Cover The 2022 World Cup solidified Lionel Messi as the greatest player of his generation, though some may say of all time. Messi’s stellar career was finally crowned with the ultimate honour. Learn more about this in Assouline’s ‘Football: The Impossible Collection’ (Photo: David Ramos - FIFA/Getty Images)
The 2022 World Cup solidified Lionel Messi as the greatest player of his generation, though some may say of all time. Messi’s stellar career was finally crowned with the ultimate honour. Learn more about this in Assouline’s ‘Football: The Impossible Collection’ (Photo: David Ramos - FIFA/Getty Images)
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As the 2026 FIFA World Cup captivates fans around the globe, Assouline presents a beautiful book featuring one hundred key moments that have shaped football culture
Lionel Messi stood on the gleaming white plinth at Lusail Stadium, so close he could almost touch the prize that had eluded him throughout his glittering career. As the Emir of Qatar draped a gold-trimmed black bisht over his shoulders, the stadium erupted in rapture. It was the ultimate denouement to the 2022 World Cup, a moment beamed across a globe united in breathless awe. It perfectly illustrated what football has become: not merely the world’s most popular sport, but its dominant cultural anchor.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup underway from June 11 to July 19 across Canada, Mexico and the US, luxury publisher Assouline has introduced a spectacular visual testament to this global obsession. Titled Football: The Impossible Collection, this latest masterpiece in Assouline’s celebrated Ultimate Collection is a monumental tribute to the sport. Curated by esteemed football correspondent Rory Smith, the oversized, handcrafted volume, housed in a tactile, luxury, rubber-like clamshell case and complete with a 3D sculpture of a football, is a collector’s edition designed for those who appreciate the intersection of sport and high culture.
Above Football remains the world’s most beloved game (Photo: Getty Images)
Football remains the world’s most beloved game (Photo: Getty Images)
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A global tapestry
The curated chronology spans nearly a century of football history, from FIFA President Jules Rimet’s 1928 proposal for the World Cup to Messi’s ultimate triumph at the 2022 tournament. Along the way, it revisits West Germany’s stunning 1954 World Cup victory, less than a decade after the end of the Second World War, and celebrates England’s long-awaited triumph on home soil in 1966. The narrative also traces the sport’s growing global reach through Pelé’s arrival at the New York Cosmos in 1975, a move that revitalised American football and boosted the profile of the North American Soccer League.
The book also illustrates football’s power to shape civic identity. Few examples are more striking than Diego Maradona’s arrival at SSC Napoli in 1984, which led the club to its first two national championships and cemented his enduring presence in the cultural fabric of Naples. Equally significant is the inclusion of the women’s game, highlighted by Brandi Chastain’s decisive contribution to the United States’ victory in the 1999 Women’s World Cup before 90,000 spectators at the Rose Bowl.
Above Cover of the ‘Football: The Impossible Collection’, featuring a tactile, luxury, rubber-like clamshell case and complete with a 3D sculpture of a football (Photo: Assouline)
Cover of the ‘Football: The Impossible Collection’, featuring a tactile, luxury, rubber-like clamshell case and complete with a 3D sculpture of a football (Photo: Assouline)
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Modern icons are afforded equal prominence. The anthology recalls Messi’s emotional farewell to FC Barcelona, revisits the infamous 2006 World Cup final that brought Zinedine Zidane’s career to a dramatic close, and commemorates Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013 after 27 years at Manchester United. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Euro 2016 final likewise earns a place in the narrative, capturing the emotional arc of a match in which injury forced him from the field before he returned to celebrate Portugal’s historic triumph from the sidelines.
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Naples’s obsession with the Argentinean footballer Diego Maradona began in 1984 when he joined SSC Napoli and led the team to their first two national championships (Photo: Getty Images)
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Through the years
The book offers timely insights into why football sparks such unmatched passion. In today’s world, where digital algorithms, remote work and the decline of traditional communal spaces are increasingly prevalent, football remains a rare, unifying experience. Each team represents an imagined community of millions. Distance does not diminish this loyalty; fans can pledge lifelong support to Manchester United, Real Madrid or AC Milan from thousands of miles away, sharing the same enthusiasm as those on the terraces.
With 1.4 billion viewers watching the 2022 World Cup final and stars like Ronaldo boasting 665 million Instagram followers, the sport has become our dominant cultural force, influencing fashion, art and language. Assouline’s stunning volume highlights that football has transcended the field to become a global identity. Ultimately, it defines who we are.
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Whether on assignment or not, Maritess is always on the lookout for off-the-beaten-path destinations as well as the yummiest finds in the Philippines and abroad. In 2020, she plunged into the black hole of Korean la la land. Follow her escapades at @matetreyes.
