Book Review – The Fifty: Football’s Most Influential Players by Jon Driscoll
Jon Driscoll’s book The Fifty aims to spotlight fifty footballers who have been most influential in terms of shaping the history of the beautiful game. I always love these sorts of books and features but never envy the author the task of selecting the chosen few and it’s fascinating to see just who gets picked, and equally who doesn’t.
Starting from football’s earliest days through to the present moment, Driscoll’s task is far from easy. A lot of the expected names are rightfully included – the likes of Pele, Maradona and Messi – but what is great about this book is that in choosing the most influential, rather than the best players, other names like Walter Tull, Jimmy Hill and Hope Powell are given their place in football’s narrative. Indeed, it is a fantastic premise that allows a really rich and encompassing view of the sport, that takes in players that not only changed the game on the pitch but off it too, comprising issues like women’s football, racism, corruption and pay, and whether or not these are the fifty names that individual readers would choose, Driscoll makes a very valid and informative case for each.
Of the fifty players, Driscoll chooses, I was familiar with most of them to some degree, but even with those that are household names across the board, Driscoll manages to unearth lesser-known, intriguing tidbits about them, whilst introducing a few names that were new to me and raising my awareness of their contributions and histories. It was great to genuinely learn something about each individual and to have a greater understanding for names that I’d previously only had limited knowledge of, to have my impressions or perceptions of a player revised or my appreciation improved. Indeed, I came away from each chapter having learnt something new and my overall experience of the book was of a really enlightening and insightful read. It was one of those books that had a real impact on my sense of knowledge and understanding.
Of course, one of the main talking points about this book, and any selection of this kind, revolves around the choice of players and there’s always a degree of debate and discussion about such things. Driscoll has clearly done his research and aimed to create a wide-ranging and inclusive collection of players that takes in all facets of the game and, as I said before, he offers strong justification for each choice. Ask 100 football fans to name their most influential 50 players, however, and no two responses will be the same. To my admittedly less-knowledgeable mind, Driscoll seems to have done a thorough job and I particularly appreciated the inclusion of Lily Parr and Brandi Chastain, as well as the earliest selections in the book which gave me a greater insight into football’s origins. I felt that some of the more recent names are perhaps more debatable, but given time Cafu and Ozil, who were both defining and exceptional players, may fully justify their places, though for me, in terms of football’s story, the development of the Premier League and the effect of the Invincibles, Thierry Henry may have been a more fitting choice than Ozil. But every reader will have their own thoughts and neither Ozil nor Henry may feature. As Driscoll says, compiling this history is ‘like completing a moving puzzle’, but without doubt he has done a mighty fine job of laying out a comprehensive template and beginning the debate.
With the most influential players in history having thus been examined, Driscoll’s book does open up a myriad of avenues for further exploration – the fifty most influential managers, teams, Premier League players… If Driscoll has the time or the inclination, I’d be delighted to read his take on any of these as he’s proven himself with this book to be a hugely accomplished and informative football writer and it’s a rare treat to read a book that leaves you so much the wiser and discerning not just on finishing the book but with every chapter.
(Pitch Publishing Ltd. November 2020. Hardcover: ?320 pages)
Jade Craddock
With England facing up to their most formidable of football rivals in Euro 2020’s Round-of-16, what better time to take a trip into German football and discover more about some of its stars, past and present, with a five-a-side line-up of German autobiographies already published, and a five-a-side of those that would make for a good read. Hopefully, they’ll share a thing or two about penalty shoot-outs…
Lutz Pfannenstiel – Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehmann are two stalwarts of the German goalkeepers’ union who have published their autobiographies and you may be forgiven for wondering why they’ve been overlooked for a man who only represented Germany at U17 level, but 
Philipp Lahm – When Philipp Lahm’s first autobiography Der Feine Unterschied (The Subtle Difference) was published in 2011, it caused something of a stir for its outspoken views, so a second autobiography, published earlier this year (Das Spiel), is surely something to look out for – although, sadly, as yet I don’t believe either book has been translated into English. As a player, Lahm largely won it all, including the Bundesliga, Champions League and World Cup, and was considered one of the best full-backs of all time. He represented Germany 113 times across a ten-year period and led Germany to the 2014 World Cup as captain.
Lothar Matthaus – Another autobiography that sadly hasn’t yet been translated from its native German, Lothar Matthaus’s Ganz oder gar nicht (All or Nothing) was published in 2012, giving an insight into the career of a player who was named the first ever FIFA World Player of the Year. In his twenty years as a German international, Matthaus won both a UEFA European Championship in 1980 and the World Cup in 1990, setting the record of having played in five world cups (from 1982 to 1998), the most World Cup matches played (25) and is Germany’s most capped player (150). On the domestic front, he starred both in the Bundesliga and Serie A, winning titles in both Germany and Italy.
Mesut Ozil – A divisive figure in his time in England at Arsenal, despite winning three FA Cups and a Community Shield, Mesut Ozil’s international record speaks for itself, with 23 goals in 92 appearances and a World Cup to boot. On top of that he holds the record for winning the German Player of the Year award five times and was top of the assist charts at both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Still plying his trade in Fenerbahce, Ozil’s domestic career has taken in three of the biggest European leagues, in the Bundesliga, La Liga and the Premier League, winning eight trophies across the board. His autobiography, Gunning for Greatness, was published in 2017.
Miroslav Klose – Although Ronald Reng’s Miro (published in German) is technically a biography, it is hard to leave Germany’s top goalscorer off the list. With 71 goals in 137 appearances for Die Mannschaft from 2001 to 2014, Klose was instrumental to Germany’s 2014 World Cup win, as well as being runner-up in both the 2002 World Cup and 2008 Euros. He remains the top goalscorer at the World Cup with 16 goals in total, whilst his record of 19 goals at Euros and World Cups has just been surpassed by Cristiano Ronaldo. Domestically, he has represented FC 08 Homburg, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich and Lazio.
Manuel Neuer – There is a history of dominant German goalkeepers, but Die Mannschaft’s current incumbent may just be the best yet. Named as the Best goalkeeper of the Decade by IFFHS, Neuer has cemented his legacy by winning the Golden Glove as Germany were victorious in Brazil 2014. A stalwart at Bayern Munich for the last decade, Neuer has 282 appearances to his name for Die Roten, as well as scooping nine Bundesliga titles, two Champions League, two Super Cups and two Club World Cups. He will surely be looking to add a Euro title to that impressive list this summer.
Franz Beckenbauer – Whilst a number of books have been written about the man nicknamed Der Kaiser, Franz Beckenbauer hasn’t penned an autobiography. Although there have been some off-field dramas in more recent years, there is little question of Beckenbauer’s on-field reputation. Representing his national side between 1965 and 1977, he featured in three World Cups and two Euros, winning the former in 1974 and the latter in 1972, as well as managing Germany to World Cup triumph in 1990. Individually, he holds a number of accolades, including being the only defender to win the Ballon d’Or twice, as well as being named in the World Team of the 20th Century, the FIFA World Cup Dream Team and the Ballon d’Or Dream Team.
Ilkay Gundogan – After taking the Premier League by storm last season, in his fourth year in English football, Ilkay Gundogan was suddenly on everyone’s radar, despite already having won the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, two previous Premier League titles with Man City, as well as an FA Cup, EFL Cups and Community Shields. Whilst Man City were disappointed in the Champions League, Gundogan was named in both the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season and the PFA Premier League Team of the Year. Should he feature against England, Gundogan will receive his 50th cap for Germany, but as yet has no trophies to show for his tenure. Triumph at Euro 2020 would round off an impressive campaign by the man from Gelsenkirchen.
Michael Ballack – Despite being only a runner-up in both the World Cup and Euros, Michael Ballack was one of the mainstays of German football for over a decade, representing his nation 98 times and scoring some 42 goals. He won the German Footballer of the Year three times and was also named in both the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup All-star teams. Domestically, he made his mark with both Bayern Munich, where he won three league titles, and Chelsea, where he won the Premier League title, three FA Cups, the Football League Cup and the Community Shield.
Gerd Muller – Surprisingly, Germany’s Footballer of the Year in 1967 and 1969 and a striker largely considered to be one of the best of all time, Gerd Muller has not brought out an autobiography. A World Cup winner in 1974, scoring the winning goal in the final, and European Championship winner in 1972, Muller played some 62 times for West Germany scoring a remarkable 68 goals. He won the Ballon d’Or in 1970 and the Golden Boot at the World Cup in the same year. On the domestic front, in fifteen years at Bayern Munich, he scored a record 365 goals, as well as 66 goals in 74 European games, winning the Bundesliga four times, the European Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup.