Riverrun nets Walker's 'once-in-a-lifetime' football travel book

Riverrun has netted a football travel book by Matt Walker, charting his quest to watch top flight matches in all 55 UEFA countries during a single season.

Richard Arcus, commissioning editor at the Quercus imprint, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Ed Wilson of Johnson & Alcock. Europe United will be published in hardback and e-book on 8th August 2019.

Walker began his footballing mission at a Georgian game in June 2017, ending it in Montenegro 11 months later. His journeys were covered more than 80 times in the media across 45 different countries, including TV appearances on the BBC's "Football Focus" and BT Sport.

The publisher explained: “This epic journey would pose its challenges. Yet no amount of airport confusion in Iceland, unusual betting activity in Latvia, spectator bans in Albania, disturbances in Kosovo or ropey breakfast buffets in Moldova would make Matt miss a matchday. And then there were the games themselves: showcasing the full spectrum of footballing theatre, from the truly sublime to the utterly ridiculous.”

Arcus said: “This is the story of one fan on a once-in-a-lifetime experience: travelling to Europe's unseen corners, talking with its unsung supporters, and tracing the beautiful game across the breadth of our brilliant, bizarre continent. It’s a fascinating and fun book for fans of the football and genre.”

Walker added: “This was an incredible adventure exploring the extremes of the European game. Football fans, from non-league to Champions League, will enjoy reading about my journey in Europe United.”