The Game at the End of the World

Exuberant, playful, and evergreen, The Game at the End of the World revels in the grass-stained highlights of a sport without borders or boundaries.

Soccer (née football) fans will rejoice at this all-new volume of crackling essays from the author of God Is Round. Here, Juan Villoro explores the sport through the elements that make it the world's favourite pastime, from its ancient origins, near-mythic players, exhilarating matches, endemic rivalries, and the unlikely moments in which football has changed history.

As a prolific writer and chronicler of World Cup games around the world, Villoro draws on a rich cultural mosaic to inspire readers, players, and fans long after the final whistle blows. With a journalist's ear and a philosopher's outlook, he has produced a collection for curious newcomers and lifelong football buffs alike.

‘Villoro’s winning collection of soccer essays and reporting includes gratifying entries on fandom, rivalries, scandals, coaches, officials, and players both famed and obscure.’ – Kirkus Reviews

‘This brilliant book by Juan Villoro, one of the world’s most literary aficionados of the sport of fútball/soccer, contains everything you need to know about its history, its heroes, its joys and its sorrows. It is also seems to me a magnificent handbook to the forthcoming World Cup.’ – Paul Theroux, author of Dark Star Safari