Sports & Outdoor Books:

A Catalan Dream

Football Artistry and Political Intrigue
Click to share your rating 0 ratings (0.0/5.0 average) Thanks for your vote!

Format:

Paperback / softback
Unavailable
Sorry, this product is not currently available to order

Description

In 2003, Barcelona was in full crisis on and off the pitch with the team struggling in the league and the protests of fans leading to the resignation of the president. A new radical board led by the charismatic Joan Laporta was ushered into power with a landslide election victory and a dramatic recovery unfolded. With enterprising new marketing strategies, Barcelona fully exploited its potential financially, while the club returned to the pinnacle of the European game with their unique brand of swashbuckling football, forged from Johan Cruyff's innovative approach as coach in the early 1990s. The enigmatic Ronaldinho instigated the turnaround and helped the club to European success before he was superseded by homegrown players like Leo Messi and Andres Iniesta, led by coach Pep Guardiola, the iconic figure of Cruyff's side. Problems were never far away, though, as Catalan politics threatened to sidetrack the team and vendettas came to the fore. Barca had a major impact on the Spain national team, which adapted their style of quick passing football and they had eight players in the World Cup winning squad in South Africa.

Author Biography:

Tim Hanlon is based in Barcelona and has been covering Spanish football for the national news agency in the UK, the Press Association, and other British media on a freelance basis, for the past seven years. Tim is an NCTJ trained journalist and worked for agencies and newspapers in the North West of England, including the Manchester Evening News, before moving to Spain. As the only British reporter to regularly cover training practices and speak to players, Tim has been in the ideal position to write about the dramatic events as they have unfolded at the Barcelona club, as well as through living in Spain to understand what Barca means to the Catalan people.
Release date Australia
January 6th, 2011
Author
Pages
312
Audience
  • General (US: Trade)
ISBN-13
9781907219153
Product ID
9984357

Customer reviews

Nobody has reviewed this product yet. You could be the first!

Write a Review

Marketplace listings

There are no Marketplace listings available for this product currently.
Already own it? Create a free listing and pay just 9% commission when it sells!

Sell Yours Here

Help & options

Filed under...