This book reminded me of hanging out at the corner store, watching old men play dominios and talk about soccer. (This image represents a solid third of my childhood.) Grouchy old men, and their step-by-step reconstruction of soccer goals that happened in countries they would never visit, by players they had never seen.

That is almost exactly what this book is- a history of the beautiful game from its first stumbling steps to the greatest goals of every world cup since 1921. There are quick asides about great soccer players you've never heard of, and detailed descriptions of curses laid on various soccer clubs, about soccer's place under dictators (Franco basically conscripted Real Madrid- who knew?) and loving stories about games, crowds, people, specific balls, the grass on some fields. Possibly this sounds boring- it's really, really not. Each segment is a paragraph or two long, and I often had to read consecutive segments out loud to whatever audience I had. Did you know that insert segment here isn't that awesome!?

I borrowed this from a friend, and bought myself a copy in Spanish. The words dance in the translation (it is probably my favorite translation from the Spanish since Merwin) but I want to read it in the original.

Suffice it to say, I deeply love this book.