African Football Migration

African football migration offers essential coverage of why and how African players have become actors in the global football industry. It reveals the meanings associated with migration in post-colonial Africa, and the implications of (im)mobility for the personal and professional life trajectories of youth and young men across the continent.

The global success of football icons like Samuel Eto'o, Didier Drogba and Mohamed Salah has fuelled the migratory projects of countless young men across the African continent who dream of following in their footsteps. Drawing on over a decade of ethnographic research, the book chronicles the experiences and trajectories of those pursuing this highly prized form of transnational migration. This book uncovers and traces the myriad actors, networks and institutions that affect the ability of young people across the continent to realise social mobility through football's global production network.

The book sheds critical light on the barriers to social mobility erected by neoliberal capitalism, and how these are negotiated. It also generates original interdisciplinary perspectives on the complex interplay between structural forces and human agency, as young players navigate an industry rife with commercial speculation.