Books

Football truly is the world's favourite game, followed in over 200 countries by hundreds of millions of people pouring their hearts and souls into supporting their chosen team every week. 

Over the last thirty years, the English Premier League has grown to become the richest and most popular league in football – and the Irish have been at the heart of its success since the very beginning.

From football legend, Gary Lineker, comes a collection of truly uplifting, empowering and extraordinary football stories that have inspired him throughout his career. 

'Here Ian McKinley and Gerry Thornley tell the frankly amazing story of how he managed to swim back upstream. Easily the rugby book of the year.' Malachy Clerkin, Irish Times

THE IRISH TIMES BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2022

It's one of the real sports that's left to us: a bit of danger and a bit of excitement, and the horses, which are the best thing in the world.'* HM The Queen Mother on National Hunt racing. This book traces how much National Hunt racing has changed since 1945 - and also how Britain has changed too.

Covering over forty years of rugby, and written in his own inimitable style, Doyle looks at the challenges facing modern rugby, particularly the issues of concussion and dementia, to give a fascinating insight into the great game, told from a unique perspective.

Anatomy of a Genius is a tactical breakdown of Lionel Messi's playing career at FC Barcelona. Despite spending his whole career with the club, the Argentine genius had to adapt and improve his game to become the foundation of Barca's modern success.

There has never been an athlete like Serena Williams. She has dominated women's tennis for two decades, changed the way the game is played, and-by inspiring Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, and others-changed, too, the racial makeup of the pro game. 

22 September, 2002 is a date engrained in the mind of every Armagh fan. At Croke Park for the first time ever, the Sam Maguire was lifted in front of a sea of orange and white and the celebrations continued for months.

'It's a big ask, to come up with a readable book about the statistical analysis revolution that has shaped modern football. Rory Smith's zippy narrative is equal to it...' Malachy Clerkin, Irish Times

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022

THE IRISH TIMES BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2022