Ten Hag: The Biography


Book Description

'Meijer's portrait is definitive' iNews 'Ten Hag may just be the man to bring the glory days back' Daily Star Who is Erik ten Hag? Calm and cool-headed, he ignores critics, follows his own methods and relentlessly pursues perfection on the pitch. His uncanny ability to analyse and solve problems - the 'process' as Ten Hag calls it - has unfailingly led to breakthrough. There is no magic. There is only intelligence at work, personal devotion to players and near-obsessive attention to detail. At Ajax, Ten Hag brooked no dissent and moulded his team into a smoothly operating unit of attack. His team enjoyed an astonishing run, winning three league cups in a row and reaching the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in a quarter of a century. Along the way, they produced some of the brightest and most entertaining football seen in Europe for years. And throughout his first season at Manchester United, he has more than made his mark. He's brought a winning spirit to the club and silverware back to the trophy cabinet. Maarten Meijer's definitive biography follows Erik ten Hag, from his upbringing in the Dutch countryside to his domestic triumphs and European victories. Meijer's book is the ultimate guide to the man with the momentous task of beginning a new era of great and winning football.




Erik Ten Hag: the Biography


Book Description

Who is Erik ten Hag? With an air of unperturbability, he ignores critics, follows his own methods and relentlessly pursues perfection on the pitch. His uncanny ability to analyse and solve problems - the 'process' as Ten Hag calls it - has unfailingly led to breakthrough. There is no magic. There is only intelligence at work, personal devotion to players and near-obsessive attention to detail. At Ajax, Ten Hag brooked no dissent and moulded his team into a smoothly operating unit of attack. His team enjoyed an astonishing run, winning three league cups in a row and reaching the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in a quarter of a century. Maarten Meijer's biography follows Erik ten Hag, from his upbringing in the Dutch countryside to his domestic triumphs and European victories.




Chasing Salah


Book Description

The definitive biography of Liverpool legend and the most famous Egyptian footballer in the history of the sport, Mohamed Salah. Salah's achievements are, in many ways, unparalleled. A Champions League and Premier League winner, he is a two-time African Footballer of the Year who straddles two worlds. The first is the continent he comes from, as well as the Middle East. The second is Europe, where he has broken all sorts of goalscoring records at Liverpool, helping him to become the most identifiable Muslim player on the planet. And yet, despite his consistent success on the pitch, record-breaking, team victories and popular persona, little is known about the Liverpool forward, or the competing forces around him. That is, until now. Award-winning football journalist and author Simon Hughes expertly pieces together a fascinating portrait of this enigmatic football icon. From his relationships with his teammates to what motivates him; from how the events of the past decade in Egypt have impacted his life, to what's next in his career - Chasing Salah reveals all.




Alex Ferguson


Book Description

The celebratory, revealing, inspiring, and entertaining autobiography of the greatest manager in the history of British soccer--fully updated one year later Sir Alex Ferguson's compelling story is always honest and revealing, and he reflects on his managerial career that embraced unprecedented European success for Aberdeen and 26 triumphant seasons with Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson's best-selling autobiography has now been updated to offer reflections on events at Manchester United since his retirement, as well as his teachings at the Harvard Business School, a night at the Oscars, and a boat tour round the Hebrides, where he passed unrecognized. The extra material adds fresh insights and detail on his final years as United's manager. Both the psychology of management and the detail of soccer strategy at the top level can be complex matters but no one has explained them in a more interesting and accessible way for the general reader than Sir Alex does here. Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography is revealing, endlessly entertaining, and above all, inspirational.




Managing My Life


Book Description

This book is about the beginning of Sir Alex's football career, until the year 2000. 1999 was an outstanding year for Alex Ferguson - not only did he lead Manchester United, the most glamorous club in the world, to a unique and outstanding treble triumph, but he was awarded the highest honour for his sporting achievements; a Knighthood from the Queen. Universally respected for his tough, but caring managerial style, Ferguson is an unusually intelligent man with a fascinating life story. Covering his tough Govan upbringing through to his playing days and onto his shift into management, Managing My Life is told with the fine balance of biting controversy and human sensitivity which made it such an unprecedented success in hardback. Alex Ferguson is a legend in his lifetime.




Keane


Book Description

A publishing phenomenon in hardback, Roy Keane's autobiography was the biggest selling sports book of the year. The book will include a new chapter covering events that followed the books publication: Keane's vindication by the FAI report; the punishment meted out by the FA and Mick McCarthy's resignation. Brilliantly reviewed, Roy Keane's riveting, brutally honest autobiography has the potential to be one of the year's biggest paperback bestsellers.




Mourinho


Book Description

When Jose Mourinho realised as a teenager that he was never going to be a great player, he decided he was going to become the best coach in the world. At 47, many would say that he's done that - probably including Mourinho, who has called himself the Special One. From translator and assistant to Sir Bobby Robson at Barcelona, to Champions League-winning manager at Porto and on to turning Chelsea into one of Europe's most successful clubs, followed by Champions League victory at Inter-Milan, and now ready to deliver the same at Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho's ascent has been rapid. Backed by Abramovich's billions, Mourinho weeded out those not fully committed to his methods, made several astute signings and improved the performances of many Chelsea stars. The result: in his first season in 2005, Chelsea won both the Premier League title and the Carling Cup, followed by another title the following season. Mourinho then left for Inter-Milan where he delivered a treble in his second season in charge, and is now tasked with bringing Real Madrid's 'Galacticos' the silverware they crave. Patrick Barclay, award-winning football correspondent of The Times, has written an intelligent, analytical and concise account of the life and psychology of Mourinho. To develop this portrait, he has interviewed those who have worked closely with him, such as Sir Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal, as well as some of the players who provide a revealing insight into what has made Mourinho the most successful manager in the world.




Cristiano Ronaldo


Book Description

The definitive award-winning biography of Cristiano Ronaldo - fully updated to include the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo's explosive exit from Manchester United and his record-breaking transfer to Al-Nassr As the Qatar World Cup opened to worldwide jubilation, Cristiano Ronaldo's second spell at Manchester United reached an abrupt conclusion. It was not to be the fairy tale ending to a glittering career. Instead, over the two seasons, it had snowballed into a toxic standoff between himself, the board and newly appointed manager, Erik ten Hag. The Theatre's dream was over. On 22 November 2022, Ronaldo's contract was terminated. In this compelling account, Guillem Balagué draws on impeccable sources, first-hand interviews and unprecedented access, taking us on a journey from Madeira to Manchester, and onto Spain, Italy and Saudi Arabia. From Ronaldo's tutelage under Sir Alex Ferguson to becoming the biggest galáctico of them all at Real Madrid, and captaining Portugal to the first silverware in their history at the UEFA Euro 2016, Guillem chronicles Ronaldo's career in its entirety. This is nothing less than the definitive portrait of a true icon of modern football, who has reached the very heights of the beautiful game and cemented his place as one of the greatest players of all time.




Willie Mays


Book Description

The New York Times bestselling, authorized, “enormously entertaining and wide-ranging” (The Seattle Times) biography of the late, great Willie Mays. Willie Mays (1931–2024) was arguably the greatest player in baseball history, revered for the passion he brought to the game. He began as a teenager in the Negro Leagues, became a cult hero in New York, and was the headliner in Major League Baseball’s bold expansion to California. He was a blend of power, speed, and stylistic bravado that enraptured fans for more than two decades. Author James Hirsch reveals the man behind the player. Mays was a transcendent figure who received standing ovations in enemy stadiums and who, during the turbulent civil rights era, urged understanding and reconciliation. More than his records, his legacy is defined by the pure joy that he brought to fans and the loving memories that have been passed to future generations so they might know the magic and beauty of the game. With meticulous research and drawing on interviews with Mays himself as well as with close friends, family, and teammates, Hirsch presents a brilliant portrait of one of America’s most significant cultural icons.




Brave New World


Book Description

The Sunday Times Bestseller The exclusive behind-the-scenes story of the Mauricio Pochettino revolution at Spurs, told in his own words Since joining the club in 2014, Mauricio Pochettino has transformed Tottenham from underachievers into genuine title contenders. In the process, he has marked himself out as one of the best managers in the world. He has done so by promoting an attacking, pressing style of football and by nurturing home-grown talent, fully endearing himself to the Spurs faithful along the way. Guillem Balagué was granted unprecedented access to Pochettino and his backroom staff for the duration of the 2016-17 season, and was therefore able to draw on extensive interview material with Pochettino, his family, his closest assistants, players such as Dele Alli and Harry Kane, and even a very rare conversation with Daniel Levy to tell the manager's story in his own words. From Pochettino's early years as a player and coach to his transformation of Tottenham into one of the best teams in England, the book uniquely reveals the inner workings of the man and of his footballing philosophy. It also lays bare what it takes to run a modern-day football team competing at the highest level over the course of a single campaign. The result is the most comprehensive and compelling portrait of a manager and of a club in the Premier League era.