“I was about eight or nine and living in Holland when I began reading Voetbal International. It’s a weekly magazine (I think the best-selling weekly soccer magazine on Earth) that isn’t just for fans but is really a sort of trade magazine of Dutch soccer, read by players and coaches and club chairmen too. It’s the place where Dutch soccer discusses itself — and if you know the Dutch, you’ll know there’s always lots to discuss. Thirty-five years later, VI still drops into my mailbox in Paris every Thursday. The magazine connects me with my childhood: all the silly news about who Heracles Almelo is about to sign, or the FC Groningen full-back’s account of his rise and how he owes it all to his mom.” askmen – Simon Kuper