The Treasures of the World Cup (World Cup 2006) Book

In the late 1920s, Frenchman Jules Rimet had a grand vision for a global soccer tournament: he named it the World Cup. Just 13 teams contested the inaugural tournament in 1930, and the hosts Uruguay were to emerge as the winners. From these tentative beginnings, the World Cup has grown exponentially into a truly all-embracing international competition, involving some 200 countries and spanning every continent on the planet. It has provided the stage for such soccer legends as Bobby Charlton, Eusebio, Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and the incomparable Pele, and has furnished many soccer fans with their most cherished sporting memories. It is the biggest prize in competitive team sport.The Treasures of the World Cup tells the story of the quadrennial festival of world soccer. It comprises an authoritative narrative account of each of the 17 tournaments to have taken place to date. The reportage is complemented by features on the superstars and the memorable moments for each of the finals, together with maps of the venues and results boxes. It also contains over 30 facsimile items of rare soccer memorabilia integrated into the pages of the book. The reader can relive the dramatic events that have entranced the watching millions by holding and examining soccer programs, game tickets, posters, stickers, postcards and items of correspondence, which until now have remained filed or exhibited in the National Football Museum in Preston, England, and other private collections around the world. Many of these items are newly researched and previously unpublished.Read More