Messi, Maradona, and Pelé speak the same language: the language of the beautiful game. Because football is exactly that: a system of signs, a language. In its greatest moments, it becomes poetry. This potential is why football is loved by millions around the world. Patrick Küppers analyzes the highlights of football history and presents insights from scholars and intellectuals such as Norbert Elias, Johan Huizinga, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Jacques Derrida in a concise and understandable manner to explain the phenomenon of football, its history, and mythology. Has beautiful football only existed in the past? What nonsense! In the sandglass game system, Küppers shows how the dream of poetic football can become a reality today and in the future.