its heart, Enke's tragedy is a universal story of a man struggling against his demons. ‘It should be on every British football fan's reading list’ Metro

For the more than seven million girls—from knobby-kneed tykes to high school and college stars—who are tearing across the country chasing a soccer ball and dreams of glory, there is one name that eclipses all others, male or female: Mia Hamm. With her cheetahlike acceleration and lightning-bolt shot, Hamm broke nearly every record in her sport, while galvanizing a whole generation of fans and players. Go for the Goal is not only the inspiring story of how a tiny suburban sprite became a global terror with a ball (and the world) at her feet—it's also a step-by-step or dribble-by-dribble guide for any kid with the all-American dream of making the team and becoming a champion. Filled with personal anecdotes and fully illustrated with both action and instructional photographs, Go for the Goal shows readers exactly how to master the silky skills and techniques that made Hamm and her teammates the finest women's soccer team in the world.

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.

Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863-1933) was an English author, one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the Golden Age. This edition includes: Novels Perris of the Cherry Trees The Middle Temple Murder Dead Men's Money The Talleyrand Maxim The Paradise Mystery The Borough Treasurer The Chestermarke Instinct The Herapath Property The Orange-Yellow Diamond The Root of All Evil In The Mayor's Parlour The Middle of Things Ravensdene Court The Rayner-Slade Amalgamation Scarhaven Keep The Charing Cross Mystery The Kang-He Vase The Safety Pin Sea Fog The Borgia Cabinet The Mill House Murder In the Days of Drake Where Highways Cross Short Stories Paul Campenhaye – Specialist in Criminology The French Maid The Yorkshire Manufacturer The Covent Garden Fruit Shop The Irish Mail The Tobacco-Box Mrs. Duquesne The House on Hardress Head The Champagne Bottle The Settling Day The Magician of Cannon Street The Secret of the Barbican and Other Stories Against Time The Earl, the Warder and the Wayward Heiress The Fifteenth-Century Crozier The Yellow Dog Room 53 The Secret of the Barbican The Silhouette Blind Gap Moor St. Morkil's Isle Extra-Judicial The Second Capsule The Way to Jericho Patent No. 33 The Selchester Missal The Murder in the Mayor's Parlour Mr. Poskitt's Nightcaps (Stories of a Yorkshire Farmer) The Guardian of High Elms Farm A Stranger in Arcady The Man Who Was Nobody Little Miss Partridge The Marriage of Mr. Jarvis Bread Cast upon the Waters William Henry and the Dairymaid The Spoils to the Victor An Arcadian Courtship The Way of the Comet Brothers in Affliction A Man or a Mouse A Deal in Odd Volumes The Chief Magistrate Other Stories The Ivory God The Other Sense The New Sun The Lighthouse on Shivering Sand .. Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863-1933) was an English author, one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the Golden Age.

It seemed a simple enough idea : take over the running of an amateur football team in West London...Except - hold on a minute - that's not a simple idea at all. And when you throw in a team of ex-convicts, aggressive Turks, bizarre injuries, local tourist attractions, the British weather, Russian mergers, extremely overweight rugby players, Vinnie Jones impressionists and ludicrous amounts of travelling, you quickly arrive at a lot more than you bargained for.