Seven must-read books for those obsessed with the World Cup

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  The Special One: The Secret World of José Mourinho by Diego Torres

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  The Ball Is Round: A Global History of Football by David Goldblatt

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  The Football Man: People and Passions in Soccer by Arthur Hopcraft

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  Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics by Jonathan Wilson

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  Shocking Brazil: Six Games that Shook the World Cup by Fernando Duarte

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  Wonder Goal! by Michael Foreman

1. The Story of the World Cup: The Essential Companion to Brazil 2014

Author: Brian Glanville

Publisher: Faber & Faber Non Fiction, Dh49

Available at: Book World by Kinokuniya, The Dubai Mall

Get up to speed with all the World Cup tournaments ever played. The 2014 edition discusses games, from Uruguay in 1930 to South Africa in 2010. Glanville details each tournament and key players, as well as his discontent with Fifa’s management of the World Cup.

2. The Special One: The Secret World of José Mourinho

Author: Diego Torres

Publisher: HarperSport, Dh85

Available at: Book World by Kinokuniya, The Dubai Mall

When José Mourinho joined the English side Chelsea in 2004, he said during interviews: “I think I’m a special one.” He was immediately dubbed “The Special One” by the press. Mourinho is widely considered one of the greatest managers of all time. This book, written by the Spanish investigative journalist Diego Torres, brings a lot of the Portuguese-born Mourinho’s grand public image tumbling to the ground. Mourinho is currently back managing Chelsea, but his stint with Real Madrid (2010 to 2013) has been chronicled and criticised by the writer as obsessive, heavy-handed and dis­respectful. The book was translated into English this year.

3. The Ball Is Round: A Global History of Football

Author: David Goldblatt

Publisher: Penguin, Dh117

Available at: Book World by Kinokuniya, The Dubai Mall

David Goldblatt’s book pitches football within a historical, political and sociological context. It does not see the game in isolation, but as one being shaped and influenced by happenings around the world and the emergence of a sport watched and supported by millions internationally. The book highlights the careers of Pelé and Maradona, while looking at football cultures in countries such as Argentina and Brazil. It was published in 2006.

4. The Football Man: People and Passions in Soccer

Author: Arthur Hopcraft

Publisher: Aurum Press, Dh65

Available at: Book World by Kinokuniya Dubai Mall

The late sports journalist Arthur Hopcraft, who wrote for The Guardian and The Observer, contributed The Football Man: People and Passions in Soccer to the sports bookshelf in 1968. It was reprinted last year. The book followed England's win in the 1966 World Cup. It studies the rise of football as viewed today, backed by interviews with legends in the field, including Bobby Charlton, Alf Ramsey and Nat Lofthouse. The Guardian calls it the book that "launched this genre of writing".

5. Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics

Author: Jonathan Wilson

Publisher: Orion, Dh59

Available at: Book World by Kinokuniya, The Dubai Mall

From a medieval British sport that Jonathan Wilson calls "the mob game" to one with precise strategy, football has changed a lot in its history. Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics is a treat for football fans, albeit highly knowledgeable ones. For those who want to understand the game better and learn about tactical play, Wilson's expertise in covering the sport and explaining different styles will not disappoint. The book received the Best Football Book title at the British Sports Book Awards in 2009.

6. Shocking Brazil: Six Games that Shook the World Cup

Author: Fernando Duarte

Publisher: Arena Sport, Dh48

Available at: www.amazon.com

This book by the journalist Fernando Duarte is hot off the press, but has already garnered good reviews. Appreciated for its well-researched and funny narrative, the book looks at six crucial World Cup campaigns that changed Brazilian football and their repercussions beyond the sport.

7. Wonder Goal!

Author: Michael Foreman

Publisher: Andersen, Dh18

Available at: www.amazon.com

Michael Foreman, a British author of children's books, published Wonder Goal! in 2002. It's a picture book that motivates children to dream big through the story of a little boy aspiring to win the World Cup and working his way to it, one goal at a time.