{"product_id":"football-the-impossible-collection","title":"Football:The Impossible Collection","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCXW196056740 BCX4\" lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003eFootball. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003eFußball\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003e. Fútbol. The Beautiful Game. No sport has ever captured the human imagination quite so completely, or united so many millions across borders, languages, and generations.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-ccp-props='{\"134233117\":false,\"134233118\":false,\"335551550\":1,\"335551620\":1,\"335559738\":240,\"335559739\":240}' class=\"EOP Selected SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCXW196056740 BCX4\" lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003eFootball: The Impossible Collection distills the sport into 100 defining moments, not simply the greatest, but the most culturally seismic. Guided by the authoritative voice of Rory Smith, longtime football correspondent for The New York Times, the collection moves chronologically through the sport's extraordinary arc: from Pelé's arrival on American soil to Messi's long-awaited coronation at the 2022 World Cup, from the birth of the Premier League to Zinedine Zidane's infamous fury on the world's grandest stage. Across borders, genders, and leagues, these are the flashpoints that \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003edidn't\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003e just define football. They defined us.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-ccp-props='{\"134233117\":false,\"134233118\":false,\"335551550\":1,\"335551620\":1,\"335559738\":240,\"335559739\":240}' class=\"EOP Selected SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCXW196056740 BCX4\" lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003eTrue to Assouline's commitment to the object as art form, the volume arrives in a sculptural rubber-like clamshell \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003ecase,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003eits\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003e hardcover \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003erendered\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003e in a bold field-green that makes the iconic black-and-white ball leap from the surface. The three-dimensional football at its center is not \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed GrammarErrorHighlight SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003edecoration\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003e; it is a declaration. With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, there has never been a more electric moment to hold this book in your hands. For those who have ever felt the pull of the beautiful game, it is nothing less than essential.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-ccp-props='{\"134233117\":false,\"134233118\":false,\"335551550\":1,\"335551620\":1,\"335559738\":240,\"335559739\":240}' class=\"EOP Selected SCXW196056740 BCX4\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbout the author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRory Smith has covered football for the better part of twenty years, attending six World Cups, five European Championships, and eight Champions League finals. He was present for a fifth of the moments included in this collection. Prior to his current roles as football correspondent of The Observer and regular contributor to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eMen in Blazers,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e he spent eight years as chief soccer correspondent for \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. He has previously written for \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eESPN, The Times of London,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Independent,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and is the author of two books \u003c\/span\u003eand \u003cem\u003eExpected Goals.\u003c\/em\u003e He is a frequent guest on BBC radio and television, as well as a member of the \u003cem\u003eLibero podcast.\u003c\/em\u003e He lives in Yorkshire, the second-best bit of Britain, with his wife, two well-behaved children, and one poorly trained dog.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"product-details__detail-list-item\"\u003e\n\u003ch4 class=\"h6\"\u003ePAGE COUNT\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e236 pages\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"product-details__detail-list-item\"\u003e\n\u003ch4 class=\"h6\"\u003eNUMBER OF ILLUSTRATIONS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver 150\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"product-details__detail-list-item\"\u003e\n\u003ch4 class=\"h6\"\u003eLANGUAGE\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnglish\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"product-details__detail-list-item\"\u003e\n\u003ch4 class=\"h6\"\u003eRELEASED ON\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMay 2026\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"product-details__detail-list-item\"\u003e\n\u003ch4 class=\"h6\"\u003eDIMENSIONS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eW 41 x L 48 x D 10 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"product-details__detail-list-item\"\u003e\n\u003ch4 class=\"h6\"\u003eCOVER MATERIALS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHandcrafted volume in a luxury rubber-like clamshell case with a 3D sculpture of a football\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"product-details__detail-list-item\"\u003e\n\u003ch4 class=\"h6\"\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"product-details__detail-list-item\"\u003e\n\u003ch4 class=\"h6\"\u003eWEIGHT\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e12.002 kg\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"product-details__detail-list-item\"\u003e\n\u003ch4 class=\"h6 author-link-title\"\u003eAUTHOR\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRory Smith\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Apsley Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47644473655350,"sku":null,"price":38500.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2414\/4971\/files\/461B390D-E5A0-4F6D-9F53-C69E1B77357F.webp?v=1788771759","url":"https:\/\/www.apsley.co.za\/products\/football-the-impossible-collection","provider":"Apsley Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}