"Winning the World Cup in 1998 was the highlight of my career. In this brilliant book, Matt Spiro captures the significance of that event and explains how it changed football in France for ever." - Frank Leboeuf, former France international "When I lived in France in the early 1990s I am not sure that I would have predicted the effect that the country would have not only on UK football, but on global football. Certainly, when they made such a mess of qualifying for the 1994 World Cup, winning the next one seemed a long way off. Having worked with Matt many times, it is no surprise that he has perfectly captured the essence of this beautiful country and its beautiful game." - Mark Chapman, broadcaster "A detailed and sensitive account of France's turbulent journey from one World Cup triumph to another; a fascinating story of football but also of far wider issues." - Jonathan Wilson, The Guardian "Glory, influence and the sheer volume of talent are clear themes of French football over the past twenty-five years. Matt Spiro goes deeper and covers the complications of culture and race, too. This is a book about modern France as well as modern French football." - Michael Walker, The Athletic "During my six seasons in France I saw the way Les Bleus brought an entire nation together. When they won the World Cup in 1998, I was kissing my teammates at pre-season training, thinking I was French. This fantastic book brings back some wonderful, vivid memories and truly encapsulates the complex relationship France has with football." - Tony Cascarino, former Marseille, Nancy and Republic of Ireland striker "An amazing tale... Spiro skilfully traces the emergence of world-class players from city ghettos imbued with strife through a volcanic mix of inhabitants from former French colonies." - Eric Brown, Sports Journalists' Association "A brilliantly insightful and entertaining read." - Jon Spurling, FourFourTwo