{"product_id":"wizard-1","title":"Wizard","description":"\u003cp\u003e‘Stanley Matthews taught us the way football should be played’ Pelé\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'I couldn't believe he was just a man. He was the best player in the world' Bobby Charlton\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'He told me that he used to play for just twenty pounds a week. Today he would be worth all the money in the Bank of England' Gianfranco Zola\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStanley  Matthews is one of the most famous footballers ever to play the  beautiful game. Nicknamed ‘The Wizard of Dribble’ for his deadly skills,  he made fools of defenders around the world. He played 84 matches for  England in a career that spanned an extraordinary 33 years and such was  his popularity that attendance for his club teams, Stoke City and  Blackpool, more than doubled when he played. He was a global superstar  decades before Beckham, Ronaldo or Messi, yet what do we really know  about this legendary man?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis first full and objective  biography looks beyond the public face of the ‘first gentleman of  soccer’ to explore a life not without controversy. This was a player who  clashed with his managers, who felt undervalued in the age of the  maximum wage – leading to a charge of blackmarketeering – and who was  criticised for his showmanship and perceived lack of team spirit. There  were private dramas too – an unhappy first marriage that produced two  beloved children, and a second, to the love of his life, a Czech with a  dark secret even Matthews never knew and which acclaimed biographer Jon  Henderson reveals for the first time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecreating the magic  on the pitch and analyzing the key moments that made Matthews great,  this is a meticulously researched story of a national hero and a  fascinating insight into English football in the 20th century.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vintage Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54221677658456,"sku":"9780224091855","price":21.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9780224091855_b3793361-0986-4546-a8ec-47cee46fc431.jpg?v=1764666932","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/wizard-1","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}