The World Cup has been called The Greatest Show on Earth. And if 90 minutes plus overtime and penalties is just the sort of entertainment you like, this book is guaranteed to score. Along with a supporting cast of dodgy refs, eccentric mascots, and manic managers, there are shameful fixes, outrageous cheats, and the most unpronounceable team of all. From Uruguay 1930 to Korea-Japan 2002 and beyond--here are the famous, the infamous, and the downright bizarre.

‘The game is finally getting the literature it deserves.’ The Times ‘Brilliantly tackled…unique.’ London Evening Standard ‘Mightily impressed.’ When Saturday Comes ‘Exhaustively researched….fascinating.’ The Independent ‘An indispensable guide to football history and culture.’ FourFourTwo An end-to-end collection of amusing, bizarre and shocking true stories from the pre-eminent competition of the world's favourite sport, replete with a supporting cast of dodgy refs, eccentric mascots and manic managers. Find out how a dog called Pickles saved the FA's blushes, why an England captain was arrested by Colombian police, where the Mexican wave really started, why the German fans taunt the Dutch with cheesy insults, and which defender was shot for scoring an own goal. If 90 minutes plus extra-time and penalties is just your sort of entertainment, The World Cup's Strangest Moments is guaranteed to score. Now fully revised and updated with great new stories from the qualifying campaigns for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Presents some of the most memorable moments in World Cup history, including shocking results, strange trivia, and game-winning goals.

The 19th-century MP John Burns described the Thames as 'liquid history' and ever since the Romans founded Londinium in 43 AD, the river has played a key cultural and economic, political and social role in the history of England. London's Strangest: The Thames reveals the bizarre, funny and surreal events and episodes that have occurred over the centuries on, beneath and along the banks of the famous waterway. From appearances of the world's first submarine to the raid on the Sex Pistols river concert, Lord Nelson's final journey to John Prescott's watery protest, and even the recent escapades during the floods, the River Thames really has witnessed it all.

The Making of the FIFA World Cup takes us on a fast-paced trip through the history of football's biggest tournament, with a comprehensive collection of the World Cup's defining moments. Filled with unforgettable episodes such as England's 1966 triumph and Maradona's 'Hand of God', the book transports us to the World Cup's most important flashpoints, recounting each moment and the story behind it. It also puts some of the World Cup's quirkiest events under the microscope: whether it's Zaire's bizarre defence of a free kick against Brazil in 1974 or a scruffy collie dog locating the stolen World Cup trophy under a car in London. From the greatest goals to the biggest controversies, from the funniest moments to the most memorable matches, The Making of the FIFA World Cup gives you an in-depth look at why the competition is sport's most-watched event - through the moments that make it so dramatic, popular and irresistibly exciting.

The first complete history of the FIFA World Cup with a preview of the 2022 event in Qatar. Every four years, the world’s best national soccer teams compete for the FIFA World Cup. Billions of people tune in from around the world to experience the remarkable events unfolding live, both on and off the field. From Diego Maradona’s first goal against England at the 1986 World Cup to Nelson Mandela’s surprise appearance at the 2010 final in South Africa, these unforgettable World Cup moments have helped to create a global phenomenon. In The FIFA World Cup: A History of the Planet's Biggest Sporting Event, veteran soccer reporter Clemente A. Lisi chronicles the tournament from 1930 to today, including a preview of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Lisi provides vivid accounts of individual games, details the innovations that impacted the sport across the decades, and offers biographical sketches of greats such as Pelé, Diego Maradona, and Lionel Messi. In addition, Lisi includes needed, objective coverage of off-field controversies such as the FIFA corruption case, making this book the only complete and impartial history of the tournament. Featuring personal interviews and behind-the-scenes stories from the author’s many years attending and covering the World Cup, as well as stunning color photography, The FIFA World Cup is the definitive history of this global event.

Pairing epic sports photography with articles from The Times and The Sunday Times archive, this volume brings together 100 of the most iconic moments from World Cup history. With striking, full-colour photograph