From Hornby to Schweinsteiger: Must-read soccer novels and memoirs

Swiss author Martin Suter ("Small World") has a new novel out, with true and nearly true stories about Bastian "Basti" Schweinsteiger. The book was born out of mutual sympathy between the former national player and FC Bayern star and the bestselling novelist. The book "Einer von euch" (not available in English yet) is due on the bookshelves on January 26.

Britain produced legendary soccer players, and fans that are just as famous. Nick Hornby's 1992 memoir "Fever Pitch" describes his unconditional love of soccer, a virtual homage to the Arsenal Football Club. "I fell in love with football as I was later to fall in love with women: suddenly, inexplicably, uncritically, giving no thought to the pain or disruption it would bring with it."

There are plenty of biographies by athletes. But none had an impact like "Kick-off. Revelations about German Soccer" by former German goalkeeper Harald "Toni" Schumacher 35 years ago. Schumacher wrote about doping, sex and alcohol. His substance abuse cost him his career. The book sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide.

Soccer manager Charlie faces one defeat after the next — only a cup victory can save his team and his job. It's off to London, to play Chelsea. However, IRA terrorists are planning an attack. The title of the book is reminiscent of "Bloody Sunday" in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, in 1972, when 13 people died after British soldiers shot unarmed civilians during a protest march.

Nobel prize winner Peter Handke's novel is not really about soccer itself, but a story about a mentally ill man who grapples with his personality and his life. The soccer reference is limited to the protagonist's past as a goalkeeper and to a few scenes in which soccer is discussed. The main metaphor: When the goalkeeper stands very still in the middle, the penalty lands in his hands.

German sports journalist Ronald Reng writes about Robert Enke's public life as a soccer player who became a star goalkeeper. He tells the story of a man who suffered from depression, and the death of his young daughter. His suicide in 2009 touched and shook Germany far beyond the world of soccer.

Jess, the daughter of Indian immigrants in London, wants to play soccer like her idol David Beckham. Against her parents' wishes — she is actually supposed to study law — she secretly trains for a women's soccer team and is accepted. Made into a movie in 2002, this soccer fairy tale is about sport, conventions and great emotions.

Soccer and art can be so close: Günter Netzer, 1974 World Champion, figurehead of German team Borussia Mönchengladbach and later celebrated on television as a cult commentator, presented what Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper called a "refreshingly unpretentious" autobiography in 2004. Artist friends had encouraged him to see soccer as an artistic mission — and he did.

Fatmire "Lira" Bajramaj was only 5 years old when her family fled Kosovo for Germany to escape the war. In Germany, the refugee family struggled with poverty and retaliation. The girl began to play soccer. Talented, she had a remarkable career that led her all the way to the 2007 World Cup. Her book "My Goal into Life" aims to set an example: for integration and for believing in oneself.

The "death match": In 1942, during the German occupation of Ukraine, 11 former professional Dynamo Kyiv players played the German Luftwaffe's powerhouse "Flak-Elf." According to Soviet propaganda, the Ukrainians beat the Germans twice, and the Nazis killed them all. But some of the players managed to escape and survived.