Author of new soccer book gets honest about Marta, Messi and others
What do Marta, Lionel Messi, Alex Morgan, Gianluigi Buffon, Sadio Mané, Mo Salah, Christian Pulisic, Asisat Oshoala, Vinicius Junior, David Clarke, and Ada Hegerberg have in common? Besides being among the most famous soccer players in the world, each had to overcome setbacks as children to become one of the faces of the sport. MORE: USMNT star Christian Pulisic roasted by pro golfer ex over alleged cheating “Inspiring Stories of Soccer Greats: 12 Uplifting Tales for Kids” from Pengiun Random House, released April 7, offers a version of each player’s biography that young children can relate to.
Author Chris Navalta, whose first book explored similar themes around famous basketball players for a slightly older audience, told The Big Lead that he wanted to inspire young readers with the book. “My hope for kids to get out of the book is, one, soccer is fun, anyone can play it, all you need is a ball,” Navalta said. “Two, these players worked hard to become great and overcame some real-life human personal challenges, some more serious than others.
“The theme is to persevere, don’t give up on your hopes and dreams. ” MORE: USMNT 2026 FIFA World Cup group D preview & predictions In addition to the aforementioned individuals, the book highlights the 1999 U. S.
Women’s National Team that beat China to win the World Cup, and the underdog 2015-16 Leicester City team that won the Premier League championship. For each individual player, their path to fame was fraught. Sadio Mané couldn’t afford shoes or a ball growing up in Senegal, and used grapefruits or rocks instead.
Marta was discouraged from playing soccer against boys as a child; one team threatened to leave a youth tournament in Brazil if Marta didn’t withdraw first. Messi’s growth was stunted by a hormone deficiency as a child, and needed help with the cost of medicine to spur his growth. The book is part of a series of children’s books from Penguin Random House called “challenge to champion” that explores themes of athletes overcoming adversity.