Football writer Brian Glanville dies aged 93
Brian Glanville, the influential football writer who covered the game for seven decades, has died at the age of 93.
Glanville was the football correspondent for The Sunday Times for 30 years as well as contributing to World Soccer magazine for five decades, and was author to some of football's most influential books.
A lifelong Arsenal fan, Glanville's first book, with Arsenal winger Cliff Bastin, was published in 1950, while his most recently published works included obituaries of Manchester United forward Denis Law and Northern Ireland winger Peter McParland earlier this year. He continued to work on Arsenal publications with the latest being a history of Highbury in 2006.
Glanville was perhaps best known for his book The Story of the World Cup, first published in 1993 and regularly updated since. He was also a novelist, and wrote 31 books. Glanville had a good relationship with England's World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore during his time covering the national side but did not hold back when it came to criticising managers.
'I have all sorts of amusing memories of Alf Ramsey, but he was a very strange man. He should have gone two years before he did. He'd blown it. He'd gone. He'd shot his bolt,' Glanville once said.
RIP Brian Glanville, 93, maestro of the football stadium press box (and purveyor of truly awful jokes). This is the last time I saw him at work, at Craven Cottage in 2019, a few days short of his 88th birthday. pic.twitter.com/3me6ZGz3qR
— Richard Williams (@rwilliams1947) May 17, 2025
'I got on very well with Walter Winterbottom, but he was a rotten manager. Bobby Robson was grotesquely overrated. I thought he was a very inadequate manager and he failed so badly in Europe. He made a shocking job of it. He had a lot of luck. We nearly reached the World Cup final in 1990, but that was luck more than judgment, I think.'
News of his death was announced by his son Mark late on Friday evening.
The SJA sends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Brian Glanville, the "doyen of football writers" whose many books - including the essential 'The Story of the World Cup' - continue to bring so much insight, knowledge and joy to fans everywhere. RIP Brian. https://t.co/9JDpvBRq26
— Sports Journalists (@SportSJA) May 16, 2025
The Sports Journalists' Association said in a statement: 'The SJA sends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Brian Glanville, the 'doyen of football writers' whose many books – including the essential The Story of the World Cup – continue to bring so much insight, knowledge and joy to fans everywhere. RIP Brian.'
Brian Glanville 1931 – 2025. A tribute by his friend @rwilliams1947 https://t.co/R0XN1275j1 pic.twitter.com/u6WVbqVwqi
— The Football Writers' Association (@theofficialfwa) May 17, 2025
Andrew Neil, among Glanville's editors at The Sunday Times, posted on X: 'Brian Glanville was indeed a true great. One of the brightest assets during my 11 years editing The Sunday Times. One of the greatest ever football writers.'
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