Assouline Is Launching Two Soccer Coffee Table Books Ahead Of The World Cup

“Football: The Impossible Collection” and “Football Roots: The Spirit of the Game” toast iconic moments, stories and imagery.

As buzz builds surrounding the FIFA World Cup, luxury publisher Assouline is raising a toast to the occasion (and to beloved global sport) with two lavish new coffee table books primed for a spot in your living room.

With both Football: The Impossible Collection and Football Roots: The Spirit of the Game, Assouline captures the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, with the first volume taking a shot at capturing 100 seminal moments in the sport, including callbacks to the 2006 World Cup and “the collective euphoria that swept American soccer upon Pelé’s arrival.” Football Roots takes a global approach and dives into the sport far from the professional level, boasting photographer Sam Robles’ decade-long journey following the sport to nearly 20 countries.

In Football Roots specifically, Robles captures the journey, the work ethic and the rise from moments “before the stadiums, the floodlights, and the roaring crowds,” when, as Assouline sagely notes, “there was a street, a ball, and a child with a dream.” Countries as diverse and far-flung as Nepal and Ghana are studied, with a focus on impromptu neighborhood games and the spirit of child-like wonder captured in football at its finest moments. The volume also features a foreword by Brazilian football legend Marta Vieira da Silva, for good measure.

Hundreds of colorful illustrations and poignant moments trace the pages of Football Roots, while Football: The Impossible Collection clocks in at more than 230 pages and is delivered in an impressive and seriously sporty rubber-like clamshell case for a luxurious touch.

Boasting text by acclaimed football author Rory Smith, the volume takes a comprehensive look at moments at the highest level of sport, one that’s captured the attention of an estimated 3.5 billion fans worldwide. At Assouline boutiques globally and online at Assouline,  Football: The Impossible Collection (SRP: $1,400) will be available beginning May 18, while Football Roots: The Spirit of the Game an be purchased from May 20 for about $120.