Everyone wants to copy Spain’s winning formula. More and more coaches talk about playing like FC Barcelona. Ronaldo and Messi jerseys fly off the shelf anywhere in the world. Everyone wants to be associated with a winner.
And it is easy to say that Spain is on top of the football world. Three consecutive major championships for the national team, record popularity for Spanish domestic leagues, the top players in the world. Yes, Spanish soccer has it all.
Everyone wants to know how they got there. But it isn’t an easy thing to explain as the Spanish game is defined by complex dynamics that go back generations. British colonialism, the Spanish Civil War, the battle for an identity. Yes, the Spanish soccer story has it all.
La Roja: How Soccer Conquered Spain and How Spanish Soccer Conquered the World by Jimmy Burns is the single, most comprehensive resource on the history of Spanish soccer. Burns takes the reader on a journey from humble beginnings to the glitz and glamor of the modern game. Conflict, politics, nationalism, poverty and their relationship to the beautiful game are all discussed in great detail. His passion and enthusiasm shines through the retelling of history, great games and players, important coaches and administrators, the highs and lows of the Spanish game.
Burns unearths some great history: players, teams, and matches that would have been forgotten without this book.
Why is the Barca/Real Madrid rivalry so intense? What are the top influences on Spanish soccer? How did their style of play become the dominant choice? If you want to truly know Spanish soccer, you have to buy this title.
You will come to appreciate the Spanish game so much more after reading this. The game there has survived the lowest of lows to get to the highest of the highs today. It is an incredible story told by one of the world’s best experts on Spanish soccer. Simply put, La Roja is a must read!
