When Asia Welcomed The World: The 2002 World Cup Revisited

by Danny Lewis

When Asia Welcomed the World tells the story of the 2002 World Cup, a tournament that will be remembered for many reasons, from heart-warming stories to dark accusations. The book resurrects the great characters that lit up 2002's biggest footballing stage, including Ronaldo, Oliver Kahn, David Beckham and Rüştü Reçber, as well as humbling defeats for the game's giants at the hands of comparative minnows. It also explores the tournament's controversies and issues that arose before it had even begun. This was Asia's first ever World Cup, with South Korea and Japan also acting as the continent's first ever co-hosts. The tournament's legacy has proved to be a divisive one, but it has remained ingrained in football's collective memory for 20 years and will continue to do so.

ABOUT THE Danny Lewis is a freelance sports journalist and author of The Boleyn's West Ham United's Upton Park Swansong . He also contributed to the widely acclaimed compendium Iberia Chronicles . After earning an undergraduate degree in Multimedia Journalism at Bournemouth University, he has written for The Athletic, ESPN, Copa90, The FA and Planet Football among other publications.

Genres: Football

359 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 27, 2022

Reviews

[Charlotte Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was 7 years old when the 2002 World Cup was played and I remember waking at early times in the morning to watch it with my dad. With being at a young age at the time, my memory of the tournament is not as clear as I would’ve liked and this book by Lewis has certainly given me clarity! Every single game is analysed, detailed and described, making you feel like you were there experiencing every moment. The jubilation, the shocks, the tears, moments which I had forgotten, I once again have semblance of. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this, particularly with it being 20 years since the competition took place and with the 2022 World Cup getting underway later this year

[Ray Smillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most enthralling read about a world cup tournament. Comprehensive match reports but little insight outside the actual games. Probably not helped as I didn't see much of the tournament due to being at work. The department I worked in had provided rooms where you could watch the games live, as long as you worked back the hours asap. Only the once did I go in early to watch the Brazil v England game. The highlight, being Scottish, was Brazil's second goal which resulted in a massive roar of delight (working in Edinburgh) followed by the sound of someone storming out of the room. Transpired to be a mature English temp who was deeply offended by us cheering the goal. She never came back.