‘How to Win the World Cup: Secrets and Insights from International Football’s Top Managers’ by Chris Evans (2022)

I love international football. Champions League and Premier League may often see a higher standard of play, and some of the qualifying games can be boringly one-sided, but for me the international game will always trump club football. It is also fundamentally different in terms of the challenge it poses coaches and managers compared to the club game. How to Win the World Cup examines the sport through the experiences of those drawn to this challenge and this challenge has attracted a vast array of people – from globe-trotting unknowns to high profile names.

How to Win the World Cup is a broad look at some of the highs, lows and adventures of managing in the international game. It poses a simple question – what does it take to be successful in managing an international team at every level up to and including reaching the very pinnacle and winning the World Cup.

Evans has spoken to an impressive and eclectic cast of characters with vast experience in the international game. The quality and calibre of those who offer their perspectives in the book really make it stand out, It captures the dedication, commitment, creativity and sheer bloody-mindedness needed to make a proper go of managing an international team. By weaving their insights and anecdotes with countless stories and scandals it serves as a study in how to manage an international team, a history of some of the World Cups more interesting moments but also a reflection on why international football is so special.

For those who, like me, are less enthusiastic than usual about this morally compromised winter World Cup, the book is a fun way to immerse yourself in memories of previous tournaments