The Last Word on David Beckham There is only one David Beckham -- and it's not always the one you read about in the newspapers and magazines or see in the movies. From humble East End London beginnings, the boy with prodigious soccer skills grew up to be one of the most gifted athletes of his generation as well as a sex symbol and fashion icon. Along the way he married Spice Girl Victoria "Posh" Adams, and together they inhabit a celebrity whirlwind of Diana-esque proportions. In Both Feet on the Ground, David talks candidly about the perils of fame (his wife and son were the targets of a notorious kidnapping plot and he is the subject of almost daily tabloid rumors); the struggle to balance his roles as a devoted husband and besotted father with his globetrotting existence as an international soccer star; the behind-the-scenes stories of his most memorable and heartbreaking (if only he could retake that infamous penalty kick against Portugal in Euro 2004) career moments; the controversy surrounding his first year at Real Madrid after his $41 million transfer from Manchester United, the storied English team he joined as a teenager and led for more than a decade; and, finally, his love of America, where he plans to start a soccer school and perhaps, one day, even play professionally. Both Feet on the Ground is David Beckham's own extraordinary story, told by the man who knows him best -- David Beckham.

When twelve-year-old Arcady is sent to a children's home after his parents are declared enemies of the state in Soviet Russia, soccer becomes a way to secure extra rations, respect, and protection but it may also be his way out if he can believe in and love another person--and himself.

For Andres Cantor, making people understand his passion for soccer has always been an uphill battle. Even in his native Argentina, where soccer is as much a part of daily life and culture as baseball is in the U.S., no one loved soccer as much as the young Andres. His name and voice screaming "GOOOAL!" have become synonymous with soccer for Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. and Latin America. In 1994, Cantor got his chance to preach his love of the game to all Americans when the U.S. hosted the World Cup soccer championship for the first time and he was the commentator for every game via the Spanish-language Univision network. Illus.

George Best's years with Manchester United made him a footballing legend nothing can tarnish. Indifferent seasons with lesser clubs, publicly disastrous liaisons, and an ongoing battle with alcoholism did nothing to erase the memories of this charismatic man. This insightful biography tells the story of his troubled relationship with his family in Belfast, his near-adoption by Matt Busby, his tensions with Bobby Charlton, his wives and lovers, and the serious personal failures, both on and off the pitch that brought him notoriety. Affectionate and revealing, it is a sympathetic account of the life of a flawed genius, one who brought joy to football fans everywhere.

'I played at primary and secondary school: in corridors, on the playing fields, at the bus stop on the way home; at university (three times a week); and then after that in pub teams, indoor leagues, park pitch free-for-alls, on beaches and lawns, in airport departure lounges and motorway service stations. From schoolboy promise to the beginnings of athletic decay, football - the basic pleasure of kicking a ball, the attachments of teams, friendships, and moments of pointless but irreducible triumph - just refuses to go away.' Any Chance of a Game? is the story of a season playing for a Sunday league football team and a personal journey to discover why Barney, and men like him everywhere, need to play football and just what they take from it and its attendant culture. Each chapter follows a successive key match during the season and then uses it to go on a thematic mazy dribble - childhood, friendships, memory, violence, love, women, winning, class, nationality and being a man. An amusing tale that will ring true with anyone who's ever kicked a ball in muddied anger. punch-ups, existential angst and wanting to run forever on wet grass.