Football Audiobooks | Sports & Recreation

When Friday Comes: Football Revolution in the Middle East and the Road to Qatar

'Passionate and moving and provides further evidence of the universality of football' Jonathan Wilson, FourFourTwo The definitive story of the Middle East's unstoppable rise to football superpower, and the road to the Qatar World Cup When James Montague first began covering football in the Middle East two decades ago, people asked him what future there could possibly be for the beautiful game in one of the most volatile regions in the world. In the years that followed, it would become one of the biggest stories in global sport, from the from revolutionary ultras of the Arab Spring and the takeover of some of the world's biggest clubs by the Emirati super rich, to Qatar's controversial journey towards hosting the 2022 World Cup finals. The only Western journalist covering the story on the ground from the very beginning, James Montague tells the definitive tale of the region's rise to ultimate power player in the global game in a fully revised and updated edition. Travelling to every country in the Middle East and meeting fans, players, workers and campaigners, he paints an unforgettable picture of football in a controversial, vibrant and surprising new world.

James Montague (Author), Colin Mace (Narrator)

Audiobook

Head On: A Memoir

Larry Csonka ran the football with audacity and authority. He lived his off-the-field life with equal abandon. As part of the NFL's 100th Anniversary, he and his undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins teammates were named the best team in NFL history. In Head On, Csonka shares how they achieved their legendary Perfect Season. From quitting football at a young age, to his often-combative relationship with Coach Don Shula, to brazen exploits with his NFL pals, Csonka narrates a life that is colorful, unbridled, and thrilling. Csonka found himself hanging out with Burt Reynolds, Dick Butkus, Lee Majors, Joe Namath, and Elvis Presley during his football years. But his moments outside the spotlight reveal the most about this larger-than-life figure-raising critters and a little hell in his formative years on an Ohio dirt farm, early run-ins with the law, confronting thieves with a sawed-off shotgun, taking sniper fire on a USO tour of Vietnam, and being adrift at night on the Bering Sea with gale-force winds raging. Csonka's Head On is a captivating account of grit, grace, and gumption told by an iconic Hall of Famer who continues to gain ground-figuratively, literally, and unapologetically-every day.

Larry Csonka (Author), Phil Thron (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Father's Son: Family, football and forgiveness

'A book about humanity as much as sport. It's like sitting at the kitchen table with your best mate and he's pouring his heart out - about his life, his loss, his triumphs and his faults … and the love that got him through. Honest, generous, and most of all, courageous.' Markus Zusak, bestselling author of The Book Thief Mat Rogers is an Aussie footy legend and TV star who has triumphed over hardship, loss and heartache. He is finally ready to share his powerful life story. He is one of the most talented footballers of the modern era and a dual international in rugby league and rugby union. But for a long time, Mat Rogers lived in both the shadow and the thrall of his famous father, and their complex relationship shaped him in ways he couldn't fathom. Craving paternal acceptance while determined to carve out his own identity and, later, to avoid repeating the sins of the father, he veered between periods of jubilation and depression, fulfilment and despair. Now, in his majestic, evocative autobiography, Rogers tells the story of a life framed by triumph and tragedy, a life in which, ultimately, he finds purpose and contentment in a harsh world. With its cracking pace and unvarnished frankness, A Father's Son will be widely read and difficult to forget. Though by and about a celebrated footballer, it is so much more than another athlete's memoirs. In spare, vivid prose, Rogers reveals how his teenage years were marked by periods of rebellion and self-destructive behaviour. Then, at age 20, he became a father to son Jack before he had finished his own journey into adulthood. By 22, he was married to first wife Michelle with another child, daughter Skyla, following shortly after. As well as discussing the experience of having a family while still a young man, Rogers also recounts the challenges that have defined his life off the sports field - the impact of losing both his parents in tragic circumstances and the experimental neck surgery he underwent in 2007, ending years of debilitating pain. Rogers' story is one of a man who rises to the difficulties life sends his way. The discovery that his son Max is autistic prompted him and second wife Chloe to co-found charity 4 ASD Kids - and he talks passionately about the work he has done to raise awareness of a subject so close to home. That fighting spirit introduced Rogers to an even greater number of Australians who watched the sporting legend thrive on Australian Survivor. Across two memorable appearances on the reality TV series, he impressed viewers with his ability to combine his competitive spirit with his desire to play with heart. That duality, which defines Rogers' life, shines through in A Father's Son. 'I couldn't put this down. Mat shares his story with so much honesty and openness. I was overcome with emotion and such deep respect for Mat and the person, father and role model that he is.' Sally Obermeder, author and presenter

Mat Rogers (Author), Mat Rogers (Narrator)

Audiobook

Um jeden Preis - Die wahre Geschichte des modernen Fußballs (von 1992 bis heute)

Wie Fußball zum großen Geschäft wurdeFantasie-Ablösesummen und -Gehälter für Superstars. Vereine in den Händen von Oligarchen, Scheichs und Hedgefonds. Gebührenexplosion bei Bezahlsendern. Die WM in Katar ... Im Jahr 1992 ändert sich im Fußball alles: Die Champions League wird gegründet. In Deutschland startet mit »ran« das neue Zeitalter des Fernsehfußballs. In England entsteht die Premier League, die heute global erfolgreichste Fußballliga. Es beginnt das Goldene Zeitalter des modernen Fußballs. In neuen Stadien spielen Super-Teams mit Super-Spielern unter der Anleitung visionärer Super-Trainer für ein global wachsendes Publikum. Doch die Erfolgsgeschichte ist von Beginn an durchsetzt von großem Unbehagen und Entfremdung. Alles wird zur Ware: Vereine und Ligen, Spieler und selbst die Emotionen der Fans. Derweil erodiert der sportliche Wettbewerb und bringt die immer gleichen Seriensieger hervor. Nach drei Jahrzehnten gipfelt die Entwicklung 2021 im Versuch, eine exklusive »Super League« zu gründen. Der Krieg in der Ukraine offenbart die geopolitischen Verstrickungen des Fußballs, und die Weltmeisterschaft im Winter 2022 in Katar offenbart den moralischen Ausverkauf des Weltfußballverbandes FIFA. Christoph Biermann legt die Abgründe und Widersprüche einer Blütezeit offen, in der sich der Fußball inzwischen komplett verfangen hat. Und er versucht, Wege aus dem Dilemma zu zeigen. -

Christoph Biermann (Author), Uwe Thoma (Narrator)

Audiobook

Barrio bravo mundial

Un conjunto de relatos ambientados en las diversas copas del mundo Por estas páginas desfilan Pelé, Maradona, Baggio, Ronaldo, Zidane y Suárez; pero también hay espacio #entre diversos personajes# para una futbolista de Nigeria, una monja fanática de la selección chilena, un delantero austriaco que se negó a jugar por la Alemania Nazi y un defensa africano que salvó la vida de sus compañeros. Barrio Bravo Mundial es una fotografía magistral de las grandes hazañas peloteras y, al mismo tiempo, un homenaje a los héroes anónimos detrás del espectáculo. Una obra adictiva y épica. Un regreso que confirma al autor como uno de los narradores de fútbol más rutilantes del momento.

Roberto Meléndez (Author), Sebastián Castro Saavedra, Sebastían Castro Saavedra (Narrator)

Audiobook

England Football: The Biography: 1872 - 2022

LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE 'The greatest story in English sport told beautifully by one of its greatest writers' Gary Lineker 'A spellbinding piece of work' Oliver Holt; 'Absolute tour de force' Henry Winter Award-winning writer Paul Hayward delivers a compelling and unmissable account of the story of the England men's football team, published as they prepare for the World Cup in Qatar. On 30 November 1872, England took on Scotland at Hamilton Crescent in Glasgow, a match that is regarded as the first international fixture. More than 5,000 fans watched the two sides play out a 0-0 draw. It was the first of more than a thousand games played by the side, and the beginning of a national love affair that unites the country in a way that few other events can match. In Hayward's brilliant new biography of the team, based on interviews with dozens of past and present players and coaches, including Viv Anderson, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and current coach Gareth Southgate, we get a vivid portrait of all aspects of the team's story, reliving highlights such as the World Cup victory in 1966 and the time when football came home in Euro 96, as well as the low points when the players were obliged to give the Nazi salute in 1938 and the era when England's hooligan fans brought shame on the nation. From Stanley Matthews and Bobby Moore through to more modern heroes such as Paul Gascoigne, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane, Hayward brings a large cast of characters to life. For anyone who wants to understand England football, and why it means so much to so many, England Football: The Biography is an essential and vital read.

Paul Hayward (Author), Chris Harper (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II

“Buzz Bissinger’s Friday Night Lights is an American classic. With The Mosquito Bowl, he is back with a true story even more colorful and profound. This book too is destined to become a classic. I devoured it.” — John Grisham An extraordinary, untold story of the Second World War in the vein of Unbroken and The Boys in the Boat, from the author of Friday Night Lights and Three Nights in August. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, college football was at the height of its popularity. As the nation geared up for total war, one branch of the service dominated the aspirations of college football stars: the United States Marine Corps. Which is why, on Christmas Eve of 1944, when the 4th and 29th Marine regiments found themselves in the middle of the Pacific Ocean training for what would be the bloodiest battle of the war – the invasion of Okinawa—their ranks included one of the greatest pools of football talent ever assembled: Former All Americans, captains from Wisconsin and Brown and Notre Dame, and nearly twenty men who were either drafted or would ultimately play in the NFL. When the trash-talking between the 4th and 29th over who had the better football team reached a fever pitch, it was decided: The two regiments would play each other in a football game as close to the real thing as you could get in the dirt and coral of Guadalcanal. The bruising and bloody game that followed became known as “The Mosquito Bowl.” Within a matter of months, 15 of the 65 players in “The Mosquito Bowl” would be killed at Okinawa, by far the largest number of American athletes ever to die in a single battle. The Mosquito Bowl is the story of these brave and beautiful young men, those who survived and those who did not. It is the story of the families and the landscape that shaped them. It is a story of a far more innocent time in both college athletics and the life of the country, and of the loss of that innocence. Writing with the style and rigor that won him a Pulitzer Prize and have made several of his books modern classics, Buzz Bissinger takes us from the playing fields of America’s campuses where boys played at being Marines, to the final time they were allowed to still be boys on that field of dirt and coral, to the darkest and deadliest days that followed at Okinawa. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Buzz Bissinger (Author), George Newbern (Narrator)

Audiobook

Blessed by the Best: My Journey to Canton and Beyond

Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1996, Brian Dawkins fought to elevate not only his own game but that of his entire team. He sweat, bled, and dominated through sixteen season in the NFL all the way into the Hall of Fame, but not for a moment did he believe his strength alone brought him that glory. Every step of the way the Lord had his back. From coaches that wanted to break him to defeats and bitter lessons in humility, his career is a testament to his faith and an homage to the countless people that helped him along the way. In the wake of his success, Dawkins comes forward to describe his journey to become one the best safeties in the NFL. Physical training wouldn't cut it. Blessed by the Best follows Dawkins trials to train his mind and faith along with his skill. As a nervous kid from Jacksonville, he never dreamed of one day standing in front of a crowd to accept that golden jacket. But one way or another, he made it. Dawkins tells his story straight, unafraid of exposing his own weaknesses; his over competitive spirit that takes losses to hard, the tunnel vision that estranged him from his kids, and the self-doubt that plagued much of his early years. Triumphs, pitfalls, love, and struggles Dawkins shares them all, not for himself, but in gratitude of those who have helped him along the way.

Brian Dawkins (Author), Mirron Willis (Narrator)

Audiobook

El circo de los pueblos: Cómo dictadores, narcos, políticos y empresarios consiguieron poder a travé

Desde la primera mitad del siglo XX el poder busca utilizar el fútbol a su favor: Mussolini, Hitler, la dictadura argentina con el Mundial 78, jeques árabes, Pablo Escobar, la Camorra napolitana, Berlusconi, Macri o George Weah, el primer jugador en convertirse en presidente. Pero también hay víctimas como Maradona, tal vez la persona que más amó y sufrió el fútbol. El fútbol es el entretenimiento más grande del planeta. Absolutamente nada concentra tanta atención como un Mundial. No existe elección política, ni discurso, ni concierto, ni manifestación que puedan acercarse en interés global. La prueba es que el campeonato de Rusia 2018 fue visto por 3500 millones de personas. Casi la mitad del mundo. Desde principios del siglo XX el poder buscó y busca utilizar este deporte a su favor: Mussolini, Hitler, la dictadura argentina con el Mundial 78, jeques árabes, Pablo Escobar, Pelé, la Camorra napolitana, Silvio Berlusconi, Mauricio Macri o George Weah, el primer jugador en convertirse en presidente. Pero también hay víctimas como Diego Maradona, tal vez la persona que más amó y sufrió el fútbol. Con rigor histórico, sagacidad periodística y entrevistas exclusivas, José Ignacio Lladós analiza y cuenta cómo el fútbol pasó de entretenimiento deportivo a ser un negocio global que mueve millones de dólares alrededor del mundo y una plataforma de lanzamiento para todo aquel que quiera llegar a lo más alto del poder.

José Ignacio Lladós (Author), Juan Balbín, Juan Balvin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Expected Goals: The story of how data conquered football and changed the game forever

Football has always measured success by what you win, but only in the last twenty years have clubs started to think about how you win. Data has now suffused almost every aspect of how football is played, coached, scouted and consumed. But it’s not the algorithms or new metrics that have made this change, it’s the people behind them. This is the story of modern football’s great data revolution and the group of curious, entrepreneurial personalities who zealously believed in its potential to transform the game. Central to this cast is Chris Anderson, an academic with no experience in football, who saw data as an opportunity to fundamentally change a sport that did not think it could be changed. His aim: to infiltrate the strange, insular world of professional football by establishing a club whose entire DNA could be built around data. Expected Goals charts his remarkable journey into the heart of the modern game and reveals how clubs across the world, from Liverpool to Leipzig and Brentford to Bayern Munich, began to see how data could help them unearth new players, define radical tactics and plot their path to glory.

Rory Smith (Author), Simon Darwen (Narrator)

Audiobook

Red on Red: Liverpool, Manchester United and the fiercest rivalry in world football

The untold story of the most contested fixture in world football ‘A must read.’ Henry Winter 'Superb.' Daniel Taylor Liverpool and Manchester. Two gloriously independent-minded, eclectic, culturally vibrant places. Yet the inhabitants dislike each other with a passion that is visceral. It is a divide that spans generations, across class, gender and ethnicity. And it has grown over the years, largely driven by one thing: football. The dark, malignant loathing shared by the followers of Liverpool and Manchester United has seeped into every aspect of life in the two cities. Football is not a barometer of disdain, as it is in places like Glasgow or Istanbul or Moscow. In northwest England, it is the engine of animosity. How did it come to this? Why did things turn so nasty? And what does it say about the two cities in which the clubs are based? Written by a Scouser and a Manc in a rare collaboration, Red on Red addresses the divide by talking to those involved in ten seminal football matches. It speaks to the characters who patrolled and provoked the rivalry: Alex Ferguson, Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard and Gary Neville, among many others. Also questioned are the fans, the administrators, the referees, the police, and politicians. And through each legendary game, its authors tell the full story of the most extraordinary division not just in football, but in modern Britain. This is Red on Red, a rivalry like no other.

Jim White, Phil Mcnulty (Author), Luke Francis (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Hot Seat: A Year of Outrage, Pride, and Occasional Games of College Football

A fan spends the Michigan football team's 2021 season searching for answers about human nature, American history, and the related subject of whether Jim Harbaugh will keep his job. Being a University of Michigan football fan should be joyful. Michigan is an elite academic institution whose football team boasts 43 Big Ten championships. But these days, college football is complicated. The NCAA is corrupt and exploitative, and Michigan keeps losing to Ohio State. It's hard not to wonder, as Slate writer and superfan Ben Mathis-Lilley does in this book: why are we doing this? The Hot Seat is a chronicle of one of the wildest years in Michigan football history, but also a search for the truth about fandom, from the pages of history books to the wilderness of online forums. Is it embarrassing to care about what happens in a game? Why is Jim Harbaugh like that? Is this somehow Thomas Jefferson's fault? This book explores all these questions, and many more. Against the backdrop of a quickly changing sport and country, The Hot Seat is an exploration of the all-consuming culture of fandom, and why it matters.

Ben Mathis-Lilley (Author), Peter Berkrot (Narrator)

Audiobook

Football Audiobooks in Sports & Recreation