World Soccer Presents

World Soccer Presents is a bi-monthly souvenir bookazine collection from the team at Word Soccer magazine. Each issue provides expert analysis and insight into the world’s most popular sport, focusing on a specific theme, including, the world’s most important players, club, rivalries and tournaments.

From the editor

World Soccer Presents

Italy 1938 • Victory in the 1938 World Cup was Italy’s third title of the 1930s – and their most impressive

River Plate 1940s • While Europe was at war, the first great River Plate team were dominating Argentina, earning the nickname “La Maquina” – The Machine

Hungary 1950-54 • The “Mighty Magyars” are considered one of the best international teams in football history

Brazil 1958 • Inspired by Garrincha, Didi and a 17-year-old Pele, they won their country’s first World Cup and introduced 4-2-4 to the world

Real Madrid 1960 • They demolished Eintracht Frankfurt to win their fifth consecutive European Cup in Glasgow – and opened many people’s eyes to the wider European game

Benfica 1962 • With a young Eusebio as their attacking fulcrum, the Portuguese club ended Real Madrid’s dominance of the European Cup

Santos 1962 • With Pele as their figurehead, the Brazilian side were the first from South America to earn global recognition in the modern era

Internazionale 1964-65 • The Italian side won successive European Cups, but their achievements were clouded not only by their defensive tactics, but also allegations of drug-taking and match-fixing

Celtic 1967 • The “Lisbon Lions” became not only the first British winners of the European Cup but also the first non-Latin winners, with all 11 members of the team born within 30 miles of Glasgow

Manchester Utd 1968 • Ten years on from the tragedy of the Munich air disaster, Matt Busby’s side became the first English team to win the European Cup

Brazil 1970 • In Mexico, the South Americans won their third World Cup trophy in style, capped with a majestic performance in the final against Italy

The beautiful Plan • In June 2020, 50 years on from Brazil’s World Cup triumph, Tim Vickery explained the attention to detail that lay behind their third success in the competition…

Ajax 1970-73 • The Dutch side famed for their “Total Football”, became the first team since Real Madrid to win a hat-trick of European titles

Bayern Munich 1974 • The first German team to win the European Cup were the backbone of the West Germany side that were European and world champions

Netherlands 1974-78 • Losing back-to-back World Cup finals playing their revolutionary style of football gave the Dutch side of the 1970s the unwanted tag of the greatest side to miss out on the trophy

Total Recall • In March 2006, Brian Glanville told the story of the Netherlands’ World Cup campaigns of 1974 and 1978

Nott’mForest 1978-80 • Nottingham Forest were second division also-rans before they were transformed into double European Cup winners by Brian Clough

Flamengo 1981 • A Zico-inspired team rose quickly to become champions of Brazil, then South America, and then the world

Brazil 1982 • A side featuring the talents of Zico, Socrates and Falcao played some of the most exhilarating football ever seen at the World Cup

Italy 1982 • With the domestic game in disgrace, Enzo Bearzot’s side travelled to Spain and restored a country’s pride in its national game

Twelve teams that shocked the world • A look at the trailblazers, the record-breakers and the unlikely victors that have stunned the football world since the first issue of World Soccer in October 1960…

Liverpool 1984 • The side that won Liverpool’s fourth European Cup in seven years was arguably the...