The Dream Factory

Inside the cruel system behind Argentina's soccer empire

Argentina’s youth soccer system is among the best in the world, routinely developing athletes who play at the highest levels, including at the World Cup. But an ESPN investigation finds that the system can be rife with problems: dream-chasing players can endure, at one extreme, sexual abuse, but also hunger, overcrowding and unsafe living conditions, sometimes in plain sight of adults charged with their care and regulatory bodies that have the authority to establish rules to protect them. In The Dream Factory, ESPN’s investigative team examines the feeder system through a years-long investigation led by reporter Steve Fainaru. What began as reporting on a 2018 sexual abuse scandal at one of the country’s top clubs evolved into a broader examination into an unregulated system in which thousands of children leave their families to pursue their dreams.