Sweet Passes and Sliding Tackles

There's a wealth of stories about football that go way beyond the stadium.

Christian Eichler has collected some of the most momentous moments for football-mad children and adults - funny, absurd, sad, thrilling, exhilarating and invariably dramatic.

We discover how little Lionel Messi finally managed to grow with some special help from FC Barcelona - and what this meant to his family. We get a first-hand experience of that famous 1966 goal at Wembley, and even find out what happened to the ball afterwards. We are introduced to the craziest goalkeepers, and the chapter entitled "Total freak-out" takes us to the very darkest corners of the football field.  

Real life tells the best stories - and that holds just as true in the footballing arena.  

Shortlisted for the German Children's Book Award/Non-Fiction 2011