Calcio

John Foot takes us on an odyssey from the founding days of football in Italy all the way through to the World Cup in 2006 following calciopoli scandal. He tells of the tragedies, comedies, tops, flops and larger than life characters (both on and off the pitch) which shaped the Italian version of the world game.

The book is immense but flies like a ball with a free flowing, funny and detailed text. This is a complete story of football on the peninsula at both club and international level spanning over 100 years. and any follower of Italian football must read this book. It sheds light on unknown little facts and goes into great detail on the more talked about stories with a curious insight to all the major teams, players and coaches involved in the great game.

It is worth noting that Calcio was written by an englishman who has immersed himself in the Italian football culture and is able to give us a unique, unbiased and journalistic commentary on a very complex and sociopolitical subject; football in Italy, where the term "more than just a game" really applies.