A quick, painless read from one of the premier soccer journalists, maybe the best one working today. Personally, I would have enjoyed more profiles on the managers and general managers - more Jose Mourinho, Mike Forde, and Ignacio Palacios Huerta, please - and less profiles on the players, who come across as crushing bores or neurotic twats. Honestly, we already know Lionel Messi will probably be the greatest player to have ever lived once he hangs up his boots, and we also know he's a terrible interview because he says very little of note. So why bother with the profile? Hmm...maybe Kuper's making a point: soccer isn't a game dominated by the players after all, but by the managers and the general managers pulling the strings and drawing up the formations and making the financial decisions.

Recommended for Simon Kuper completists.