Barcelona and Real Madrid: two of the most powerful
and popular clubs in world football, and one of the world”s most bitter
sporting rivalries. Going far beyond the boundaries of just sport alone, this
is a rivalry at the heart of Spanish life, taking in politics and culture and
splitting a country in two.
El Clásico gets to the heart of that rivalry, investigating
the intrigue, the larger-than-life characters, the key flashpoints and their
consequences. From civil war bloodshed to 40 years of fascism and links with
General Franco, the clubs” shared history is the stuff of a Robert Harris novel
and includes: murdered presidents from both clubs, player kidnappings, acts of
hooliganism – and that”s before you start thinking of the volatile football matches
themselves.
The book contains numerous interviews with key figures
such as Luís Figo
and Hristo Stoichkov (two of the main hate figures from both clubs), Joan
Laporta (Barcelona”s most successful president and, having entered politics,
Catalonian separatism”s poster boy) and various ex-players, ex-managers,
agents, referees, hooligans, editors, historians, sociologists, filmmakers,
novelists, photographers, TV presenters and celebrity fans.
The two clubs are packed with international superstar
players – including the world”s two best players in Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – and 10 of the
starting 11 players from Spain”s 2010 World Cup final victory play with either Barcelona
or Real Madrid.
This is a story
with resonance around the sporting world, with many instantly recognisable figures
to an international audience such as Jose Mourinho. But it is also a tale of a
country divided by a bitter rivalry.
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