do you speak football?: a glossary of football words and phrases from around the world

’At last, the definitive guide to football phraseology across the world... Sparky and very funny’ - Paul Hayward

’Amusing and informative in equal measure’ - Oliver Kay, The Athletic

’A wonderful, endlessly delightful book’ - When Saturday Comes

A new edition of an expertly compiled and utterly fascinating compendium of the weird and wonderful words and phrases used to describe football around the world.

In this revised glossary of football words and phrases, discover the rich, quirky and joyously creative global language used by fans, commentators and players.

From placing a shot ’where the owl sleeps’ in Brazil, to what it means to use your ’chocolate leg’ in the Netherlands, via ’Anglican’ - a phrase adopted by Czechs to describe a disputed goal - and the now ubiquitous ’it’s coming home’, this comprehensively researched book entertains and informs in equal measure.

Discover why a ’café crème’ is more than a classic bistro order, what it means when an Indian coach uses his ’brain weapon’ and why Dundee United supporters should keep their heads down in Nigeria.

With over 750 terms from 89 countries (including 29 ways to describe a nutmeg), this is the definitive guide to the global language of football.

’Funny, erudite, rich in detail and endlessly readable. Perfect for anyone who thinks they already know about the language of football’? Barney Ronay, The Guardian

’A reminder that there are few better means of celebrating both our differences and similarities than the game of football’ ? The Guardian

’Quirky, addictive, stuffed with anecdote, it’s far more than a glossary ... The writing is precise, light and often lovely. A treat’ ? Jonathan Northcroft, Sunday Times

’A fascinating and necessary work’ ? Jonathan Wilson, founder of The Blizzard

’Ein super Buch!’ ? Raphael Honigstein, The Athletic

’Funny, informative and truly global’ ? 11Freunde

Tom Williams lives in London and covers football for the Agence France-Presse international news agency. His writing has also been published by The Blizzard, The Guardian and Bleacher Report. He has featured on BBC Radio 5 Live, BT Sport, CNN, BBC News 24, the BBC World Service, talkSPORT and the Totally Football Show.

@tomwfootball #doyouspeakfootball