Tor! The Story of German Football

I bought a kindle version, and finished reading it within 3 weeks (quite casual read everyday). For a casual follower of football, the book has the right balance of being entertaining enough and informative on the football history of Germany. It is not too technical, and was written sometimes with a sense of humour, vividly demonstrating the unpredictability of the beautiful game. It also has the right balance of Bundesliga introduction and German national football campaign. All in all, it is a good past-time read, and well suited for people who intend to enhance their knowledge in the game, and how Germany has come to where it is now. The only pity of the book is that it is only until 2003, with a brief touch of 2006 World Cup. A new version would be needed to catch up what happened since then, especially Jurgen Klinsman & Co.'s reign at German football. Strongly recommended!

It is rare to find a good and unbiased source on German football history in English and Uli Hesse's book is indeed a gift for the fans of German football who don't speak the language. This book covers the history of German football right from the very beginning and includes the 2006 World Cup held in Germany (for the revised version). Uli Hesse writes with passion and it helps that he's a football fan so the prose is never dry or dull. He does a wonderful job in narrating the complete history of German football and also kindly takes time to explain some peculiar aspect of it such as the clubs' naming conventions, ownership rules, etc, which is very useful for non-German speaking readers. Hesse also traces the history of Bundesliga as well as the national team's successes and failures. He also covers some of the major personalities of the game - not just players but also coaches and administrators. Even though the scope is wide, he does an admirable job in telling a riveting story. On the flip side, he could have done a better job in telling the story line. His plot revolves around the history of Bundesliga, the national team and some key personalities. Often these story lines are told parallely but he often gets ahead of himself and get the time lines mixed up. Also it would been much better to devote separate chapters on the key personalities and do them justice rather than describe them in passing. There were many interesting characters that deserves a deeper coverage. Also it would have been better to devote chapters to specific clubs such as Gladbach, Dortmund, Bayern, etc to describe their contribution to the German football history and legacy. My verdict - This book is an essential reading for all German football fans.

This book was very informative and easy to read. It show that Hesse knows a lot about German soccer and I really enjoyed reading such interesting things about great German soccer players throughout history. This book is a must read for soccer fans. It also debunks any ideas or biases we may have against German style of play. The only thing I would have liked is that it included a chapter about the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Even if the book is dated, it was still a fun and easy read.

This is a great book for the English-speaking Bundesliga fan (or general soccer fan) to get to know the league. It describes the rise and fall of many league teams, as well as the German national team. What's more notable is that a BVB Dortmund fan--the author--gives Bayern Munchen a fair shake, rather than shellacking them as being the evil empire.

If you have any interest in German soccer, you must buy this book. A great read which delves into the details of what happened and why, including how the sport first developed in the country and succeeded over time, sometimes against dramatic opposition. The author does a careful analysis of his own, as opposed to just repeating the thoughts of others, and captures all the high points of the history of the sport in Germany (at least in men's competitions). My only regret is that this book was not quite a bit longer, with more details especially about the pre-WW II era. I would have greatly enjoyed an even fuller treatment of the subject. A++++++++++++++

This is a great book for the avid sports fan, particularly if you're interested in soccer and history. Uli Hesse is a journalist who I look for every chance I get on espn. He is a great writer, and puts this topic together from a historical perspective, and is able to relate it to today's sports fan. I only wish it had a volume 2!

Very interesting. It helps if you already know something about the country and a few of its soccer highlights. Some shifts in chronology can be confusing, even if they help present main themes. The book ends before the 2010 World Cup, so you won't see much about Jürgen Klinsman (current US national coach).

Uli Heese-Lichtenberger's account of the history of German football is amazing. But anyone who has ever followed his regular columns before reading "Tor!" will not be surprised. I recommend this book to anyone who is the least bit interested in not only Germany's version of the world's game, but in a bit of German history too. My seller here at Amazon was awesome too. My book arrived faster than expected and was in wonderful condition.

Uli Hesse is the to go guy if you are avid of German football insight and don’t know the German language. He is one of the most knowledgeable authors around and his books are full of amazing facts and they are also structured in a very fun way to read. A must read if you really want a good introduction in German football culture.

Great book for who looks to the history of german football since de beginning of the sport in the county. However, the book ends on the 2002 World Cup, and since then a lot of things changes in german football (in Bundesliga and Internacional level). An update would be a great news for football fans around the globe.

Ein Deutscher schreibt auf englisch die Geschichte des deutschen Fussballs … ? Die Zweifel verfliegen aber rasch, das Buch ist kenntnisreich, detailfreudig und überaus gut lesbar verfasst. Die Geschichte des deutschen Fussballs wird mit der deutschen Geschichte und der des internationalen Fussballsport verwoben. Auch für den vermeintlichen Kenner ein Gewinn!

As a follower of German football since 2000, I hoped that someone would write an accessible history book on the subject, following on from similar volumes on Italian, Spanish and Dutch football. When the second edition arrived in the Summer of 2002, it certainly didn't disappoint. What you get is simple - although written by a German author, no aspect of football in the country, whether good or bad, is left uncovered. From the early years of fighting for respectability in the face of opposition from the gymnastics movement, through gathering momentum in the 20's and 30's, the horrors of the Nazi regime and war years, then onto the 'Miracle of Bern', the building of dominant sides in the 60's and 70's, the TV explosion of the late 80's, then the nadir of Euro 2000 and the partial recovery of World Cup 2002, the whole history is covered. What is noticeable is that the author does all of this with a 'fans view' - sometimes poignant, sometimes humourous, always totally gripping. That edition is what I am basing my review on - in the eleven years since, German football has experienced a dramatic and wholly deserved rise to its current level - monopolising the Champions League final at Wembley and playing one of the best matches seen at that stage just the latest in a series of new milestones. I am looking forward to reading what the author, a Dortmund fan, thinks of his club's return from near bankruptcy to the top of the tree, and Bayern Munchen's own journey from a successful, though not always popular, team to one of the richest and most admired clubs in world football. Not to mention the peaks and troughs of the national side's performances, and the new generation of young players coming through. All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to know what German football is REALLY like - put your preconceptions aside, and enjoy a long, sometimes rocky, controversial, thrilling but always surprising journey. As Sepp Herberger once said, 'Der Ball Ist Rund'.

This is without comparison the best book I have read this year! I absolutely love Uli Hesse's style and writing! It is entertaining and captivating, interesting and humorous. I especially appreciate how he unbiasedly talks about all the clubs in the Bundesliga although he is a devoted Borussia Dortmund fan. I am about to order his other two books, about Bayern and BVB. This book is the best book about football I have read so far.