Alex Bellos - Football School Star Players: 50 Inspiring Stories of True Football Heroes

To Josh, star (keyboard) player A.B.

To ABC, and M, with love B.L.

For Lizzie, my inspirational and intrepid niece S.G.

E niola Aluko is unafraid to speak up, both on and off the pitch. She is one of Englands most successful women footballers, as well as a respected pundit and lawyer. She has also shown great courage in standing up against discrimination.

Born in Nigeria, Aluko moved to England when she was a baby. As a child, she played football in local parks with her younger brother, Sone, who would go on to play as a forward in the Premier League. Sone said that his sister gave him the confidence to become a professional.

Aluko was always heading for the top. She made her England debut aged seventeen and went on to play 102 times and score 33 goals for England. She won two league titles with Chelsea before she moved to Italy to play for Juventus. She also lifted the FA Cup trophy with three different teams (Charlton, Birmingham and Chelsea) and played in the England team that reached the 2009 European Championship final and the 2015 World Cup semi-final.

Her football achievements are only part of her incredible story. Alukos father was a politician, and a passion for justice runs in her family. After she read To Kill a Mockingbird at school, a novel about a man accused of a crime he didnt commit, she was determined to become a lawyer. I liked the idea of having a voice for the voiceless, getting someone justice against the odds, she said.

While playing for England, Aluko studied for a law degree. She specialised in contract law and has negotiated on behalf of huge stars to get them the best deal possible. Her impressive list of clients included former England captain David Beckham and Belgiums World Cup hero Eden Hazard.

She was also the first woman to appear as a pundit on BBCs Match of the Day, where her analysis of matches was highly-respected. In 2018, she became one of the first women to commentate on the mens World Cup. Her impressive tactical breakdown of the teams won her admiration from everyone.

STANDING UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN IS LIBERATING.

Eniola Aluko

Aluko has always been prepared to use her voice off the pitch. When the England coach made racist comments to her and another player, Aluko publically spoke out against him. She lost her place in the team and was ignored by some of her team-mates. But after numerous investigations, she was proved to have been telling the truth.

Aluko has also used her high profile to ask that football clubs offer young female players the same educational opportunities that male players are given. My issue is young, talented players not having to compromise their education, she said. She also thinks the salaries of female players should be increased so they are closer to what male players earn.

Aluko is a champion of equality, who has inspired others to stand up for their rights, even in the face of adversity just like the hero of her favourite book.

S ix months after he won the Ballon DOr award for the worlds best player, Roberto Baggio missed a penalty kick for Italy in the 1994 World Cup final and so handed the trophy to Brazil. Imagine scoring over 200 amazing goals and only being remembered for the one you missed!

That is typical of Baggios complicated football career. He played in the number ten position, just behind the centre-forward, and he was as comfortable creating goals as scoring them. He had the vision to craft a pass or shot out of nothing, and could find space with an effortless elegance. But it wasnt always easy for him and he never won as many trophies as his talent deserved.

He first came to prominence as a teenager at Vicenza but, two days before he was due to complete a move to Fiorentina, he injured his knee. The move still went ahead and over the next five years, Baggio was feted as one of the clubs best ever players. In 1990, he left Fiorentina because Juventus offered 8 million, a world-record fee at the time.

He was still at Juventus when the 1994 World Cup came around. By now, Baggio had been voted the worlds best and he was Italys key player. He scored both goals in the 21 win against Nigeria in the round of 16, and the winning goal against Spain in the quarter-final. He scored two more against Bulgaria in the semi-final. But he hobbled off with 20 minutes left, clutching his hamstring. The final, against Brazil, was four days later: would he be fit?

No one knew if Baggio would play. On the morning of the game, Baggio told Italy coach Arrigo Sacchi that he wanted to play even though he was not fully fit. The Italy coach picked him because his goals had helped Italy reach the final. It was a way of thanking him for his previous performances. Italy, who had won three World Cups before, was one match away from winning a fourth. Baggio missed two chances in the final, and later said that he thought he would have scored if he had been fully fit.

The game ended 00 and was the first World Cup final to go to a penalty shoot-out. Two Italy players missed, so by the time Baggio stepped up, he needed to score to keep Italy in the game. He was usually excellent at taking penalties his scoring record from the spot was an impressive 86 per cent but remember, he was not at his best. Baggio aimed down the middle of the goal but the ball sailed three metres over the crossbar. Brazil had won or rather, Italy (and Baggio) had lost the World Cup.

No one blamed Baggio for missing even if he admitted the moment gave him nightmares for a long time after. He had converted to Buddhism early in his career, and said the religion helped him find inner peace. He continued to take, and score, penalties and, after his World Cup disaster, he helped Juventus and then AC Milan win the Italian championship, the only two league titles of his career.