Neil Jensen

Neil Jensen is a soccer writer whose work examines European competitions, unsuccessful contenders, and the financial and political settings of the game. He founded and edits Game of the People and has a background in investment banking and financial communications. His writing has appeared in publications including World Soccer, The Blizzard, The Economist, The New European, Football Weekends, and The Non-League Paper.

Jensen’s books connect the events on the field with changes beyond it. The Great Uncrowned examines notable teams that missed major honors, while The Summer of Total Football revisits the 1974 World Cup. Journey into the Unknown traces British clubs’ early European campaigns. His 2026 book, Rise of the North, considers the 1992 European Championship at a moment of political upheaval and institutional change in soccer.

Jensen has also written for soccer-industry organizations including Soccerex, Football Benchmark, Brand Finance, and the World Football Summit. His books use specific competitions to examine broader circumstances: the resources available to clubs, national attitudes toward foreign opposition, and the ways international politics enter tournaments. This approach links his reporting on the business of soccer with narrative accounts of teams and championships.

Soccer Books

Summer of Total Football: This history revisits the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, where the Netherlands’ Total Football captured attention before the hosts won the final. Jensen follows the competing teams and contrasting approaches associated with Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer. The tournament’s political and social setting accompanies its soccer, including Cold War divisions and the experiences of participants from outside the established European and South American powers. Published in 2024.

Journey into the Unknown: British Football’s Early Adventures in European Competition: Jensen traces British clubs’ early encounters with European competition, beginning with the tournaments that preceded the European Cup. Initial resistance gives way to adventurous trips, unfamiliar opponents, and major successes. The narrative follows clubs including Hibernian, Manchester United, Tottenham, and Celtic, connecting sporting achievement with institutional disputes, suspicion of foreign methods, and the dangers and difficulties of travel. Published in 2025.

The book’s chronology includes the Football League’s refusal to allow Chelsea to enter the inaugural European Cup, the Munich air disaster, and the later breakthroughs of British clubs. Success in Europe did not remove friction: arguments about conduct, hostility between supporters, and allegations of cheating accompanied competition. Jensen follows both the growing prestige of the tournaments and the resistance that had initially made participation uncertain.

Rise of the North: The 1992 European Championship: Jensen examines the 1992 European Championship in Sweden and Denmark’s unexpected victory after entering as a late replacement for Yugoslavia. The competition unfolds amid the breakup of states and changes in European politics. The book places individual teams and matches within the tournament’s development, considering the last eight-team finals just before major commercial and organizational changes reshaped club soccer. Published in 2026.

The finals brought a reunited Germany and the newly formed Commonwealth of Independent States into the same competition as England and Scotland. Denmark’s late invitation followed Yugoslavia’s exclusion. Jensen places those circumstances beside the soccer itself, using a compact tournament to examine the changing map of Europe and the transition toward the era of the Premier League and Champions League.

The Great Uncrowned: Football's Most Celebrated Losers: Jensen examines memorable club teams that failed to win the major prizes their performances seemed to promise. The account considers bad luck, limited resources, and stronger opponents, asking how teams acquire historical significance without a championship. Stories from Britain, continental Europe, and South America connect particular near misses with each club’s circumstances and the continuing attachment of its supporters. Published in 2022.