Unbreakable tells Lindsey Hunter's moving and heartbreaking story. Lindsey is the widow of snooker star Paul Hunter, who died tragically aged only 27 in October 2006 after a battle with cancer, leaving Lindsey and their one year-old daughter Evie bereft and alone. Lindsey met Paul Hunter when she was 21 and he was 18. When they married seven years later, Paul had become a golden boy in the world of snooker, dubbed 'the Beckham of the baize,' having won the Masters trophy three times, and attained a world ranking of number four, and Lindsey's happiness looked assured. But tragedy struck when Paul was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer, neuro-endocrine tumours in his abdomen. Aggressive chemotherapy appeared to work, and within six months Paul was competing in a major championship, with Lindsey cheering him on from the side-lines. More joy came when Lindsey gave birth to their daughter, Evie Rose. But tragically, Paul died in October 2006, 18 months after his diagnosis, leaving Lindsey a widow and single mother. Lindsey was determined to celebrate Paul's life rather than mourn his death, and has dealt with the loss of her young husband on the beginning of their life together with strength and courage, for the sake of their daughter. This is not just a heartbreaking and inspirational story about LIndsey and Paul's unbreakable love but a testimony to one of the greatest sportsmen the snooker world has ever seen.

"No athlete performed at a higher level through greater stress than Jackie Robinson."
–Scott Simon

The integration of baseball in 1947 had undeniable significance for the civil rights movement and American history. Thanks to Jackie Robinson, a barrier that had once been believed to be permanent was shattered–paving the way for scores of African Americans who wanted nothing more than to be granted the same rights as any other human being.

In Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball, renowned broadcaster Scott Simon reveals how Robinson’s heroism, firmly planted in the memory of Americans, brought the country face-to-face with the question of racial equality. From his days in the army to his ascent to the major leagues, Robinson battled bigotry at every turn. Simon deftly traces the journey of the rookie who became Rookie of the Year, recalling the taunts and threats, the stolen bases and the slides to home plate, the trials and triumphs. Robinson’s number, 42, is now retired on every club in major league baseball–in homage to the man who had to hang his first Brooklyn Dodgers uniform on a hook rather than in a locker.

TURNING POINTS features preeminent writers offering fresh, personal perspectives on the defining events of our time.

Samir Chopra is an immigrant, a "voluntary exile," who discovers he can tell the story of his life through cricket, a game that has long been an influence-really, an obsession-for him. In so doing, he reveals how his changing views on the sport mirror his journey of self-discovery. In The Evolution of a Cricket Fan, Chopra is thus able to reflect on his changing perceptions of self, and of the nations and cultures that have shaped his identity, politics, displacement, and fandom. Chopra's passion for the sport began as a child, when he rooted for Pakistan and against his native India. When he migrated, he became a fan of the Indian team that gave him a sense of home among the various cultures he encountered in North America and Australia. This "shapeshifting" exposes the rift between the Old and the New world, which Chopra acknowledges is "cricket's greatest modern crisis." But it also illuminates the identity dilemmas of post-colonial immigrants in the Indian diaspora. Chopra's thoughts about the sport and its global influence are not those of a player. He provides access to the inner world of the global cricket fan navigating the world that colonial empire wrought and that cricket continues to connect and animate. He observes that the Indian cricket team carries many burdens-not only must they win cricket matches, but their style of play must generate a pride that assuages generations of wounds inflicted by history. And Chopra must navigate where he stands in that history. The Evolution of a Cricket Fan shows Chopra's own wins and losses as his life takes new directions and his fandom changes allegiances.

A classic memoir, A Handful of Summer is the hilarious account of the tennis travels of South African doubles partnership George Forbes and Abe Segal, and of the riotous characters who populated the amateur tennis world in the 50s and 60s as it stumbled towards professionalism. Full of superb anecdotes, bursting with vitality and humour, and written with unflagging zest and panache, it is a unique dressing-room view of the tennis world.

Following the retirement of the legendary Carl Fogarty, Chris Walker has become Britain's most popular motorcycle racer. Incredibly brave, outspoken and with talent to burn, Chris is frank about his hell-raising exploits on and off track, his legion of fans and his action-packed career in World and British superbikes. Chris Walker's first book recreates his zest for life, passion for bikes, but most-of-all, his unique sense of humour. It includes not only the inside story of his racing, but revelations of his and fellow riders' more 'racy' exploits. Chris will also expose some of the inner demons that are rarely shown to the public. Major storylines include: A childhood surrounded by bikes, and his first girlfriend: 'She was 13 going on 21 and had the biggest boobs I have ever seen.' A catalogue of broken bones: just weeks after spending four months in plaster following a serious road bike accident, he almost severed his other leg when motocrossing. The inevitable attention of the opposite sex: 'Girls would not have been knocking on my motorhome door offering a blow-job if I hadn't been racing bikes...' The classic season-long ding-dong battle with arch-rival Neil Hodgson, which went to the courts over disputed points. The loyal support, and exploits, of his five-strong 18-stone posse of mates known as the 'Big Lads' and the less-welcome attentions of a fully-fledged stalker. A switch to Carl Fogarty's race team: 'The bike caught fire during practice at Silverstone and I jumped off to avoid serious injury - but not before all my pubic hair had burnt off!' His battles with the debilitating Bell's Palsy. His long-awaited first World Superbike win from the back of the grid at Assen in 2006. Updated and told in Chris's inimitably self-deprecating style - and with all the drama of the opening races of the 2008 World Supersport series - the book breaks the mould of recent motorcycling autobiographies.

For three decades, Al McGuire was the heart and soul of college basketball, first as the street-smart head coach at Marquette University and later as the hoops-savvy television analyst whose unique mix of humor, candor, and uncanny insights brought a whole new dimension to sports broadcasting. McGuire was the consummate professional at whatever he did. Possessing an impeccable insider's knowledge of the game, he was able to communicate to viewers in ways that were as entertaining as they were informative. He made people laugh, he could laugh at himself, and his joy for the game and people in it made him one of sports' most enduring icons.

McGuire passed away at the age of seventy-two in early 2001 after a long illness, leaving behind a basketball-rich legacy that had its poetic qualities as well. Never was that more evident than in the 1976-77 season, when McGuire announced to his team in midseason that it would be his last year in coaching. The season ended with McGuire overcome by emotion, sitting on the Marquette bench with tears streaming down his face as the Warriors gave their beloved coach the ultimate going-away present, a national championship. Thus ended a twenty-year coaching career in which McGuire completed a 405-143 record, including a 295-80 mark at Marquette.

In I Remember Al McGuire, the legendary basketball coach and announcer is remembered by dozens of associates, who offer their favorite anecdotes, insights, assessments, and other assorted memories of a basketball junkie as quick with a quip as he was with a word of encouragement. Among those contributing to this book are his former players and assistant coaches as well as other head coaches, media personalities,friends, and associates who knew him well at one time or another in his life.

A gripping, all-access biography of Joe Frazier, whose rivalry with Muhammad Ali riveted boxing fans and whose legacy as a figure in American sports and society endures History will remember the rivalry of Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali as one for the ages, a trilogy of extraordinary fights that transcended the world of sports and crossed into a sociocultural drama that divided the country. Joe Frazier was a much more complex figure than just his rivalry with Ali would suggest. In this riveting and nuanced portrayal, acclaimed sports writer Mark Kram, Jr. unlinks Frazier from Ali and for the first time gives a full-bodied accounting of Frazier's life, a journey that began as the youngest of thirteen children packed in small farm house, encountering the bigotry and oppression of the Jim Crow South, and continued with his voyage north at age fifteen to develop as a fighter in Philadelphia. Tracing Frazier's life through his momentous bouts with the likes of Ali and George Foreman and the developing perception of him as the anti-Ali in the eyes of blue-collar America, Kram follows the boxer through his retirement in 1981, exploring his relationship with his son, the would-be heavyweight Marvis, and his fragmented home life as well as the uneasy place that Ali continued to occupy in his thoughts. A propulsive and richly textured narrative that is also a powerful story about race and class in America, Smokin' Joe is unparalleled in its scope, depth, and access and promises to be the definitive biography of a towering American figure whose life was galvanized by conflict and whose mark has proven lasting.

Since England's famous 1966 World Cup victory, Alf Ramsey has been regarded as the greatest of all British football managers. By placing Ramsey in an historical context, award-winning author Leo McKinstry provides a thought-provoking insight into the world of professional football and the fabric of British society over the span of his life. Ramsey's life is a romantic story of heroism. Often derided by lesser men, he overcame the prejudice against his social background to reach the summit of world football. The son of a council dustman from Essex, Ramsey had been through a tough upbringing. After army service during the war, he became a professional footballer, enjoying a successful career with Southampton and Tottenham and winning 32 England caps. But it was as manager of Ipswich Town, and then the architect for England's 1966 World Cup triumph, that Ramsey will be most remembered. The tragedy was that his battles with the FA would ultimately lead to his downfall. He was sacked after England failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup and was subsequently ostracised by the football establishment. He died a broken man in 1999 in the same modest Ipswich semi he'd lived in for most of his life. Drawing on extensive interviews with his closest friends and colleagues in the game, author Leo McKinstry will help unravel the true character of this fascinating and often complex football legend.

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Far more than a superb memoir about the highest levels of professional tennis, "Open" is the engrossing story of a remarkable life.
Andre Agassi had his life mapped out for him before he left the crib. Groomed to be a tennis champion by his moody and demanding father, by the age of twenty-two Agassi had won the first of his eight grand slams and achieved wealth, celebrity, and the game's highest honors. But as he reveals in this searching autobiography, off the court he was often unhappy and confused, unfulfilled by his great achievements in a sport he had come to resent. Agassi writes candidly about his early success and his uncomfortable relationship with fame, his marriage to Brooke Shields, his growing interest in philanthropy, and--described in haunting, point-by-point detail--the highs and lows of his celebrated career.

Straddling humour, trivia and sport, "Notorious" brings together for the first time one hundred of the most potty sportsmen in history. From boxing to cycling, soccer to baseball, and most sports in between, here are the hard-men and the criminals, the psychos and the loonies, that make up the sporting madness hall of shame. Among the prime candidates for sporting lunacy in this book: Prinya Charoenpal, one of the most talented kick-boxers in the sport's history, who wore make-up and pink nail polish, broke down when asked to strip for the weigh-in, pummelled the opponent who made the mistake of mocking her with a camp embrace, and who fought solely to get the money for a sex-change operation. Jack 'Hacksaw' Reynolds, the San Francisco 49-ers linebacker during the 80s, who once got plastered after losing a college game, went out to the car park with a hacksaw, and cut someone's car in half. The Brazilian football star Edmundo, infamous on the pitch for beating up fans, referees and journalists, and making his name off it by crashing his truck and killing three people, and being arrested for force-feeding beer to a chimpanzee at his son's birthday party. And there's more. The rugby league hard-man with a predilection for sticking a rigid digit finger up opponents' rears on the field of play; the baseball Hall of Famer who wielded his bat to beat up unsuspecting victims; the golfer hospitalised three times for alcohol poisoning, who came through two suicide attempts, three divorces, plus countless hotel room trashings and suspensions; the Irish jockey involved in an air rage incident who copped 110 hours of community service! And closer to home, the likes of Roy Keane, Alex Higgins, Vinnie Jones and Paul Gascoigne are also featured in this wildly captivating, and often shocking, collection of crazed sports celebrities.

Charlton Athletic represent a model of how a Premiership football club should be run. Former manager Alan Curbishley reveals the secrets of the club's success - from the boardroom and manager's office down to the dressing room and pitchside - and reflects on how the club went from homeless strugglers to challenging football's elite. Alan Curbishley encountered most of football's ill winds during the 15 years he was coach, co-manager, then sole manager of Charlton - a club once homeless, with gates of less than 3000, forced to sell players to pay the wages and to buy replacement kit for the first team, and teetering on the brink of extinction. Galvanised by fans, staff, forward-thinking board members and a shrewd manager, the Addicks now find themselves firmly established with the Premiership big boys and a shining example of how a successful football club should be run. In his book, Curbishley opens the lid on the soap opera that is Charlton FC. He writes about the political manoeuvrings behind the club's departure and then emotional return to The Valley. He describes how the they were torn asunder by drugs allegations involving three of its players, including a youthful Lee Bowyer. He re-lives the tortuous rollercoaster ride of falling out of the Premiership two years later before returning in 1999/2000. And he gives an insider's view of the club's success in establishing itself in the world's toughest league, including a full update on their 2005/06 season. He also talks candidly about being shortlisted for the England manager's job. His book is a radical insight into the workings of a football club and its staff, and is sure to attract widespread interest from football fans across the country.

Marvelous Marvin Hagler is a sporting legend. Often called the greatest middleweight boxer of all time, he held the world title for 12 defences, including bouts with Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran which entered fistic folklore. From his wild early fights in the boxing wilderness of Brockton, Massachusetts, Brian and Damian Hughes trace the blazing trail of Hagler's career: the controversial defeats subsequently avenged, a riot-scarred title win in London, and his unification of the middleweight crown. Hagler became a huge favourite, taking on all comers while never taking a step back. And so to The Ring magazine's "greatest round of all time" against Hearns, his ferocious battle with Duran, and the still-controversial loss to his nemesis Leonard. Marvelous tells the story of Hagler's extraordinary life for the first time, separating truth from myth to get right to the heart of a complex and charismatic man.

The fully updated autobiography of football's bling king Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - the outspoken Dutch goalscorer extraordinaire, and former Leeds, Chelsea and Middlesbrough striker, now playing for Charlton. A predator in front of goal, Jerrell, as his mother calls him, had made his name in Portugal with Boavista, before George Graham snapped him up for Leeds in summer 1997. His goalscoring made him an instant hero at Elland Road, a status he lost when he asked to leave the club because they wouldn't pay him enough. In his book, Hasselbaink is forthright about his time at Leeds, and how he felt betrayed by the club and its fans, despite the fact that he was their leading scorer for two seasons. After a GBP12 million transfer to Atletico Madrid, and despite playing in a relegated side in La Liga, he finished up as the top scorer, and was snapped up by Chelsea as soon as the 1999/2000 season had finished. He immediately proved his worth by winning the Premiership's golden boot award for the 2000/01 season. In the summer of 2004, a new coach at Chelsea in the form of Jose Mourinho meant that Hasselbaink's days at the club were numbered, and a transfer to Middlesbrough opened up a new chapter in his life. In his final season with the club, he reached the final of the UEFA Cup and the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Hasselbaink talks candidly about his fellow professionals in the game: the likes of David O'Leary, Claudio Ranieri, Gianfranco Zola, Roman Abramovich and Steve McClaren, plus his troubled times with the Dutch national team. He is also open about the crimes of his youth, his taste for gambling and the clubbing scene, and his private life, including his parents' divorce and his daughter in Amsterdam.

The 10th Anniversary edition of this best-selling and critically acclaimed book includes a brand new introduction and the opening chapter from the author's new book - The Smell of Football 2. When Mick Rathbone signed for Birmingham City as a 16 year-old apprentice he was living every schoolboy's dream. But when he discovered he was so nervous he was unable to speak, let alone pass the ball, in the presence of his boyhood hero and City star Trevor Francis, he realised that a career in football might not be everything he had imagined. The Smell of Football is the brutally honest and utterly unputdownable story of how 'Baz' conquered his personal demons to build a life in the game - from the terrified teenager who purposely tried to get injured in training rather than get picked for the first team, to the experienced pro who became Head of Medicine at Premier League Everton FC in charge of the treatment of the likes of Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha and Tim Cahill. Brilliantly written and packed with hilarious tales featuring a football 'who's who' cast of characters - from Sir Alf Ramsey and 'Big Sam' Allardyce to David Moyes, Duncan Ferguson and Rooney himself - The Smell of Football is an engrossing and moving memoir that covers every aspect of the professional game and gives an unprecedented insight into what life is really like at football's coalface.

Michael Owen reveals the highlights and pitfalls of being a professional footballer in his first official autobiography, which contains his personal reflections on eight years in the game, including two World Cups, two European Championships and goalscoring records for club and country. Updated to include his first full season with Real Madrid. After his famous goal against Argentina in France '98, Michael Owen was forced to grow up almost overnight, his sudden fame propelling him to stardom to the extent that the hopes of a football nation now rest on the slender frame of this 26-year-old. In his autobiography, Owen is forthright in his views on the game: he reacts to the accusations of diving, his susceptibility to injury, and his alleged gambling addiction; he writes candidly about his career at Liverpool, from Roy Evans to Gerard Houllier, and the reasons behind him leaving the club that made him as a player; and he talks about his ambitions for the England team and his new club Newcastle. He is also opinionated about his England striking partnership with Wayne Rooney and the threat from Jermaine Defoe; his complex and at times difficult relationship with coaches such as Glenn Hoddle, Kevin Keegan and Sven-Goran Eriksson; and he has strong views on the thug culture still rife in English football. Outside of the game, he talks openly for the first time about the death threats to him and his family, his relationship with childhood sweetheart Louise Bonsall - including her serious injury from a riding accident - and their baby Gemma as well as his passion for horse racing and betting. Exclusive to this paperback edition, there are two new chapters covering Owen's dramatic transfer to Real Madrid, the frustrations of his first season in La Liga and the reasons for his return to England. The book will also expose the inside story of England's 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Six victories, two pole positions, eight fastest laps and 13 podium places - statistics that are anything but striking. In Formula 1 today, there are drivers who have won a great deal more, but Gilles Villeneuve cannot be evaluated by numbers alone - simply because there is no way of measuring the level of excitement that he brought to racing. Even though he has been dead for over 30 years, the legend of the Canadian, who was killed on 8 May 1982, is still imbued with strong emotion - Gilles the "Aviator" as Enzo Ferrari nick-named him, the driver for whom the expression "Villeneuve Fever" was coined. From his "crazy flight" at Fuji in 1977, his first GP win at home in Canada in 1978, the unforgettable 1979 season followed by a year of purgatory, his epic success at Monaco in 1981 and the in-house duel with Didier Pironi at Imola in 1982, to that last "crazy flight" at Zolder. "Gilles Villeneuve: Immagini di una vita/A life in pictures" relives the legend, with previously unpublished pictures and authoritative text by Mario Donnini.

When all-time pitching great Christy Mathewson died of tuberculosis in 1925 at the age of 45, it touched off a wave of national mourning that remains without precedent for an American athlete. The World Series was underway, and the game the day after Mathewson's death took on the trappings of a state funeral: officials slowly lowered the flag to half-mast, each ballplayer wore a black armband, and fans joined together in a chorus of "Nearer My God to Thee." Newspaper editorials recalled Mathewson's glorious career with the New York Giants, but also emphasized his unstinting good sportsmanship and voluntary service in World War I. The pitcher known to one and all as "Matty" or "Big Six" was as beloved for the strength of character he brought to the national pastime, as for his stunning 373 career victories. "I do not expect to see his like again," said his best friend and former manager, John McGraw. "But I do know that the example he set and the imprint he left on the sport that he loved and honored will remain long after I am gone."
In Matty, Ray Robinson tells the story of a man who became America's first authentic sports hero. Until Mathewson, Robinson reveals, Americans loved baseball, but looked down on ballplayers and other athletes as hard-drinking, skirt-chasing ne'er-do-wells. Deprived of real-life role models, millions of readers followed the serialized exploits of Frank Merriwell, a fictional hero who excelled at sports from baseball to billiards and never drank, smoke, or swore. Robinson shows how an eager public greeted Mathewson as a flesh-and-blood version of Merriwell from his first year at Bucknell University, where he shone as star pitcher, premier field-goal kicker, and class president. Lured into the big leagues before he could graduate, the tall, handsome pitcher soon won over men, women and children with his sense of fair play and his arsenal of blazing fastballs, sweeping curves, and infamously deceptive fadeaway pitches. Robinson skillfully details the highlights of Mathewson's career, including his showdowns against the great batters of his day and his encounters with the young Brooklyn, Chicago, Pittsburgh and St. Louis teams. Here are the six remarkable days in October, 1905 when Mathewson became the only pitcher ever to hurl three straight shutouts in a World Series, and the afternoon at West Point when he won $50 in a bet that he could throw 20 of his best pitches to exactly the same spot. Robinson does not underplay Mathewson's occasional failings, but the most surprising aspect of this fascinating portrait is just how close America's first Hall of Fame pitcher came to living up to his image.
Drawing on rare interviews, press clips, and long overlooked eyewitness accounts, Matty brings baseball's golden age to life--not only the great teams and the early superstars, but the long train trips between games, with cramped berths and no air conditioning; the small town ballplayers let loose amidst big city vice; and the two-bit gambling that eventually led to the infamous Black Sox Scandal of the 1919 Series (a scandal that might have escaped detection if the sportswriters in the press box with Mathewson had not been able to rely on his experienced eye for clues to how ballplayers might throw games). Offering rare insight into the making of an early twentieth century American hero, Matty is must reading for anyone who loves baseball.

Discover the amazing achievements of fan favorite two-time MVP Stephen Curry in this brand-new, comprehensive biography Steph Curry is a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, record-breaker, and Finals champion who electrifies fans with his incredible on-court feats. He's also a dedicated husband, father, and philanthropist who inspires people on and off the court. Learn more about this remarkable athlete in this biography, complete with stats and photographs.

'Immaculate footballer. Imperial defender. Immortal hero of 1966. Master of Wembley. Captain extraordinary. Gentleman of all time.' These are some of the words inscribed beneath the statue of England's World Cup-winning captain, Bobby Moore, at Wembley stadium. Since Moore's death, of bowel cancer at just 51, these accolades represent the accepted view of this national treasure. But what do we actually know about Bobby Moore as a person? What about the grit alongside the glory? Moore was undeniably an extraordinary captain and player. Pele called him the greatest - and fairest - defender he ever played against. His feats for West Ham United and England are legendary and his technical mastery of the game ahead of its time. Few footballers since have come close to his winning combination of intelligence, skill, temperament and class. Yet off the pitch, Moore knew scandal, bankruptcy, divorce and drink. What about the string of failed businesses, whispers of bad behaviour, links to the East End underworld and turbulent private life? Ignored by the football world post-retirement, this great of the game drifted into obscurity and, famously, there was no knighthood. Acclaimed football writer Matt Dickinson traces the journey of this Essex boy who became the patron saint of English football, peeling away the layers of legend and looking at Moore's life from all sides - in triumph, in failure, in full.

The amazing and dramatic story of Bill Lester, one of the most well-known NASCAR drivers in history-and a pioneer whose determination and spirit has paved the way for a new generation of racers. Winning in Reverse tells the story of Bill Lester whose love for racing eventually compelled him to quit his job as an engineer to pursue racing full time. Blessed with natural talent, Bill still had a trifecta of odds against him: he was black, he was middle aged, and he wasn't a southerner. Bill Lester rose above it all, as did his rankings, and he made history time and time again, becoming the first African American to race in NASCAR's Busch Series, the first to participate in the Nextel Cup and the first to win a Pole Position start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Whether you are contemplating a career or lifestyle change, challenging social norms, or struggling against prejudice or bigotry, Winning in Reverse is a story for sports fans and readers everywhere about the power of perseverance in the face of adversity.

"Mr. Gildea's book is at once an elegy and a eulogy... In this volume, every word is from the heart."-- "New York Times"

"William Gildea's "When the Colts Belonged to Baltimore" is to football what Roger Kahn's "The Boys of Summer" was to baseball. It's one of the best reads in a long, long time and should be a best seller."--Larry King

In this personal and moving book, William Gildea blends reminiscences of his boyhood in Baltimore with profiles of famous Colts players such as Johnny Unitas, Lenny Moore, Gino Marchetti, Raymond Berry, Art Donovan, Y. A. Tittle, and others. Recalling his relationship with his father and the love they shared for a team, Gildea evokes the spirit of 1950s America, when professional athletes were workaday neighbors and community was more than a political slogan. This is a story, too, about the geography of the heart: why something so simple as a team can arouse such emotional attachments, how a group of players with horseshoes on their helmets could have been part of the generational glue between parent and child. Written with feeling and insight, this is an affecting tribute to a team and a time etched in memory.

This acclaimed book tells the story of each of the 529 races in which the great Stirling Moss took part, from the start of his racing life in 1947 to his career-ending crash at Goodwood in 1962. Told in Sir Stirling's own words, the book is packed with detail and anecdote, supported by a wealth of photographs - many previously unpublished - that show all the greatest moments and the extraordinary variety of cars he drove. This is a book to treasure as well as a unique reference source.

'Compelling from start to finish...Downie does full justice to an extraordinary life' Pete Davies, author of All Played Out. A stunning new biography of Socrates, the iconic captain of the greatest Brazil side never to win the World Cup. Socrates was always special. A hugely talented athlete who graduated in medicine yet drank and smoked to excess. The attacking midfielder stood out - and not just because of his 6'4" frame. Fans were enthralled by his inch-perfect passes, his coolness in front of goal and his back heel, the trademark move that singled him out as the most unique footballer of his generation. Off the pitch, he was just as original, with a dedication to politics and social causes that no player has ever emulated. His biggest impact came as leader of Corinthians Democracy - a movement that gave everyone from the kitman to the president an equal say in the running of the club. At a time when Brazil was ruled by a military dictatorship, it was truly revolutionary. Passionate and principled, entertaining and erudite, Socrates was as contradictory as he was complex. He was a socialist who voted for a return of Brazil's monarchy, a fiercely independent individual who was the ultimate team player, and a romantic who married four times and fathered six children. Armed with Socrates' unpublished memoir and hours of newly discovered interviews, Andrew Downie has put together the most comprehensive and compelling account of this iconic figure. Based on conversations with family members, close friends and former team-mates, this is a brilliant biography of a man who always stood up for what he believed in, whatever the cost. 'Brilliantly written and researched. Amazing life.' Alex Bellos, author of Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life