It was Pelé who coined the phrase 'the beautiful game', and in the 1970s football was at its most beautiful, free-flowing and entertaining. This book celebrates an era when football became truly international, driven by extraordinary talent and charismatic players who were the first generation of global superstars. It explores the global and cultural impact of the game, covering the fashions, the cars, the politics, the fans, the hooligans, the passion, the thrills - and of course the sideburns. Featuring the 1970 World Cup in Mexico (the first football championship televised in colour), the 1974 World Cup with its dramatic clash between West Germany and the Netherlands, and the 1978 World Cup hosted and won by Argentina, as well as legendary club sides like Ajax, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and the New York Cosmos. Beautifully illustrated with photography by Neil Leifer, Peter Robinson, Gerry Cranham, Terry O'Neill, Volker Hinz, Jerry Cooke, Harry Benson, Sven Simon, among others, and essays from award-winning football writers Rob Hughes, David Goldblatt, Brian Glanville and Barney Ronay. This is an illustrated photography-essay book edited by Reuel Golden, documenting the cultural and global impact of football in the 1970s. It combines vivid archival photographs and insightful essays to portray the style, personalities, dramas and transformative nature of the era - from World Cups (1970, 1974, 1978) to iconic club teams such as Ajax, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and the New York Cosmos. It highlights the burgeoning status of football, shaped by players, fans, fashion, politics and media, in an era often regarded as the game's golden age.