Stephen Howson

One of the greatest players of all time, Duncan Edwards's story is one of tragic heroism. From a working class Dudley upbringing, Edwards rose to great heights at Manchester United. In only five years, he helped United to win two League Championships and to reach the semi-finals of the European Cup. Edwards made his England debut in a game against Scotland at the age of 18 years and 183 days, becoming the youngest player for England since WW2 - a record which stood until Michael Owen's debut over forty years later. He went on to play 18 games for his country, including all four of the qualifying matched for the 1958 World Cup, in which he was expected to be a key player. Sir Bobby Charlton described him as 'the only player that made me feel inferior' and Terry Venables claimed that, had he lived, it would have been Edwards, not Bobby Moore, who would have lifted the World Cup as captain in 1966. Page-turning and poignant, author James Leighton tells a story of a magnificent sportsman and great man - the perfect antidote to the headline-grabbing footballers of today.

With rare and unrivaled access, bestselling coauthor of Soccernomics and longtime Financial Times journalist Simon Kuper tells the story of how FC Barcelona became the most successful club in the world—and how that era is now ending FC Barcelona is not just the world’s highest grossing sports club, it is simply one of the most influential organizations on the planet. At last count, it had approximately 214 million social media followers, more than any other sports club except Real Madrid CF—and by one earlier measure, more than all thirty-two NFL teams combined. It has more in common with multinational megacompanies like Netflix or small nation-states than it does with most soccer teams. No wonder its motto is “More than a club.” But it was not always so. In the past three decades, Barcelona went from a regional team to a global powerhouse, becoming a model of sustained excellence and beautiful soccer, and a consistent winner of championships. Simon Kuper unravels exactly how this transformation took place, paying special attention to the club’s two biggest stars, Johan Cruyff and Lionel Messi, who is arguably the greatest soccer player of all time. Messi joined Barça at age thirteen and, more than anyone, has been the engine and standard-bearer of Barcelona’s glory. But his era is coming to an end—and with it, a once-in-a-lifetime golden run. This book charts Barça’s rise and fall. Like many world-beating organizations, FC Barcelona closely guards its secrets, granting few outsiders access to the Camp Nou, its legendary home stadium. But after decades of writing about the sport and the club, Kuper was given access to the inner sanctum and the people behind the scenes who strive daily to keep Barcelona at the top. Erudite, personal, and capturing all the latest upheavals, his portrait of this incredible institution goes beyond soccer to understand FC Barcelona as a unique social, cultural, and political phenomenon.

As legendary Manchester United manager Matt Busby lay in an oxygen tent in his hospital bed recovering from the horror of the Munich plane crash, he clutched the hand of his close friend and faithful right-hand-man Jimmy Murphy. ‘Keep the flag flying Jimmy,’ he told him… In a twist of fate, Murphy had not travelled with the team on that fatal flight and news of the tragedy shattered him but in the club’s darkest hour, he answered United’s call. With the eyes of the football world upon him, he stepped into Busby’s shoes and piece by piece, started to rebuild. Against all the odds, Murphy even steered a makeshift team to the 1958 FA Cup final. More than that, he provided the spark which saw United rise again. Meticulously researched over the course of four years with unique insights from a number of close family, this is the untold story of Murphy’s remarkable life. How he first met Busby and fronted up a ground-breaking youth policy that laid the foundations for long-term success. How he and Busby rejuvenated the club post-Munich and saw a new generation of Babes crowned kings of Europe. How two United heroes drifted apart. And how Murphy served the club until – literally – his dying day. It features contributions and insight from Sir Alex Ferguson, Wilf McGuinness, Tommy Docherty and Ron Atkinson, and includes rare excerpts from the Daily Mirror and Manchester Evening News archives, including personal articles discovered from the 1957-58 season. Also featured are rare and unseen images and memorabilia from the family collection.