The Greatest Comeback: From Genocide to Football Glory: the Story of Bela Guttmann

by David Bolchover

Overview

Before Pep Guardiola and before José Mourinho, there was Béla Guttmann: the first superstar football coach. Remarkably, Guttmann was also a Holocaust survivor. Having narrowly dodged death by hiding for months in an attic near Budapest as thousands of fellow Jews in the neighbourhood were dragged off to be murdered, Guttmann later escaped from a slave labour camp. His father, sister and wider family were murdered by the Nazis. But by 1961, as coach of Benfica, he had lifted one of football’s greatest prizes: the European Cup – a feat he repeated the following year. Rising from the death pits of Europe to become its champion in just over sixteen years, Guttmann performed the single greatest comeback in football history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781785903717
Publisher:	Biteback Publishing, Ltd.
Publication date:	11/20/2018
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.80(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Chapter 1 The First Escapes 1

Chapter 2 Years of Defiance 23

Chapter 3 The Big Apple 45

Chapter 4 Learning the Ropes 63

Chapter 5 Dodging Death 85

Chapter 6 The Survivor Returns 119

Chapter 7 The Italian Jobs 137

Chapter 8 Latin Lessons 159

Chapter 9 Conquering Europe 185

Chapter 10 Retention 203

Chapter 11 Fading Out 219

Conclusion: Reflections 251

Béla Guttmann's Career: Timeline and Achievements 259

Acknowledgements 263

Select Bibliography 269

Index 275

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Packed with insight and interesting debate, The Greatest Comeback is both deeply poignant and extremely topical. David Bolchover has expertly woven one huge, tragic strand of twentieth-century history together with a great footballing story.” Henry Winter, Chief Football Writer, The Times


“A fascinating, brilliantly told biography of Europe’s first superstar football coach, The Greatest Comeback is a moving, terrifying and inspirational story of survival and triumph. If you’re a football fan and Béla Guttmann is just a name you have seen in the lists of European Cup-winning managers, take the time to read about the man. It is an astonishing journey.” Oliver Holt, Chief Sports Writer, Mail on Sunday

Editorial Reviews

David Bolchover s exceptional biography of Guttmann, tells the parts of this story that Guttmann rarely addressed, using thorough research and a winning voice to produce the most comprehensive record of his life....The Greatest Comeback is a massive achievement as both a sports biography and a survivor s tale, a harrowing and rewarding read. “ Foreword Reviews


“History and memoir offer insights into other times and lives that make Britain’s current miserable travails marginally more tolerable. The Greatest Comeback by David Bolchover is astonishing, not least for its unlikely melding of football and mass murder, two of my daily passions.” Phillipe Sands, Guardian


“David Bolchover has produced a remarkable work: as a history book alone, it carries the reader through a hideous chunk of the twentieth century in the most deft and compelling way, while as a biography of a great football coach it is both original and definitive.”
Patrick Barclay, football writer


“Moving, original, full of insight, this is a gripping tale told by a skilled storyteller. You don’t need to be interested in the Holocaust to find this fascinating account of some great footballing moments absorbing. And you don’t need to be interested in football to want to learn about this tale of survival. But if you are by chance interested in both, you will find this book extraordinary.” Daniel Finkelstein, associate editor, The Times

From the Publisher