Das Reboot cover art

Das Reboot

How German Football Reinvented Itself and Conquered the World

Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Das Reboot

By: Raphael Honigstein
Narrated by: Charlie Anson
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £8.62

Buy Now for £8.62

Summary

"Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win." (Gary Lineker)

On 13 July 2014, World Cup Final, the last 10 minutes of extra time: Germany forward Mario Götze, receiving a floated pass from his international teammate André Schürrle, jumps slightly to meet the ball and cushion it with his chest. Landing on his left foot, he takes a step with his right, swivels, and in one fluid motion, without the ball touching the ground, volleys it past the onrushing Argentine goalkeeper into the far corner of the net. The goal wins Germany the World Cup for the first time in almost twenty-five years.

In the aftermath Götze looks dazed, unable to comprehend what he has done.

In Das Reboot, journalist and television pundit Raphael Honigstein charts the return of German football from the international wilderness of the late 1990s to Götze's moment of genius and asks: how did this come about? How did German football transform itself from its efficient but unappealing and defensively minded traditions to the free-flowing, attacking football that was on display in 2014?

The answer takes him from California to Stuttgart, from Munich to the Maracaná, via Dortmund and Durban. Packed with exclusive interviews with the key protagonists, Honigstein's book lifts the lid on the secrets of German football's success.

©2015 Raphael Honigstein (P)2015 Random House AudioBooks
Europe Football (American) Football (Soccer) Germany Sports History Sports Game
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
All stars
Most relevant
Most insightful. Why have we not done this in England? Thought that the narrator did a great job of delivering the story.

Essential Football Reading

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I really enjoyed this book and its detailed look at the rise fall and rise again of German football. I appreciated the switch between narration of the 2014 world cup and flashback style chapters, however it was a bit confusing sometimes as the chapters are not named on the audio book.

Clear analysis of a great moment in football history

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Ok firstly so what if the narrator pronounced a few of the names differently, his pronunciation of other German words were fine. Even if they weren't it still would not have changed the fact that this is a very enjoyable listen, full of anecdotes, facts and history about the modern era of German football.

Listening through the build up to the 2014 World Cup it isn't surprising that they did so well and why England struggle.

What I found most intriguing was the in depth explanation of the German youth elite training academies. Particularly because my son is training in one as part of his school curriculum, but also because of the facts and figures and motivation behind it to develop a national footballing culture.

Rayooce or Royce, that doesn't really matter

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I purchased this 5 years ago and have just turned to it now. It holds up very well. The passage of time since the events leading up to the 2014 WC win somehow adds to, rather than detracts, from the experience.

The approach taken by the author is not strictly chronological but changes perspectives and time-periods, broken up by a detailed account of Germany's progress in the 2014 WC. This structure helps with pacing and variety.

Yes, Germany fluffed the 2018 WC, but this just goes to show how success is never final; failure is never fatal.

Highly engaging and very relevant 5 years on.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This book demonstrates why the England national team is so far behind every body else on the national stage. A superb listen

This shows how far English football is behind everyone

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews