Customer Reviews

The Story of the World Cup

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Finally, a literary and creative man writing about soccer! Mr. Glanville's encyclopaedic knowledge of the game and his plethora of behind-the-scene anecdotes make this book deliciously enjoyable. Each World Cup is peppered with authentic style making the reader feel like he is smelling chalupas inside Azteca Stadium or bratwurst in Munich's Olympiastadion. The poetic narrative of legendary games such as 1970's Italy vs West Germany or 1982's West Germany vs France is almost Nobel Prize material.

However, his British twist is conspicuously ubiquitous in the form of inflating paragraphs about obscure Scottish and Welsh footballers that most international soccer hounds don't know or care about... or in lambasting on Maradona time and time again! Objectivity may not be his forte, but Glanville's epic writing of a World Cup history is second to none.

Glanville brings wit, panache and style to his history of the World Cup. More than simply a dry rehash of scores and stats, this book almost has a literary flavor, painting pungent, vivid and memorable portraits of the players and their times. For example, it is not simply stated that the Brazilains cultivated Mexican fans in 1970, but Glanville adds such memorable lines as "The Brazilains pursued a shrewd policy of 'beads for the natives..'. Likewise in describing sturdy Russian sweeper Chesternev(?) Glanville speaks of him "sweeping up diligently in his crouching bird-dog style.." The viginettes and scenes are amazing, Puskas eating monkey nuts in Chile, grousing about Hungarian football, Rattin slowly and reluctantly leaving the foul-filled, abominable 1966 match between England and Argentina, Pele's audacious attempt to beat Viktor from 50 yards out in 1970, the father of Spanish player DiStefano in 62 flying in with a mysterious "magic linament" to heal his son, the "spontaneous" Mexican crowd that conveniently and noisly gathered outside the English team's hotel, keeping the players awake all night, before the match with Brazil, and so on.. You almost get the sense of being there on the field.

Those expecting a cheerleading tome for soccer officialdom would do best to look for another book. Glanville is not afraid to criticize the FIFA bureaucracy, coaches and refereeing where warranted, nor do the cynical players and tactics escape his censure. A must read for every true soccer fan.

Objectivity is absent at times in this usually thorough history.
I generally find Paul Gardener, Keir Radnedge, Ian Morrison, & Terry Crouch to be more objective.
He inflates the importance and success of British Footballers. He also selectively fails to mention
that in the 1966 world cup 25 of 32 matches were officiated by Europeans & that all of the games
involving south American teams had English or German officials who let the south Americans get
fouled out of the tournament.
To the present day there has never been any satisfactory reason given why Antonio Rattin of Argentina
was red carded in the quarterfinal vs. England which the hosts went on to win 1-0?
Is it any surprise that England & West Germany ended up in the final?

Any investigations into the officiating after the tournament which was strongly asked for by the south
American federations was dismissed by Fifa president Stanley Rous who was English.
I bring these points to light because some in the English sports media have been trying to discredit
the world cups of the 1930's right up to the present by claiming the host nations fixed the outcomes.

England chose not to participate in these world cups does make one wonder what their real agenda is?
One has to ask if that was the case, why did Uruguay & Italy have such a hard time winning at home
& why didn't France win as host in 1938??? Just because some referees were punished by their own
federations after the tournaments ended does not prove that they were guilty of anything
more than incompetance.

But, since England has never won the European Nations Cup and last won the World Cup in 1966 I guess few
readers will find his bias surprising. However, he does have a computer chip Knowledge of the
"World's Most Popular Sport." He gives the most detailed accounts of the World Cups of the 1950's
that I have ever come across. In depth analysis , vivid portraits of great players and games are in
abundance. From the offensive oriented decades of the 1930's-50's, the defensive mania of the 1960's
to Holland's "Total Football" philosophy of the 1970's.

You will learn about the most classic matches. From the exciting first final in 1930 between Argentina & Uruguay, the first overtime final in 1934 between Italy & Czechoslavakia, the "battle of Berne" in 1954 between Hungary & Brazil, to the formers shocking loss to West Germany in the final.

Other more well known games from the incomparable Pele against France in the 1958 semi-final, the controversial third English goal in the overtime final win against West Germany, to the match of the century between Italy &
West Germany in the 1970 semi-final, & lastly Italy's unexpected triumph in the 1982 finals where they started
as a 25-1 shot to win. The true fan will feel like you have just been at the stadium having viewed a classic match.

This is an interesting book. The essential info about each edition of the world cup is there and is aptly summarised by the author. My main criticism is about the overall tone of the book. Mr. Glanville writes in a judgemental, self-righteous manner that becomes irritating after a couple of chapters. He's quick to judge and criticize, to the point when I kept wondering why he bothered to write the book in the first place. If you can get pass this major flaw, it's worth your time and money. I would have preferred, though, if Mr. Glanville had refrained from inflicting his very moralistic opinions on the reader.

The 1997 edition is a useful if somewhat UK-centred summary account of the noteworthy matches and players of the World Cups from 1930 to 1994. One major criticism, why does Glanville always adds "the black" before the names of dark-skinned players (usually but not exclusively from South America), as if identifying left-footedness or something of tactical importance?

Glanville brings wit, humor and a critical eye to his history of the World Cup. More than simply a dry rehash of scores and stats, this book almost has a literary flavor, painting pungent, vivid and memorable portraits of the players and their times.

You get a feel for the drama, the excitement and the raw energy of the World Cup. For example, it is not simply stated that the Brazilians cultivated Mexican fans in 1970, but Glanville adds such memorable lines as "The Brazilians pursued a shrewd policy of 'beads for the natives..'.

Glanville's description of players, even obscure ones, shows dry wit, a keen eye and someone who has done his homework. Most writers would have dashed off a conventional 3-word blurb. Not Glanvile. For example, in describing sturdy Russian sweeper Chesternev(?) Glanville speaks of him "sweeping up diligently in his crouching bird-dog style.." Likewise another player is described not merely as a fast winger but " a strongly-built, moustached, and melancholy figure, with fabled control and finishing power."

And indeed, so he was. You get the sense that this is soccer as it should be played- with supreme confidence and absolute conviction. Despite the literary flavor, this book has meat, solid meat. Who wants a simple rehash of what went down? Glanville begins every chapter with a background to the Cup- the sometimes unsavoury politics and posturing, the jealousies, the disappointments of good players who didn't make the cut. Then he breaks down the detail of the contenders- their strengths and weaknesses. Like I said, this is meaty analysis, not another
rehash of stats we already know.

The viginettes and scenes are amazing, Puskas eating monkey nuts in Chile, grousing about Hungarian football, Pele's audacious attempt to beat Viktor from 50 yards out in 1970, the father of Spanish player DiStefano in 62 flying in with a mysterious "magic linament" to heal his son, the "spontaneous" 1970 Mexican crowd that conveniently and noisly gathered outside the English team's hotel, keeping the players awake all night, before the match with Brazil, the blazing speed and mesmerizing moves of the deformed winger- Garrincha of Brazil, the cheeky "street" caper of Maradona's infamous "Hand of G-d" goal, the brave comebacks of Germany in 1982 and 1986, the redemption of the scandal-smeared Paolo Rossi, and so on.. You almost get the sense of being there on the field.

Those expecting a cheerleading tome for soccer officialdom would do best to look for another book. Glanville is not afraid to expose the seedy side of the game, nor criticize the FIFA bureaucracy, hooligan fans, coaches and abominable refereeing where warranted, nor do the cynical players and tactics escape his censure.

There are some minor quibbles. In his 1966 edition, Glanville correctly describes Brazil's swift right winger Garrincha as a mulatto, but in the 1970 edition, he is transformed into a South American Indian. In fact, Garrincha was part black, and this is confirmed in Joseph Page's book "The Brazilians". Of course with Brazil, racial categories are fuzzy, but Glanville does correctly point out that the introduction of black players in that country transformed the game. Some might object to Glanville even mentioning race, but it is interesting nevertheless to see the width of the Black Disapora, and the increasing blend of cultures in sports, and how sports can, in its own limited way, bring people together. Thanks to Glanvile, these glimpses range from "the Black Diamond" Leonidas of Brazil back in 1938, to the swift black winger Andrade of Uruguay circa 1950, to Gatejens, scorer of the shocking goal that upset England in 1950 (yes, the segregated, Jim Crow US had "colored" players), to the pantherine Eusebio and silky smooth Coluna of Portugal in 1966, to the corruscating Teofilo Cubillas of Peru of 1970, to the powerfully built sweeper, Tresor, of France.

Glanville's book is also invaluable for its many pictures of past players, particularly the older editions. The newer editions chop out a lot of interesting detail- after all the book can only keep expanding as the years pass. But all in all, a must read for every true soccer fan. Something for everyone- the young fan looking for heroes and pictures, the educated dabbler, or the hard-core afficionado.

I was amazed at the nature of the product at the time of delivery. It had been well kept and mailed within the prescribed time. I credit the company for the services rendered. Thanks. Thomas,Maryland.

Brilliant history of the game. I grab and read anything I can by Brian Glanville. Excellent.

well the book was the best and i love to play soccer when i want to. It's my to play.I want to go to collage soccer some were were they play really good and to be a good thing for me. well maybe i will be able to go and play with the big boys.