The Away Game - The Epic Search for Football's Next Superstars (Paperback)

Over the past decade, an audacious programme called Football Dreams has held trials for millions of 13-year-old boys across Africa looking for football's next superstars. Led by the Spanish scout who helped launch Lionel Messi's career at Barcelona and funded by the desert kingdom of Qatar, the programme has chosen a handful of boys each year to train to become professionals - a process over a thousand times more selective than getting into Harvard. In The Away Game, reporter Sebastian Abbot follows a small group of the boys as they are discovered on dirt fields across Africa, join the glittering academy in Doha where they train, and compete for the chance to gain fame and fortune at Europe's top clubs. Abbot masterfully weaves together the dramatic story of the boys' journey with an exploration of the art and science of trying to spot talent at such a young age. Richly reported and deeply moving, The Away Game is set against the geopolitical backdrop of Qatar's rise from an impoverished patch of desert to an immensely rich nation determined to buy a place on the international stage. It is an unforgettable story of the joy and pain these talented African boys experience as they chase their dreams in a dizzying world of rich Arab sheikhs, moneyhungry agents, and football-mad European fans.

General

Imprint:	Arena Sport
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	July 2018
Authors:	Sebastian Abbot
Dimensions:	235 x 155 x 20mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	304
ISBN-13:	978-1-909715-66-0
Categories:	Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Sporting events, tours & organisations > General Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Sports training & coaching > General Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Ball games > Football (Soccer, Association football) > General
LSN:	1-909715-66-2
Barcode:	9781909715660

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!