Tor!: The Story of German Football

by Ulrich Hesse-Lichtenberger

Ulrich Hesse shines a light into the complexities of club names and the reason West Germany took a long time to develop a professional football league.

Genres: Football, Sports, Soccer, Nonfiction, History, Germany, German Literature

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Maćkowy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dobra książka pisana ewidentnie z myślą o czytelnikach z zagranicy i jest to jednocześnie jej największa zaleta i wada, bo Tor! to pozycja bardzo przystępna, napisana z humorem i ironią, ale jednak zabrakło trochę mięska dla bardziej hardkorowych fanów. Zdecydowanie warto przeczytać jako uzupełnienie "Bundesligi" Ronalda Renga.

[Astrid Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love love LOVE this book! It is an absolute essential for a German football fan, particularly for me because this book retells the story from the beginning until right when I saw the Jungs for the first time: World Cup 2002. Like every good story, German football has its ups and downs, but Hesse-Lichtenberger somehow connects them smoothly while always shows how consistently German they are.

I really love the part about the nation's sentiment towards Bayern München, because one of the first German song I've ever heard is 'Bayern' by Die Toten Hosen, which describes perfectly the hatred of a regular volk towards the giant club. One of my favourite parts is also when Bayern was facing MU in final CL 1999 when people from Germany and England support the opposite clubs (page 244).

This book might work its magic for me because my fandom to German national team, but really, this is a very good football literature. Do pick it up if you love football and love to read!

[Jim Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining read. Ulrich Hesse shines a light into the complexities of club names and the reason West Germany took a long time to develop a professional football league. Not just about the game, even the Stasi are mentioned! An important chapter about the 50+1 rule was great to read about. The early history of the game in Germany was fascinating.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This might be more like a 3.5-star book, though I would only recommend it to hardcore fans of the Nationalmannschaft and/or Bundesliga. It did jump around at times, and I found it hard to follow all the ups and downs of the clubs. A good read in the lead-up to the 2016 European Cup!

[Jovana Iv · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is without comparison the best book I have read this year! I absolutely love Uli Hesse's style and writing! It is entertaining and captivating, interesting and humorous. I especially appreciate how he unbiasedly talks about all the clubs in the Bundesliga although he is a devoted Borussia Dortmund fan. I am about to order his other two books, about Bayern and BVB. This book is the best book about football I have read so far.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good enjoyable history of German football from it's (very English) amateur era to the dawn of the Champion's League era. The book has just the right balance between club and national football and set's everything in the context of Germany's turbulent 20th Century history.

At 350 pages and covering over a hundred years of football Hesse-Lictenberger does a great job of succinctly covering all the key stories within German football history. Unfortunately covering a nation's football history in so few pages leads me to think there are a great many stories yet to be told.

Compared to other books of this nature I really didn't feel any connection to many of the personalities or stories. I found the text a little dry in places and didn't get much of a sense of German-ness from the book. This may be because the writer is writing in English as a second language or actually that many of the persons of note were quite boring and dry. As a historical text I didn't get a sense of being 'there' at any point in time which I think is key for books of this nature. I've recently read Alex Bellos' 'Futebol' and I really got a sense of Brazilian life and culture through it's football - in this book 'Germany' could be 'anywhere'.

The highlights for me was the section on East German football under Communism, it was an important chapter and I think Hesse-Lictenberger told an important story here.

I also really appreciated the chapter on 'good vs. evil' in the 1970's between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. I think it's fair to say much of what the author predicted in 2001 has come to pass with Bayern effectively becoming an even huger juggernaut. I think if Bayern were hated in the 70's and 80's that must be even more intense now(they've won 7 titles out of 13 since the book was published)!

What I never really appreciated is how Bayern have been viewed in Germany - I've seen them very much as a 'hard luck' team,, losing two finals to English clubs in recent years in the most cruellest of ways. Reading this history I really appreciate that they have had more of their fair share of luck in key games over the last 40 years of so!

The discussion of the national team is superb - I never really appreciated just how much they overachieved in the 50's - bearing in mind Germany's then-recent history and how badly football was run then in Germany. That they not only won World Cup's but then consistently overachieved to become one of the World's best is a great story. The despicable behaviour at the 82 World Cup is given good treatment (and I wonder how many 'pragmatists' would criticise it today). Growing up, 'the Germans' were always a big team - reading about the birth of the national side makes me appreciate their story more. I'm writing this on the eve of the World Cup Final of 2014 and tomorrow Germany could add another to their total which is a repeat of the 1986 and 1990 finals. Their breaking of Brazilian hearts last week is another chapter in both countries illustrious football histories.

I just had a look at World Cup history and although Brazil are considered the Kings of the World Cup and Italy have also won more I think Germany (West) should be considered the most consistent. In 14 of the 19 tournaments they have reached either the Final or Semi-Final (for reference I've treated Group stages as either Final or Semi-Finals for when those tournaments had Group stages either as the last round or the preceding round before the Final). No other team consistently reaches these stages as often. If you're a German football fan going to the World Cup you're booking for the month!

[NekroRider · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the thing I liked the most about this book is Uli Hesse's story telling abilities. There was a lot of early football history that I was already familiar with, for example the high tensions between infant football and gymnastics clubs, early Bayern history etc. but I especially liked the narrative Hesse built around telling the history of national team coaches and players. It was also interesting to read his sections on German football during WWII and the aftermath of the war, challenges and differences in post-war occupied zones and trying to reorganise football in that environment. Not only did I learn new things about the history of the people that surrounded the national team and traditional clubs, but Hesse writes it in a way that really captivated and grabbed me. His retelling of the 1954 World Cup, for example, is pretty spine-tingling. It wasn't simply a dry historical account, but he writes like he's speaking to you directly and telling you a story that makes the whole book very interesting and entertaining. I think one chapter that I would have been interested to read more about was the one on East German football, though. Maybe it could be the subject of another book from him?

Anyway, I 100% recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of the Bundesliga or German football in general. Even just reading it for Hesse's writing style and the way he brings the history to life, it's worth it for any fan.

[C.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential for every fan of German football

This book details the first 120 or so years of football in Germany, from the first school clubs in the 1880s to the 2002 World Cup. Hesse's style is witty, at times dryly humorous, and never boring. The 2003 revised edition opens and closes with Fritz Walter: first, on the fateful day in Bern; last, with a poignant tribute from Miroslav Klose.

Hesse doesn't gloss over either of the World Wars, nor does he sanitize the actions of the DFB at either time. Some of the clubs acted admirably; others less so.

History has shown some of Hesse's predictions in the final chapter to be true. German national team fans are more than happy to field a team with "a bunch of funny-sounding names"--the 2010 team in South Africa had eleven players who could have played for another country, like Mesut Özil, Sami Khedira, naturalized citizen Cacau, plus Klose, Lukas Podolski, and others.

One prediction that was clearly forward-thinking in 2002/03 but looks naive now is that Turkey's accession to the EU was imminent (and would make the matter of citizenship of German Turks easier to deal with, since the EU has somewhat fluid citizenship rules).

If you're a fan of the Bundesliga or the German NT, you need to read this book. It's worth the effort (and expense) of tracking down a copy, if you haven't a Kindle.

[Ju Yang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought a kindle version, and finished reading it within 3 weeks (quite casual read everyday). For a casual follower of football, the book has the right balance of being entertaining enough and informative on the football history of Germany. It is not too technical, and was written sometimes with a sense of humour, vividly demonstrating the unpredictability of the beautiful game. It also has the right balance of Bundesliga introduction and German national football campaign. All in all, it is a good past-time read, and well suited for people who intend to enhance their knowledge in the game, and how Germany has come to where it is now. The only pity of the book is that it is only until 2003, with a brief touch of 2006 World Cup. A new version would be needed to catch up what happened since then, especially Jurgen Klinsman & Co.'s reign at German football. Strongly recommended!

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seeing this book on my list will probably convince you that I'll read anything (a detailed history of the Austro-Prussian War? Sure! Hand it over!), but this is actually a much more accessable book than the limited subject matter would imply. I would still only reccomend it to soccer fans, but it's surprisingly interesting (particularly around the world wars, which are handled very well) and easy to follow. Very handy if you've ever wondered how the German teams got those crazy names & what they mean (ex. TSV 1860 Munich).

Fun fact of the day: this was written by a German man, but it was written in English and it has never been translated into German.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all English football fans I once regarded Germany as our greatest rival (Scotland being beneath us these days). Then I read this book. Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger has compiled an informative, readable, fascinating and very likeable account of the history and ethos of German football, and I was greatly enlightened. Now I see German football as something to admire, emulate, envy and like (apart from Bayern, obviously), to the point where I was disappointed they didn't win the World Cup in South Africa. As for England, I've given up on them. Enough is enough.

[Kim Montague · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a fan of German football or the beautiful game in general, this is the perfect book for you. The author brilliantly covered how intertwined the sport was with politics both in the West and the East (especially here). Pretty much a great collection of notes about the annals of German football.

[Kirsten Schlewitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite honestly some of the best football writing I've ever read. The author manages to balance history and sport just perfectly. The book is engaging, readable, and almost always fascinating -- especially if you're starting from almost nothing when it comes to German football. All this and he still manages to give great descriptions of goals and other in-game plays as well. Highly recommended.

[Shuvabrata Nandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a football fan, you should read this book. If you are a fan of German football, you should definitely read this book. And if you are a member of the set of people who hates Germany and German football, it's most definitely a must read for you ....

[Paul Mcloughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, unputdownable book about how the worlds greatest sport developed in a country over 120 traumatic years in it's history. Learned and thoughtful, but also witty and light on its feet, it's just a brilliant read. essential reading for football fans !!

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a fan of football, but this book manages to translate the sport and events on the field into something more than just football. Settling German football into a societal and historical perspective, it is both interesting and fun to read.

[James C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've started following the German Bundesliga and this book helped me to get into the spirit of things with all the background.

[Arya Nasoetion]

First encounter this book was on amazon, when I was looking up books for my master's thesis. This book would probably come handy.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant stuff. I have loved the Bundesliga since the days of "Soccer Made in Germany" on PBS. This book truly presents a balanced and informative history.

[Brendon Hamacher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent first part, then arduous.

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful story of the beautiful game - loved the Bayern vs. Gladbach chapter.

[Greg D'Avis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really delightful book -- Hesse-Lichtenberger writes with real joy and wit. One of the better soccer books I've read.

[Jamaica Abela]

oo na kasi. ang panget mo!!!!

[John Costello · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily one of the best and most enjoyable books about sport I have read, absolutely brilliant

[Augusto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looooooooooongo mas bom.

[Dave Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive and detailed guide to German football. Well worth a read for any football fan.

[Adam Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in quick succession with two other English-language books on European football, John Foot's Calcio on Italy and Phil Ball's Morbo on Spain. Tor! is set apart from those by virtue of being written by a German about his own country.

Being written by a German adds a certain quality - there's a distinct sense of humour and Hesse has an ability to delve into key moments that make up a country's footballing psychic landscape, such as the commentary on West Germany's winning goal in the 1954 World Cup final, the 'Miracle of Bern', in a way an outsider wouldn't have been able to. There's not the same 'travel guide' feel that some of the other books can give, which can be formulaic.

At times it's also a weakness. I'm not sure an outsider to German football would have felt the need to chart the historic successes of quite so many now-obscure sides in their regional leagues. From a foreign fan's point of view, I would have appreciated more on the role of East German football than the one chapter here.

However, that's nitpicking about a book that gives an impressive and concise overview of the development of German football in the 20th century from its long spell of amateurism to a daunting level of international success. Even in the pretty tight space, Hesse doesn't shy away from exploring the uglier elements of Nazi and Stasi involvement in football, as well as the broader ties of the sport to German society.

[Kacper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book who summarize the story of football in Germany. The most rich & successful country in Europe in football terms no doubt about that, the best ending i ever read. A national story of 4 men’s, workers from Germany and immigrants from Poland who make German football what it is today.
Through the end of 19th century with the Weimar Republic when Germany wasn’t unify yet passing by the football life during ww2, the creation of the Oberliga and so many others stories…
There’s too much money in football nowadays in the 21th century especially in Bayern München agree with that.
Danke 4 the book!

PS: I’m just don’t agree on 2 things 1. The book is not « the most entertaining historical » as The Guardian say on the back, Jonathan Wilson on Hungary football is definitely more historical.
2. In the book chapter 4 that Uruguayans were rough in the 1928 olympics… there’s footage on YouTube, they were more developed than the whole Europe at that time.
Moreover in chapter 11 is say that German players have to be like « Gentlemen and Sportsmen » in the 1966 final WC so that mean Germany middle 20th century wasn’t yet civilized in football terms contrary to Uruguay. And i feel like we lack information about VfB Stuttgart

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very consciously modeled on Phil Ball's Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football, Ulrich Hesse-Lichtenberger has set out to write the history of German soccer, from its earliest roots to the early 21st century. Its distinctions from Ball's book have significant implications for the writing: the fact that it's less focused on a particular argument about the meaning and significance of cultural markers means that Hesse-Lichtenberger doesn't have to shoehorn every topic into a particular lens. The book is more chronological than thematic, which makes it easier to navigate. However, when the book does try to make an argument about the "dizziness" of German soccer, it often falls flat; I was never really convinced that German soccer suffered from a lack of foresight and (in the post-war period at least) nationalization. But it's an enjoyable read; the author has a good eye for interesting stories and characters.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book about German football, from its meager beginnings in the late 19th century to 2002, when Germany had become a football super-power. It's evenly divided between domestic football and international football (with one chapter devoted to the GDR).

Hesse (he has dropped "Lichtenberg" from his pen name since the book was released) is a little too focused on the minutiae at times, especially in the early part of the book. Plowing through endless "important" results of matches played in the 1920's gets tedious very fast. The book improves after a while, partly because Hesse has more interesting anecdotes to tell and partly because I started to recognize the players he mentioned.

In the end I was sorry it ended when it did, as I would have loved reading Hesses take on the last 17 years, both in regard to Bayern Munichs dominance in the Bundesliga and the national team winning the 2014 World Cup and, most importantly, their disastruous showing in the 2018 World Cup.