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Angels with Dirty Faces
- Author
- Jonathan Wilson
- Narrator
- John Sackville
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Publish Date
- 27 December 2022
- Run Time
- 20 hours 33 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
The masterful, definitive history of Argentinian soccer, focusing on its dominant sports culture and unsurpassed ability to consistently produce champions.
Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Alfredo Di St’fano: in every generation Argentina has uncovered a uniquely brilliant soccer talent. Perhaps it’s because the country lives and breathes the game, its theories, and its myths.
Argentina’s rich, volatile history—by turns sublime and ruthlessly pragmatic—is mirrored in the style and swagger of its national and club sides. In Angels with Dirty Faces, Jonathan Wilson chronicles the operatic drama of Argentinian soccer: the appropriation of the British game, the golden age of la nuestra, the exuberant style of playing that developed as Juan Perón led the country into isolation; a hardening into the brutal methods of anti-fútbol; the fusing of beauty and efficacy under César Luis Menotti, and the emergence of all-time greats.
Critics Review
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“Argentina's narrative is complicated, and Jonathan Wilson mines all of it ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES. What sets Wilson's book apart is the depth to which he goes to show how soccer weaves through Argentina's political and economic turmoil. He finds that the country's most celebrated moments and players are never as great as they seem.” —Bloomberg Businessweek
“Mr. Wilson is the Lionel Messi of world football writing. Few writers in his genre are on the same literary pitch. His latest work is an integral read for those love the Argentinean style of play, its rich history and why football is the true soul of Argentina.” —World Football Commentaries
“[A] comprehensive, but immensely readable and wonderfully-researched history of a nation and its long-term love for the beautiful game… After reading this excellent history, you'll be as convinced as Argentina's football-loving population that it won't be long before the Carasucias add to their two World Cup titles.” —News North Wales
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Details
- Author
- Jonathan Wilson
- Narrator
- John Sackville
- Duration
- 20 hours 33 minutes
- Release Date
- 27 December 2022
- ISBN
- 9781668631393
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Genre
- Association football (Soccer), History of the Americas, History of sport
Synopsis
The masterful, definitive history of Argentinian soccer, focusing on its dominant sports culture and unsurpassed ability to consistently produce champions. Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Alfredo Di St’fano: in every generation Argentina has uncovered a uniquely brilliant soccer talent. Perhaps it’s because the country lives and breathes the game, its theories, and its myths.  Argentina’s rich, volatile history—by turns sublime and ruthlessly pragmatic—is mirrored in the style and swagger of its national and club sides. In Angels with Dirty Faces, Jonathan Wilson chronicles the operatic drama of Argentinian soccer: the appropriation of the British game, the golden age of la nuestra, the exuberant style of playing that developed as Juan Perón led the country into isolation; a hardening into the brutal methods of anti-fútbol; the fusing of beauty and efficacy under César Luis Menotti, and the emergence of all-time greats.
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