WORLD SOCCER KINGS

The king of sports poetry returns to tackle the world’s most popular game.

Hot on the heels of his Soccer Queens (2023), Smith pays tribute to the best male soccer players from around the world. Some subjects get their own poems, while others (like a quartet of goalkeepers) are placed together. Meanwhile, vibrant photography shows athletes leaping, kicking, diving, running, and generally in the thick of the sport they play so well. While always reflecting the energy of their subjects, some poetic prompts work better than others, as when a Harry Kane chant fails to scan properly. More successful are the acrostics and call-and-response poems, as well as the less familiar ghazal, sijo, and Sapphic stanzas (each meriting its own description in the backmatter). In “Player Notes,” Smith offers additional information about the subjects and explains why each form was chosen, though he eschews other details, like the team each person plays for. Fans will also certainly have their own opinions; Lionel Messi is “arguably the greatest footballer of all time,” while Cristiano Ronaldo is merely a player most people know “by one name.”

Gives poetry a kick in the pants and definitely reaches its end GOOOOOOOOAL!