
The Barcelona Complex
Lionel Messi and the Making—and Unmaking—of the World's Greatest Soccer Club
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Narrated by:
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Steve West
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By:
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Simon Kuper
About this listen
With rare and unrivaled access, best-selling coauthor of Soccernomics and longtime Financial Times journalist Simon Kuper tells the story of how FC Barcelona became the most successful club in the world—and how that era is now ending.
FC Barcelona is not just the world’s highest grossing sports club, it is simply one of the most influential organizations on the planet. At last count, it had approximately 214 million social media followers, more than any other sports club except Real Madrid CF—and by one earlier measure, more than all 32 NFL teams combined. It has more in common with multinational megacompanies like Netflix or small nation-states than it does with most soccer teams. No wonder its motto is “More than a club”. But it was not always so. In the past three decades, Barcelona went from a regional team to a global powerhouse, becoming a model of sustained excellence and beautiful soccer and a consistent winner of championships. Simon Kuper unravels exactly how this transformation took place, paying special attention to the club’s two biggest stars, Johan Cruyff and Lionel Messi, who is arguably the greatest soccer player of all time. Messi joined Barça at age 13 and, more than anyone, has been the engine and standard-bearer of Barcelona’s glory. But his era is coming to an end—and with it, a once-in-a-lifetime golden run. This book charts Barça’s rise and fall.
Like many world-beating organizations, FC Barcelona closely guards its secrets, granting few outsiders access to the Camp Nou, its legendary home stadium. But after decades of writing about the sport and the club, Kuper was given access to the inner sanctum and the people behind the scenes who strive daily to keep Barcelona at the top. Erudite, personal, and capturing all the latest upheavals, his portrait of this incredible institution goes beyond soccer to understand FC Barcelona as a unique social, cultural, and political phenomenon.
This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF that contains the cast of characters from the book.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2021 Simon Kuper (P)2021 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Founded in 1899, the FC Barcelona soccer club (also known as Barça) from Spain’s Catalonia region is one of the sport's most famous franchises, with a rich history of dynamic coaches and managers, as well as superstars like Johan Cruyff and Lionel Messi. Who better to explore this legacy than veteran British sports journalist Kuper (Soccernomics, 2009). His account delivers an insider's view of FC Barcelona.... Kuper vividly captures the unique cultural phenomenon that is FC Barcelona. A must for soccer fans.” (Booklist)
“Kuper translates his decades of coverage of the world’s highest-grossing sports club into a fascinating record of its legacy.... Brilliantly captures the business of sports. [The Barcelona Complex] is likely to be the definitive account of the business side of the famous club.” (Publishers Weekly)
“Essential reading for anyone interested in innovation or high performance.... [The Barcelona Complex] is both a debunking and a restoration.... Kuper diverts our eye away from the dazzling but familiar skyline and instead takes us inside the cathedral close.” (New Statesman)
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By: Jonathan Wilson
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Masters of Modern Soccer
- How the World's Best Play the Twenty-First-Century Game
- By: Grant Wahl
- Narrated by: Grant Wahl
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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In Masters of Modern Soccer, Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl asks: How do some of the game's smartest figures master the craft of soccer? By profiling players in every key position (American phenomenon Christian Pulisic, Mexican superstar Javier "Chicharito" Hernández, Belgium's Vincent Kompany, Spain's Xabi Alonso, Germany's Manuel Neuer) and management (Belgium coach Roberto Martínez and Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc), Wahl reveals how elite players and coaches strategize on and off the field and execute in high pressure game situations.
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Great for coaches!
- By Amazon Customer on 09-29-18
By: Grant Wahl
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Wenger
- My Life and Lessons in Red & White
- By: Arsène Wenger
- Narrated by: Arsène Wenger
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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In Wenger: My Life and Lessons in Red and White, world-renowned and revolutionary soccer coach Arsène Wenger finally tells his own story for the very first time. Wenger opens up about his life, sharing principles for success on and off the field with lessons on leadership, personal development, and management.
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Nostalgic but not overly compelling
- By Scott Shepherd on 11-25-20
By: Arsène Wenger
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The Club
- How the English Premier League Became the Wildest, Richest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports
- By: Joshua Robinson, Jonathan Clegg
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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No one knew it when their experiment began, but without any particular genius or acumen, the motley cast of billionaires and hucksters behind the modern Premier League struck gold. Pretty soon, everyone wanted to try their luck, from Russian oligarchs to Emirati sheikhs, American tycoons, and Asian Tiger titans. Some succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Some lost everything. Today, players are sold for tens of millions, clubs are valued in the billions, and games are beamed out to nearly 200 countries, all while the league struggles to preserve its English soul.
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Read don't listen
- By JR3 on 01-23-19
By: Joshua Robinson, and others
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Transformer
- Klopp, the Revolution of a Club and Culture
- By: Neil Atkinson
- Narrated by: Neil Atkinson
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Neil Atkinson explores how Klopp, heralded as one of the most charismatic and successful managers in the history of football, has taken Liverpool FC to great heights over the past nine years. As Klopp's departure nears, Atkinson looks back on the trailblazing manager's time in Liverpool, the legacy he leaves behind and what it means for Liverpool: the club and the city.
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Not what I expected, but a cozy and warm listen.
- By Anonymous User on 03-12-25
By: Neil Atkinson
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The Captain Class
- The Hidden Force That Creates the World's Greatest Teams
- By: Sam Walker
- Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Several years ago, Sam Walker set out to answer one of the most hotly debated questions in sports: What are the greatest teams of all time? He devised a formula, then applied it to thousands of teams from leagues all over the world, from the NBA to the English Premier League to Olympic field hockey. When he was done, he had a list of the 16 most dominant teams in history. At that point he became obsessed with another, more complicated question: What did these freak teams have in common?
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Dates and names
- By Hunter on 11-28-21
By: Sam Walker
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Zonal Marking
- From Ajax to Zidane, the Making of Modern Soccer
- By: Michael W. Cox
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 14 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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A mazy dribble through the recent history of European soccer, showing how shifting styles and influence have shaped the game. In the early 1990s, the Dutch footballing philosophy was worshiped across the continent. Then the baton passed to the Italians, who clearly boasted Europe's strongest league. But when France started winning everything at international level its national academy became the template for others, until suddenly, almost out of nowhere, Europe's most revered player and manager both hailed from Portugal.
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Historical perspective not tactical
- By Jon on 02-11-20
By: Michael W. Cox
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Impossible City
- Paris in the Twenty-First Century
- By: Simon Kuper
- Narrated by: Tim Frances
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When Simon Kuper left London for Paris in his early thirties, he wasn't planning to make a permanent move. Paris, however, had other plans. Kuper has grown middle-aged there, eaten the croissants, seen his American wife through life-threatening cancer, taken his children to countless football matches on freezing Saturday mornings in the city's notorious banlieues, and in 2015 lived through two terrorist attacks on their neighborhood. Over two decades of becoming something of a cantankerous Parisian himself, Kuper has watched the city change.
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Excellent inside view
- By TMD on 11-24-24
By: Simon Kuper
The beautiful game
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Every soccer fan should read
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brutally honest but necessary book
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Fantastic book for the serious soccer fan
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A great combination.
Fantastic
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Insightful
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A comprehensive history of Barca
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Amazing
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