Description: For more than fifteen years, almost any conversation about international soccer has always come back to two players--Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo--undoubtedly the greatest of their generation but with styles, attitudes, and fan bases that couldn't be more different. Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg unite the stories of Messi and Ronaldo into a single modern epic of global sports, detailing how one rivalry changed both the game and the business of international soccer--forever.--Adapted from book jacket.
Brief description: Joshua Robinson is the European sports correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, and has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post and Sports Illustrated.
Review Quotes:
"Deep and intelligent...a portrait of football greatness." - Arsène Wenger
"This book explains the brilliant backstory behind how each player became a star and how that stardom changed the footballing landscape not just in Spain but in the wider world as well...I read it in a day." - Rebecca Lowe, NBC Sports
"While these two soaring greats are known for their transcendent wonder on the field, this rollicking narrative plunges into the complex backstories and entire ecosystems that propelled their colliding trajectories. With a pair of epic hero stories like The Last Dance or Homer's Odyssey in cleats, this book traces the journey from aspirational prodigies to global commercial billboards, explaining how these two juggernauts and their rivalry shaped the most popular, and lucrative, era of the world's most beloved sport." - Roger Bennett, founder, Men in Blazers Media Network
"Impressive." - Boston Globe
"Excellent... A brilliant follow-up to The Club." - The Independent (UK)
"This rigorously researched book avoids becoming hagiography. The result is an ambitious and valuable study for all those who want to understand the modern world of football that Mr. Messi and Mr. Ronaldo have helped forge." - The Economist
"A comprehensive primer into the entwined histories of the two titans and the commercial forces that have molded their careers and, by extension, the sport." - New York Times
An absorbing cautionary tale for soccer fans and students of sports finance alike. - Kirkus Reviews