England Football: The Biography

SHORTLISTED FOR FOOTBALL BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS

LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE

‘The greatest story in English sport told beautifully by one of its greatest writers’ Gary Lineker

'A spellbinding piece of work' Oliver Holt; 'Absolute tour de force' Henry Winter

Award-winning writer Paul Hayward delivers a compelling and unmissable account of the story of the England men's football team, published as they prepare for the World Cup in Qatar. 

On 30 November 1872, England took on Scotland at Hamilton Crescent in Glasgow, a match that is regarded as the first international fixture. More than 5,000 fans watched the two sides play out a 0-0 draw. It was the first of more than a thousand games played by the side, and the beginning of a national love affair that unites the country in a way that few other events can matc