Why Central Europe once ruled football

Try The Athletic for FREE for 30 days: https://theathletic.com/tifofootball 📗 Tifo's new book, "How to Watch Football" is now available internationally: https://linktr.ee/tifobook As Britain was developing strong athletic footballers on the fields of public schools in the late 1800s, Central Europe was developing technical, self-sufficient players. During the 1920s, Central Europe was developing a style of football based on passing and artistry - decades ahead of its time. But as Hitler and the Nazi’s invaded this region, the football idealism left. This is the story of how, through devastation, football fled the Danubian region, but reemerged in what we now know as the greatest footballing nations. This is the sixth in a series, written by Jonathan Wilson, exploring the entire history of football. Illustrated by Philippe Fenner. Follow Tifo Football by The Athletic: Twitter:   / tifofootball_   Facebook:   / tifofootball   Instagram:   / tifofootball_   TikTok:   / tifofootball_   Listen to the Tifo Football podcast: The Athletic UK: http://bit.ly/TifoPodChannel Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TifoFootPod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/06QIGhq... Watch more Tifo: Tifo Football Podcast:    / @tifo-podcast   Tifo Sports by The Athletic:    / @tifosports   About Tifo Football by The Athletic: Tifo loves football. We create In-depth tactical, historical and geopolitical breakdowns of the beautiful game. We know there’s an appetite for thoughtful, intelligent content. For stuff that makes the complicated simple. We provide analysis on the Premier League, Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, World Cup and more. Our podcasts interview some of the game’s leading figures. And our editorial covers football with depth and insight. Founded in 2017 and became a part of The Athletic in 2020. For business inquiries, reach out to tifo@theathletic.com. Additional footage sourced from freestockfootagearchive.com Music provided by APM Music #Football #S