Assouline Football Roots: The Spirit of the Game - Orange

Football is not born in glory; it is born in dust and freedom. Before the stadiums; the floodlights; and the roaring crowds; there was a street; a ball; and a child with a dream. For Football Roots: The Spirit of the Game; photographer Sam Robles spent a decade traversing eighteen countries; from Brazil and Ghana to Morocco; Nepal; and beyond; to document the rawest expression of the sport. Gaining the trust of children in hidden and sometimes dangerous communities; often without speaking their language; Robles let football do the talking. The result is a body of work of rare tenderness and universality; capturing the joy; grit; and pure love of the game at its most elemental.