Digging Deep Unearthing the Stories of Eleven Murdered Jewish Footballing Greats
Who was the greatest Jewish footballer ever? A question to leave even the most historically literate football experts scratching their heads.
And yet, before the Holocaust, Jewish superstar players were at the heart of European football. So too were the visionary Jewish coaches reinventing tactics; the Jewish footballing pioneers who shaped the modern game; and even the elite Jewish referees trusted with the biggest matches.
Digging Deep excavates a destroyed civilisation. It reveals the untold stories of eleven Jewish football greats – icons one minute, marked for extermination the next. Setting exhilarating sporting triumphs against the gathering darkness of twentieth-century Europe, it restores these forgotten men to their rightful place in the football pantheon.
More than a sports book, this is a journey through the beautiful game into the savage reality of the Holocaust – tracing human sagas that speak of ambition and glory, identity and belonging, terror and murder.
Reviews
“David Bolchover has reshaped my view of Jews, of football and of murder. Don’t miss this book.”
Daniel Finkelstein, associate editor, The Times
“Meticulously researched and elegantly crafted, Digging Deep serves both as a profoundly moving tribute and as a salutary reminder – at this dangerous moment of rising antisemitism – to keep the memory of these murdered Jewish players alive.”
Oliver Brown, chief sports writer, The Telegraph
"An eye-opening account of the pivotal role Jews played in the history of European football – and of how the Holocaust erased not only so very many lives, but also an entire sporting legacy from memory.”
Toby Young, associate editor, The Spectator
“Amid the trademark detail of Bolchover's passionate writing, one thing emerges above all: that Europe is a diminished continent without its Jewish communities.”
Jonny Gould, TV and radio presenter, journalist and commentator
“A team of forgotten heroes and a series of careers that have become secret histories. David Bolchover has written an enthralling, harrowing, uplifting book that follows some of the greatest Jewish players in football history to their fates and, by telling their stories so vividly and meticulously, brings them new life.”
Oliver Holt, chief sports writer, Daily Mail
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- Hardback, 384 pages
- ISBN: 9781837360321
-
14 May 2026
Available to pre-order - £22.00
- eBook
- ISBN: 9781837360642
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14 May 2026
Available to pre-order - £16.99