Football is smarter than many other sports, and even being a fan requires extraordinary intelligence. Convinced of this, Simon Critchley reveals the secrets of the super-popularity of this game, talking about talent and team spirit, about aesthetics and poetry, passion and calculation - and about the feeling of magic happening on the field here and now. He also draws on the life philosophies of legends such as Zinedine Zidane, Jurgen Klopp, Bill Shankly, Johan Cruyff and Brian Clough to celebrate the power and grace of the game. “Beauty is everywhere here: the beauty of the players, the rich green of the grass intersected by the clear geometry of white lines, the beauty of constantly changing shapes, interconnected and intertwined movements, tackles and collisions during the game, dynamics and combinations on the field, the beauty of banners and flags swaying in the hands of fans , sound, power and rhythm of their songs. And of course, this is grace, elegance, relaxedness and plasticity of movements. Why is football so important to so many of us? First of all, because this game unites people by the call of the heart, and not by force, and gives everyone a living sense of common interests... Football gives us an understanding of what it means to be a person in this world" (Simon Critchley).