Born in Bosnia, a boy was uprooted by civil war and thrust into a life displaced. Arriving in a new country, not once, but twice, he faces challenges of language barriers, cultural differences, and starting over. Always an outsider, always looking for a community, a resting place, a home. The young refugee finds solace in the beautiful game. Determined to pursue his quest for identity, he searches across continents for a football club that he sees himself in and will help him realize his dream of finding a community of like-minded people. The story explores themes of hope, perseverance, and the power of football to unite people from different backgrounds.
The author uses his own life's story and entwines it with football events. A perfect book for any soccer/football fan as it talks about a wide range of teams from different countries like Borussia Dortmund in Germany and Boca Juniors in Argentina in addition to some of the most memorable players in the history of the sport including the Brazilian Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Juan Roman Riquelme, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Zinedine Zidane. The author recounts his experiences at some of football's greatest cathedrals including La Bombonera in Buenos Aires and the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund. In addition it covers all of the World Cups from 1998, the author's first, and culminates with Argentina's victory at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. It is a book by a fan for fans of the beautiful game.
This is the author's debut book. It has been named as a finalist in the sports category of the American Writing Awards in 2024.