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Time of India
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Who was Brian Glanville? Legendary football writer and novelist dies at 93
Image Source: Getty Aged 93, Brian Glanville , possibly the best ever football writer , died on 16 May 2025. In a career that lasted more than seven decades, Glanville applied intellectual rigor and forensic analysis to his coverage of football, notably during a long association with The Sunday Times . A pioneering voice in football journalism Born on 24 September 1931 in Hendon, Middlesex, Australia, Glanville was just 19 when he took his first steps into journalism, co-writing a biography of Arsenal legend Cliff Bastin. He became a prodigious journalist, novelist, and screenwriter, writing for the Sunday Times for 30 years and World Soccer magazine for more than 50. His work reached outside the United Kingdom, and his work garnered international praise, including from Sports Illustrated's Paul Zimmerman, who hailed him as 'the greatest football writer of all time.' Glanville has written several influential football books, including the definitive 'The Story of the World Cup' and 'The Puffin Book of Football.' He also wrote and scripted the 1967 World Cup documentary 'Goal!' and even had plays and a musical put on. In his novel 'The Dying of the Light,' he examined the post-retirement difficulties faced by a former football player, demonstrating an insight into the game's effects on the lives of those who play it. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Things Just Aren't The Same Between William And Kate And Now We Know Why Daily Sport X Undo A legacy of insight and integrity left by Brian Glanville Glanville, who never minced his words and had harsh words for several England managers, including Sir Alf Ramsey and Bobby Robson, still counted players from both England and other countries, including Bobby Moore, as friends. His criticism darted from a place of such deep love for the game and such a commitment to journalistic purity. He was also an early proponent of studying systems of play, such as catenaccio, and introduced British readers to modern European trends in soccer long before they were adopted as mainstream concepts. Glanville's impact was not confined to his own writing. He was part of the jury that votes on the Ballon d'Or each year and was known for his generosity and approachability, treating young journalists and people he barely knew with warmth and respect. Also Read: Samuel Eto'o pays tribute to late Cameroonian football legend Emmanuel Kunde With the passing away of Brian Glanville, a curtain has fallen on an era of football journalism. His unmatched expertise, insightful analysis, and tireless devotion have helped him to make an indelible mark on the world of football. He is also survived by his four children: Mark, Toby, Elizabeth, and Josephine. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brian Glanville, journalist lauded as ‘the greatest football writer', dies aged 93
Brian Glanville, whose insightful football writing had a profound influence on generations of reporters and readers alike, has died aged 93. A novelist and respected columnist, Glanville was a prolific commentator on his beloved game, a passionate chronicler of Italian football and author of some of football's most influential books. He spent 30 years as a football correspondent for the Sunday Times, contributed to World Soccer magazine for more than five decades, and wrote compelling obituaries for the Guardian. His most recently published tributes considered the careers of Northern Ireland and Aston Villa winger Peter McParland and the Manchester United legend Denis Law. A lifelong Arsenal fan, his first book – with the Gunners winger Cliff Bastin – was published in 1950 and he was still writing about the north London club decades later, his final work a history of Highbury published in 2006. Glanville's The Story of the World Cup is considered a seminal work on the global tournament, and other books, such as The Puffin Book of Football, fostered a lifelong devotion to the sport for many young readers. He won admirers in the US long before the game enjoyed a wider following there, and Sports Illustrated's Paul Zimmerman called him 'the greatest football writer of all time'. As well as numerous novels and short stories, two plays and a musical, he produced the screenplay for the 1967 documentary Goal! World Cup 1966, and saw Sir John Gielgud play the lead in a BBC radio production of his A Visit to the Villa. His eye for the global game in the 1960s and 70s especially earned Glanville a place on the jury for the annual Ballon d'Or. Glanville had a good relationship with England's World Cup winning captain, Bobby Moore, but was acerbically critical of the national team's managers, and pulled no punches when it came to Sir Alf Ramsey, the victor in 1966 but whose reputation was tarnished by the team's failure in the heat of the Mexico tournament four years later. 'I have all sorts of amusing memories of Alf Ramsey, but he was a very strange man,' Glanville once recalled. 'He should have gone two years before he did. He'd blown it. He'd gone. He'd shot his bolt. 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.' 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.' The Guardian's former chief sports writer Richard Williams also paid tribute on social media, saying: 'RIP Brian Glanville, 93, maestro of the football stadium press box (and purveyor of truly awful jokes).' Tim Vickery, the BBC's South American football correspondent, added on X: 'I owe a huge debt to this man. A True giant of our trade, a mighty source of internacionalist inspiration. RIP Brian Glanville.' Brian Glanville, football writer and author. Born 24 September, 1931. Died 16 May, 2025
