The Ball is Round

A Global History of Soccer

Ranked #5 in Soccer, Ranked #8 in Football

The definitive book about soccer. With a new foreword for the American edition.

There may be no cultural practice more global than soccer. Rites of birth and marriage are infinitely diverse, but the rules of soccer are universal. No world religion can match its geographical scope. The single greatest simultaneous human collective experience is the World Cup final.

In this extraordinary tour de force, David Goldblatt tells the full story of soccer's rise from chaotic folk ritual to the world's most popular sport-now poised to fully establish itself in the USA....
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Reviews and Recommendations

We've comprehensively compiled reviews of The Ball is Round from the world's leading experts.

John Turnbull It’s more a work of history and sociology: the game, the matches that are played, are just a way of illustrating the social forces at work. (Source)


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