I am joined by Martin da Cruz, whose new book From Beauty to Duty explores the roots of Uruguayan football in depth for the first time in the English language.
We look at how the game was introduced into schools and workplaces by British immigrants – the ‘crazy English’ – in the late 19th century and how the local-born ‘criollo’ population took the game on. How did tiny Uruguay, with its population of just two million, become the world’s leading national footballing side within a generation?
Disclosure: Both Martin and my books came out via Pitch Publishing, and if you’re interested in the roots of the game, do please check out my first book, Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World.
I release a new podcast every Monday, so be sure to subscribe on your preferred podcast platform. You can find Football Travel by Outside Write on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Player.FM and Anchor. Look for it in Google Podcasts too. I’d really appreciate a rating or view if you like what I’m doing as it helps others discover the podcast.