You would not think a global industry could be built around a man kicking a ball into a net. But a goal at the World Cup or in a European match is like hitting the jackpot at a casino. Kylian Mbappe of France got all his numbers matched at that huge slot machine that was the 2018 World Cup, and he now earns €18m a year. Lionel Messi is paid €46m. Serial scorers are assured of huge earnings and glamorous lives. Soccer has become a game where players rush to score goals at an increasingly frantic speed. They are thirsting to get that ball into opponents’ nets, knowing that each goal is a life-changing event. Clocking up goals becomes an exercise in pure capital accumulation. The speed of the modern game is a reflection of that utter desperation for almost instant wealth. Games have become faster, goals more difficult to score, with defensive strategies increasingly impenetrable. Players know that conceding a goal is like giving away a large chunk of their capital. The more goals a tea...
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