My soccer library consists of over 100 books, everything from coaching manuals (KNVB Dutch, Brazilian, USSF, Spanish Federation, etc), Biographies/Auto Biographies (Alfredo Di Stéfano "Gracias Vieja" is probably my favorite), Documentary books ("Senda de Campeones" comes to mind), and many more. 

I have the advantage of being bi lingual so besides the regular US & UK Amazon shopping sprees, I find myself buying many books from Argentina, and Spain.

But the genre I usually enjoy the most are Soccer "Fiction" books, stories where one can find the relationship that soccer always had with arts (music, poetry, movies, etc), with friendship, with culture, with our everyday life, etc. 

This post is about a personal memory of growing up playing fútbol ("jugar a la pelota") in the streets of suburban Buenos Aires, on how to follow your dreams, and a couple excerpts from a favorite book of mine called "Soccer in sun and shadow"

Enjoy! 

#1 PATRICIOS STREET TEAM

My neighborhood was perfect for the healthy habit of playing outside, it was suburban and quiet. And for some magical reason we were a group of 8 boys in our block, all similar age and really good at soccer.

So the routine was, come back from school, do the homework, and meet outside to play. If we were 2 we will just play 1v1, if 3 we will do something like crossing to score or 1v1 plus a gk, if more, then we had a game, for hours and hours, until it was dark, pretty much every single day.
My next door neighbor, a couple years younger than me, was my best soccer mate. Interestingly, he didn't play organized soccer until he was 13 yrs old and ended up playing professional soccer for a 1st division team at the age of 21 (Hours and hours of street soccer was his developmental school - "food for thought")

One of my most precious soccer memories goes like this:

Every block in my neighborhood had their own soccer team, we would play on the street (asphalt) and only stop when cars drove by. So for example if we wanted to play against another team, we had to walk a block, ask one of the kids to put together his team and arranged for a convenient date. If we played home, we would play right outside our houses, if away we had to go to their block. 

We will usually beat all of the other blocks (we had a future pro in our team after all), except one, "América street".
This wasn't because they had a good team, it was because their street was a HILL. Yes, a hill, and since they were the home team we had to play uphill, which meant we would spend most of that game trying to hold those boys from coming at us and looking for our chance. Needless to say the majority of our games at their street ended up in a loss, so we were sure to put up a top performance when they came to us.

#2 DIEGO MARADONA'S DREAMS

Diego Maradona was born in 1960, at the age of 10 he was playing on a team called "Los Cebollitas" with players older than him. Someone saw him play and asked him to take the field for a half time performance during the Argentinos Juniors games for the 1st division of the Argentine Soccer tournament. Diego will go out, and juggle the ball, the rumor goes that when the teams returned to play, the crowd will usually cheer for young Diego to stay and keep juggling. "Que se quede! que se quede!"

A popular TV show from that era went to Diego's neighborhood to interview him. Diego was 10 yrs old, and he told the reporter that he had "2 dreams".... boy did he accomplish them. Check the video to see for yourself. 

#3 FUTBOL IN SUN & SHADOW - Eduardo Galeano

I will start with some excerpts of this amazing book by the Uruguayan writer, highly recommended. 

"Years have gone by and I've finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good soccer. I go around the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: 'A pretty move, for the love of God'. And when good soccer happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don't give a damn which country or team performs it."

"Soccer matches have become a spectacle, with few protagonists and many spectators. Professional sport has managed to impose a football of lightning speed and brute strength, a football that negates joy, kills fantasy and outlaws daring. 
Luckily, on the field you can still see, even if only one in while, some insolent rascal who sets aside the script and commits the sin of dribbling past the entire opposing side, the referee, and the crowd in the stands, all for the carnal delight of embracing the forbidden adventure of freedom"

What are your soccer memories? favorite books? quotes? stories? share with us!!!