Escape from Berlin

Escape from Berlin: England’s Bert Sproston and the Football Refugee is an inspiring footballing tale of redemption.


From British Sports Book Awards-nominated author John Leonard, a former sports journalist and TV programme editor.


Leeds United full-back Bert Sproston is controversially forced to make the Nazi salute along with the other England players in Berlin in 1938. But as he leaves the Olympiastadion he befriends a refugee who wants to escape the Nazis.


This compelling book:


• Examines how and why the pair met at Berlin’s Olympiastadion after England’s Nazi salute and their contrasting war stories

• Explores Sproston’s struggles to establish himself in non-league football before moving to Leeds, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City

• Shows how Sproston put aside his own personal loss from the Munich air disaster to inspire Bolton Wanderers in the 1958 FA Cup Final

• Has been written in co-operation with the families of Bert and Ralph/Rolf Freeman, who gave the author exclusive access to family documents and photos to produce this account


A must-read for football fans everywhere and lovers of moving real-life sport stories, Escape from Berlin reveals how one determined and defiant footballer fought intolerance with the spirit of tolerance. This is no ordinary football tale.