Footballers who stopped wars, like Drogba. Sportsmen who said no to Hitler, like Sindelar, or who were bold enough to refuse to shake Pinochet's hand, like Caszely. Factory workers who could fill stadia, like the Dick, Kerr Ladies F.C. Heroines who defied the most stringent prejudice, like Marta Vieira. Extraordinary professionals who have known how to turn the jokes about them into a book, and that book into a source of solidarity, as Totti did... 'The Best of Football' focuses on the more human side of this sport because, beyond the stereotypical image of the star footballer who lives in a bubble of luxury and privilege, there is another more engaging one, which the example of these men and women has helped to forge. Football owes much to them, and remembering them is a way to honour that debt.