Chris Evans

As player and pundit, Gary Lineker has been a prominent figure in English football for more than 40 years. He scored 48 goals in 80 games for England - coming within a penalty of being the country's record goalscorer - and is the only player to have topped the goalscoring charts at three different clubs. He famously never received a red or yellow card, and hosted the BBC's Match of the Day for 25 years.

This enlightening biography - the first for 30 years - follows Lineker's career, from the school report which said, 'He concentrates too much on football' to his phenomenal goalscoring record and development as a media personality.

Godlike genius or the focus of a disappointed nation's fury - the world's most prestigious tournament makes or breaks a national coach. Only 20 managers have guided their team to World Cup glory, so what are their secrets? From revolutionary tactics to hare-brained schemes, this book searches for the keys to the most exclusive club in international football.

Discover the tactical innovations and brilliant strategies as well as the bizarre superstitions, psychological masterclasses and bonkers team-building regimes that managers have employed in the quest for that iconic trophy. Charting the successes, failures, dramas and controversies of 90 years of World Cup action, through the insights of journalists, players and managers with first-hand experience of World Cup competition, this book comprehensively documents the lengths the man in the dugout will go to in order to bring home the greatest prize.