A Football Report

Giancarlo Rinaldi’s 20 Great Italian Games

Remember when El Diego squared off against Platini? The nostalgia and beauty of the past thrives in ‘20 Great Italian Games’, an e-book written by Giancarlo Rinaldi. A devotion to the Serie A over the years has led Giancarlo to select 20 of the best matches ever played domestically in Italy, featuring illustrious, iconic virutosos like Maradona, Baggio, Totti, and Klinsmann. 

We’ve proudly hosted Giancarlo’s writing on AFR on numerous occasions, unwinding fascinating stories of the past such as Roberto Mancini’s coaching tenure at his beloved Fiorentina and looking into the future of the Serie A as he focused on Sampdoria’s rising star Mauro Icardi.

Rinaldi is a first class gentleman and a fine writer, a maestro stretching beyond his own calcio-obsessed lens. We’re proud to be supporting his latest work and recommend that you give it a read and enjoy the walk down memory lane with Maldini and company.

‘20 Great Italian Games’ is priced at £1.53 or $2.99 and you can find it here.

IBWM: The First Two Years

Football vividly captured, illustrated and written in gold.

In Bed With Maradona (IBWM), is certainly not your average football site, nor are they only obsessed about ‘El Pibe’ or the Brazilian midfield maestro Sócrates. They’re leaders in a growing direction of a football writing that transcends time, which we often like to call ‘philosofooty’. IBWM explores the cultural heart of the game, extracting stories that are unlikely to be found anywhere else.

Since our own inception, we have worked with the passionate writers and artists who contribute at IBWM, bouncing off one another as recurring references for innovative ideas. Like Ronaldinho, they’ve hit a high bar time and time again, and now they have released the IBWM book.

The book’s format features a strict selection of their best articles from their first two years, 26 to be precise. Alongside these great reads and discoveries of football, which includes writing from Iain Macintosh, Jack Lang and Chris Nee, amongst others. IBWM also showcases snippets of their finest photography, design and artwork from an array of talents. Dan Leydon, Steve Walsh and Daniel Nyari are a few names whose creativity adds a touch of eloquence to this expansive book.

IBWM: The First Two Years can be purchased from through the publisher Ockley Books, which is run by IBWM co-editor (and top bloke), David Hartrick.

[IBWM: The First Two Years is an essental book for your shelves - Posted by Dominic]