No match for this football-lover’s magazine
TITLE Match Annual 2018 EDITOR Stephen Fishlock PUBLISHER Pan Macmillan REVIEWER Sihle Ndebele This annual football magazine is one of the best-selling soccer books in the world but reviewing it is not that easy because of its design.
Match Annual magazine has more pictures than text, however, this is a no-brainer for football fanatics because the images capture the action – which means more for football fans – than award-winning writing.
Edited by Stephen Fishlock, the magazine reflects the history of football without undermining the current generation of players and also puts more emphasis on the youth. It has put together the ultimate team of legends of the game, consisting of the players like England’s Gary Lineker who won the Golden Boot Award at the 1986 World Cup.
Fishlock and his co-writers predict a massive growth for Tottenham Hotspur youngster Deli Allie next year and a bunch of other young star, mostly from English youth teams.
For accommodation, there are self-catering lodges and double-storey family houses to choose from. The standard rooms are spacious and comfortable enough, with their king-size beds covered in comfy linen.
Outside the rooms, there is a lot more to entertain guests, with facilities such as the outdoor
At the moment Real Madrid and Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best in the world and Match justifies why the 32-year-old is regarded as such. They break down all the records he has broken this year and what he must do in 2018 to remain relevant.
Football fans would agree that you cannot talk about Ronaldo without mentioning Barcelona goal-machine Lionel Messi.
According to the magazine, if the five-time Ballon d’Or winner can win the World Cup with his nation Argentina, he will automatically be the greatest player of all time.
Match also highlighted expectations for the Fifa World Cup, which will be hosted by Russia next year. They showcase everything one needs to know about the upcoming global showpiece, from players’ records to the history of the host nation.
What I found discouraging about this read is that it focuses more on English players at the expense of other great footballing nations.
The authors should have struck a balance and featured others legends from around the world.