Publisher's Synopsis
Around the world the same ninety-minute ritual unites street vendors and heads of state, refugees and royalty, revolutionaries and dreamers. One Nation, One Goal journeys through thirty seismic matches -from Uruguay's "Maracanazo" in 1950 to Morocco's barrier-breaking semi-final in 2022-to reveal how a simple ball has redrawn maps, toppled stereotypes and stitched hope into the fabric of divided societies.
Each chapter is a self-contained narrative of pride and resilience: Cameroon's ageless Roger Milla dancing the corner-flag dance that rebranded Africa; Iraq's Younis Mahmoud heading home peace amid civil war; Iceland's Viking chant echoing across Europe; a Thai girls' team turning a flooded cave into a testament of global compassion.
Written as vivid reportage, the book blends sport, politics and cultural history to show football not as an escape from reality but as its most compelling mirror -and, at crucial moments, its most powerful catalyst for change.
