In June 2010, South Africa is the platform for the biggest event that has ever taken place on the African continent: the football World Cup. In the run-up to the World Cup and during the event, Africa will be centre stage for a while instead of being forgotten. This book follows a football-mad continent on the road to this World Cup. It is a book of stories, primarily by African journalists and photographers, about the love of football. It shows Africa as we rarely see it: as a continent bubbling over with talent, ambition and opportunities. As well as highlighting the love of football itself, the book also pays a close attention to the social significance of football in Africa. Sporting successes create a feeling of dignity and pride in people, and the passion for football can bind them together, even in wartime. You will meet football-mad presidents, read about how the great Ethiopian athlete Haile Gebrselassie loves the game, the roles that Didier Drogba and George Weah played in bringing peace to the Ivory Coast and Liberia, and how young talents at a Ghanaian football academy are preparing for an international sporting career. Stars such as Michael Essien and Salomon Kalou speak out too, of course. The book also offers a perspective on the African style of play, reconstructs historic footballing events and above all shows the strength of a continent that is on the way to one of the high points in its history.