A group of boys play football on a dusty pitch in Beira, Mozambique, with the damaged roof of Macuti Cathedral visible in the background.

8.04.2026

The price of potential

Lucas Souza
Matthew Kirwin

Joseph O’Neill’s new novel follows a Pittsburgh writer chasing a West African wonderkid. It’s also a story about who profits every time the world goes looking for the next Eusébio.