When David Adekoya of LadderBoyz struggled to find a coffee table book honoring the Black footballers he looked up to as a child, he decided to right this wrong himself. “Are we allowed to just dream?” is a 300-page odyssey into the stories of iconic heroes, new and old, celebrating the indelible impact they’ve had on the game and the surrounding culture. Naomi Accardi speaks to Adekoya and co-creator Margot Purgues about the making of this important book, and their hopes that it can inspire young Black people to realize their power and dream big.
“Are we allowed to just dream?” It’s a question that might seem straightforward to many, yet for countless Black and underprivileged individuals, the answer often feels far from simple. In a world designed to hold them back, even the most fortunate find themselves overlooked and ostracized. This stark reality struck David Adekoya as he searched for a coffee table book celebrating the heroes of his childhood: the football players who inspired him to dream. Despite spending countless afternoons combing through bookstore shelves at home and abroad, he came up empty-handed.
Frustration turned into action. If the book he envisioned didn’t exist, he would create it himself. Now, Adekoya’s vision has become reality with “Are we allowed to just dream?”, a 300-page volume that shines a spotlight on the Black players who reimagined the possibilities for generations to come, despite being ignored or demonized by the media. The book marks the culmination of a labor of love, co-created by Adekoya and Margot Purgues, who fully embraced the project from the beginning, when it was in its gestational phase. “‘Are we allowed to just dream?’ is a question posed to the world,” Adekoya says. “A reminder that while the statistics may suggest there aren’t many of us at the top, we still have the right to dream. And if we’re allowed that space, we’ll surprise you.
“The purpose of this project was, first and foremost, to honor and celebrate those who came before us and those who are currently living out the dreams of so many young boys and girls,” Adekoya says, but the mission behind “Are we allowed to just dream?” goes much deeper. It is an answer to the title itself. It’s an invitation to reject restrictive narratives and find the strength to believe that we can rise above the hurdles society places before us, just as these players did.
Divided into five chapters—Beauty, Gift, Imagination, Action and Celebration—the book features the stories of some of the Black players who rewrote the rules of the game, each one introduced by a concise six-word line, inspired by Adekoya’s personal struggle with dyslexia—a condition that affects how the brain processes written language.
Each chapter is also introduced by a palindromic poem by Kieran Kenlock, establishing the flow and setting the stage for what’s to come. “I’ve always needed to break things down in a unique way to truly understand words or grasp the story being told to me. This is one of the reasons I’ve always been obsessed with rap and hip-hop—because, for me, it’s the most powerful form of storytelling,” says Adekoya in regard to the lyrics penned by Kieran. “With this book, I wanted to bring that essence into the format—storytelling that rhymes and amplifies its impact. Even without hearing the beat of the song, the words still rhyme and shine, carrying the same energy and power.”
The art direction is as intentional as its narrative, sealing the storytelling by juxtaposing a pop, contemporary graphic direction with classic football references such as Panini stickers. “It all came together in staggered stages,” Adekoya says. “Once I identified the images and how I wanted to organize them, we worked closely with Victor Fonseca [the Paris-based designer, who took the lead on the overall art direction] to establish the overall look and feel. It was a process of constant refinement.” The team sat down to explore various references, identifying elements they thought would be inspiring to draw from. Fonseca took these ideas and developed the concepts we see in the final edition.
The book also includes original paintings by Russian artist Alina Gibadullina at the beginning of each chapter. The impressionistic style of her work, with loose brushstrokes and a more muted color palette, creates a striking contrast to the book’s graphic design, emphasizing the atmosphere, movement and emotional intensity of each scene. Each painting depicts a specific moment borrowed from the annals of football, from a memorable image of Taribo West and his iconic green braids as he soaks up a well-deserved standing ovation, to a group of African children playing in the characteristic jelly sandals. The synergy between art and text elevates the book beyond a mere collection of essays and photos. It becomes an immersive experience, inviting readers to see football as both a sport and a profound cultural expression.
I wish Black people would realize the power they hold in their hands and stop doubting it.
“I wish Black people would realize the power they hold in their hands and stop doubting it. I wish non-Black people could see more of the beauty—and the complexity—of what it means to be Black in this crazy world,” Purgues says when asked what she hopes to achieve with this book. “And I wish that one day, everyone who asks themselves the question posed by this title, ‘Are we allowed to just dream?’, will finally be able to answer it with a resounding yes. All of them.”
“Are we allowed to just dream?” lays the groundwork for a profound collective reckoning. It’s an encyclopedia of Black excellence as seen through the lens of football—one of the strongest social glues at our disposal. It creates a hopeful stride toward a future where the legends of yesterday and the trailblazers of tomorrow are both rightfully honored. But above all, it’s a call to take up space, dream big and inspire other young Black people to believe that turning an idea into a tangible result isn’t out of reach. With the right friends and collaborators—as proven by everyone who helped this book come to life—only the sky’s the limit.