LONDON (Reuters) — The Football Museum in Preston, northern England, said on Wednesday it had bought what is said to be the world's oldest book about soccer.
"We paid 48,000 pounds for a collection of historic football items including this book," spokesman Kevin Moore told Reuters. The money, equivalent to almost $76,000, was provided by the national lottery, he added.
The Italian book, written in 1580 by Giovanni da Bardi, is entitled "Discourse on the game of football" (Discorso sopra il gioco del calcio).
"It's about the medieval Italian version of football, one of the roots of the modern game," Moore said.
"But for me the most amazing item in the collection is a jersey from the first ever international game — England versus Scotland in Glasgow in 1872," he said.
The game ended 0-0.
