Brian Glanville

Brian Glanville (1931-2025) was a pioneering English football journalist and novelist who served as The Sunday Times' football correspondent for 34 years (1958-1992), later continuing as a contributor until 2020. A Charterhouse School alumnus, he began his career at 17 by ghostwriting Arsenal legend Cliff Bastin's autobiography. Renowned for his international perspective, he spent formative years in Italy writing for Corriere dello Sport and became an authority on Italian football. Glanville covered 13 World Cups, authored the definitive 'The Story of the World Cup', and scripted FIFA's 1966 World Cup film 'Goal!'. His novel 'The Dying of the Light' explored athletes' post-career struggles, while 'The Rise of Gerry Logan' became a football fiction classic. Colleagues praised his encyclopedic knowledge and willingness to challenge authority figures like Sepp Blatter, whom he nicknamed '50 ideas a day, 51 bad'.