There was a player who suffered a heart attack in the middle of a match, a defender who was murdered for defending his honesty after having committed the sin of scoring an own goal, a striker who preferred to die rather than serve Nazi propaganda, and numerous players who refused to leave the pitch despite having broken bones. In this fascinating, funny romp through almost a century of World Cups, esteemed sportswriter Luciano Wernicke chronicles the unforgettable crashes, the magnetic personalities, and the stunning records set in the global contest for supremacy in the most popular of sports.

There was a player who suffered a heart attack in the middle of a match, a defender who was murdered for defending his honesty after having committed the sin of scoring an own goal, a striker who preferred to die rather than serve Nazi propaganda, and numerous players who refused to leave the pitch despite having broken bones. In this fascinating, funny romp through almost a century of World Cups, esteemed sportswriter Luciano Wernicke chronicles the unforgettable crashes, the magnetic personalities, and the stunning records set in the global contest for supremacy in the most popular of sports.