{"product_id":"wait-this-actually-happened-at-c-c-taylor-9798184202754","title":"Wait, This Actually Happened at the World Cup: 80 Bizarre and Unbelievable True Stories from Football's Greatest Tournament","description":"\u003cb\u003eYou think you know the World Cup. You don't.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eYou know Maradona punched the ball into the net. But do you know what his teammates were doing for the thirty seconds afterward - while they tried to celebrate without laughing? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eYou know Brazil lost 7-1 to Germany. But do you know their captain was already crying during the national anthem, before a ball had been kicked? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eWait, This Actually Happened at the World Cup\u003c\/b\u003e is 80 true stories from football's greatest tournament - told from the angle nobody ever leads with. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eThese are not the stories you already know. They're the stories behind the stories.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA goalkeeper hid a razor blade in his glove to fake an injury. A king personally selected his country's squad, then phoned an oil company to threaten them into giving his footballers time off. A referee only agreed to officiate the 1930 World Cup final after FIFA confirmed a ship was standing ready in the harbour to take him home the moment the final whistle blew. A physio ran onto the pitch to treat an injured player, dropped his medical bag, and was knocked unconscious by his own chloroform. The injured player recovered first. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEvery single one of these things actually happened. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eInside this book: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003eThe cheats, frauds, and the thirty seconds of collective deadpan that saved the Hand of God\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003eThe disasters - including the man who was shot dead for scoring an own goal\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003eThe managers who selected players by star sign, carried Feng Shui compasses, and proposed marriage live on television immediately after losing a tournament\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003eThe referees who ended matches six minutes early, demanded getaway ships, and were later arrested at JFK with heroin strapped to their bodies\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003eThe trophy stolen twice - and the dog who found it the first time\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003eThe upsets nobody saw coming, including a 38-year-old recalled from retirement by his president's personal phone call\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003eThe moments of madness, the stories behind the stories, and the things nobody planned\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003ePlus: the most extraordinary story from the 2026 World Cup, written as it happened\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePerfect for: \u003c\/b\u003e football fans who think they've heard everything, anyone who loves true stories that sound made up, and anyone who needs a gift for someone who watches every match and still doesn't know about the chloroform. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eWritten in the deadpan voice of a historian who cannot quite believe what he is reporting.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e80 stories. Every one of them true. All of them sounding as though they weren't.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e C. C. Taylor\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798184202754\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/25\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 200\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.42d","brand":"C. C. Taylor","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48871439368447,"sku":"9798184202754","price":13.15,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/wait-this-actually-happened-at-c-c-taylor-9798184202754","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}