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The Language of the Game: How to Understand Soccer
Essential reading for soccer fans as the 2022 World Cup approaches, this lively and lyrical book is "an ideal guide to the world's most popular sport" (Simon Kuper, coauthor of Soccernomics ).
Soccer is not only the world's most popular game; it's also one of the most widely shared forms of global culture. The Language of the Game is a passionate and engaging introduction to soccer's history, tactics, and human drama. Profiling soccer's full cast of characters—goalies and position players, referees and managers, commentators and fans—historian and soccer scholar Laurent Dubois describes how the game's low scores, relentless motion, and spectacular individual performances combine to turn each match into a unique and unpredictable story. He also shows how soccer's global reach makes it an unparalleled theater for nationalism, international conflict, and human interconnectedness, with close attention to both men's and women's soccer.
Filled with perceptive insights and stories both legendary and little known, The Language of the Game is a rewarding read for anyone seeking to understand soccer better—newcomers and passionate followers alike.
Soccer is not only the world's most popular game; it's also one of the most widely shared forms of global culture. The Language of the Game is a passionate and engaging introduction to soccer's history, tactics, and human drama. Profiling soccer's full cast of characters—goalies and position players, referees and managers, commentators and fans—historian and soccer scholar Laurent Dubois describes how the game's low scores, relentless motion, and spectacular individual performances combine to turn each match into a unique and unpredictable story. He also shows how soccer's global reach makes it an unparalleled theater for nationalism, international conflict, and human interconnectedness, with close attention to both men's and women's soccer.
Filled with perceptive insights and stories both legendary and little known, The Language of the Game is a rewarding read for anyone seeking to understand soccer better—newcomers and passionate followers alike.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published March 27, 2018
43 people are currently reading
282 people want to read
About the author
Laurent Dubois
119 books45 followersLaurent Dubois (PhD. University of Michigan) is associate professor of history at Michigan State University. His book A Colony of Citizens: Revolution and Slave Emancipation in the French Caribbean, 1787–1804 won the American Historical Association Prize in Atlantic History and the John Edwin Fagg Award. He is also the author of Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution, which was a Christian Science Monitor Noteworthy Book of 2004 and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of 2004, Les esclaves de la République: l'histoire oubliée de la première emancipation, 1787–1794, and Haiti: The Aftershocks of History.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/lauren...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/lauren...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 24, 2018
I wanted to like this more than I did. And there is much to like: Dubois knows his stuff and offers some interesting histories of various rules (offside and not fouling the keeper) and people (like Zidane and Maradona). The writing is clear and lively and the book moves from anecdote to anecdote. I’m sure that some readers who know more about the sport than I do will complain about what’s left out—in his chapter on forwards, for example, there's scant mention of the GOAT debate revolving around Messi and Reynaldo. But I am not nearly as much of a superfan as those who have watched the sport since infancy. I learned a lot about how Drogba intervened in Ivory Coast’s civil war and how the Rules of the Game were formed.
What marred my experience of The Language of the Game was how Dubois peppers the book with political asides in order to display his bona fides to his like-minded readers. Can't we get a day off? For example, in his chapter on the referee, Dubois describes the introduction of goal-line technology in the 2010 World Cup:
Its introduction was a concession to the fact that referees had, with some frequency, made mistakes about this in the past, by giving a goal when the ball hadn’t crossed the line or else claiming the ball hadn’t crossed the line when it did. The latter was famously the case in the 2010 men’s World Cup, when a goal scored by the US against Slovenia, which clearly went over the line, was disallowed by the Malian referee Koman Coulibaly. The decision was a lightning rod; suddenly all kinds of people who never seem to care much about soccer before were enraged that this referee—who, some noted, didn’t even speak English!—had stole a goal from the United States.
Of course anyone who complained that the referee didn’t speak English is an idiot—but Dubois throws that aside in here for no reason other than to demonstrate his own superiority to them, which is like claiming one’s superiority over a caveman. At the time, the language of that referee was not a major issue and the crack serves no other purpose than to call to mind the cliché of the Ugly American. He does this also in his chapter on the fan, in which he states that the Gold Cup tournament “causes occasional outbreaks of xenophobia among some US fans” and offers Tim Howard’s foolish 2011 complaint that the trophy ceremony was held in Spanish. Again, Dubois offers the argument of a lone blockhead as if it were representative of Americans as a whole. And are the US fans the only “xenophobic” ones? I've seen the USMNT play Paraguay and Ghana and both were great times with lots of friendly hi-fives between different countries' supporters. And if there’s any institution in which Americans do not fall into racism or xenophobia, it’s sports.
Dubois also speaks of the lawsuit brought by the USWNT that their earning less money than their male counterparts is discriminatory. But surely he knows that this is a matter of economics. If talent and trophies determined pay, the women would be paid much more than their lackluster male counterparts. If I could do what Neymar does, I, too, would be the reason for a $300 million transfer fee. But, for good or for ill, it’s the market that determines the salaries. Once more eyes are ready to watch ads during halftimes of women’s games, the salaries will rise.
These moments are not enough to ruin the book, but one of the great things about soccer is that, for ninety minutes, we can be free of hashtags and bumper stickers and virtue signaling. Dubois seems to want the experience of watching soccer to resemble that of reading the Washington Post. And that’s a shame, because he clearly loves the game. There are great stories to be told about how soccer has influenced (and been influenced by) national events; Dubois is solid and engaging when he sticks to them.
What marred my experience of The Language of the Game was how Dubois peppers the book with political asides in order to display his bona fides to his like-minded readers. Can't we get a day off? For example, in his chapter on the referee, Dubois describes the introduction of goal-line technology in the 2010 World Cup:
Its introduction was a concession to the fact that referees had, with some frequency, made mistakes about this in the past, by giving a goal when the ball hadn’t crossed the line or else claiming the ball hadn’t crossed the line when it did. The latter was famously the case in the 2010 men’s World Cup, when a goal scored by the US against Slovenia, which clearly went over the line, was disallowed by the Malian referee Koman Coulibaly. The decision was a lightning rod; suddenly all kinds of people who never seem to care much about soccer before were enraged that this referee—who, some noted, didn’t even speak English!—had stole a goal from the United States.
Of course anyone who complained that the referee didn’t speak English is an idiot—but Dubois throws that aside in here for no reason other than to demonstrate his own superiority to them, which is like claiming one’s superiority over a caveman. At the time, the language of that referee was not a major issue and the crack serves no other purpose than to call to mind the cliché of the Ugly American. He does this also in his chapter on the fan, in which he states that the Gold Cup tournament “causes occasional outbreaks of xenophobia among some US fans” and offers Tim Howard’s foolish 2011 complaint that the trophy ceremony was held in Spanish. Again, Dubois offers the argument of a lone blockhead as if it were representative of Americans as a whole. And are the US fans the only “xenophobic” ones? I've seen the USMNT play Paraguay and Ghana and both were great times with lots of friendly hi-fives between different countries' supporters. And if there’s any institution in which Americans do not fall into racism or xenophobia, it’s sports.
Dubois also speaks of the lawsuit brought by the USWNT that their earning less money than their male counterparts is discriminatory. But surely he knows that this is a matter of economics. If talent and trophies determined pay, the women would be paid much more than their lackluster male counterparts. If I could do what Neymar does, I, too, would be the reason for a $300 million transfer fee. But, for good or for ill, it’s the market that determines the salaries. Once more eyes are ready to watch ads during halftimes of women’s games, the salaries will rise.
These moments are not enough to ruin the book, but one of the great things about soccer is that, for ninety minutes, we can be free of hashtags and bumper stickers and virtue signaling. Dubois seems to want the experience of watching soccer to resemble that of reading the Washington Post. And that’s a shame, because he clearly loves the game. There are great stories to be told about how soccer has influenced (and been influenced by) national events; Dubois is solid and engaging when he sticks to them.
July 22, 2018
As a relatively new soccer fan, finding this book in the shelves at my local library around the end of the World Cup was a sweet, and perfect surprise that came at the right time.
The best way I can describe this book is it’s a fun, romanticized look at the most popular sport in the world. For someone like me, looking for was to get hooked, it was a treat to read about the history of the game through the lens’ of poets and storytellers who played and enjoyed the games as fans.
This definitely took my love for the sport to the next level, and I forward to the untold hours I will spend watching the beautiful game.
The best way I can describe this book is it’s a fun, romanticized look at the most popular sport in the world. For someone like me, looking for was to get hooked, it was a treat to read about the history of the game through the lens’ of poets and storytellers who played and enjoyed the games as fans.
This definitely took my love for the sport to the next level, and I forward to the untold hours I will spend watching the beautiful game.
October 3, 2018
what an absolutely lovely palette cleanser to among the thugs (another soccer book i highly recommend). if ATT is a gritty look at the sport's messy history, the language of the game is the other side of that coin – a romanticized look at the world's most popular sport and the awe it inspires. i think dubois' political asides are fine (seems to be a sore sport for almost all low reviewers) because soccer and politics - no matter what people say or think - have always been highly intertwined. i also think he manages to blend well taking the sport to task for its blindspots and bullshit while never losing his wonder of the beautiful game.
July 13, 2018
I vacillate in my general comportment toward sport (speaking of spectation here, not playing). For about two months, I understand the pandemic appeal of athletic competition, especially team-fandom, and delight in the minutiae and grand drama of league play or playoffs. Then for the next two months, I have a hard time imagining a more monumental black hole of time and energy than the sports-industrial complex. I think of the revolutions that could have been won, the vast speculative cities of human achievement that lie dormant, uncreated--the energies required spent on sport. And then it's the final stages of the Champions' League, or the World Series, and I'm back on the side of sport.
Dubois is firmly on the side of sport, and is one of those rare writers who convinces me there is much more going on in sports to capture the intellect and soul of man beyond the simply joys of tribal affiliation and well-worn liturgies (though those aren't nothing). Soccer has a trove of anecdotes to horrify and delight, and Dubois deploys these well, capturing the banality and transcendence of simple rules and their creative destruction which so captivates a large minority of the world. I like the form of the book, moving his meditations and explanations from position to position along the field--Total Football Writing.
Dubois is firmly on the side of sport, and is one of those rare writers who convinces me there is much more going on in sports to capture the intellect and soul of man beyond the simply joys of tribal affiliation and well-worn liturgies (though those aren't nothing). Soccer has a trove of anecdotes to horrify and delight, and Dubois deploys these well, capturing the banality and transcendence of simple rules and their creative destruction which so captivates a large minority of the world. I like the form of the book, moving his meditations and explanations from position to position along the field--Total Football Writing.
October 6, 2018
Laurent Dubois teaches at Duke University, among other classes, a class on the history of soccer--not only how it rose to being one of the most popular sports, but how it became a global sport and how the most watched sports competition, the World Cup, came to be. This is the book that makes that class possible for you and me.
Each chapter is dedicated to one person in the game: The Goalie, the Forward, the Defender, The Manager, the Referee, the Fan. In the chapter, Dubois explains the importance of this person to each game and also how extraordinary goalies, forwards, and defenders have modified and elevated the game--always on the field, sometimes off the field.
I appreciated this book very much. I watch my two young boys play soccer (fiercely and with great joy and gusto) but really like having the beginning of an understanding of the broader sport. I have far to go to understand the nuances of the game, but I am happy that I'm watching their game with a little more intelligence and an appreciation of how they are taking part in a much bigger sport.
(I'm also pleased to know that my eternal confusion of "off sides" is shared by many and is justified as a rather odd rule. In other words: it's not just me!)
Each chapter is dedicated to one person in the game: The Goalie, the Forward, the Defender, The Manager, the Referee, the Fan. In the chapter, Dubois explains the importance of this person to each game and also how extraordinary goalies, forwards, and defenders have modified and elevated the game--always on the field, sometimes off the field.
I appreciated this book very much. I watch my two young boys play soccer (fiercely and with great joy and gusto) but really like having the beginning of an understanding of the broader sport. I have far to go to understand the nuances of the game, but I am happy that I'm watching their game with a little more intelligence and an appreciation of how they are taking part in a much bigger sport.
(I'm also pleased to know that my eternal confusion of "off sides" is shared by many and is justified as a rather odd rule. In other words: it's not just me!)
December 23, 2018
What an unexpectedly gorgeous book. There's a big gap in my soccer knowledge between playing basically little league soccer and rediscovering the game through the 2015 USWNT gay girl icons. I picked this up just wanting a refresh so I could enjoy the game on a less superficial level. It's far more than that, delivering a deep, lyrical understanding rooted in global history. Finally, how refreshing it is to read a male author wax elegiac for female athletes, including them as stars who can hold their own, not tokens.
*Edit* I see a lot of negative reviews complaining about Dubois' constant political asides. Fair warning: if you just want a book about the mechanics of the game, this book will disappoint you. If you, like me, see pretty much everything as political and love watching someone else's nerdery at play, this is the book for you.
*Edit* I see a lot of negative reviews complaining about Dubois' constant political asides. Fair warning: if you just want a book about the mechanics of the game, this book will disappoint you. If you, like me, see pretty much everything as political and love watching someone else's nerdery at play, this is the book for you.
August 21, 2018
Overall, I enjoyed this, but it really lost steam in the latter third. On the positive side, he's a solid writer, his enthusiasm for the game comes through, and I learned a lot about the game's past. On the down side, the book often felt like I was being lectured to by a liberal arts professor (which he is) who can't resist bringing up immigration, gender inequality, and any number of other pet liberal issues at every opportunity. Given that I'm quite liberal and a former prof, it says something that it bothered me.
March 6, 2024
works very well as a source of technical information and historical context, yet fails to capture a key aspect—soccer is exciting, and the writing of this book is agonizingly monotonous
October 17, 2022
lots of really great stories from soccer's past and present.
June 17, 2018
This book is a lovely and brief introduction to the game worth the time of a casual viewer or a fan. It is broken up into sections aligned with natural archetypes drawn from gameplay, from "The Goalkeeper" and "The Defender" to "The Manager", "The Referee", and "The Fan". Each has small historical sketches, practical reflections on famous people associated with that role, and descriptions of what the role entails.
To his credit, Dubois decentres the naturalized privilege of the men's game and spends much time with the history of women's soccer in England and America, choosing many case studies with care and passion. As anyone who is familiar with his previous book Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France will expect, Dubois also spends time with Zidane and Thuram while thinking about the colonial aspects of the game.
However, at the end of the day this is an introduction and not a deeper survey or a critique, and therefore the superficiality can frustrate someone looking for more case studies, critical commentary, or reflection on the historical sketch provided. This wouldn't be so frustrating if I didn't know that Dubois can provide so, so much more! He is a wealth of passion about the game and I'd give much to have the book that he can write that reflects that richness, instead of the one marketed for a general audience.
A wonderful book all told, albeit with a specific audience in mind. And of course, there's no time better to read about soccer than during the World Cup!
To his credit, Dubois decentres the naturalized privilege of the men's game and spends much time with the history of women's soccer in England and America, choosing many case studies with care and passion. As anyone who is familiar with his previous book Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France will expect, Dubois also spends time with Zidane and Thuram while thinking about the colonial aspects of the game.
However, at the end of the day this is an introduction and not a deeper survey or a critique, and therefore the superficiality can frustrate someone looking for more case studies, critical commentary, or reflection on the historical sketch provided. This wouldn't be so frustrating if I didn't know that Dubois can provide so, so much more! He is a wealth of passion about the game and I'd give much to have the book that he can write that reflects that richness, instead of the one marketed for a general audience.
A wonderful book all told, albeit with a specific audience in mind. And of course, there's no time better to read about soccer than during the World Cup!
September 1, 2018
I feel a little conflicted trying to figure out how to review this book. Parts gave me goosebumps, and parts kind of made me roll my eyes. He tried hard to make it appeal to people from all levels of soccer background and succeeded fairly well. I really appreciated some of the political history, the chance to relive some beautiful moments, and the positive tone throughout the book about how special football is. It resonated with me! Also, even as a big fan of the Messi v Ronaldo rivalry it was refreshing that for once it wasn’t really even brought up. That may be because neither of them is French... but that’s ok Dubois.
That said, I felt like the book had an agenda (albeit an important agenda!) that was forced on the reader over and over throughout every chapter. I would have appreciated a dedicated chapter highlighting the authors agenda as opposed to being constantly slapped in the face with it throughout the entire book. But worth the read!
That said, I felt like the book had an agenda (albeit an important agenda!) that was forced on the reader over and over throughout every chapter. I would have appreciated a dedicated chapter highlighting the authors agenda as opposed to being constantly slapped in the face with it throughout the entire book. But worth the read!
March 21, 2019
Dubois' deep love for the game of soccer has produced a highly accessible book about the game. It encompasses history, politics, strategy and tactics, all told from the perspective of a keen fan who is lucky or driven enough to attend World Cup matches all over the world for years.
The book is cleverly organized by position on the field, and also has chapters on the manager and the fan. I learned a lot from this book and added attending a Premier League match and a World Cup match to my bucket list.
The book is cleverly organized by position on the field, and also has chapters on the manager and the fan. I learned a lot from this book and added attending a Premier League match and a World Cup match to my bucket list.
April 4, 2019
A masterpiece. The sub title could lull one into thinking this is about understanding tactics. That is part of it...but this book lives up to its title..understanding the language of football. In was riveted by this book and ended up looking more into each footballer and the classis matches described within. There are so many great anecdotes from footballers across the centuries that I couldn't help give this book a rare five stars. From 19th century female trailblazers to Pele, Cruyff, Maradonna, Zidane, Rapinoe, Messi and Solo...so many more. Masterpiece.
December 14, 2019
This book was a good choice for me to learn about the sport of soccer. Author Laurent DuBois devotes a chapter to every position on the soccer field. While we don't get an understanding of how the players work together, we can better understand why the sport has captured so many fans world wide.
Chapter 7, the last chapter, makes the case for why soccer is a game for all of the world, the other six chapters provide insight to the roles of the players and, perhaps as important, why fans love the sport.
Chapter 7, the last chapter, makes the case for why soccer is a game for all of the world, the other six chapters provide insight to the roles of the players and, perhaps as important, why fans love the sport.
December 4, 2018
In my opinion, soccer is a difficult sport to write about. Soccer is fluid; the game changes almost second by second. Writing tries to preserve action to make it accessible the same way again and again. Soccer can be technical, but writing about technical soccer turns it into one of the most boring things to read. I welcome this attempt, but it was not for me.
May 29, 2018
Very accessible read for those new to the sport. Greatly appreciated the diversity of examples used as author avoids over reliance on European players and regularly references the women’s game. Section on Lilly Parr worth the price of the book on its own.
June 20, 2018
This book started out and ended strongly, but I felt like the middle was trying to cover too much history and so it came up short. Still a solid read and a nice aggregation of fantastic thinking on soccer (Hornby, Knausgaard, and Galeano).
June 30, 2018
An easy and good read for me during the one day break of the 2018 World Cup.
Good for people who want to understand more about the beautiful game, also a reminder for the rest of us why we love this so much.
Good for people who want to understand more about the beautiful game, also a reminder for the rest of us why we love this so much.
July 26, 2018
I have tried to read books about soccer in the past, and none of them grabbed me. I loved this one. It had me Youtubing game clips, corresponding with historians about situations depicted, and discussing historical matches or plays with soccer fans.
August 21, 2018
Excellent book that can serve as an introduction to football for someone just beyond a novice to an expert. Dubois is the first author I’ve ever read who was able to interchange male and female pronouns without drawing attention to it. Football is a game for all and the author treats it as such.
May 7, 2018
Pretty good explanation of each position on the pitch. With historical insights.
June 26, 2018
Not bad. Some good anecdotes. Most of my favorite passages were extended quotes from other sources though.
July 17, 2018
A great read during the World Cup. The tournament enhanced my enjoyment of the book and vice versa.
July 20, 2018
Great overview of Fußball. Chapters on the goalkeeper, the defender, the midfielder, the forward, the manager, the referee, and the fan. Nice discussion on each along with historical anecdotes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2018
I'd recommend this book to any new football fan or someone who is close to a big fan. The book delivers on what it set out to do
August 15, 2018
Really good read - Dubois perfectly captures the joy and love of soccer!
September 5, 2018
Perfectly adequate.
November 27, 2018
No matter how much you think you know about football (or soccer), this book gives you a whole new perspective. Wow!
March 17, 2019
Enjoyable survey about soccer, it's intricacies, and what makes it so special.
October 11, 2019
Beautifully written introduction to the game that not only informed but made it exciting. I think even those with soccer backgrounds will like this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews