Angels with Dirty Faces: How Argentinian Soccer Defined a Nation and Changed the Game Forever

The Masterful, Definitive History of Argentinian Soccer Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Alfredo Di Stfano: in every generation Argentina has uncovered a uniquely brilliant soccer talent. Perhaps it's because the country lives and breathes the game, its theories, and its myths. Argentina's rich, volatile history--by turns sublime and ruthlessly pragmatic--is mirrored in the style and swagger of its national and club sides. In Angels with Dirty Faces , Jonathan Wilson chronicles the operatic drama of Argentinian soccer: the appropriation of the British game, the golden age of la nuestra , the exuberant style of playing that developed as Juan Pern led the country, a hardening into the brutal methods of anti-ftbol , the fusion of beauty and efficacy under Csar Luis Menotti, and the emergence of all-time greats. Praise for Inverting the Pyramid ""Here, for the first time in decades, is a top-notch soccer book on how soccer is actually played on the field."" --Simon Kuper ""An outstanding work. . . . The soccer book of the decade."" -- Sunday Business Post