Gareth Bale: The Boy Who Became a Galáctico

Nuorten jalkapallokirja

by Tom Oldfield, Matt Oldfield

When a young Gareth’s PE teacher told him he could only play with one foot to give the other team a chance, it was obvious he was a special talent. His early career was a constant struggle. He was dogged by injuries and was almost sold by Spurs after fans believed he was cursed—they failed to win 24 games in a row with Gareth in the team. But one night changed all that. Destroying his opposite number in Spurs’ first Champions League campaign, he announced himself on the world stage in blistering style. And now he plays at the greatest club in the world, Real Madrid, alongside the world’s greatest player, Ronaldo. He was instrumental in winning Madrid their 10th European Cup—La Decima—after scoring the decisive goal in the final. His story is a lesson that applied talent can overcome any obstacle.

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2016

Reviews

[Reetta Saine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voi kuinka puhtoisia nämä meidän ajan futarit ovatkaan olleet... Garethkin elelee teiniaikojen tyttöystävänsä kanssa ja vauvakin syntyi <3.

No, oikeasti perustykkään näistä siisteistä futiskirjoista, joissa on tarpeeksi totuutta, elämäkertaa, peliselostuksia, ongelmia, työntekoa ja selviämistä. Sankaruutta.

Miinukset tosin kansikuvasta. Ei ole Bale (sydänsydänsydän) tuommoinen, ei.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gareth Bale: The Boy Who Became a Galactico by Tom and Matt Oldfield tells the story of Gareth Bale's career, from being taken to his first match aged three to watch his uncle play, to his move to and his first goal for Real Madrid. It isn’t easy to write a biography for a child readership – as Gareth gets much older than the readership some of the emotions and relationships could be hard to understand – but the authors have pitched this perfectly. There is far more emphasis on life on the pitch than off it.

In all the books, the parents and those in authority make it clear, without being patronising, that the footballers’ careers aren’t just reliant on skill. There’s an emphasis on practice, and attitude – and the importance of family and friends supporting the player. This is a team game – both on and off the pitch.

In Gareth’s story, the authors show his progression from a small skinny boy to a more bulked-out player, with nods to extensive training, the difficulties of loyalty when a player moves from one club to another, coping with the frustrations of injury, and lots of detail about specific football matches. The statistics and games are accurate – the authors have acknowledged their research at the back of the book. Even for non-football fans, it’s a good read from start to finish with a clear biographical progression (the structure is tight) and simple language. To read the rest of my football books for kids blog visit http://www.minervareads.com/?p=1637

[Sean O'Connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good book tbh lad

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom ja Matt Oldfieldin "Gareth Bale: Poika josta tuli supertähti" (Readme.fi, 2017) on toinen osa Nuorten jalkapallokirja -nimiseen sarjaan, joka kertoo oikeiden huippupelaajien tiestä tähtiin kaunokirjallisessa muodossa. Messin uskomattoman tarinan jälkeen on vuorossa Real Madridin riveissä pelaava walesilainen Gareth Bale, vanha suosikkipelaajani Tottenhamin riveistä.

"Gareth Bale: Poika josta tuli supertähti" kertoo ihan mukiinmenevästi tähtipelaajan elämästä kentällä ja vähän sen ulkopuolella. Draamaa tarinaan tuovat toistuvat loukkaantumiset ja pahaenteinen Balen kirous. Lisäksi tekijät muistuttavat nuorta lukijaa siitä, miten huippupelaajankin on hyvä olla kohtelias ja ystävällinen, ja miten tärkeää perheen, rakkaiden ja läheisten tuki on tiellä koulujoukkueen penkiltä Santiago Bernabeulle.

Ei tämä ole mitään suurta maailmankirjallisuutta, mutta kokemukset kentältä paljastavat, että tämmöisille urheiluromaaneille on kysyntää: otollisin kohderyhmä voisi olla nelosluokkalaisista ylöspäin.

PS: Juomispeli-haaste: ota huikka jokainen kerta kun kirjassa lukee kursiivilla Maaaaaaaaliiii!. Lupaan, että humallut ennen kuin pääset loppuun asti.

[Gurlal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Bale. I was looking for something to read about real Madrid and came across this book. There are a lot of things I didn’t know about him before this book. This Non-fiction gives you an idea where bale come from and his determination regarding soccer.