The teams are made up of journeymen players, a few young talents and the occasional star in the twilight of their careers. The chapters on the last decade of Argentine domestic football are dull because there is no real narrative. The problem is summarised in one sentence towards the end, when Wilson explains that there have been eleven different champions in the most recent twelve years. Wilson is excellent when it comes to tying in the development of the sport with Argentina's troubled development and I learned a lot about Peron, the generals and Menem. Too many football books are written as though the sport only began in 1966, 1982 or 1990. The great thing is that Wilson devotes as much attention to the 1930s and the 1950s as he does to the 1990s and the 2000s. There's one great thing about this book, and one problem. Let's hope the author could eventually give the same treatment to River Plate. Either way you look at it, the book is a magnificent read for any fan of South American football. So yes, there are chapters which dip back and forth in time reflecting either the league programme or the national side. The final third deals almost with the rise of Maradonna and the AFA. The book then focuses upon the club sides and the eventual rise of the national team which culminated in the 1978 victory. Struggling to find the right philosophy and having to recover from an almighty setback during the World Cup in Sweden. The beginning and the establishment of the clubs who now dominate the landscape. So, onto the football.įrom the beginning in which football was introduced by the British, the spread of the sport, the rise of Argentine football, plenty of crashes along the way which eventually lead to the present day - this book is superb! Split the book into 3 parts if you like. The book is never bogged down with irrelevant information. Be it escapism from a government with little time for human rights or being used as a tool for propaganda, football helped shape Argentinian society. Football was also taken along for the ride.

They played an impact upon Argentina at the time and thus helped shape the country at the time. The politics and socio-economic factors are easily explained in the context of the relevant chapters.

You don't need to know the history of Argentina. Secondly, it's a football book first and foremost. Yes, some chapters do come across as being fragmented which do feature a bit of back and forth but that shouldn't impact upon how enjoyable the book is. Thankfully it has been worth the wait.įirst I think it's fair to address a couple of complaints for other reviews. There are some amazing books covering South American football as well as focusing upon the exploits of Brazil but never Argentina. This is a book I've waited a long time for. Which is a pity as after 500 + pages, I still wanted more. Unfortunately this book does have an ending.

Angels with dirty faces book