An all-encompassing, chronological guide to football's World Cup,
one of the world's few truly international events, in good time for
the June 2014 kick-off in Rio de Janeiro. From its beginnings in
1930 to the modern all-singing, all-dancing self-styled 'greatest
show on Earth', every tournament is covered with features on major
stars and great games, as well as stories about some less
celebrated names and quirky stats and intriguing essays. Holt's
focus is very much on what takes place on the field, rather than
how football is a mirror for economic corruption, or how a nation's
style of play represents a profound statement about its people, or
how a passion for football can lift underpaid, socially
marginalised people out of poverty. From the best World Cups, in
1958 and 1970, to the worst, in 1962 and 2010, he looks behind the
facts and the technical observations to the stories: the mysterious
sins of omission; critical injuries to key players; and coaching
U-turns. He explains how England's World Cup achievements under
Sven-Goeran Eriksson, far from being a national disgrace, were
actually quite impressive, and looks at why Alf Ramsey didn't take
Bobby Charlton off in 1970, but this is no parochial, jingoistic
account. The book also asks why Brazil did not contribute in 1966,
despite having won the previous two tournaments and going on to win
the next one? Why the greatest players of their day did not always
shine at the World Cup - George Best and Alfredo Di Stefano, for
example, never even made it to the Finals. Why did Johann Cruyff
not go to the 1978 World Cup? And why did one of Germany's greatest
players never play in the World Cup? There are lots of tables, some
filled with obvious, but necessary information, but others with
more quirky observations. Alongside accounts of epic games, there
are also brief biographies of all the great heroes of the World
Cup.
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