When Footballers Were Skint: A Journey in Search of the Soul of Football

Long before the multimillionaire player era, footballers' wages were capped, and they traveled to matches on public transport and returned to modest homes. When Footballers Were Skint explores the game's rich heritage and the fascinating story of a great sporting era.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 05 March 2019
Publisher: Biteback Publishing

Before the era of multimillionaire football players, the wages of footballers were capped, even the biggest names earned barely more than a plumber or electrician. Footballing legends like Tom Finney and Stanley Matthews shared a bond of borderline penury with the huge crowds they entertained on Saturday afternoons, on pitches that were a world away from the pristine lawns of the modern era. Instead of the gleaming sports cars driven by today's top players, the stars of yesteryear traveled to matches on public transport and returned to homes just as modest as those of their supporters. Players and fans would even sometimes be next-door neighbors in a street of working-class terraced houses.

Based on the first-hand accounts of players from a fast-disappearing generation, When Footballers Were Skint delves into the game's rich heritage and relates the fascinating story of a truly great sporting era.

Weight: 330g
Dimension: 131 x 197 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781785904660