From the publisher:
Escape from Berlin: England’s Bert Sproston and the Football Refugee is an inspiring footballing tale of redemption.
From British Sports Book Awards-nominated author John Leonard, a former sports journalist and TV programme editor.
Leeds United full-back Bert Sproston is controversially forced to make the Nazi salute along with the other England players in Berlin in 1938. But as he leaves the Olympiastadion he befriends a refugee who wants to escape the Nazis.
This compelling book:
- Examines how and why the pair met at Berlin’s Olympiastadion after England’s Nazi salute and their contrasting war stories
- Explores Sproston’s struggles to establish himself in non-league football before moving to Leeds, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City
- Shows how Sproston put aside his own personal loss from the Munich air disaster to inspire Bolton Wanderers in the 1958 FA Cup Final
- Has been written in co-operation with the families of Bert and Ralph/Rolf Freeman, who gave the author exclusive access to family documents and photos to produce this account
A must-read for football fans everywhere and lovers of moving real-life sport stories, Escape from Berlin reveals how one determined and defiant footballer fought intolerance with the spirit of tolerance. This is no ordinary football tale.
The author:
John Leonard was a news and sports journalist with more than four decades of experience, spending most of his career at ITN as a Programme Editor for both ITV News and Five News, having earlier worked as ITN’s sports news editor, shaping coverage of some of the most memorable sporting moments of his era. John trained with the BBC and spent several years as a journalist at Newsnight. Following his television career, John worked as part of the International Olympic Committee Newsroom media team, working on the Buenos Aires 2018 and Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games.
A lifelong Stoke City FC fan, John also enjoyed a brief, ill-starred sporting career as a cross-country and middle-distance athlete with Staffordshire Moorlands AC.
Sadly, John passed away on 2 January 2026, shortly before the publication of Escape From Berlin. His final book recounts the story of a Jewish teenager’s courageous escape from Nazi Germany, aided by England defender Bert Sproston. Meticulously researched, this inspiring account captures the colliding worlds of sport and politics while highlighting the power of humanity in the bleakest of times.
His previous book, Flight to Bogota: England’s Football Rebel, Neil Franklin, was longlisted for Football Book of the Year at the 2021 British Sports Book Awards, cementing John’s reputation as a writer with a rare ability to blend deep research with compelling storytelling.
John’s work stands as a testament to his journalistic craft and curiosity, as well as his enduring belief in the power of sport to illuminate the stories that shape us.
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