Do you know what’s common between the current captain of the England football team and their goalkeeper, who helped their side win the bronze medal at the FIFA World Cup? They both believed in themselves when they were young and wanted to represent England, even when no one else did.
In the book Ultimate Football Heroes — England’s Heroes, you get to know their story and how they managed to become star footballers after being mere fans a few years earlier.
Written by Matt and Tom Olofield, the book chronicles the rise of four English heroes — Harry Kane and Jordan Pickford, from the current side, and their former teammates, Harry Maguire and Raheem Sterling, who were instrumental in England’s rise over the last ten years. While the latter two weren’t part of the recently concluded event, Harry Kane and Jordan Pickford were, one as the skipper and the other as the goalkeeper. This book is about how these four helped England reach their second semi-final in eight years.
Written in a fast-paced, action-packed style, this book tells the story of four footballers who were first interested in the game as fans and later became superstar professional players. How did that happen and what did they do to reach this position? This book details all aspects of these players’ incredible journeys in such a way that by the time you are through with it, you are motivated to do anything you want.
It highlights the perseverance and resolve of all four players who forged a bond while playing together and explains how they helped England reach the 2018 World Cup semi-final and later led them to the Euro 2020 final, where Italy won on penalties. Had they not been part of the English side that gave their fans confidence with strong back-to-back results, the current side might not have made it to the podium last week.
This book is a must-read today because the English side has emerged as one of the best in the world; their 6-4 victory over the favourites, France, in the third-place playoff is proof of that. But behind every great victory lies a story few know; this book brings it to light.
Published in Dawn, Young World, July 25th, 2026