{"product_id":"the-soccer-100-9780063412675","title":"The Soccer 100","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA celebration of the beautiful game and its 100 greatest players, from the pre-World War II exploits of Dixie Dean to the modern-day genius of Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese players left legacies, redefined the game with trademark skills, and grew into national icons. They have their stats--the goals, the wins, the trophies--but, more importantly, they have their stories. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne World Cup winner owned a nightclub that briefly transformed a corner of industrial Germany into one of the hippest places around. An Austrian forward's death is still shrouded in mystery. A striker who might have become a telephone technician had he not been spotted playing soccer was eventually elected president of his country. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd there are unanswered questions. How did Pelé's Brazil shirt from the 1958 World Cup quarterfinal go missing in a Welsh school? Which goalkeeper was so good that one opponent considered scoring against him akin to \"winning a trophy\"?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough extensive research and interviews, \u003cem\u003eThe Athletic\u003c\/em\u003e soccer staff, led by Oliver Kay and James Horncastle, discovered angles and tales that shine a new light on the sport's most compelling characters.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey faced an impossible riddle, too: Of the thousands of players to hit the pitch, who is the best? Their efforts to find the answer took the foremost sports newsroom on a journey, and what emerges is more than a ranking. Through all-new, vivid portraits of each athlete, \u003cem\u003eThe Soccer 100\u003c\/em\u003e is a tribute to the greatest players to have ever graced the most popular sport on the planet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKay, Oliver:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOliver Kay\u003c\/strong\u003e is a senior writer at \u003cem\u003eThe Athletic \u003c\/em\u003ehaving previously spent 19 years at The Times, and is a veteran of 11 World Cups and European Championships. His first book, \u003cem\u003eForever Young: The Story of Adrian Doherty, Football's Lost Genius\u003c\/em\u003e, won both the Football Book of the Year and Sports Book of the Year awards at the British Sports Book Awards in 2017.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Athletic:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Athletic \u003c\/strong\u003ehas built the world's largest sports newsroom by focusing on deep reporting, expert analysis, and unmatched journalism to drive its storytelling. It is a part of The New York Times Company.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHorncastle, James:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJames Horncastle \u003c\/strong\u003eis a senior writer for \u003cem\u003eThe Athletic\u003c\/em\u003e, specializing in Italian and European football. He speaks Italian, has lived in Rome, and is a regular contributor to the \u003cem\u003eBBC\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eTNT Sports\u003c\/em\u003e. In September 2024, he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003efor his contribution to promoting Italian football and strengthening the cultural ties between Italy and the United Kingdom.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William Morrow \u0026 Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51721020997906,"sku":"9780063412675","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d0c2a9fe-d7a8-482c-9991-6990e38b1b28.jpg?v=1762946949","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-soccer-100-9780063412675","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}