Jonathan Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jonathan Mark Wilson (1976-07-09)9 July 1976 (age 49) Sunderland, England |
| Occupation(s) | Author, journalist |
Jonathan Mark Wilson (born 9 July 1976)[1][better source needed] is an English sports journalist and author who writes predominantly forThe Guardian. He is a columnist forWorld Soccer and founder and editor ofThe Blizzard. In 2024 he started a football history podcast,It Was What it Was, with Rob Draper.[2] He also appears onThe Guardian's football podcast,Football Weekly".[3][4]
Wilson studied English atOxford University and was the sports editor of the student paper,The Oxford Student.[5] He read for a Master's degree atDurham University, where he was a member of theGraduate Society.[5]
Wilson has written forThe Independent,FourFourTwo magazine andThe Sunday Telegraph andSports Illustrated, and was football correspondent for theFinancial Times from 2002 to 2006. He writes forThe Guardian andUnHerd and is a columnist forWorld Soccer.
In 2011 he founded the quarterly football journalThe Blizzard, which he edits.[6]
Wilson was the main contributor to a feature onThe Guardian website, "The Question", in which he analyses modern trends and evolutions in football. "The Question" has included articles on the decline of the box-to-box midfielder, the importance of the modern full-back and the evolution of the defensive striker.[7] He is currently the main football columnist forThe Observer.
His book,Inverting the Pyramid, was shortlisted for theWilliam Hill Sports Book of the Year in 2008,[8] and won 'Best Football Book' at theBritish Sports Book Awards in 2009.[9] Nine of his other books have also been shortlisted for the award.Inverting the Pyramid also won the Premio Antonio Ghirelli and was shortlisted for the German football book of the year award.[10]
His book,Angels with Dirty Faces, which covered the history offootball in Argentina, won "Best Football Book" and "Best Historical Book" at the Polish Sports Book Awards (Sportowa Książka Roku) in 2018.[11] The Names Heard Long Ago won "Best Foreign Football Book" at the awards in 2023.[12]
He wonFSA Football Writer of the Year in 2012, 2017, 2021 and 2024.[13][14]
He supportsSunderland A.F.C. in football.[15][16][17] He playscricket on theAuthors XI team with other British writers.[18] He is also an occasional player for Hutton CC 5th XI, with whom his most memorable innings of an unbeaten 117 runs was achieved on July 9th 2022 against Belhus CC 5th XI. He appeared in Series 10 of the quiz show Only Connect as part of the Nightwatchmen team. He resides inWandsworth,SouthLondon.[19]
