The 1950s were one of the most dramatic and exciting decades in soccer history, with goals galore and wingers thrilling packed houses with their dazzling touchline runs. But it was also a time when the most you could expect to earn was £17 a week, and there was hardly a foreign player in sight. An all-encompassing look at soccer in the fifties with reports on all the major finals and key matches, this book also carries eyewitness accounts of the World Cup finals of 1950, 1954, and 1958, which memorably brought Pele, Puskas, Kopa, Garrincha, and Welsh giant John Charles to the world stage. The World Cup reports also include England"s darkest hour: defeat by the United States in the 1950 finals in Brazil.