THE FOOTBALL NOVEL · AGES 10–14

TWO JACKETS.
ONE BALL.
ONE DREAM.

LEO — THE NEXT BALL

A dream bigger than the village pitch.

A boy from a small Austrian village. A chance to train in Barcelona. And a question bigger than football: what happens when your dream becomes real?

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LEO – THE NEXT BALL book cover: a young football player in a red jersey faces a floodlit stadium
A STORY ABOUT THE NEXT CHANCE.
FOOTBALL IS WHERE IT BEGINS. GROWING UP IS THE REAL GAME.
01 / THE STORY

Every great journey
starts somewhere small.

For twelve-year-old Leo, football begins on a village pitch in the Austrian mountains, where two jackets mark the goal and his friends make up the team.

Then a scout notices him. A week at a training camp in Barcelona opens the door to a bigger world — new teammates, new expectations and a very different kind of pressure. Between homesickness, setbacks and second chances, Leo discovers that courage is not about never making a mistake. It's about asking for the ball again.

Read Leo's story
“

THE NEXT BALL IS ALWAYS A NEW CHANCE.

02 / MORE THAN A GAME

A football story.
A story about life.

For young readers who love football — and anyone who remembers having a big dream.

01

THE DREAM

From a modest village pitch to the lights of Barcelona. The next step changes everything.

02

THE TEAM

Friends like Mia, Sami, Benni and Elias remind Leo that success is never a one-player game.

03

THE NEXT CHANCE

Injuries, mistakes and setbacks are part of the journey. What matters is what Leo does next.

Original book illustration showing two jackets and a football

Original illustration from the book

03 / FIND YOUR NEXT READ

Make the
next move.

Available in English and German. Select the edition that suits you and explore purchase options on Amazon.

LEO2026
ENGLISH EDITIONLEO — THE NEXT BALL

A DREAM BIGGER
THAN THE VILLAGE PITCH

A heartfelt football novel about friendship, ambition and finding the courage to try again.

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Kindle edition ↗Hardcover ↗
GERMAN EDITIONLEO — DER NÄCHSTE BALL

EIN TRAUM GRÖSSER
ALS DER DORFPLATZ

Die Geschichte von Leo, seinen Freunden und einem Fußballtraum, der plötzlich zum Greifen nah ist.

German edition on Amazon.de

Formats, prices and availability may vary by marketplace.

MAXO.SIMMLINGER.
04 / THE AUTHOR

Meet the
name behind LEO.

Max O. Simmlinger is the author of LEO – THE NEXT BALL and its German edition LEO – DER NÄCHSTE BALL. His novel follows a young footballer as he learns that the biggest challenges are not always decided on the pitch.

Independent publication · Austria · 2026

THE STORY DOESN'T END WITH A MISSED CHANCE.

THERE'S ALWAYS
A NEXT BALL.

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