[New Release] 100 Years of the World Cup: The History of 'Crazy Football'

Is Sex the 'Poison' or 'Medicine' Before a Match?
Why a Corpse in a Coffin Appeared at the Stadium, and More
Fascinating History of <100 Years of World Cup Soccer> Published

Exactly 100 years ago, the 1924 Paris Olympics marked the occasion for the '1924 Paris FIFA Congress,' where the name of the world football championship was officially designated as the 'World Cup Football Tournament.'

Over the course of a century, no country on Earth has neglected the World Cup. Among popular ball sports, none reflects humanity's primal instincts as well as football does.

The football, weighing around 40g, carries a weight as immense as the Earth itself. Whether the ball crosses the goal line or not causes countless people to cry or laugh. There have even been cases where lives were lost. Football is played by 22 players, but in a way, it feels like the citizens of two countries are fighting (without guns, knives, or missiles).

From Pel?, Diego Maradona, Beckenbauer, Eusebio, Johan Cruyff, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbapp?, to Son Heung-min, the countless heroes who have graced the World Cup stage over the past 100 years have embodied the joys and sorrows of people worldwide.

Written by critic Gi Young-no, who was a reporter for Baseball Magazine, Sunday Newspaper, and Minju Ilbo, and has been South Korea’s first sports critic since 1982, World Cup Football 100 Years - 100 Moments of Glory and Despair contains the history of the World Cup and football over the past century.

The book is a treasure trove of essential knowledge for football enthusiasts, covering topics such as severe penalties for excessive celebrations, how the allowance of sex the day before a match affected results, the reason why a corpse in a coffin appeared in the stadium, the Maradona cult, the story of player Enke who lost his 2-year-old daughter Lara and took his own life due to depression, the origin of the Red Devils, and anecdotes about turning stadiums into toilets. It seems poised to briefly erase the waiting time for football fans around the globe ahead of the 2026 North American World Cup.

World Cup Football 100 Years | Written by Gi Young-no | Siganui Mulle | 342 pages | 19,500 KRW