From the publisher:
Uruguay: Football’s First Global Power, 1918–1930 tells the extraordinary story of how a small South American nation reshaped the global game and became football’s first true superpower.
Drawing on rare archival material from Montevideo, historian Martin da Cruz reconstructs a decisive era in world football, from Uruguay’s pioneering innovations to their crowning moment on the sport’s biggest stage.
- Traces the rise of La Celeste from regional innovators to global champions, changing how football was played and understood.
- Explores Uruguay’s explosive impact at the 1924 Paris Olympics, where their revolutionary style stunned Europe and redefined the sport
- Covers back‑to‑back Olympic triumphs in 1924 and 1928, alongside celebrated tours of Europe and North America
- Profiles iconic figures such as José Nasazzi, José Leandro Andrade and Héctor Scarone, whose intelligence, skill and athleticism set new international standards
- Recreates the drama of the 1930 FIFA World Cup in Montevideo, won amid political tension, construction crises and European boycotts
- Examines the cultural, social and sporting forces that shaped one of football’s most influential generations
A richly researched and vivid account of football’s formative years – essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the World Cup, South American football or the origins of the modern game.
The author:
Martin da Cruz is a football historian and writer, and the author of From Beauty to Duty: A Footballing History of Uruguay, 1878–1917. He has contributed to The Blizzard and is a founding member of the Uruguayan Football Historians and Researchers Association (AHIFU).
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