The free kick taker

Cláudio Lovato Filho explores the entire imaginary world surrounding the game of soccer in the 17 short stories that comprise the book "The Free Kick Taker." The ball boy, the goalkeeper, the stretcher-bearer, the lame striker, the old coach, the brothers, the father and son in the stands are some of the characters the author casts for a first-class match. The book's opening story is "Archbills." In it, father and son discuss family matters in a stadium during the game. "Night on the Loose" tells the story of the intense tension a young defender experiences on the eve of his first championship final. Suffering from insomnia, he finds comfort only when he thinks of his grandfather and the soccer stories he used to tell him. In "Work Instrument," a defender with limited technical resources specializes in the sliding tackle, with great pride. "Acuados" recounts the tense moments of a soccer team that defeated the home team and is trapped in the locker room under the furious threats of the fans. In the short story that gives the book its title, The Free Kick Taker, the author shows how football can represent an individual's greatest existential fulfillment.