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La Roja: How Soccer Conquered Spain and How Spanish Soccer Conquered the World
La Roja is bestselling author Jimmy Burns tremendous opus on Spanish soccer. From its early beginnings when the first soccer on the shores of Bilbao and Buenos Aires was played by British sailors and engineers, through to the influx of South American stars, and similarly inspirational Italians, Dutchman and Scandinavians, Burns show how the engagement of foreigners with home-grown Spanish talent overcame political adversity and produced football of sublime skill and passion that intoxicates fans around the world.
The book takes us on a journey through some of the extraordinary characters, classic matches, and brutal controversies that have defined Spanish football from the early days when a few enthusiasts developed their talent kicking a ball on a piece of industrial waste ground, to the emergence of rival giants, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid- the most powerful and successful football clubs in the world- to the Franco regime (that propped up the Madrid team) and democracy (where Barca has ruled), to and a national team that, encompassing all, became the world's champion.
The book takes us on a journey through some of the extraordinary characters, classic matches, and brutal controversies that have defined Spanish football from the early days when a few enthusiasts developed their talent kicking a ball on a piece of industrial waste ground, to the emergence of rival giants, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid- the most powerful and successful football clubs in the world- to the Franco regime (that propped up the Madrid team) and democracy (where Barca has ruled), to and a national team that, encompassing all, became the world's champion.
384 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2012
25 people are currently reading
503 people want to read
About the author
Jimmy Burns
33 books14 followersFrom the author's website:
Jimmy Burns was born in Madrid in 1953. His father the late Tom Burns met his mother Mabel Maranon while working in the British embassy in Madrid during the Second World War. Jimmy contributes Spanish language media outlets and publishes his books in Spanish translation as Jimmy Burns Maranon. His childhood was spent straddling cultures -Britain, Castille, and Catalonia. He went to school at a British school in Madrid, then a preparatory school in London before studying for his O and A-levels at the Jesuit Stonyhurst College in Lancashire. He took a BA honours degree in Latin American & Iberian Studies at University College, London and an MA in the politics and government of Latin America at the Institute of Latin American Studies in London and The London School of Economics and Political Science. On leaving university, he spent two years teaching English to foreign students, and travelling, gaining experience as a free-lance journalist writing about Latin America and Spain. His early published work included articles for the Catholic Herald and The Tablet. During the 1970's he was commissioned by the BBC to write the script for an Everyman documentary on the Brazilian Archbishop, Helder Camara. He also worked as a researcher for Yorkshire TV, contributing to a critically acclaimed film presented by Robert Kee on the death of Franco and Spain's transition to democracy.
In 1977 Jimmy joined the Financial Times and was posted to Portugal as Lisbon correspondent, reporting also on Spain. He also became a regular contributor to the London Observer, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Economist, as well as the BBC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and Radio Nederlands. From 1980-2 he worked for the Financial Times' international desk based in London before being posted to Buenos Aires, as the newspaper's southern cone correspondent.
He arrived in Buenos Aires in the middle of a military palace coup and three months before the invasion of the Falkland Islands by the Argentine armed forces sparked off a three-month war with Britain. He was the only full-time British foreign correspondent to remain in Argentina prior to, during, and well beyond the conflict, covering the country's transition to democracy, as well as political developments in Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay. He continued to regularly contribute articles on Latin America to other media outlets in the UK, Europe, and the US.
In mid-1986 he returned to London to work at the Financial Times and prove himself as an author. Advised by his agent Caroline Dawnay, he agreed to be signed up by Liz Calder and Nigel Newton as one of the first authors of the most innovative independent publishing houses to emerge from the 1980's, Bloomsbury, with his book, on Argentina and the Falklands War, The Land that lost its Heroes. It won the 1988 Somerset Maugham Award for non-fiction. He followed this up with Beyond the Silver River: South American encounters, based on a collection of personal diaries he kept while living and travelling in South America. In the mid 1990's he was encouraged by David Reynolds and Penny Phillips, then editors at Bloomsbury to write the first full-length biography of Diego Maradona, and subsequently a history of FC Barcelona and the Catalan people. Together with writers like Nick Hornby, Simon Kuper, and Peter Davies, he was praised by the critics for breaking new boundaries in football writing. In between, he was commissioned by John Murray, another independent publisher at the time, to compile and write Spain: A Literary Companion. In Spain, he was co-author of Dossier Diana a book on the death of Princess Diana published by El Pais/Aguilar. In 2002, he published a revised and updated version of The Land that Lost its Heroes, on the 20th anniversary of the Falklands War, while his earlier books led by The Hand of God: The life of Diego Maradona, the first football book by a foreigner to be published in China, foun
Jimmy Burns was born in Madrid in 1953. His father the late Tom Burns met his mother Mabel Maranon while working in the British embassy in Madrid during the Second World War. Jimmy contributes Spanish language media outlets and publishes his books in Spanish translation as Jimmy Burns Maranon. His childhood was spent straddling cultures -Britain, Castille, and Catalonia. He went to school at a British school in Madrid, then a preparatory school in London before studying for his O and A-levels at the Jesuit Stonyhurst College in Lancashire. He took a BA honours degree in Latin American & Iberian Studies at University College, London and an MA in the politics and government of Latin America at the Institute of Latin American Studies in London and The London School of Economics and Political Science. On leaving university, he spent two years teaching English to foreign students, and travelling, gaining experience as a free-lance journalist writing about Latin America and Spain. His early published work included articles for the Catholic Herald and The Tablet. During the 1970's he was commissioned by the BBC to write the script for an Everyman documentary on the Brazilian Archbishop, Helder Camara. He also worked as a researcher for Yorkshire TV, contributing to a critically acclaimed film presented by Robert Kee on the death of Franco and Spain's transition to democracy.
In 1977 Jimmy joined the Financial Times and was posted to Portugal as Lisbon correspondent, reporting also on Spain. He also became a regular contributor to the London Observer, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Economist, as well as the BBC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and Radio Nederlands. From 1980-2 he worked for the Financial Times' international desk based in London before being posted to Buenos Aires, as the newspaper's southern cone correspondent.
He arrived in Buenos Aires in the middle of a military palace coup and three months before the invasion of the Falkland Islands by the Argentine armed forces sparked off a three-month war with Britain. He was the only full-time British foreign correspondent to remain in Argentina prior to, during, and well beyond the conflict, covering the country's transition to democracy, as well as political developments in Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay. He continued to regularly contribute articles on Latin America to other media outlets in the UK, Europe, and the US.
In mid-1986 he returned to London to work at the Financial Times and prove himself as an author. Advised by his agent Caroline Dawnay, he agreed to be signed up by Liz Calder and Nigel Newton as one of the first authors of the most innovative independent publishing houses to emerge from the 1980's, Bloomsbury, with his book, on Argentina and the Falklands War, The Land that lost its Heroes. It won the 1988 Somerset Maugham Award for non-fiction. He followed this up with Beyond the Silver River: South American encounters, based on a collection of personal diaries he kept while living and travelling in South America. In the mid 1990's he was encouraged by David Reynolds and Penny Phillips, then editors at Bloomsbury to write the first full-length biography of Diego Maradona, and subsequently a history of FC Barcelona and the Catalan people. Together with writers like Nick Hornby, Simon Kuper, and Peter Davies, he was praised by the critics for breaking new boundaries in football writing. In between, he was commissioned by John Murray, another independent publisher at the time, to compile and write Spain: A Literary Companion. In Spain, he was co-author of Dossier Diana a book on the death of Princess Diana published by El Pais/Aguilar. In 2002, he published a revised and updated version of The Land that Lost its Heroes, on the 20th anniversary of the Falklands War, while his earlier books led by The Hand of God: The life of Diego Maradona, the first football book by a foreigner to be published in China, foun
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 46 reviews
July 1, 2021
Pretty good read as it describes more on the evolution of Spanish football, linked to its country's history, politics, and more. However, not much content on Spanish football like how I wanted.
July 15, 2012
A very detailed history of soccer in Spain both at the club and national team levels. I was impressed with Burns’ research and even more impressed with his interviews. Over the course of the last decade he has interviewed nearly every important person in Spanish soccer who is still alive. What the book lacked for me was the verve and spice to add interest to the topic. The book is not badly written, just a little dull.
What surprised me most about the book was the down-playing of the political ties of Franco to Real Madrid. I had been under the impression that the ties were stronger. However, Burns leads the reader to believe that Franco’s ties to Madrid were deeper in the eyes of the fans (both for and against Real Madrid) than they were in reality.
The book focuses on people, coaches, players, politicians. It creates some interesting snapshots of the people who were instrumental in Spanish soccer through its history. These mini-biographies are interesting, but because of their focus, the book lacked cohesion. It jumped from person to person more than telling a smooth narrative.
A solid read for anyone looking to know more about Spain and its soccer history, but hard to recommend to the non-soccer fan.
What surprised me most about the book was the down-playing of the political ties of Franco to Real Madrid. I had been under the impression that the ties were stronger. However, Burns leads the reader to believe that Franco’s ties to Madrid were deeper in the eyes of the fans (both for and against Real Madrid) than they were in reality.
The book focuses on people, coaches, players, politicians. It creates some interesting snapshots of the people who were instrumental in Spanish soccer through its history. These mini-biographies are interesting, but because of their focus, the book lacked cohesion. It jumped from person to person more than telling a smooth narrative.
A solid read for anyone looking to know more about Spain and its soccer history, but hard to recommend to the non-soccer fan.
July 24, 2012
If you don't know anything about Spanish soccer prepare to be bombarded with the names of many Spaniards and Englishmen you will soon forget. This is a very comprehensive look at the growth of soccer in Spain, at times enthralling and at other times sleep inducing. I wish there were more pictures of some of the characters described in this book and by characters I really mean characters. The coach who brought two national rivals together for the World Cup win in 2010, Vincente Del Bosque, lots of kudos to him but no picture. I wanted to read more about the cultural and political aspects of the game vis a vis Franco and that is there too. Burns is a good observer and chronicler of the game as we go from the English mining companies who brought it to Spain through the Civil War and ultimately a democratic Spain. This is a book that doesn't stimulate one to race through it but to attack it slowly.
September 14, 2014
It was interesting, and there are plenty of good stories here, but I sometimes found the style distractingly uneven.
For example, several times I had to re-read a passage in order to parse the meaning, and the author occasionally interrupted the third-person narrative with first-person anecdotes. Those issues aside, if you're interested in the history of soccer in Spain through the World Cup win in 2010, this book has you covered.
For example, several times I had to re-read a passage in order to parse the meaning, and the author occasionally interrupted the third-person narrative with first-person anecdotes. Those issues aside, if you're interested in the history of soccer in Spain through the World Cup win in 2010, this book has you covered.
October 16, 2013
Really great read on the history of the Spanish game.
Some editing errors and I thought it swerved here and there at times. Lost focus.
For ex., weird anecdote about Capello and Beckham both liking jamon serrano.
But overall, an eye opening, wonderful journey through Spain and the history of Spanish football.
Highly recommended.
Some editing errors and I thought it swerved here and there at times. Lost focus.
For ex., weird anecdote about Capello and Beckham both liking jamon serrano.
But overall, an eye opening, wonderful journey through Spain and the history of Spanish football.
Highly recommended.
August 21, 2023
I never thought I would enjoy that has sport as it's main theme, however this book is well written and researched and has a lot of historical facts about Spain woven into the sports stories.
Read
May 18, 2023Preocupados constantemente por la imagen que se tiene de España en el extranjero, y no nos referimos ahora tanto al fútbol como a la dichosa situación económica que nos amarga el día a día, también supone un ejercicio interesante conocer cómo se ve desde fuera el actual dominio que ejerce la selección española en el panorama futbolístico. Así como existe Paul Preston, uno de los historiadores que mejor han sabido explicar la historia de España sin ser español ni tener acento de Valladolid, también hay periodistas foráneos que saben analizar las claves del éxito de la selección española sin estar empapados de un patriotismo cegador. Ese es el caso del libro La Roja, de Jimmy Burns.
A Jimmy Burns le delata su segundo apellido, Marañón, que le viene heredado de su madre Mabel, hija del escritor y médico Gregorio Marañón. Nacido en 1953 en Madrid en el seno de una familia angloespañola, su padre, Tom Burns, fue primer secretario de la embajada británica en la capital de España durante la II Guerra Mundial, aunque con el tiempo se descubrió que también ejercía como jefe del espionaje británico en nuestro país. Su gran misión: impedir que el dictador se olvidara de su neutralidad y se uniera a Hitler en la contienda mundial. La historia de Tom Burns la descubrió su hijo Jimmy después de cinco años de investigación y quedó plasmada en su libro Papa Espía. Dicho libro es de lo más interesante, pero aquí en Panenka lo que nos importa realmente es hablar de fútbol y parece que a Jimmy también.
Burns, hablamos del hijo, se crió en Inglaterra pero gran parte de su vida la pasó en Argentina, siendo corresponsal del Financial Times, durante la dictadura militar y la Guerra de las Malvinas. Experto en inteligencia y seguridad, su paso por Argentina le llevó a escribir una maravillosa biografía sobre Diego Armando Maradona titulada Maradona: La mano de Dios. Pero este apasionado de la cultura española y sudamericana ha hecho otras aproximaciones al mundo del fútbol con otros libros como Barça: la pasión de un pueblo (1999) o Cuando Beckham llegó a España (2005).
Siete años después de su libro sobre Maradona, y después del paréntesis investigando la historia de su padre, Jimmy Burns vuelve al fútbol para sacar en 2012 esta obra que indaga en los orígenes del éxito internacional del fútbol español. Burns inicia la historia con la conquista de la medalla de plata en los JJ.OO. de Amberes de 1920. De aquel éxito nació 'la Furia' y este libro intenta explicar, con un buen trabajo de documentación, cómo se fue evolucionado hacia la España del 'tiqui-taca'. El libro, que se publicó en las Islas Británicas antes del último éxito en la Euro, ya tiene su versión traducida al español, aunque de momento sólo nos ha llegado en e-Book.
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Puedes encontrar esta review en el #Panenka12. Disponible en
tienda.panenka.org.
A Jimmy Burns le delata su segundo apellido, Marañón, que le viene heredado de su madre Mabel, hija del escritor y médico Gregorio Marañón. Nacido en 1953 en Madrid en el seno de una familia angloespañola, su padre, Tom Burns, fue primer secretario de la embajada británica en la capital de España durante la II Guerra Mundial, aunque con el tiempo se descubrió que también ejercía como jefe del espionaje británico en nuestro país. Su gran misión: impedir que el dictador se olvidara de su neutralidad y se uniera a Hitler en la contienda mundial. La historia de Tom Burns la descubrió su hijo Jimmy después de cinco años de investigación y quedó plasmada en su libro Papa Espía. Dicho libro es de lo más interesante, pero aquí en Panenka lo que nos importa realmente es hablar de fútbol y parece que a Jimmy también.
Burns, hablamos del hijo, se crió en Inglaterra pero gran parte de su vida la pasó en Argentina, siendo corresponsal del Financial Times, durante la dictadura militar y la Guerra de las Malvinas. Experto en inteligencia y seguridad, su paso por Argentina le llevó a escribir una maravillosa biografía sobre Diego Armando Maradona titulada Maradona: La mano de Dios. Pero este apasionado de la cultura española y sudamericana ha hecho otras aproximaciones al mundo del fútbol con otros libros como Barça: la pasión de un pueblo (1999) o Cuando Beckham llegó a España (2005).
Siete años después de su libro sobre Maradona, y después del paréntesis investigando la historia de su padre, Jimmy Burns vuelve al fútbol para sacar en 2012 esta obra que indaga en los orígenes del éxito internacional del fútbol español. Burns inicia la historia con la conquista de la medalla de plata en los JJ.OO. de Amberes de 1920. De aquel éxito nació 'la Furia' y este libro intenta explicar, con un buen trabajo de documentación, cómo se fue evolucionado hacia la España del 'tiqui-taca'. El libro, que se publicó en las Islas Británicas antes del último éxito en la Euro, ya tiene su versión traducida al español, aunque de momento sólo nos ha llegado en e-Book.
----
Puedes encontrar esta review en el #Panenka12. Disponible en
tienda.panenka.org.
December 30, 2019
Wydaje się, że piłka nożna to już tylko gra wielkich pieniędzy i sprzecznych interesów. Nie mniej jest to świetny klucz, którym można otworzyć sobie drzwi do poznania i zrozumienia innego kraju.
Świetnie to pokazuje Jimmy Burns w książce „Piłkarska furia”. Burns zabiera nas w podróż po hiszpańskiej piłce, starając się pokazywać jak bardzo życie codzienne jest sprzężone z piłką nożną. W zasadzie nie można zrozumieć Hiszpanii bez choćby odrobiny wiedzy o piłce i drużynach tam grających. Podobnie jak nie można zrozumieć hiszpańskiej piłki bez znajomości historii Hiszpani.
Kto mógłby być lepszym przewodnikiem po grząskich murawach hiszpańskich boisk niż Anglik o iberyjskich korzeniach. Dzięki temu Burns ma wiedzę i narzędzia pozwalające na głębokie analizy, ale również odpowiedni dystans, który pozwala spojrzeć na wiele spraw bardziej analitycznym okiem.
Jest to na pewno książka dla fanów piłki nożnej, ale każdy kto choć w niewielkim stopniu interesuje się krajem z Półwyspu Iberyjskiego powinien ją przeczytać. Mnóstwo fascynujących historii, zabawnych anegdot, ale również Burns nie ucieka od mrocznych czasów wojny domowej i reżimu generała Franco.
Świetnie to pokazuje Jimmy Burns w książce „Piłkarska furia”. Burns zabiera nas w podróż po hiszpańskiej piłce, starając się pokazywać jak bardzo życie codzienne jest sprzężone z piłką nożną. W zasadzie nie można zrozumieć Hiszpanii bez choćby odrobiny wiedzy o piłce i drużynach tam grających. Podobnie jak nie można zrozumieć hiszpańskiej piłki bez znajomości historii Hiszpani.
Kto mógłby być lepszym przewodnikiem po grząskich murawach hiszpańskich boisk niż Anglik o iberyjskich korzeniach. Dzięki temu Burns ma wiedzę i narzędzia pozwalające na głębokie analizy, ale również odpowiedni dystans, który pozwala spojrzeć na wiele spraw bardziej analitycznym okiem.
Jest to na pewno książka dla fanów piłki nożnej, ale każdy kto choć w niewielkim stopniu interesuje się krajem z Półwyspu Iberyjskiego powinien ją przeczytać. Mnóstwo fascynujących historii, zabawnych anegdot, ale również Burns nie ucieka od mrocznych czasów wojny domowej i reżimu generała Franco.
May 15, 2019
I wanted to like this book because I’m a huge fan of Spanish soccer, but there wasn’t really much to this book. As other reviewers have said you really are just bombarded with last names and facts instead of a good story about the history of the game in the country. Most glaringly, it is riddled with errors. Among many others, the author states in the epilogue “But this did not make the World Cup of 2010 any less of a triumph for Spain, which had not won any major soccer tournament since its gold medal in the Olympics in 1992.” Spain in fact won Euro 2008, very much a major tournament, which the author discussed extensively in the chapters before. Ugh.
June 2, 2017
A useful overview of Spanish futbol, and its influence on the cultures and history that make up the various regions of Spain. Looking at other reviews, I find criticisms of the author's Catalan orthography: for me, knowing neither Catalan nor Spanish, the problem was his English diction and punctuation, particularly his erratic use of commas, which made me reread passages to glean his meaning. It's that sort of thing that always drives a man to reading fiction.
September 13, 2019
A bit meandering and with the occasional odd narrative order and a few too many obscure details.
But mostly a great book on Spanish soccer history. Fairly amazing in breadth. And Jimmy Burns seems to have interviewed everyone in Spain for this.
I loved learning the fascist history of Santiago Bernebéu. And it’s so interesting to read stories of all these players that then turn up years later as coaches.
Especially good if you have some knowledge of the Spanish game.
But mostly a great book on Spanish soccer history. Fairly amazing in breadth. And Jimmy Burns seems to have interviewed everyone in Spain for this.
I loved learning the fascist history of Santiago Bernebéu. And it’s so interesting to read stories of all these players that then turn up years later as coaches.
Especially good if you have some knowledge of the Spanish game.
March 1, 2021
very interesting. just a little unorganized with information in sections it shouldn’t be in and had many errors with editing. but as a newer fan of soccer it’s fascinating to learn the roots of the great Barca v Madrid rivalry and understand the tensions underpinning it.
May 2, 2018
Fantastic! If I wasn't a fan of the team before, I am now. (Not my fave, but a healthy respect and admiration). Can't wait for the World Cup!
May 12, 2020
Sublime read on the history of Spanish football, closely tied with the political and social happenings of the time. Exceptionally well researched and written.
March 31, 2022
Although being an average book generally, the book is extensively lopsided and full of prejudice. As it goes on you got the expression like you are reading a manifest from Boixos Nois.
April 25, 2023
Informative book
February 8, 2025
Became a chore
Currently reading
April 5, 2013 LA ROJA
The purpose of “La Roja” is to let know the reader more about a sport that took over Spain. It was a sport that many people from Spain enjoy playing. Their favorite sport was soccer, it changed many peoples life’s in a positive way. It says that “millions of people view the sport and many of them gather at the capital to welcome their team back.”(page 1) They welcomed Spain’s team back because they went to the 2010 World Cup. The people living in this country were very excited and happy to be recognized as one of the best teams to go to the world cup. It takes a lot for a team to get to this level. This book would get anyone interested and wanting to keep reading it. It teaches you a lot about the importance of soccer and the way people got popular through it.
This book will have a positive impact on the audience. It will have a positive impact on the audience because it talks about the important teams of Spain. It also talks about the teams that lead the country to the champion leagues and the world cups. One of Spain’s most important team is Barcelona. In the book the author talks about its rival real Madrid which is also part of Spain. These teams are both part of Spain but when it comes to soccer they are rivals. The book says that “no matter where they faced each other, the sport was always an intensely partisan.”(page 195) The people supported both team because they are both great teams but at the end the sport that they were playing is what matter. They loved to be entertained by 2 of the best teams in the world. Each year both teams had their records, but what matter was that they were both part of Spain. It can teach the audience about how important the sport was to the people in Spain.
The book was well written; it caught people’s attention to keep reading it. The people that are interested in the soccer are really going to enjoy this book. It takes people back to the time the sport was first played. It takes them back to the 1880’s and the people that were involved in the sport. It talks about the cities that the sport was played in. The cities that they played in were Madrid, Barcelona, Busque, Catalan and more. This book also talks about the way each city had its own country and their language. It also talks about the legends that made the sport very famous and exciting. I believe the books main focus was on the people that played the sport, politicians and mainly their fans. It gives interesting biographies about each good player. It lets the reader know about the amazing people that existed during this 80’s. The sport would’ve never been as famous if it wasn’t because of the fans. They are the ones that come out and support the players playing the beautiful sport.
I would recommend this book to many of my friends. They enjoy playing soccer and they also have their favorite players. One of my closes friend favorite players is Beckham. In the book they talk about Beckham going to play at Spain. He is one the best players in the world and also the highest pay. Real Madrid was willing to pay for as much money as he asked. They talk about Beckham going to play in Spain. It says “one question is if Beckham would ever be part of Real Madrid.”(page 295) I’m sure my friend would enjoy seen Beckham play for Real Madrid. That is his favorite team and his favorite player. Beckham been part of Spain made history. He helped Real Madrid and he also helped Spain become more famous.
I enjoy this book, especially because it was soccer and that’s my favorite sport. It talked about how Spain made history in soccer and so many of soccer’s good players. It gives you history of every important game that Spain was part of and the games that were won by them. It would’ve been better if the book had more pictures so I could see the people and the teams. I was still able to visualize what happen during certain events and I also visualize the players. I knew half of the ones mentioned in the book and that helped me more. It was a very interesting and great book about the way soccer was spread all over the world. I enjoyed it and I know whoever else reads the book will enjoy it too.
The purpose of “La Roja” is to let know the reader more about a sport that took over Spain. It was a sport that many people from Spain enjoy playing. Their favorite sport was soccer, it changed many peoples life’s in a positive way. It says that “millions of people view the sport and many of them gather at the capital to welcome their team back.”(page 1) They welcomed Spain’s team back because they went to the 2010 World Cup. The people living in this country were very excited and happy to be recognized as one of the best teams to go to the world cup. It takes a lot for a team to get to this level. This book would get anyone interested and wanting to keep reading it. It teaches you a lot about the importance of soccer and the way people got popular through it.
This book will have a positive impact on the audience. It will have a positive impact on the audience because it talks about the important teams of Spain. It also talks about the teams that lead the country to the champion leagues and the world cups. One of Spain’s most important team is Barcelona. In the book the author talks about its rival real Madrid which is also part of Spain. These teams are both part of Spain but when it comes to soccer they are rivals. The book says that “no matter where they faced each other, the sport was always an intensely partisan.”(page 195) The people supported both team because they are both great teams but at the end the sport that they were playing is what matter. They loved to be entertained by 2 of the best teams in the world. Each year both teams had their records, but what matter was that they were both part of Spain. It can teach the audience about how important the sport was to the people in Spain.
The book was well written; it caught people’s attention to keep reading it. The people that are interested in the soccer are really going to enjoy this book. It takes people back to the time the sport was first played. It takes them back to the 1880’s and the people that were involved in the sport. It talks about the cities that the sport was played in. The cities that they played in were Madrid, Barcelona, Busque, Catalan and more. This book also talks about the way each city had its own country and their language. It also talks about the legends that made the sport very famous and exciting. I believe the books main focus was on the people that played the sport, politicians and mainly their fans. It gives interesting biographies about each good player. It lets the reader know about the amazing people that existed during this 80’s. The sport would’ve never been as famous if it wasn’t because of the fans. They are the ones that come out and support the players playing the beautiful sport.
I would recommend this book to many of my friends. They enjoy playing soccer and they also have their favorite players. One of my closes friend favorite players is Beckham. In the book they talk about Beckham going to play at Spain. He is one the best players in the world and also the highest pay. Real Madrid was willing to pay for as much money as he asked. They talk about Beckham going to play in Spain. It says “one question is if Beckham would ever be part of Real Madrid.”(page 295) I’m sure my friend would enjoy seen Beckham play for Real Madrid. That is his favorite team and his favorite player. Beckham been part of Spain made history. He helped Real Madrid and he also helped Spain become more famous.
I enjoy this book, especially because it was soccer and that’s my favorite sport. It talked about how Spain made history in soccer and so many of soccer’s good players. It gives you history of every important game that Spain was part of and the games that were won by them. It would’ve been better if the book had more pictures so I could see the people and the teams. I was still able to visualize what happen during certain events and I also visualize the players. I knew half of the ones mentioned in the book and that helped me more. It was a very interesting and great book about the way soccer was spread all over the world. I enjoyed it and I know whoever else reads the book will enjoy it too.
July 13, 2012
Delving, as it does, into Spain, "La Roja," has as much to do with politics as with that country's world champion national soccer team.
Jimmy Burns has written an amenable yet substantive story about how Spain went from a bullfighting nation to kings of international football.
He goes way back to the 1880s and an English-owned mine in Huelva where the first games of football were played exclusively by Brits. The journalistic knitting continues as Basque teams assert primacy and then Argentines come to enliven the game with a quick passing style.
"La Roja" is about the places where such trends were born and the people who sowed them on Spanish soil.
Burns's chronicling of Barcelona F.C's role as an expression of Catalan culture and its rivalry with Real Madrid is deftly woven into discussion of the defeated Republic, the Monarchy, the Falange and, poignantly, the names of soccer players killed during the Spanish Civil War.
Noteworthy, too, is Burns's analysis of the Franco dictatorship's aggressive engagement with football as a tool to soothe tensions on the Iberian peninsula, as a propaganda weapon, and as diplomatic entry to worlds otherwise closed to the regime.
Burns suggests Franco made the Spanish national team a projection of homegrown fascism. A group possessing the "racial" qualities of true and pure Spaniards, and which brought to the playing field a particular "Spanish Fury." A sobriquet that stuck.
Like many people in Spain who had little time for the national selection over the years, Burns believes that the "The Spanish Fury" amounted to a whole lot of nothing, and that success in world-class tournaments would be elusive until a more modern and technical conception of Spanish soccer could be born.
Of course it happened. "La Roja" was released on the occasion of a repeat European Cup championship for the team of the same nickname. An unprecedented kind of success for such a national outfit.
Although his lead-up to the latest and most glorious chapter in Spanish soccer is first-rate, this reviewer did not find Burns very clear on why the ultimate transformation occurred.
Was it a special generation of players who learned how to transcend the rivalries carried over from the club level? Ditching Raul? Was it David Beckham's impact as a media and celebrity item on future Spanish stars? The Argentines?
Maybe it's in there, but in any case, "La Roja" remains an always engaging look at a sudden dynasty. Its author understands soccer as culture and an expression of collective identities without forgetting that it is still sport.
Jimmy Burns has written an amenable yet substantive story about how Spain went from a bullfighting nation to kings of international football.
He goes way back to the 1880s and an English-owned mine in Huelva where the first games of football were played exclusively by Brits. The journalistic knitting continues as Basque teams assert primacy and then Argentines come to enliven the game with a quick passing style.
"La Roja" is about the places where such trends were born and the people who sowed them on Spanish soil.
Burns's chronicling of Barcelona F.C's role as an expression of Catalan culture and its rivalry with Real Madrid is deftly woven into discussion of the defeated Republic, the Monarchy, the Falange and, poignantly, the names of soccer players killed during the Spanish Civil War.
Noteworthy, too, is Burns's analysis of the Franco dictatorship's aggressive engagement with football as a tool to soothe tensions on the Iberian peninsula, as a propaganda weapon, and as diplomatic entry to worlds otherwise closed to the regime.
Burns suggests Franco made the Spanish national team a projection of homegrown fascism. A group possessing the "racial" qualities of true and pure Spaniards, and which brought to the playing field a particular "Spanish Fury." A sobriquet that stuck.
Like many people in Spain who had little time for the national selection over the years, Burns believes that the "The Spanish Fury" amounted to a whole lot of nothing, and that success in world-class tournaments would be elusive until a more modern and technical conception of Spanish soccer could be born.
Of course it happened. "La Roja" was released on the occasion of a repeat European Cup championship for the team of the same nickname. An unprecedented kind of success for such a national outfit.
Although his lead-up to the latest and most glorious chapter in Spanish soccer is first-rate, this reviewer did not find Burns very clear on why the ultimate transformation occurred.
Was it a special generation of players who learned how to transcend the rivalries carried over from the club level? Ditching Raul? Was it David Beckham's impact as a media and celebrity item on future Spanish stars? The Argentines?
Maybe it's in there, but in any case, "La Roja" remains an always engaging look at a sudden dynasty. Its author understands soccer as culture and an expression of collective identities without forgetting that it is still sport.
March 9, 2025
Many short interviews with historical figures of the game from its very beginnings.
February 13, 2013
That a book like this exists is a good thing. Unfortunately, the author fails in weaving the history of Spanish soccer into a cohesive narrative and instead reduces the subject to a laundry list of anecdotes and soccer celebrities: "There was this coach who did this and that. Oh, there was also this other player that...And that reminds me of this story where..." As proof of the meandering, incohesive style of this book, there are literally paragraphs in this book that begin with the phrase: "But back to [the topic I was talking about]..."
But the biggest problem with this book are the myriad of typos, misspellings and grammatical errors in the Spanish names and phrases used within. You cannot claim to be an authority on any Spanish subject if you cannot spell correctly the names of people and places. "Bonanova", a district in Barcelona, is not the same as "Bovavona"; and it's not "La Campa" but "El Campo"; and, as anyone who speaks Spanish knows, accents are important, yet in this book the accents on the names of some people are altogether missing, and when correctly spelled, some times the accent on a name shows up only to disappear later in the next few pages...
This leads me to the biggest gripe I have with this book: you cannot write a book that has F.C. Barcelona as one of its major subjects and misspell the club's affectionate nickname, "Barça", for the entire 300+ pages of the book and refer to the team as "Barca". That little "ç" is very important grammatically, phonetically and culturally.
"Barça" is an affectionate, Catalan abbreviation of "Barcelona" that fans use to refer to the soccer team. It uses a special Catalan language symbol, the "broken c", which symbolizes the cultural identity of the Catalan language and culture much in the same way that the "ñ" has come to symbolize all things Spanish.
To ignore this and simply refer to "Barça" as "Barca" is an insult to all Catalans and Barcelona fans. And, well, it shows the ignorance and hurts the credibility of the author who cannot be bothered to refer to the soccer team by its correct name, which is, on top of it all, spelled out correctly in all the team's official soccer merchandise! All the author had to do was read the name on a track jacket or on a uniform...
"Barca" without the "broken c" just means row boat. To read 300+ where (arguably) the world's best soccer team is referred to as a row boat is just annoying...Ugh
But the biggest problem with this book are the myriad of typos, misspellings and grammatical errors in the Spanish names and phrases used within. You cannot claim to be an authority on any Spanish subject if you cannot spell correctly the names of people and places. "Bonanova", a district in Barcelona, is not the same as "Bovavona"; and it's not "La Campa" but "El Campo"; and, as anyone who speaks Spanish knows, accents are important, yet in this book the accents on the names of some people are altogether missing, and when correctly spelled, some times the accent on a name shows up only to disappear later in the next few pages...
This leads me to the biggest gripe I have with this book: you cannot write a book that has F.C. Barcelona as one of its major subjects and misspell the club's affectionate nickname, "Barça", for the entire 300+ pages of the book and refer to the team as "Barca". That little "ç" is very important grammatically, phonetically and culturally.
"Barça" is an affectionate, Catalan abbreviation of "Barcelona" that fans use to refer to the soccer team. It uses a special Catalan language symbol, the "broken c", which symbolizes the cultural identity of the Catalan language and culture much in the same way that the "ñ" has come to symbolize all things Spanish.
To ignore this and simply refer to "Barça" as "Barca" is an insult to all Catalans and Barcelona fans. And, well, it shows the ignorance and hurts the credibility of the author who cannot be bothered to refer to the soccer team by its correct name, which is, on top of it all, spelled out correctly in all the team's official soccer merchandise! All the author had to do was read the name on a track jacket or on a uniform...
"Barca" without the "broken c" just means row boat. To read 300+ where (arguably) the world's best soccer team is referred to as a row boat is just annoying...Ugh
March 30, 2013
i love books about soccer and this one was a fascinating mix of soccer and the cultural/political dynamics of Spain from the time that soccer was introduced to the country by the Brits in the late 1800's to the current time of the Euro and World Cup winning Spanish national teams.
the book focuses, as any discussion of Spanish futbol inevitably will, on the enduring rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid, tracing the paths of each from founding through the Spanish Civil War, the Franco years, the restoration and then socialism and the recent economic collapse. Along the way, we get to learn a lot about the interactions between the various regions of the country, Basque, Catalan, etc. each with its own culture, language and interests. and, just to make sure that the soccer is properly covered, we get portraits of Di Stefano, Puskas, Maradona, Raul, Messi, Ronaldo, Zidane, Ronaldino, and all the greats that have made Spanish futbol the most fun to watch in the world. Viva Barca, mes que un club!
the book focuses, as any discussion of Spanish futbol inevitably will, on the enduring rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid, tracing the paths of each from founding through the Spanish Civil War, the Franco years, the restoration and then socialism and the recent economic collapse. Along the way, we get to learn a lot about the interactions between the various regions of the country, Basque, Catalan, etc. each with its own culture, language and interests. and, just to make sure that the soccer is properly covered, we get portraits of Di Stefano, Puskas, Maradona, Raul, Messi, Ronaldo, Zidane, Ronaldino, and all the greats that have made Spanish futbol the most fun to watch in the world. Viva Barca, mes que un club!
August 15, 2012
While I really enjoyed this book, I realize that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Burns offers a detailed account of Spanish national soccer, from its beginning by English colonials to the current World Cup-winning team. The short chapters make it pretty easy to read, and they cover a variety of political and social issues that have affected the development of Spanish soccer, from the underlying tensions between Basques, Catalans, and Castilians, and the meaning of what it is to be Spanish; the Spanish Civil War, Franco, and Spain’s gradual emergence from isolationist policies; and the more recent pressures of club soccer and the international game. Some parts sagged and there were a number of sentences that suffered from lack of coordination of dependent clauses and subjects, making the meaning unclear, but overall I learned a lot from reading this.
December 28, 2012
Burns provides a great deal of information regarding the history of Spanish players, rivalries, and clubs as well as an overall history and evolution of soccer on Spanish soil. He tends to skip around quite a bit, but I suppose that is to be expected in a book of this sort. He also repeats himself many times - and when I say "repeat", I mean essentially cut and paste his own words repeatedly to describe subjects in identical phrases over and over (sometimes even in the same chapter, as the case was with Vicente del Bosque towards the end of the book). I find this to be quite unprofessional and it tells me that not much editing went on between he and the publisher. Overall, La Roja was highly informative but tended to drag and only skim the surface of a wide variety of subjects. Finally, the writing was not very engaging.
July 14, 2014
A massively underwhelming effort. The review made it sound like an interesting take by a well-regarded newspaper columnist on soccer in Spain. The result starts out decently and then tails off. It skips around so much at times I wondered if my book was missing pages. Other stretches at the back started repeating anecdotes from 25 pages before. What's stranger, the whole point was about Spain finally triumphing in soccer at Euro 08, WC 10, and Euro 12. However, there is literally a page on Euro 08 and then it must have gotten rushed out in advance of Euro 12 so that's not even included. There were bright points analyzing soccer and politics and Spain, particularly after the Civil War, and I learned much about the Bilbaos and similar clubs of Spain. But, in the end, it was a frustrating and incomplete read.
March 11, 2014
If you can survive the first couple of chapters that talk about the history of Spanish football, this is a speedy read. Unfortunately for me, that wasn't the case. I learned a LOT about Spanish football - its origins, its history, its struggles and finally, its triumph. This is not a dramatic book which tells a tale of a failure-to-overwhelming success story, but one that chronicles in detail the travails and triumphs over the last century or so.
The chapters are chronological, but there are a lot of gaps which needed to be filled, and towards the end, there is too much unnecessary information, in my opinion. I still enjoyed the book, though not as much as I would have liked to (blame it on the slow portions) and would like to read more by the same author in the near future.
The chapters are chronological, but there are a lot of gaps which needed to be filled, and towards the end, there is too much unnecessary information, in my opinion. I still enjoyed the book, though not as much as I would have liked to (blame it on the slow portions) and would like to read more by the same author in the near future.
July 5, 2012
This was a great book, especially for a lover of the game of football (soccer). Burns details how the main European sport brought the people of Spain, under the Republic and under General Franco. This book shows the history of soccer in spain from the pure spanish Real Madrid, the only-basque team of Athletic Bilbao, to the pride of Catalonia, FC Barcelona. Burns provides history of the game, its great figures and accomplishments, leading up to the great triumph of the 2010 South Africa World Cup victory. This is a great book for soccer enthusiasts and lovers of Spanish, Basque, and Catalan history.
June 30, 2014
I wanted to like this book because I enjoyed Spain's victory in 2010 and had high hopes this summer. Also as a Barça fan I thought it would give me an overview of the ideas behind the national team and how the different clubs contribute to it. I realize the book I actually wanted to read was probably about Barcelona's history. In light of Spain's disappointing performance this World Cup, the last paragraph seems scarily prescient: "I would like to believe that this journey through Spanish soccer is far from over and that the dynasty of La Roja could last a decade or more...But then, could I be tilting at windmills?"
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April 28, 2023ithaki hem bu kitapları türkçeye çevirip yayımlayarak ciddi bir hizmette bulunuyor, hem de okura inanılmaz derecede özensiz biçimde ulaştırarak, bu hizmeti nötrlüyor. giriş bölümünün daha ilk iki paragrafında, aynı ismin 3 farklı şekilde yazıldığına tanık oluyorsunuz. diğer hataları ve özensizlikleri saymaya utanırım. tabii bu kitaplar az sattığı için, çok fazla eleştiri ya da reaksiyon da almıyorlar ki, düzeltmek için çaba göstersinler. künyede bir sürü isim var, sanırsınız ciddi bir editörlükten geçiyor.
(isbn hata verdiği için, kitabın türkçe versiyonu kaydedilmiyor. o yüzden buraya yazmak zorunda kaldım.)
(isbn hata verdiği için, kitabın türkçe versiyonu kaydedilmiyor. o yüzden buraya yazmak zorunda kaldım.)
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