Premier League Players Choose Favourite Books, With Roald Dahl The Most-Loved

The BFG Reading The BFG

Roald Dahl topped the list of Premier League players' favourite author, as a member from each club chose their dearest children and adult books.

Chelsea's Ross Turnbull, Sunderland winger Adam Johnson and West Ham United midfielder Matthew Taylor all chose James and the Giant Peach as their childhood book of choice, while The Witches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Fantastic Mr Fox and The BFG also featured.

Taylor showed his harder side though, naming Andy McNab's Bravo Two Zero as his top adult book, while former Queens Park Rangers defender Ryan Nelsen is a fan of Henry Kissinger's New York Times bestseller On China.

Stoke City's Charlie Adam meanwhile plumped for Paul Scholes' picture book autobiography.

Players are helping to launch the Premier League Reading Stars programme, which is being launched today with the help of Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove.

Check out the full list...

Per Mertesacker (Arsenal)

Favourite children's book: Hans Christian Andersen: Fairy Tales

Favourite adult's book: A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke by Ronald Reng

Stephen Ireland (Aston Villa)

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

Back from the Brink by Paul McGrath

Ross Turnbull (Chelsea)

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Rafa: My Story, by Rafael Nadal

Sylvain Distin (Everton)

Charlie and Lola: I Am Really Concentrating, by Lauren Child

The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne

Mark Schwarzer (Fulham)

Megs & the Complete Left Foot, by Neil Montagnana-Wallace

The Player, by Boris Becker

Joe Allen (Liverpool)

Mother Goose's Nursery Ryhmes, by Alison Green

The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown

Scott Sinclair (Manchester City)

The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson

Pelé: The autobiography

Jonny Evans (Manchester United)

The Hardy Boys: The Tower Treasure, by Franklin Dixon

Jack & Jill, by James Patterson

Gael Bigirimana (Newcastle United)

Children's Bible, Usborne's Children's Bible

Hinds' Feet on High Places, by Hannah Hurnard

Jonny Howson (Norwich City)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl

Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection, by Rene Stauffer

Ryan Nelsen (Queens Park Rangers)

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin Jr

On China, by Henry Kissinger

Mikele Leigertwood (Reading)

Fantastic Mr Fox, by Roald Dahl

A Time to Kill, by John Grisham

Jos Hooiveld (Southampton)

Jip en Janneke, by Annie MG Schmidt and Fiep Westendorp

Ajax Barcelona Cruyff: The ABC of an Obstinate Maestro by Frits Barend

Charlie Adam (Stoke City)

The Broons and Oor Wullie, by RD Low

Scholes: My Story, by Paul Scholes

Adam Johnson (Sunderland)

James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl

Blessed, by George Best

Neil Taylor (Swansea City)

Dear Zoo, by Rod Campbell

Messi: The Inside Story of the Boy Who Became Legend, by Luca Caioli

Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur)

Little Blue Truck, by Alice Schertle

The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien

Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion)

The BFG, by Roald Dahl

The Green Mile, by Stephen King

Matthew Taylor (West Ham United)

James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl

Bravo Two Zero, by Andy McNab

David Jones (Wigan Athletic)

The Witches, by Roald Dahl

The Complete Roman Army, by Adrian Goldsworthy

Close

What's Hot