It’s been a great year for football fans, and not just because the men’s England team astonishingly reached the Euros finals in July. More than half of this year’s top sport books have something (or everything) to do with the beautiful game. David Peace’s novel Munichs is a poignant recreation of the 1958 Manchester United tragedy and the modest world of the Busby Babes, while in States of Play Miguel Delaney argues that the sport has become a vehicle for the political agendas of global dictators. Have no fear, though — if you prefer smaller balls there’s always the fascinating deep dive into the life and career of the tennis star Novak Djokovic.
• See more of the Times and Sunday Times best books of 2024
The Times and Sunday Times sport book of the year
Munichs by David Peace
In 1958 an aircraft carrying the Manchester United team careered off a German runway, killing 23, including eight players for England’s reigning champions. Munichs is a novel by David Peace that sticks to the historical record while tugging on emotions in the way only fiction can. In one heart-wrenching scene, repatriated bodies are lying overnight in an Old Trafford gym. A dead player’s mother cannot stop talking, but his father cannot talk at all. Peace’s prose is poetic, even grandiose, but it is fitting for one of the epic tragedies of modern British public life. Peace elevates a black-and-white story into colour, like the flowers of Manchester against the Munich snow.
Faber £20
Buy a copy of Munichs here
Searching for Novak: The Man Behind the Enigma by Mark Hodgkinson
Novak Djokovic was once a prankster, hence his social media handle “DjokerNole”. He became serious after deciding he could be more than tennis’s third man behind Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. He is now the most successful male player in history. His ascent also coincided with becoming a vegan, which encouraged his embrace of counterculture, from the harmless, like drinking magical pyramid water, to the potentially harmful, like refusing the Covid vaccine. In Searching for Novak, Mark Hodgkinson makes a familiar figure far more interesting.
Cassell £22
Buy a copy of Searching for Novak here
Unique: A Memoir by Kelly Holmes
Kelly Holmes’s autobiography, Unique, has a breezy tone, but wrestles with heavy topics such as coming out as a lesbian after serving in the British Army when homosexuality was illegal in the military, as well as self-harm and grief. It has been 20 years since she won golds in the 800m and 1,500m at the Olympic Games in Athens, but her national treasure status is stronger than ever, as confirmed by this book, which was shortlisted for the 2024 William Hill sports book of the year award.
Mirror £9.99
Buy a copy of Unique here
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Extra Time Beckons, Penalties Loom: How to Use (and Abuse) the Language of Football by Adam Hurrey
Nobody got into football for the refereeing conspiracies or the corporate skulduggery. The Football Clichés podcast is a happy reminder that the game is supposed to be fun. Extra Time Beckons, Penalties Loom is a book by Adam Hurrey, the host of the podcast, that analyses the language of football to the point of absurdity, from attempting to define the “bowels of a stadium” to calling Susie Dent from the TV show Countdown a “one-programme woman”, a play on the footballing “one-club man”. Like the podcast, the jokes never run out. A joy.
Headline £20
Buy a copy of Extra Time Beckons, Penalties Loom here
How to Win the Premier League: The Inside Story of Football’s Data Revolution by Ian Graham
As the director of research at Liverpool from 2012 to 2023, Ian Graham helped to turn a sleeping giant into English and European champions. He did this with data, finding transfer market inefficiencies to make inspired signings such as the Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah, as well as finding a kindred spirit in the former manager Jürgen Klopp. (His predecessor, Brendan Rodgers, not so much). The modern game makes more sense after reading How to Win the Premier League, which strikes a perfect balance between detail and readability.
Century £22
Buy a copy of How to Win the Premier League here
States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football by Miguel Delaney
Another book essential for understanding the modern game is Miguel Delaney’s States of Play. In 2010 the world was stunned when the footballing backwater of Qatar was named 2022 World Cup host. Saudi Arabia is the only bidder for the 2034 tournament. Nobody is surprised any more, though. This is what we have come to expect. Delaney makes the compelling case that “sportswashing” is not just about boosting countries’ reputations in the West, it is a tool for dictatorships to survive in a world where the gas and oil is running out.
Seven Dials £22
Buy a copy of State of Play here
Explore more of The Times and Sunday Times best books of 2024 with our complete guide. Then see who’s topping The Sunday Times Bestsellers List — the UK’s definitive sales chart
★ Visit mytimesplus.co.uk for your chance to win a Books of the Year bundle
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What was the best sport book you read this year? Add your recommendations in the comments
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