THE ZVEZDA SPARK: When Football Saves Lives

On his World Cup tour of Russia, NatGeo explorer Sergey Gordeev visits with Football Club Zvezda, a youth soccer team for players with cerebral palsy, as they practice with leading Russian goal scorer Aleksandr Kerzhakov.

ABOUT THE SERIES: In the summer of 2018, National Geographic partnered with Fox Sports to cover the world’s most watched single-sport tournament: the FIFA World Cup. National Geographic correspondent Sergey Gordeev joined Fox Sports to present daily stories about the people, culture, and beauty of Russia, which hosted the World Cup for the first time.

This piece won the prestigious Sportel 2018 Jury Prize in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Original air date: July 6, 2018 on Fox Sports.