Tom Williams

‘Excellent' – Simon Kuper‘The definitive story’ – Christian KarembeuA REVISED AND UPDATED EDITION, INCLUDING NEW EXCLUSIVE PSG CONTENTGlory, scandal and how French football came of ageLe foot français has come a long way over the last 40 years, with France reaching four of the past seven men’s World Cup finals (winning two) and French players starring for the world’s biggest clubs. Culminating in a comprehensive account of Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League triumph in 2025, Tom Williams explores French football’s turbulent modern transformation. From match-fixing affairs to sex-tape scandals, monumental matches to heart-stopping headbutts, he details how philosophies, personalities and power struggles have defined each era. Featuring exclusive interviews with French greats such as Alain Giresse, Jean-Pierre Papin and Blaise Matuidi, and with a cast including Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane and Kylian Mbappé, Va-Va-Voom is the inside track on France’s footballing revolution.

THE PLAYERS, THE TEAMS, THE GOALS, THE GAMES, THE SCANDALS, THE GLOOM AND THE GLORY: THE STORY OF FRENCH FOOTBALL'S CHEQUERED COMING OF AGE OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS. French football is an enigma: a puzzling jumble of brilliance and farce, flair and frailty, stunning success and abject failure. Its domestic league is mocked on social media as an uncompetitive 'Farmers League' and its clubs derided for underachieving in European competition. But France have reached four of the past seven men's World Cup finals, French players star week in, week out for the world's grandest clubs and the very best of French football – the roar of the Vélodrome, the glamour of the Parc des Princes, the shimmering brilliance of Zinédine Zidane, Éric Cantona and Kylian Mbappé – stands comparison with anything the sport has to offer. When it comes to scandal, meanwhile, the French are the best in the business, be it sensational match-fixing affairs, squabbles over sex tapes or meltdowns within the national squad. In this fascinating and exhaustively researched book, the first of its kind in the English language, Tom Williams brings to life French football's chequered coming of age over the last 40 years. He details how the starry-eyed romanticism that characterised the national team in the early 1980s gave way to an Italian-style pragmatism that would lead Les Bleus to the summit of the international game in the late 1990s, and examines how a succession of star-studded club sides grappled with the thorny (and distinctly un-French) notion of how to win. By delving into French football's rich history, he also explains the myriad ways – tactical, technical and cultural – in which France has shaped the game's evolution around the world. Featuring exclusive interviews with great figures of the French game such as Alain Giresse, Jean-Pierre Papin, Emmanuel Petit and Blaise Matuidi, and with a cast of characters that also includes Michel Platini, Thierry Henry, Karim Benzema, Chris Waddle and Lionel Messi, it's a book no football fan will want to miss.

A new edition of a fascinating round-the-world exploration of the weird and wonderful language of football, with new entertaining entries and a foreword by renowned Dutch midfielder (and polyglot) Clarence Seedorf. To speak football is to speak a language of a thousand tongues… In this new and revised global glossary of football words and phrases, discover the rich, quirky and joyously creative language used by fans, commentators and players across the world. From placing a shot 'where the owl sleeps' in Brazil, to what it means to use your 'chocolate leg' in the Netherlands, via 'Anglican' – a phrase adopted by Czechs to describe a disputed goal – and the now ubiquitous 'it's coming home', this comprehensively researched book entertains and informs in equal measure. Discover why a 'café créme' is more than a classic bistro order, what it means when an Indian coach uses his 'brain weapon' and why Dundee United supporters should keep their heads down in Nigeria. With over 750 terms from 89 countries (including 29 ways to describe a nutmeg), this is the definitive guide to the global language of football.

Jak říkají Italové penaltě zahrané po vzoru Antonína Panenky a je jeho jméno ve světě opravdu tak slavné? Kam fotbalista míří, když o něm v Saúdské Arábii řeknou, že loví holuby? Jak to, že v Portugalsku křičí fotbalisté „zloděj“, zatímco v Brazílii „policie“? Proč někde hledají v brance hnízda pavouků nebo vos? To vše vám zodpoví originální slovníček fotbalových obratů z celého světa Když se řekne fotbal. Fotbal je globální sport, a ačkoliv se názvosloví částečně přenáší z jazyka do jazyka, stále existuje v každé zemi množství specifických frází, nad kterými zůstává rozum stát (i když to zrovna není podceňovaný rozum fotbalisty). Jen těžko lze odhadnout, co znamená v polském fotbale sušenčička, v norském brambora, v australském plátek sýra a v nizozemském čokoládová noha. Proč se v thajském zápase rozbijí vejce a v konžském šlape na hada. Když se řekne fotbal je všechno, jen ne strohý slovníček. Jednotlivá hesla jsou objasňována pomocí často značně kuriózních příběhů z historie světového fotbalu a seznámíte se tak s raritami, o jakých jste nejspíš dosud neslyšeli. O sezoně v Kolumbii, která trvala více než 15 měsíců; o omezeném počtu povolených remíz v sovětské lize; o bizarním zápase v indonéském fotbale, v němž se oba týmy snažily vstřelit víc vlastních gólů než soupeř; o tom, jak se v Číně góly hlavou v jistém období cenily natolik, že se počítaly za dva. S pobavením si mnohokrát připomenete, že míč kulatý je věc záludná.