New River scores Geir Jordet’s Lessons from the Psychology of the Penalty Shootout

New River has acquired Pressure: Lessons from the Psychology of the Penalty Shootout by Geir Jordet, professor in psychology and football at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences.

World rights were acquired directly from the author by publisher Rebecca Nicolson. Publication is scheduled for 30th May, with a “headline grabbing” national PR and marketing campaign planned. Rights have also been sold to Holland, Italy, Germany and Brazil, and are being handled by Susanna Lea Associates.

The book includes a forward from Arsène Wenger alongside exclusive interviews with Martin Ødegaard, Erland Haaland, Robert Lewandowski and Chris Markham. The synopsis reads: “The penalty shootout is the most intense drama in sport. The anxious wait, the building dread, the lonely, heavy-legged walk towards the penalty spot. One kick while the world holds its breath. Even football’s most casual observers cannot escape the nerve-wracking suspense. What happens to a footballer’s brain and body in these heart pounding moments of pressure? Why do some thrive while others choke? When the game goes to penalties, what ultimately separates triumph from disaster?”

New River continues that in this “ground-breaking” book, Jordet dissects each agonising element of the shootout’s duel and the universal human stress mechanisms that it triggers and illuminates. “Drawing on two decades of studying the atomic nuances of performance under pressure, Jordet’s vivid case studies take you behind the scenes of football’s most nail-biting moments. He interviews superstars and shares stories from his work with top teams and some of the world’s best players,” the synopsis continues.

“In the penalty shootout, as in life, it is often the tiny, seemingly invisible decisions that impact success and failure. After reading this book, you will have fresh insights and a newly acquired understanding of those dreaded moments when the pressure builds – and how to handle them.”

Nicolson said: "Everyone is fascinated by the fine margins that make the difference between winning and losing, whether it’s on penalties, or in clinching a deal. Geir Jordet is the world’s leading expert on penalties and how to maximise your chances of performing under pressure. His book will be a game changer. The book is completely fascinating and one of the many highlights are the interviews with Haaland, Ødegaard and Lewandowski who reveal how they cope in those moments of mind-bending pressure."