The Beautiful Game

In the 1920s and 1930s, as Jewish existence in Europe was increasingly marginalized, a unique sporting and social phenomenon unfolded. A generation of Jewish players, coaches and visionaries emerged to completely transform European football.

They won titles, reshaped tactical thinking, revolutionized coaching, inaugurated competitions and drove profound social change. Then, as the clouds of war gathered, they were forced into exile — and through migration, spread their ideas and influence throughout the world.

The Beautiful Game: The Untold Stories captures the lives of these remarkable individuals. Combining engaging sports writing with vivid period detail, it explores a unique dual existence: one of unprecedented creative and pioneering freedom, and one of looming danger.

Among them: the extraordinary team that became the first foreign side to defeat England on home soil. The man who built Europe's greatest club and inaugurated the European Cup. The glamorous fashion icon who envisioned women's football decades before it finally arrived. And the player and coach who emerged from the brink of death to win titles in six countries and reach the pinnacle of European football.

Based in Budapest — at the very birthplace of this story — Ronen Dorfan is an international sports writer who has covered major events across five continents, from World Cups to Sumo, from the Winter Olympics to Chess. He brings a unique and personal perspective: from an era when Jews were the only significant minority in the game, to our own time, when football has become one of the world's most powerful social forces.

Author: Ronen Dorfan 

Contributors: Dr. Henry Whaling, Manuel Neukirchner, Alan Rothenberg, Lord John Mann

Release Date: Fall 2026