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The Soccer GOAT
GOAT. Messi vs. Ronaldo
Messi v. these football legends go head-to-head to decide who is the Greatest Of All Time!
Celebrate the start of the football season with this ideal gift for football fans and perfect for reluctant readers.
The new epic clash in The Football GOAT series written by Matt Oldfield, the bestselling author of Ultimate Football Heroes, and Seth Burkett, a former professional footballer. Get ready for the superstar showdown of Messi v. Ronaldo in the ultimate football debate. Compare all the latest data, including sizzling stats, fascinating facts and awesome stories, then decide which football legend is the greatest of all time.
Are you ready to VOTE FOR THE GOAT?
Celebrate the start of the football season with this ideal gift for football fans and perfect for reluctant readers.
The new epic clash in The Football GOAT series written by Matt Oldfield, the bestselling author of Ultimate Football Heroes, and Seth Burkett, a former professional footballer. Get ready for the superstar showdown of Messi v. Ronaldo in the ultimate football debate. Compare all the latest data, including sizzling stats, fascinating facts and awesome stories, then decide which football legend is the greatest of all time.
Are you ready to VOTE FOR THE GOAT?
160 pages, Paperback
Published June 11, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 28, 2026
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central
Young readers who are obsessed with soccer love to compare facts and figures about their idols, and this new The Soccer G.O.A.T. series gives them plenty of ammunition. The authors, friends and longtime sports enthusiasts and writers, pack this book with supporting evidence as to why both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronalso could be considered the Greatest Of All Time, but who will win?
Starting with the qualities that make someone the best on the pitch, each player gets a full mini bio talking about their life before soccer as well as their career trajectory. We find out fun facts, like how Messi started playing very young but had a condition that kept him from growing. His family, unable to afford growth hormones, arranged with a football club to take on their talented son and pay for his treatment! Ronaldo, growing up on the Portugese island of Madeira, devoted himself to constant practice while his parents worked, and had a heart condition that required surgery. Looking at these players years later, it's not readily apparent that either of them were ever in anything but peak health!
The book sets out a number of considerations for what being The Best constitutes. There is strength of character, and this is broken down in personality, mindset and leadership. The strengths and weaknesses of each man are discussed, along with anecdotes supporting them. Each author gives their own opinion about who is the best, and the pair give good reasons for why they picked one man. There is a space for readers to pencil in the person whom they think should be the best.
Soccer skills, personal and team stats, and contributions to the support all get this treatment, with lots of sidebars, spot illustrations, and even text messages and newspaper "headlines". The stats alone make this book worth it for soccer obsessed readers! The two men are evaluated on these different criteria, and the authors again plead their cases, giving room for readers' opinions.
There is even a halftime quiz, which is rather fun. The end of the book has a recap of main points, charts, lists of top moments, and quotes from others. The authors declare that overall, it is a draw as to who the G.O.A.T. would be, and certainly back this up with evidence supporting both sides.
While this is a fun soccer book that is right at home with other amusing titles like Barish and Sweitzer's Lionel Messi's World Cup Triumph: (History's Greatest Games #1), Yankey and Linero's How to Be a Soccer Star and Other Jobs On and Off the Field, and Bellos' Soccer School Season 1: Where Soccer Explains (Rules) the World, it is also a great mental exercise at organizing resources and presenting evidence to support an argument. This is a valuable skill for middle school students to have, and framing this process around something they love, like soccer, is fantastic.
Young readers who are obsessed with soccer love to compare facts and figures about their idols, and this new The Soccer G.O.A.T. series gives them plenty of ammunition. The authors, friends and longtime sports enthusiasts and writers, pack this book with supporting evidence as to why both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronalso could be considered the Greatest Of All Time, but who will win?
Starting with the qualities that make someone the best on the pitch, each player gets a full mini bio talking about their life before soccer as well as their career trajectory. We find out fun facts, like how Messi started playing very young but had a condition that kept him from growing. His family, unable to afford growth hormones, arranged with a football club to take on their talented son and pay for his treatment! Ronaldo, growing up on the Portugese island of Madeira, devoted himself to constant practice while his parents worked, and had a heart condition that required surgery. Looking at these players years later, it's not readily apparent that either of them were ever in anything but peak health!
The book sets out a number of considerations for what being The Best constitutes. There is strength of character, and this is broken down in personality, mindset and leadership. The strengths and weaknesses of each man are discussed, along with anecdotes supporting them. Each author gives their own opinion about who is the best, and the pair give good reasons for why they picked one man. There is a space for readers to pencil in the person whom they think should be the best.
Soccer skills, personal and team stats, and contributions to the support all get this treatment, with lots of sidebars, spot illustrations, and even text messages and newspaper "headlines". The stats alone make this book worth it for soccer obsessed readers! The two men are evaluated on these different criteria, and the authors again plead their cases, giving room for readers' opinions.
There is even a halftime quiz, which is rather fun. The end of the book has a recap of main points, charts, lists of top moments, and quotes from others. The authors declare that overall, it is a draw as to who the G.O.A.T. would be, and certainly back this up with evidence supporting both sides.
While this is a fun soccer book that is right at home with other amusing titles like Barish and Sweitzer's Lionel Messi's World Cup Triumph: (History's Greatest Games #1), Yankey and Linero's How to Be a Soccer Star and Other Jobs On and Off the Field, and Bellos' Soccer School Season 1: Where Soccer Explains (Rules) the World, it is also a great mental exercise at organizing resources and presenting evidence to support an argument. This is a valuable skill for middle school students to have, and framing this process around something they love, like soccer, is fantastic.
January 23, 2025
Matt Oldfield is already one of the authors of the Football Superstars series, which tracks the progression of famous players from "playground to the pitch". This new book takes the ingenious format of an argument between two friends debating the pros and cons of their favourite player. I think this format will really appeal to young readers as it mimics the conversations they already have in the playground.
In looking at who has the claim of Greatest of All Time, the authors look at Messi & Ronaldo's character, skills, statistics, contribution to their club and national teams and more.
I also like that the very first focus of the book when comparing the players is on character. "But first we are going to find out about their characters. That's because skills will only get you so far as a professional footballer." (p26) This is an important fact for our readers to take on board. Too often skilled players of all ages let that skill go to their heads and negatively impact their character.
I am only a casual football fan, and so this book was only mildly interesting for me. But I like the concept and format and think my young readers will love it. The four-star rating is on that basis. This appears to be the start of a new series, and exactly how many players can be put forward for GOAT status before pushing the bounds of credibility remains to be seen.
In looking at who has the claim of Greatest of All Time, the authors look at Messi & Ronaldo's character, skills, statistics, contribution to their club and national teams and more.
I also like that the very first focus of the book when comparing the players is on character. "But first we are going to find out about their characters. That's because skills will only get you so far as a professional footballer." (p26) This is an important fact for our readers to take on board. Too often skilled players of all ages let that skill go to their heads and negatively impact their character.
I am only a casual football fan, and so this book was only mildly interesting for me. But I like the concept and format and think my young readers will love it. The four-star rating is on that basis. This appears to be the start of a new series, and exactly how many players can be put forward for GOAT status before pushing the bounds of credibility remains to be seen.
July 10, 2024
I live in a football household. It is something that brings our family together. With my two boys, there is always that debate on who is better at football, Messi or Ronaldo?
So, I thought this book would be a great way to help my son with his reading, something we could do together through his passion for football.
The layout of this book was perfect for myself and my 13 year old. He has dyslexia so often finds large amounts of text daunting and puts him off reading. This book has a great mix of pictures, facts, stories, and statistics. It is put together in a variety of ways that is not a continuous block of text. Which helped immensely with my sons confidence, concentration, and interest to keep reading.
Each section is fun and engaging whilst being easy to read and understand. I liked how it got you as a reader involved in choosing your winner at the end of the sections. It allowed us to discuss who we believe to be the GOAT from the information it provided us with.
So, who is the ultimate Goat out of Messi and Ronaldo? Well, that's up to you to decide. Ours may be biased because of our loyalty to Manchester United!
This is an entertaining and fun book for any football fan.
So, I thought this book would be a great way to help my son with his reading, something we could do together through his passion for football.
The layout of this book was perfect for myself and my 13 year old. He has dyslexia so often finds large amounts of text daunting and puts him off reading. This book has a great mix of pictures, facts, stories, and statistics. It is put together in a variety of ways that is not a continuous block of text. Which helped immensely with my sons confidence, concentration, and interest to keep reading.
Each section is fun and engaging whilst being easy to read and understand. I liked how it got you as a reader involved in choosing your winner at the end of the sections. It allowed us to discuss who we believe to be the GOAT from the information it provided us with.
So, who is the ultimate Goat out of Messi and Ronaldo? Well, that's up to you to decide. Ours may be biased because of our loyalty to Manchester United!
This is an entertaining and fun book for any football fan.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews