Soccer Men
Profiles of the Rogues, Geniuses, and Neurotics Who Dominate the World's Most Popular Sport
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Simon Kuper's New York Times bestseller Soccernomics pioneered a new way of looking at soccer through meticulous empirical analysis and incisive -- and witty -- commentary. Kuper now leaves the numbers and data behind to explore the heart and soul of the world's most popular sport in the new, extraordinarily revealing Soccer Men.
Soccer Men goes behind the scenes with soccer's greatest players and coaches. Inquiring into the genius and hubris of the modern game, Kuper details the lives of giants such as Arsè Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Jorge Valdano, Lionel Messi, Kakáand Didier Drogba, describing their upbringings, the soccer cultures they grew up in, the way they play, and the baggage they bring to their relationships at work.
From one of the great sportswriters of our time, Soccer Men is a penetrating and surprising anatomy of the figures that define modern soccer.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kuper (Soccernomics), who has covered professional soccer's headliners and newsmakers for a variety of publications, including the Financial Times and the Times of London, writes, "I have never thought that most soccer players, like in many other sports, have anything special to say." He adds that today's players are mostly followers whose worldview is limited to what happens on the pitch. Still, that doesn't prevent the author from employing eloquent criticism and biting wit in profiling everyone from legendary Argentine player/partier turned national coach Diego Maradona ("the fat cigar smoker and former cocaine addict with the geriatric's heart") to David Beckham ("an Andy Warhol painting come to life") to baseball executive Billy Beane, whose moneyball tactics have found their way into professional soccer. But over the course of a book, Kuper's winking, borderline contemptuous style and halfhearted reporting transform the soccer-loving author from observant cynic to incessant crank. This collection is best read in small chunks by soccer fans who don't mind seeing their idols take a tumble.
