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lapsedmarxist's review against another edition
4.0
a behemoth of a book. most definitely not for the faint of heart. context wise, the book is well researched and written. the sections on africa and asia were particularly interesting and insightful. the sections on europe and south america were enthralling and captivating. moreover, it is so fascinating to see how much national identity is tied to how countries decide to play -or not play- the game. youd be hard-pressed to find a more comprehensive history of the game. on a personal level, i wanted to finish the book before the start of this summer’s tournaments. i managed to do so a mere eight (8) hours before the first kickoff. ¡ahuevo!
aj_stevens's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
5.0
funkeymonk88's review against another edition
5.0
A great book. Loved how it covered the social, economic and political life of the countries/continents in parallel to the sport, especially when covering Latin America and continental Europe
ihorbook's review against another edition
5.0
Це справді глобальна історія - тут і Африка, і Азія, і особливо Латинська Америка, і все це з екскурсом в політичну та соціальну історію, щоб розуміти весь контекст. Однак таку тему, як виявилось, неможливо всерйоз покрити навіть 1000-сторінковою томиною. Розповідь неминуче поверхова і торкається тільки ключових тенденцій і подій. Але це, в принципі, саме те, що я хотів, тому не жаліюсь.
willowchloe's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Amazingly exhaustive history of the (often) beautiful game.
writesdave's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
David Goldblatt deserves kudos for even attempting to chronicle the world's game from its origins to the relatively present day, starting with cave drawings of people kicking around spherical objects through the leadup to the 2006 World Cup (sorry, Zidane headbutting Matarazzi didn't happen before press time). He takes in the cultural, social, political and economic aspects of the game and puts them all in multiple contexts over time. It's a beast of a book but incredibly readable, and it doesn't require any more from me. For the soccer fan, absolutely, but also for the well-rounded sports fan.