Europe's 55 football nations in one season
The Africa Cup of Nations was in Germany. I wore Mali’s famous eagle shirt to Ukraine’s emotional 2-1 win over Slovakia in Düsseldorf. An Irish man spotted my unusual attire in the stadium toilets. “Mali eh.” I was the only … Continued
“Maradona or Messi?” was a question I was frequently asked in Argentina. It was hard to answer, but Buenos Aires was undeniably the greatest city I had yet to visit. And Argentina was something of an incongruous name on my list … Continued
Marco skipped into my Milan hotel lobby sporting dark glasses, jeans and stubble. He gave me a hug. It had been five years since television director Marco had covered my visit to Crotone for Quelli che … il Calcio. We … Continued
Spain’s third largest urban area is a city of layers. It was founded by the Romans as Valentia, controlled by the Moors and overtaken by Christians accompanied by a lucky bat. The bat is now the symbol of the city, … Continued
I had blasted around Oman in a white saloon. I had trekked mountains, clambered desert dunes and seen green turtles lay their eggs on the corner of the Arabian peninsula. I was now in Muscat’s fish market with a serious … Continued
For once, this wasn’t a football trip. But it is hard to avoid the influence of Hajduk when visiting Split. Hajduk graffiti is everywhere, not just in Croatia’s second city but all around the surrounding region of Dalmatia, its beautiful … Continued
Ultimate traveller website NomadMania divides the world into 1,301 regions based on territory, population, diversity, economy and tourist appeal. I had visited 373 of the world’s 1,301 regions (England rank: 43 / International rank: 600) as at September 2021. NomadMania … Continued
Europe United tells the story of my football travels across 55 UEFA nations in a single season. It was an amazing feat that seems even more surreal nowadays. The hardback/eBook have sold in over 30 countries and the paperback is published … Continued
I always wanted to make a list. I made a few in 2019. FourFourTwo rated Europe United as one of the top 18 football books of 2019. “Walker’s quest is at its best when he explores European football’s less fashionable outposts” said … Continued
After publishing a classic early interview in July 2017, the Guardian ran a second feature in October 2019. “A dog, a cat and 22 fans: watching European football’s worst top-flight team”, an edit of the San Marino chapter in Europe … Continued