On-the-field they are treated like rock stars and off-the-field as role models; whatever footballers do becomes fashion and whatever they say become quotes. In Football In Quotes, Mirrorpix has put together some of the most memorable sayings by those who either played the game, made others play the game or just had a thing or two to say about ‘the beautiful game’ during the last 80 years. You might find your favourite footballer in this list, your favourite manager, or some celebrity who has nothing to do with football.

This book serves two purposes. It compiles the best football quotes of all times and entertains the readers. The second thing it does is teach the readers how the game has evolved chronologically; from the early days when players weren’t paid that much to the moment they became billionaires, this book covers it all. It’s like watching a film regarding football and finishing it knowing more about the game than you would have after going through a dozen books.

If you didn’t know that Brazilian star Pele had worked in a Hollywood film alongside Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone; Welsh footballer John Charles never got a card during his career; or that Hollywood actor Vinnie Jones was a tough footballer back in the day, this book is what you need as it will enlighten you in many ways. It also tells you why FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s comments about female football were criticised by all, what the reaction of the opposition was after Argentinian star Diego Maradona’s Hand of God goal in 1986, and why Liverpool player Robbie Fowler was suspended after scoring a goal, besides many other interesting incidents that became headline news.

It’s not all goody-goody in these pages. It also talks about Roy Keane’s dispute with Alf-Inge Haaland that nearly ended the latter’s career, Ron Atkinson’s comments about ‘Women Should Be In Kitchen ...’, and Peter Crouch’s hilarious response to one of the many questions asked by reporters. Add to that the captions that accompany these pictures and it seems like a truckload of information is unloaded on you, in a good way. And if you are a fan of David Beckham, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry or any player from the current generation, this book will feature a lot of quotes from them, accompanied by a full-page picture of them in action.

Something about the pictures that are nothing short of a treasure trove; high-quality images from 1930s to 2010s add colour to this already colourful book.

And if there are quotes like Brian Clough’s ‘Players lose you games, not tactics. There’s so much crap talked about tactics by people who barely know how to win at dominoes’ and Matt Busby’s ‘It was a very simple team talk. All I used to say was: Whenever possible, give the ball to George (Best)’ then you are in for an entertaining read that will make you more informed about the game and the sarcasm that accompanies it.

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