The Life of Total Football

The Life of Total Football tells the story of the origins, history and inspiration behind one of the purest and arguably most-entertaining styles of football in the history of the game.


Total Football was the style of play made famous by both Johan Cruyff's Ajax and the great Dutch international side of 1970s in which he starred... but its story starts a long way before then.


The origins of Total Football lie in Scotland in the early 1900s as football was taking its first pioneering steps as a Great British export. Initially finessed in Europe, and in particular Hungary and Austria, as the popularity of football spread; before the style emerged and evolved in South America as the game took hold across the globe.


With so many admirers throughout the history of the game, The Life of Total Football explains how it captured the hearts and minds of its most dedicated followers, its many iterations and incarnations, and just why it means so much to so many football fans.


So much more than just a footballing ideal, this is an enthralling in-depth look at the impact, the culture and the influence of Total Football on the game's history.