
Va-Va-Voom
The Modern History of French Football
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $17.45
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Luis Soto
-
By:
-
Tom Williams
About this listen
‘Excellent' – Simon Kuper, author of the bestselling FOOTBALL AGAINST THE ENEMY
‘The definitive story of how French football came of age’ – Christian Karembeu
THE PLAYERS, THE TEAMS, THE GOALS, THE GAMES, THE SCANDALS, THE GLOOM AND THE GLORY: THE STORY OF FRENCH FOOTBALL’S TURBULENT EVOLUTION OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS.
French football is an enigma: a mixture of brilliance and farce, flair and frailty, stunning success and abject failure. Its domestic league is mocked on social media as an uncompetitive ‘Farmers League’ and its clubs ridiculed for underachieving in European competitions. But France have reached four of the past seven men’s World Cup finals, French players star for the world’s best clubs and at its best – the roar of the Vélodrome, the glamour of the Parc des Princes, the shimmering brilliance of Zinédine Zidane, Éric Cantona and Kylian Mbappé – French football has few equals. When it comes to scandal, meanwhile, the French are the best in the business, from sensational match-fixing affairs to squabbles over sex tapes and meltdowns within the national squad.
Tom Williams brings to life French football’s evolution over the last 40 years. He details how the idealistic romanticism of the national team in the early 1980s gave way to an Italian-style pragmatism that would lead Les Bleus to the summit of the international game, and examines how several star-studded club sides grappled with the thorny notion of how to win. By delving into French football's rich history, the book explains the myriad ways – tactical, technical and cultural – in which France has shaped the game’s evolution around the world.
Featuring exclusive interviews with great figures of the French game such as Alain Giresse, Jean-Pierre Papin, Emmanuel Petit and Blaise Matuidi, and with a cast of characters that also includes Michel Platini, Thierry Henry, Karim Benzema, Chris Waddle and Lionel Messi, it's a book no football fan will want to miss.©2024 Tom Williams (P)2024 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Ultra
- By: Tobias Jones
- Narrated by: Adam Bromley
- Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Italy's ultras are the most organised and violent fans in European football. Many groups have evolved into criminal gangs, involved in ticket-touting, drug-dealing and murder. A cross between the Hells Angels and hooligans, they're often the foot-soldiers of the Mafia and have been instrumental in the rise of the far-right. But the purist ultras say that they are insurgents fighting against a police state and modern football. Only amongst the ultras, they say, can you find belonging, community and a sacred concept of sport.
By: Tobias Jones
-
Done Deal
- By: Daniel Geey
- Narrated by: Simon Darwen
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether it is a manager being sacked, the signing of a new star player, television rights negotiations, player misconduct or multi-million-pound club takeovers, lawyers remain at the heart of all football business dealings. Written by leading Premier League lawyer Daniel Geey, who has dealt with all these incidents first hand, this highly accessible book explores the issues - from pitch to boardroom - that shape the modern game and how these impact leagues, clubs, players and fans.
-
-
good book for understanding football finances
- By David A. Stadlin on 07-20-24
By: Daniel Geey
-
States of Play
- How Sportswashing Took Over Football
- By: Miguel Delaney
- Narrated by: Miguel Delaney, Patrick Moy
- Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Journeying from Abu Dhabi to Newcastle, and onto London, Paris, Moscow and New York in search of the answers, Miguel Delaney follows the threads that surround the allegations of sportswashing and misconduct in the beautiful game. The result is an exploration of how European football clubs have been bought by some of the world's wealthiest businessmen and state-backed corporations. Drawing on exclusive interviews and unprecedented access to key stakeholders, Miguel has produced an all-encompassing exposé of modern footballs highest echelons.
-
-
Outstanding, Timely Investigative Reporting
- By Amazon Customer on 01-13-25
By: Miguel Delaney
-
xGenius
- Expected Goals and the Science of Winning Football Matches
- By: James Tippett
- Narrated by: Simon Darwen
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
xGenius explores the interplay between analysis, tactics, and decision-making. It seeks to put the sport of football under the microscope with the aim of getting closer to the ultimate truth of what makes players, managers and teams successful. What, ultimately, wins football matches. Packed with examples from the Premier League and beyond, xGenius shows how xG and other performance analysis tools are helping answer previously unanswerable questions.
-
-
Insightful
- By Anonymous User on 01-22-25
By: James Tippett
-
1312: Among the Ultras
- A Journey with the World’s Most Extreme Fans
- By: James Montague
- Narrated by: James Montague
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ultras are football fans like no others. A hugely visible and controversial part of the global game, their credo and aesthetic replicated in almost every league everywhere on earth, a global movement of extreme fandom and politics is also one of the largest youth movements in the world. Yet they remain unknown: an anti-establishment force that is transforming both football and politics. In this book, James Montague goes underground to uncover the true face of this dissident force for the first time.
-
-
loved it!!
- By Hugh Bent on 04-15-24
By: James Montague
-
Gotham
- A History of New York City to 1898
- By: Edwin G. Burrows, Mike Wallace
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 67 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Gotham, Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace have produced a monumental work of history, one that ranges from the Indian tribes that settled in and around the island of Manna-hata, to the consolidation of the five boroughs into Greater New York in 1898. It is an epic narrative, a story as vast and as varied as the city it chronicles, and it underscores that the history of New York is the story of our nation. The events and people who crowd this audiobook guarantee that this is no mere local history. It is in fact a portrait of the heart and soul of America....
-
-
THANK YOU!!!!!
- By Stephen F (SPFJR) on 09-29-18
By: Edwin G. Burrows, and others
-
Ultra
- By: Tobias Jones
- Narrated by: Adam Bromley
- Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Italy's ultras are the most organised and violent fans in European football. Many groups have evolved into criminal gangs, involved in ticket-touting, drug-dealing and murder. A cross between the Hells Angels and hooligans, they're often the foot-soldiers of the Mafia and have been instrumental in the rise of the far-right. But the purist ultras say that they are insurgents fighting against a police state and modern football. Only amongst the ultras, they say, can you find belonging, community and a sacred concept of sport.
By: Tobias Jones
-
Done Deal
- By: Daniel Geey
- Narrated by: Simon Darwen
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether it is a manager being sacked, the signing of a new star player, television rights negotiations, player misconduct or multi-million-pound club takeovers, lawyers remain at the heart of all football business dealings. Written by leading Premier League lawyer Daniel Geey, who has dealt with all these incidents first hand, this highly accessible book explores the issues - from pitch to boardroom - that shape the modern game and how these impact leagues, clubs, players and fans.
-
-
good book for understanding football finances
- By David A. Stadlin on 07-20-24
By: Daniel Geey
-
States of Play
- How Sportswashing Took Over Football
- By: Miguel Delaney
- Narrated by: Miguel Delaney, Patrick Moy
- Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Journeying from Abu Dhabi to Newcastle, and onto London, Paris, Moscow and New York in search of the answers, Miguel Delaney follows the threads that surround the allegations of sportswashing and misconduct in the beautiful game. The result is an exploration of how European football clubs have been bought by some of the world's wealthiest businessmen and state-backed corporations. Drawing on exclusive interviews and unprecedented access to key stakeholders, Miguel has produced an all-encompassing exposé of modern footballs highest echelons.
-
-
Outstanding, Timely Investigative Reporting
- By Amazon Customer on 01-13-25
By: Miguel Delaney
-
xGenius
- Expected Goals and the Science of Winning Football Matches
- By: James Tippett
- Narrated by: Simon Darwen
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
xGenius explores the interplay between analysis, tactics, and decision-making. It seeks to put the sport of football under the microscope with the aim of getting closer to the ultimate truth of what makes players, managers and teams successful. What, ultimately, wins football matches. Packed with examples from the Premier League and beyond, xGenius shows how xG and other performance analysis tools are helping answer previously unanswerable questions.
-
-
Insightful
- By Anonymous User on 01-22-25
By: James Tippett
-
1312: Among the Ultras
- A Journey with the World’s Most Extreme Fans
- By: James Montague
- Narrated by: James Montague
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ultras are football fans like no others. A hugely visible and controversial part of the global game, their credo and aesthetic replicated in almost every league everywhere on earth, a global movement of extreme fandom and politics is also one of the largest youth movements in the world. Yet they remain unknown: an anti-establishment force that is transforming both football and politics. In this book, James Montague goes underground to uncover the true face of this dissident force for the first time.
-
-
loved it!!
- By Hugh Bent on 04-15-24
By: James Montague
-
Gotham
- A History of New York City to 1898
- By: Edwin G. Burrows, Mike Wallace
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 67 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Gotham, Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace have produced a monumental work of history, one that ranges from the Indian tribes that settled in and around the island of Manna-hata, to the consolidation of the five boroughs into Greater New York in 1898. It is an epic narrative, a story as vast and as varied as the city it chronicles, and it underscores that the history of New York is the story of our nation. The events and people who crowd this audiobook guarantee that this is no mere local history. It is in fact a portrait of the heart and soul of America....
-
-
THANK YOU!!!!!
- By Stephen F (SPFJR) on 09-29-18
By: Edwin G. Burrows, and others
-
Net Gains
- Inside the Beautiful Game's Analytics Revolution
- By: Ryan O'Hanlon
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This in-depth examination of soccer takes listeners on a tour across the world and throughout history, introducing the many people who have attempted to shine a light onto and innovate a sport that, in many ways, is still stuck in the Dark Ages. This deep dive into the rise of analytics in soccer—a sport where tradition reigns supreme—shows how revolutionary tactics and underexplored metrics are breaking the beautiful game wide open.
-
-
Must read!
- By Kathleen V Fahey on 01-26-23
By: Ryan O'Hanlon
-
Maradona
- The Hand of God
- By: Jimmy Burns
- Narrated by: Paul Thornley
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anyone doubting that Diego Maradona was more than just a football player had only to witness the outpourings after his death on 25th November 2020. During his tempestuous life and career, he played for top clubs in South America and Europe, notably Napoli, where he became an adored hero and adopted son, and grew to be a legend in his homeland of Argentina after leading them to victory in the 1986 World Cup.
-
-
Too much negativity on this book
- By Kristian M. Barletti on 07-15-23
By: Jimmy Burns
-
The Weimar Years
- Rise and Fall 1918–1933
- By: Frank McDonough
- Narrated by: Paul McGann
- Length: 19 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Established in 1918–19, in the wake of Germany’s catastrophic defeat in the First World War and the revolution that followed swiftly on its heels, the Weimar Republic ushered in widespread social reform, a radical cultural flowering and the most democratic conditions the German people had ever known. The Weimar Years is a vivid narrative of a dramatic period in German history. Year by year, from 1918 to 1933, Frank McDonough covers the major events in both domestic and foreign policy and the personalities who shaped them, together with developments in music, art, theatre and literature.
-
-
Depth
- By Amazon Customer on 02-02-24
By: Frank McDonough
-
1177 B.C. (Revised and Updated)
- The Year Civilization Collapsed
- By: Eric H. Cline
- Narrated by: Eric H. Cline
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This audiobook narrated by acclaimed archaeologist and best-selling author Eric Cline offers a breathtaking account of how the collapse of an ancient civilized world ushered in the first Dark Ages.
-
-
Look past the one-star reviews: this is an enlightening and engaging read.
- By Alonzo Nightjar on 03-07-22
By: Eric H. Cline
-
Unfit and Improper Persons
- By: Kevin Day, Kieran Maguire, Guy Kilty
- Narrated by: Guy Kilty, Kevin Day, Kieran Maguire
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Imagine setting up your own Sunday League football club and seeing it rise to the lofty heights of the Champions League, taking all the risky, rewarding, sometimes dodgy and increasingly big money decisions along the way. Comedian and financial idiot Kevin Day and football accountant and financial expert Kieran Maguire have imagined just that with all the humour and savage insight of their massively popular The Price of Football podcast.
-
-
Hilarious and Informative
- By Katharine Lynch on 05-09-25
By: Kevin Day, and others
-
The Bee Sting
- A Novel
- By: Paul Murray
- Narrated by: Heather O’Sullivan, Barry Fitzgerald, Beau Holland, and others
- Length: 26 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Barnes family is in trouble. Dickie’s once-lucrative car business is going under—but Dickie is spending his days in the woods, building an apocalypse-proof bunker with a renegade handyman. His wife, Imelda, is selling off her jewelry on eBay and half-heartedly dodging the attention of fast-talking cattle farmer Big Mike, while their teenage daughter, Cass, formerly top of her class, seems determined to binge drink her way through her final exams. As for twelve-year-old PJ, he’s on the brink of running away.
-
-
Bone Clocks meets Jonathan Franzen
- By Cranson on 10-26-23
By: Paul Murray
Este libro ofrece un recorrido ameno y accesible por los hitos, eventos y figuras clave del fútbol francés, desde jugadores y entrenadores hasta presidentes y clubes. Una pregunta que siempre me ha intrigado es cómo Francia ha producido algunos de los talentos más emocionantes e impactantes de las últimas décadas, mientras que su liga y fútbol en general no han despertado el mismo nivel de pasión que el fútbol inglés, alemán, italiano o español. En "Va-Va-Voom", Williams se propone encontrar una respuesta a esta pregunta, y tras leer el libro, puedo afirmar que vale la pena descubrirla.
Un fascinante paseo por la historia del fútbol francés
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.