My Incredible World Cup Journey

From the days of short pants and small screen black and white televisions, to international travel and attendance at the World Cup in person, 'My Incredible World Cup Journey' spans 36 years, stretches across ten World Cups, military juntas, corrupt officials, and goals with so-called divine intervention. Set against the backdrop of personal, political, and social change, Michael Renouf's memoir explore what football means both wihtin and beyond the 90 minutes on a pitch in a detailed, stunning, and humorous account.

Written by former DJ/producer Harold Heath, ‘Long Relationships: My Incredible Journey From Unknown DJ to Small-time DJ’ is a biographical account of a DJ career defined by a deep love of music and a shallow amount of success. From the days of vinyl, when DJs were often also glass-collectors, to the era of megastar stadium EDM, it’s a journey of 30 odd years on a low-level, economy-class rollercoaster through the ups and downs of an ever-changing music industry. ‘Long Relationships’ is a love letter to DJing and to every small-town DJ who never made it to the big time but whose life was enriched and improved by DJing anyway. It’s packed with tales of gigs, clubs, raves, warehouses, music, record production and record deals, low-rent international travel, shady promoters, dodgy club security, magical dance floor moments and much more. If you ever DJed, if you ever lost yourself on a dance floor, or if you ever simply fell in love with the potential contained within a dark basement, a strobe and a sound system, then this story is your story.

Martin O’Neill has had one of the most incredible careers in football – winning European Cups, captaining his country at a world cup, and decades as a hugely successful manager. On Days Like These tells his fascinating story in his own words for the first time. 'Entertaining . . . An extraordinary career' – The Guardian A key part of Brian Clough’s legendary Nottingham Forest team in the ‘70s and early ‘80s, Martin also represented Northern Ireland more than 60 times and led them at the 1982 World Cup. As a manager he took Leicester City to two League Cups, Celtic to seven trophies, and the Republic of Ireland to the European Championship in 2016. Martin tells of his exhilarating highs and painful lows; from the joys of winning trophies and promotion to making the difficult decision to retire as a player, boardroom drama, relegation scraps and being fired. Written with his trademark forthright honesty and humour, On Days Like These is a must-read for any fan of the beautiful game.

In August 2012, at the Tony Ireland stadium in Townsville, Australia, a star was born. Unmukt Chand led the India U-19 team to its first World Cup win outside Asia, leading them there with a stellar performance of his own. Now on the cusp of finding a place in the national team, Unmukt stands as a beacon for the future of Indian cricket. In this book Unmukt describes, in his own words, his journey up until this point, and how he came to represent his country—as captain no less—and brought home this prestigious trophy. Inspirational, revelatory and intensely engaging, The Sky is the Limit is the story of how one young man’s determination to work hard and take every chance he got made his dream come true.

It started on a cold, frosty morning in 1951 in Christchurch, New Zealand, with a seventeen-year-old-boy, a crate of sheeps' kidneys and a dream. The boss of the city's Belfast meatworks, had arrived an hour early to set up for the day, when he noticed one of his workers packing up a crate on the countertop. The young lad was battling to move it so the boss went over to help. When asked what time he'd started, the boy replied 'Five o'clock this morning'. Stunned, and amused, the boss told him he'd be earning a good bonus at the end of the week, and wondered aloud what he'd spend it on. But the boy knew, and immediately replied, 'I'm going to race speedway in England.' And he did. That boy was Barry Briggs, and it was just the start of his great adventure. Little did he know he was soon to become the legendary speedway racer more commonly known as Briggo, and later as Barry Briggs MBE. From dangerous encounters in the jungles of Liberia to teaching Steve McQueen to slide a speedway bike, Briggo's incredible story is one of strength, determination and a life lived firmly in the fast lane.

Due to the difficulty to find a job in his city, Goran chooses the type of career that changed his life. He started to work on a cruise ship in the hospitality industry in 2013. He has three contracts in three different cruise ships. He considers this experience the most difficult but also the most valuable that life has taught him. Working on a vessel requires huge sacrifices like being miles away for more than half a year from family and friends, working with different nationalities and cultures, brutally heavy pace of minimal ten working hours every day and often even more without normal sleeping hours but on the other hand a piece of relaxation that makes it very special such as traveling to various attractive world tourist destinations and creating unforgettable friendships and adventures. Because of his soccer dream, he left the cruiser in 2016 together with Elizabeth from Peru (back then his girlfriend, today his wife) and since 2017 they live in Munich, Germany. From the first day spent on the ship, during all the rich experiences and adventures until the last disembarkation, through magical Peru and a special proposal on the beautiful Machu Picchu to the current life in Germany, he continues to explore new places and shares his soccer passion. Ship life inspired him to write this book and motivate people in achieving their biggest goals because he strongly believes that everything is possible if the person really wants it.

In a world of mounting chaos and upheaval, it is increasingly hard to believe we are in charge of our own fates. If disaster can strike at any moment, are we really able to craft our destinies? The incredible story of Alieza Mogadam’s young life affirms that yes, we can. Escaped at Thirteen tells the incredible tale of Mogadam’s childhood fleeing war-torn Iran, finding his footing as a youth in Switzerland then the South of France, ultimately making a life for himself in the telecom business of the nineties before emigrating to Canada. Punctuated by meaningful friendships and the highs and lows of young love, Mogadam’s story is both extraordinary and perfectly ordinary, documenting what it’s like to come of age with no permanent place to call home and ultimately establish your roots in new soil. It is a story of strength through adversity, not letting the cards you’re dealt be an excuse not to pursue your dreams. Like Mogadam, with will and determination, we can all craft our own destinies.

'To be able to work well in the box, I believe you have to be able to think "outside the box"' - a fascinating insider account of the Premier League and life at the top level of football from one of the country's best-rated goalkeepers. Goalkeepers have an unusual view of the world, but Brad Friedel's is more unusual than most. An American, a university graduate, a visionary and a deep thinker, he spurns football culture to concentrate on his game and develop his ideas. One of the most highly-rated - and experienced - goalkeepers in the country, Friedel endured a five-year battle to play in the Premier League. His incredible journey took him from three World Cup tournaments, spells with foreign clubs, and finally to the top flight at Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa. Friedel's inspirational story provides true perspective and takes us outside the box and inside the world of professional football in a way only he can.