Like all clichés, the saying that football is too important a game to be left to a few billion spectators who passionately attend the matches contain a grain of truth. The sport features players who earn millions of dollars , teams that embody the values of their local communities, African kids who supply the football proletariat, influential federation leaders who wield more power than government ministers, billionaires who buy clubs to curry favour with public opinion, and stadiums that transform urban landscapes. The author examines football players, institutions and venues, combining statistics, anecdotes and analyses. The planet’s most beloved sport is far from immune from the evils of the contemporary world, yet it remains the most “beautiful game” in the world.

Andrea Goldstein works at an international organization in Paris and is a founding member of the association Minima Moralia M&M.

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