The Barcelona Complex
Lionel Messi and the Making—and Unmaking—of the World's Greatest Soccer Club
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $20.25
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Steve West
-
By:
-
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...
-
Pep Guardiola
- The Evolution
- By: Marti Perarnau
- Narrated by: Thomas Judd
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For three extraordinary seasons at Bayern Munich, Marti Perarnau was given total access around the German super club - to its players, its backroom staff, its board members and, above all, its manager, Pep Guardiola. In the follow-up to his critically acclaimed account of Guardiola's first full season at Bayern, Pep Confidential, Perarnau now lifts the lid on the Catalan's whole tenure in Bavaria.
-
-
Total story. Total football. Total Pep.
- By Michal Kuczek on 08-01-17
By: Marti Perarnau
-
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
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Historical perspective not tactical
- By Jon on 02-11-20
By: Michael W. Cox
-
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
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Read don't listen
- By JR3 on 01-23-19
By: Joshua Robinson, and others
-
Soccernomics
- By: Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why does England lose? Why does Scotland suck? Why doesn't America play the sport internationally... and why do the Germans play with such an efficient but robotic style? Using insights and analogies from economics, statistics, psychology and business to cast a new and entertaining light on how the game works, Soccernomics reveals the often surprisingly counterintuitive truths about soccer.
-
-
Interesting but older version of the book
- By Hansi on 05-08-13
By: Simon Kuper, and others
-
Pep’s City
- By: Lu Martín, Pol Ballús
- Narrated by: Thomas Judd
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over three seasons in England, Pep Guardiola has built something the Premier League has never seen before: a team that dominates games like no other, scoring goals and collecting points and trophies at record-breaking pace. Throughout that journey, the Spanish journalists Lu Martín and Pol Ballús have been embedded with the club, reporting this inside account of how a phenomenal team was constructed: from the recruitment of Guardiola himself, to the backroom staff that provide the platform for his team and the superstar players that have set a new standard in British football.
-
-
Great listen!
- By Turgon23 on 11-02-23
By: Lu Martín, and others
-
Net Gains
- Inside the Beautiful Game's Analytics Revolution
- By: Ryan O'Hanlon
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This in-depth examination of soccer takes listeners on a tour across the world and throughout history, introducing the many people who have attempted to shine a light onto and innovate a sport that, in many ways, is still stuck in the Dark Ages. This deep dive into the rise of analytics in soccer—a sport where tradition reigns supreme—shows how revolutionary tactics and underexplored metrics are breaking the beautiful game wide open.
-
-
Must read!
- By Kathleen V Fahey on 01-26-23
By: Ryan O'Hanlon
-
Pep Guardiola
- The Evolution
- By: Marti Perarnau
- Narrated by: Thomas Judd
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For three extraordinary seasons at Bayern Munich, Marti Perarnau was given total access around the German super club - to its players, its backroom staff, its board members and, above all, its manager, Pep Guardiola. In the follow-up to his critically acclaimed account of Guardiola's first full season at Bayern, Pep Confidential, Perarnau now lifts the lid on the Catalan's whole tenure in Bavaria.
-
-
Total story. Total football. Total Pep.
- By Michal Kuczek on 08-01-17
By: Marti Perarnau
-
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
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Historical perspective not tactical
- By Jon on 02-11-20
By: Michael W. Cox
-
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
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Read don't listen
- By JR3 on 01-23-19
By: Joshua Robinson, and others
-
Soccernomics
- By: Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why does England lose? Why does Scotland suck? Why doesn't America play the sport internationally... and why do the Germans play with such an efficient but robotic style? Using insights and analogies from economics, statistics, psychology and business to cast a new and entertaining light on how the game works, Soccernomics reveals the often surprisingly counterintuitive truths about soccer.
-
-
Interesting but older version of the book
- By Hansi on 05-08-13
By: Simon Kuper, and others
-
Pep’s City
- By: Lu Martín, Pol Ballús
- Narrated by: Thomas Judd
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over three seasons in England, Pep Guardiola has built something the Premier League has never seen before: a team that dominates games like no other, scoring goals and collecting points and trophies at record-breaking pace. Throughout that journey, the Spanish journalists Lu Martín and Pol Ballús have been embedded with the club, reporting this inside account of how a phenomenal team was constructed: from the recruitment of Guardiola himself, to the backroom staff that provide the platform for his team and the superstar players that have set a new standard in British football.
-
-
Great listen!
- By Turgon23 on 11-02-23
By: Lu Martín, and others
-
Net Gains
- Inside the Beautiful Game's Analytics Revolution
- By: Ryan O'Hanlon
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This in-depth examination of soccer takes listeners on a tour across the world and throughout history, introducing the many people who have attempted to shine a light onto and innovate a sport that, in many ways, is still stuck in the Dark Ages. This deep dive into the rise of analytics in soccer—a sport where tradition reigns supreme—shows how revolutionary tactics and underexplored metrics are breaking the beautiful game wide open.
-
-
Must read!
- By Kathleen V Fahey on 01-26-23
By: Ryan O'Hanlon
-
Messi
- The Definitive Biography Fully Updated to Include Messi's First Season at PSG
- By: Guillem Balague
- Narrated by: Peter Kenny
- Length: 27 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of one of the greatest footballers of all time, Barcelona and Argentina's Lionel Messi. Despite all the fame and adulation, remarkably little is known about Lionel Messi, the modest and intensely private footballing genius. Just how did the boy from Rosario, Argentina, become the world's greatest player? Guillem Balague has had unprecedented access to Messi's inner circle: his coaches, teammates and family. In addition, Pep Guardiola has provided exclusive analysis of the player. The result is an authoritative and compelling account of the wonderful mystery that is Messi.
-
-
In-depth look at Lionel Messi
- By Nicholas Beato on 01-16-22
By: Guillem Balague
-
The Barcelona Inheritance
- The Evolution of Winning Soccer Tactics from Cruyff to Guardiola
- By: Jonathan Wilson
- Narrated by: Charlie Anson
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Barcelona's style of play—pressing and possessing—is the single biggest influence on modern soccer. In The Barcelona Inheritance, Jonathan Wilson reveals how and why this came to pass, offering an analysis of the evolution of soccer tactics and style. In the late 1990s, Johan Cruyff's Dream Team was disintegrating and the revolutionary manager had departed, but his style birthed to a new generation of thinkers, including Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho. Today, their teams top the Premier League, marking the latest installment in a rivalry that can be traced back 25 years.
-
-
Too much about the “Special One”
- By Bob Seavers on 06-30-21
By: Jonathan Wilson
-
Revolution
- The Rise of Arteta’s Arsenal
- By: Charles Watts
- Narrated by: Gavin Osborn
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
November 2019. Unai Emery’s final game as Arsenal manager sees the Gunners languishing eighth in the league. Appointed in the dying embers of the Wenger years, Emery’s 18 months as Arsenal boss has seen the team and the club go backwards – playing unimaginative, pragmatic football, and recently losing to London rivals Chelsea in the final of the Europa League. Something had to change; a fresh head with fresh ideas. A new leader.
-
-
Solid Gold
- By Kindle Customer on 08-27-24
By: Charles Watts
-
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
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Great for coaches!
- By Amazon Customer on 09-29-18
By: Grant Wahl
-
The Fall of the House of FIFA
- The Multimillion-Dollar Corruption at the Heart of Global Soccer
- By: David Conn
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2015, FIFA - the multibillion dollar governing body of the world's most-loved sport - was brought down by allegations of industrial-scale bribes, kickbacks, money laundering, racketeering, and tax evasion. Beginning with early morning raids in Zurich and the indictment of 27 executives by the US Department of Justice, the rottenness at the core of FIFA seemed to extend throughout all of soccer, from the decision to send the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar to lesser known cases of embezzlement from Trinidad to South Africa.
-
-
quite good
- By kevin m on 12-14-17
By: David Conn
-
Messi vs. Ronaldo
- One Rivalry, Two GOATs, and the Era That Remade the World's Game
- By: Jonathan Clegg, Joshua Robinson
- Narrated by: Charles Constant
- Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wall Street Journal reporters Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg offer a deeply reported account of the intertwined sagas and legacies of two of the greatest soccer players of all time—Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo—examining how their rivalry has grown from a personal competition to a multi-billion-dollar industry, paralleling the stunning rise, overwhelming excesses, and uncertain future of modern international soccer.
-
-
Messi!
- By Lois R. Reibach on 12-08-24
By: Jonathan Clegg, and others
-
Barca
- The Making of the Greatest Team in the World
- By: Graham Hunter
- Narrated by: Graham Hunter
- Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Barcelona is the greatest football team in the world, the greatest for a generation, and possibly the greatest of all time. This is the untold inside story of how the best and most loved football team in the world came to redefine how the game is played. We start with the 2011 Champions League final at Wembley, the game that ended the debate about whether Barcelona was the greatest team in the world and began a new one: are they the best ever?
-
-
In-depth analysis of the greatest team ever
- By Michalis Petrou on 01-09-18
By: Graham Hunter
-
How to Watch Soccer
- By: Ruud Gullit, Sam Herman
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ruud Gullit knows better than anyone else that to understand soccer you have to understand strategy. When he started playing soccer, his only "strategy" was to get the ball, outrun everyone else to the other end of the field, and score. At first it served him well, but as he advanced through the sport, he learned that it takes much more than speed to make a winning team.
-
-
Great book
- By Gerald Kearney on 03-24-17
By: Ruud Gullit, and others
-
Jürgen Klopp
- By: Elmar Neveling, Bryn Roberts, Bradley Schmidt
- Narrated by: Saul Reichlin
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jürgen Klopp is the charismatic German manager who single-handedly overthrew the accepted order in German football, taking Borussia Dortmund from nowhere to back-to-back Bundesliga titles and the Champions League final. He had long been admired in the Premiership and was finally wooed by Liverpool in the belief he could bring back the glory days to the Kop. Klopp is revered as a master tactician with his own unique playing philosophies.
-
-
Nice and historic
- By Jose de Leon on 03-22-20
By: Elmar Neveling, and others
-
Alex Ferguson:
- My Autobiography
- By: Alex Ferguson
- Narrated by: James Macpherson, Alex Ferguson
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Revised and updated with new material from the paperback edition. Includes a prelude read by Sir Alex Ferguson. Sir Alex Ferguson's compelling story is always honest and revealing he reflects on his managerial career that embraced unprecedented European success for Aberdeen and 26 triumphant seasons with Manchester United.
-
-
Solid, if a little egotistical
- By J. MacDonald on 11-19-13
By: Alex Ferguson
-
Playing for Keeps
- Michael Jordan and the World He Made
- By: David Halberstam
- Narrated by: JD Jackson
- Length: 20 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Playing for Keeps, David Halberstam takes the first full measure of Michael Jordan's epic career, one of the great American stories of our time. A narrative of astonishing power and human drama, brimming with revealing anecdotes and penetrating insights, the audiobook chronicles the forces in Jordan's life that have shaped him into history's greatest basketball player and the larger forces that have converged to make him the most famous living human being in the world.
-
-
If You Liked "The Last Dance," You Will Love This
- By John on 06-13-20
By: David Halberstam
-
Go Up for Glory
- By: Bill Russell, Bill Mcsweeny
- Narrated by: JD Jackson
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From NBA legend Bill Russell, Go Up for Glory is a basketball memoir that transcends time. First published in 1965, this narrative traces Russell's childhood in segregated America and details the challenges he faced as a Black man, even when he was a celebrated NBA star. And while some progress has been made, this book serves as an urgent reminder of how far we still have to go in the fight for human rights and equality.
-
-
Timeless lessons
- By seas on 07-18-24
By: Bill Russell, and others
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)
Related to this topic
-
Barca
- The Making of the Greatest Team in the World
- By: Graham Hunter
- Narrated by: Graham Hunter
- Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Barcelona is the greatest football team in the world, the greatest for a generation, and possibly the greatest of all time. This is the untold inside story of how the best and most loved football team in the world came to redefine how the game is played. We start with the 2011 Champions League final at Wembley, the game that ended the debate about whether Barcelona was the greatest team in the world and began a new one: are they the best ever?
-
-
In-depth analysis of the greatest team ever
- By Michalis Petrou on 01-09-18
By: Graham Hunter
-
Tanking to the Top
- The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports
- By: Yaron Weitzman
- Narrated by: Yaron Weitzman
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a group of private equity bigwigs purchased the Philadelphia 76ers in 2011, the team was both bad and boring. Attendance was down. So were ratings. The Sixers had an aging coach, an antiquated front office, and a group of players that could best be described as mediocre. Enter Sam Hinkie - a man with a plan straight out of the PE playbook, one that violated professional sports' Golden Rule: You play to win the game.
-
-
Great history of tanking by Sixers
- By Alan Bernstein on 03-11-23
By: Yaron Weitzman
-
Barkley
- A Biography
- By: Timothy Bella
- Narrated by: Korey Jackson
- Length: 16 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
He's one of the most interesting American athletes in the past fifty years. Passionate, candid, iconoclastic, and gifted both on and off the court, Charles Barkley has made a lasting impact on not only the world of basketball but pop culture at large. Yet few people know the real Charles. Informed by over 370 original interviews and painstaking research, Timothy Bella's Barkley is the most comprehensive biography to date of one of the most talked about icons in the world of sports.
-
-
Great insight to the big man’s life.
- By marci rodee on 07-03-23
By: Timothy Bella
-
The Breaks of the Game
- By: David Halberstam
- Narrated by: Brian Troxell
- Length: 17 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A New York Times best seller, David Halberstam's The Breaks of the Game focuses on one grim season (1979-80) in the life of the Bill Walton-led Portland Trail Blazers, a team that only three years before had been NBA champions. The tactile authenticity of Halberstam's knowledge of the basketball world is unrivaled. Yet he is writing here about far more than just basketball. This is a story about a place in our society where power, money, and talent collide and sometimes corrupt, a place where both national obsessions and naked greed are exposed.
-
-
This book is a must read for all NBA junkies.
- By Kyle on 06-13-18
By: David Halberstam
-
The Master
- The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer
- By: Christopher Clarey
- Narrated by: Kiff VandenHeuvel
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There have been other biographies of Roger Federer, but never one with this kind of access to the man himself, his support team, and the most prominent figures in the game, including such rivals as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Roddick. In The Master, New York Times correspondent Christopher Clarey sits down with Federer and those closest to him to tell the story of the greatest player in men's tennis.
-
-
Roger, voiced by Schwarzenegger
- By S. Armour on 08-27-21
-
Dabo's World
- The Life and Career of Coach Swinney and the Rise of Clemson Football
- By: Lars Anderson
- Narrated by: Jamie Renell
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to Dabo's World and learn about how Dabo Swinney used his energy, faith, and determination to turn the Clemson Tigers into a football powerhouse.
-
-
Very Basic Retelling
- By Colonel on 12-31-22
By: Lars Anderson
-
Barca
- The Making of the Greatest Team in the World
- By: Graham Hunter
- Narrated by: Graham Hunter
- Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Barcelona is the greatest football team in the world, the greatest for a generation, and possibly the greatest of all time. This is the untold inside story of how the best and most loved football team in the world came to redefine how the game is played. We start with the 2011 Champions League final at Wembley, the game that ended the debate about whether Barcelona was the greatest team in the world and began a new one: are they the best ever?
-
-
In-depth analysis of the greatest team ever
- By Michalis Petrou on 01-09-18
By: Graham Hunter
-
Tanking to the Top
- The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports
- By: Yaron Weitzman
- Narrated by: Yaron Weitzman
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a group of private equity bigwigs purchased the Philadelphia 76ers in 2011, the team was both bad and boring. Attendance was down. So were ratings. The Sixers had an aging coach, an antiquated front office, and a group of players that could best be described as mediocre. Enter Sam Hinkie - a man with a plan straight out of the PE playbook, one that violated professional sports' Golden Rule: You play to win the game.
-
-
Great history of tanking by Sixers
- By Alan Bernstein on 03-11-23
By: Yaron Weitzman
-
Barkley
- A Biography
- By: Timothy Bella
- Narrated by: Korey Jackson
- Length: 16 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
He's one of the most interesting American athletes in the past fifty years. Passionate, candid, iconoclastic, and gifted both on and off the court, Charles Barkley has made a lasting impact on not only the world of basketball but pop culture at large. Yet few people know the real Charles. Informed by over 370 original interviews and painstaking research, Timothy Bella's Barkley is the most comprehensive biography to date of one of the most talked about icons in the world of sports.
-
-
Great insight to the big man’s life.
- By marci rodee on 07-03-23
By: Timothy Bella
-
The Breaks of the Game
- By: David Halberstam
- Narrated by: Brian Troxell
- Length: 17 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A New York Times best seller, David Halberstam's The Breaks of the Game focuses on one grim season (1979-80) in the life of the Bill Walton-led Portland Trail Blazers, a team that only three years before had been NBA champions. The tactile authenticity of Halberstam's knowledge of the basketball world is unrivaled. Yet he is writing here about far more than just basketball. This is a story about a place in our society where power, money, and talent collide and sometimes corrupt, a place where both national obsessions and naked greed are exposed.
-
-
This book is a must read for all NBA junkies.
- By Kyle on 06-13-18
By: David Halberstam
-
The Master
- The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer
- By: Christopher Clarey
- Narrated by: Kiff VandenHeuvel
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There have been other biographies of Roger Federer, but never one with this kind of access to the man himself, his support team, and the most prominent figures in the game, including such rivals as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Roddick. In The Master, New York Times correspondent Christopher Clarey sits down with Federer and those closest to him to tell the story of the greatest player in men's tennis.
-
-
Roger, voiced by Schwarzenegger
- By S. Armour on 08-27-21
-
Dabo's World
- The Life and Career of Coach Swinney and the Rise of Clemson Football
- By: Lars Anderson
- Narrated by: Jamie Renell
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to Dabo's World and learn about how Dabo Swinney used his energy, faith, and determination to turn the Clemson Tigers into a football powerhouse.
-
-
Very Basic Retelling
- By Colonel on 12-31-22
By: Lars Anderson
-
It's Better to Be Feared
- The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness
- By: Seth Wickersham
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 19 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over two unbelievable decades, the New England Patriots were not only the NFL's most dominant team, but also - and by far - the most secretive. How did they achieve and sustain greatness - and what were the costs? In It's Better to Be Feared, Seth Wickersham, one of the country's finest long form and investigative sportswriters, tells the full, behind-the-scenes story of the Patriots, capturing the brilliance, ambition, and vanity that powered and ultimately unraveled them.
-
-
Don’t bother if you’ve read other patriots books
- By Brandon O. on 10-14-21
By: Seth Wickersham
-
The Russian Five
- A Story of Espionage, Defection, Bribery and Courage
- By: Keith Gave
- Narrated by: Bob Brill
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the Detroit Red Wings were rebooting their franchise after more than two decades of relative futility, they knew the best place to find world-class players who could turn things around more quickly were conscripted servants behind the Iron Curtain. All they had to do to get them was make history by drafting them and then figure out how to get them out of the Soviet Union.
-
-
Very interesting
- By Kandace on 04-23-21
By: Keith Gave
-
America's Quarterback
- Bart Starr and the Rise of the National Football League
- By: Keith Dunnavant
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No one can touch Bart Starr's record setting 5 NFL Championships including 3 straight. America's Quarterback tells the story of the man who helped create the legend of Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers. This biography traces Starr’s life from childhood in Alabama to stardom in Green Bay and beyond. Not a simple sports story, Dunnavant traces the story of one man reaching for the American dream while professional football emerged from the shadows to capture the nation’s imagination.
-
-
awesome
- By Anthony nyman on 03-30-15
By: Keith Dunnavant
-
Tall Men, Short Shorts
- The 1969 NBA Finals: Wilt, Russ, Lakers, Celtics, and a Very Young Sports Reporter
- By: Leigh Montville
- Narrated by: Leigh Montville
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They don’t set up any better than this. The greatest basketball player of all time–Bill Russell–and his juggernaut Boston Celtics, winners of ten (ten!) of the previous twelve NBA championships, squeak through one more playoff run and land in the Finals again. Russell’s opponent? The fearsome 7’1” next-generation superstar, Wilt Chamberlain, recently traded to the LA Lakers to form the league’s first dream team. Bill Russell and John Havlicek versus Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.
-
-
Very good book with a caveat
- By Hebern on 12-06-21
By: Leigh Montville
-
From Darkness to Dynasty
- The First 40 Years of the New England Patriots
- By: Jerry Thornton
- Narrated by: Chris Andrew Ciulla
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Darkness to Dynasty tells the unlikely history of the New England Patriots as it has never been told before. From their humble beginnings as a team bought with rainy-day money by a man who had no idea what he was doing, to the fateful season that saw them win their first Super Bowl, Jerry Thornton shares the wild, humiliating, unbelievable, and wonderful stories that comprised the first 40 years of what would ultimately become the most dominant franchise in NFL history.
-
-
great narration, great book
- By BenRias on 01-25-18
By: Jerry Thornton
-
Overtime
- Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines at the Crossroads of College Football
- By: John U. Bacon
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For the past year, John U. Bacon has received unprecedented access to Jim Harbaugh’s University of Michigan football team: coaches, players, and staffers, in closed-door meetings, locker rooms, meals, and classes. Overtime captures this storied program at the crossroads, as the sport’s winningest team battles to reclaim its former glory. But what if the price of success today comes at the cost of your soul? Do you pay it, or compete without compromising?
-
-
Good story.... but
- By Amazon Customer on 10-07-19
By: John U. Bacon
-
Pistol
- The Life of Pete Maravich
- By: Mark Kriegel
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Pistol is more than the biography of a ballplayer. It's the stuff of classic novels: the story of a boy transformed by his father's dream and the cost of that dream. Even as Pete Maravich became Pistol Pete, a basketball icon for baby boomers, all the Maraviches paid a price. Now acclaimed author Mark Kriegel has brilliantly captured the saga of an American family: its rise, its apparent ruin, and, finally, its redemption.
-
-
Extremely Good!
- By steve on 12-12-12
By: Mark Kriegel
-
Saban
- The Making of a Coach
- By: Monte Burke
- Narrated by: Barry Abrams
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the head coach of the University of Alabama's football team, Nick Saban is perhaps the most influential - and controversial - man in the sport. Unpredictable in his professional loyalties, uncompromising in his vision, and unyielding in his pursuit of perfection, the highest-paid coach in college football has changed the face of the game. His program-building vision has delivered packed stadiums, rabid fans, legions of detractors, countless NFL draft picks, and a total of four championships.
-
-
Narrator is awful.
- By kenneth on 08-12-15
By: Monte Burke
-
Three Ring Circus
- Kobe, Shaq, Phil and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty
- By: Jeff Pearlman
- Narrated by: Brian Hutchison
- Length: 16 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the history of modern sport, there have never been two high-level teammates who loathed each other the way Shaquille O’Neal loathed Kobe Bryant and Kobe Bryant loathed Shaquille O’Neal. From public sniping and sparring, to physical altercations and the repeated threats of trade, it was warfare. And yet, despite eight years of infighting and hostility, by turns mediated and encouraged by coach Phil Jackson, the Shaq-Kobe duo resulted in one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history.
-
-
Ok I've finished it and have more thoughts
- By Bobby S on 09-24-20
By: Jeff Pearlman
-
Intangibles
- Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team Chemistry
- By: Joan Ryan
- Narrated by: Joan Ryan
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Does team chemistry actually exist? Is team chemistry as real and relevant as on-base percentages and wins above replacement? In Joan Ryan's groundbreaking audiobook, we discover that the answer to all of the above is a resounding "Yes". As Ryan puts it, team chemistry, or the combination of biological and social forces that boosts selfless effort among more players over more days of a season, is what drives sports teams toward a common goal, encouraging the players to be the best versions of themselves. These are the elements of teams that make them "click".
-
-
Intangibles
- By Joseph on 11-17-20
By: Joan Ryan
-
You Herd Me!
- I'll Say It If Nobody Else Will
- By: Colin Cowherd
- Narrated by: Colin Cowherd
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this age of billion dollar athletic marketing campaigns, “feel good” philosophy with no connection to reality, and a Sports Media echo chamber that’s all too eager swallow whatever idiotic notion happens to be in vogue at the moment, it’s tough to find people who aren’t afraid to say what they’re really thinking.
-
-
Great book, Repeats majority of themes from radio
- By Troy on 01-20-14
By: Colin Cowherd
-
War Room
- The Legacy of Bill Belichick and the Art of Building the Perfect Team
- By: Michael Holley
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bill Belichick is one of the titans of today's game of football. Now, sports commentator and best-selling author Michael Holley follows three NFL teams - the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, and Atlanta Falcons - from training camp 2010 through the Super Bowl and into the April draft, opening a new window into Belichick's influence on the game. This one-of-a-kind exploration takes football fans behind the scenes of the most popular sport in America, with unprecedented insider access to the head coaches, scouts, trainers, and players.
-
-
Narrator choice - HUH?
- By Ryan Mullaney on 03-25-18
By: Michael Holley
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The Barcelona Inheritance
- The Evolution of Winning Soccer Tactics from Cruyff to Guardiola
- By: Jonathan Wilson
- Narrated by: Charlie Anson
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Barcelona's style of play—pressing and possessing—is the single biggest influence on modern soccer. In The Barcelona Inheritance, Jonathan Wilson reveals how and why this came to pass, offering an analysis of the evolution of soccer tactics and style. In the late 1990s, Johan Cruyff's Dream Team was disintegrating and the revolutionary manager had departed, but his style birthed to a new generation of thinkers, including Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho. Today, their teams top the Premier League, marking the latest installment in a rivalry that can be traced back 25 years.
-
-
Too much about the “Special One”
- By Bob Seavers on 06-30-21
By: Jonathan Wilson
-
Inverting the Pyramid
- The History of Soccer Tactics
- By: Jonathan Wilson
- Narrated by: Damian Lynch
- Length: 18 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This pioneering soccer book chronicles the evolution of the sport and how it has affected the lives of players, coaches, and fans–perfect for those who adore the timeless game.
By: Jonathan Wilson
-
Pep Guardiola
- The Evolution
- By: Marti Perarnau
- Narrated by: Thomas Judd
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For three extraordinary seasons at Bayern Munich, Marti Perarnau was given total access around the German super club - to its players, its backroom staff, its board members and, above all, its manager, Pep Guardiola. In the follow-up to his critically acclaimed account of Guardiola's first full season at Bayern, Pep Confidential, Perarnau now lifts the lid on the Catalan's whole tenure in Bavaria.
-
-
Total story. Total football. Total Pep.
- By Michal Kuczek on 08-01-17
By: Marti Perarnau
-
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
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Read don't listen
- By JR3 on 01-23-19
By: Joshua Robinson, and others
-
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
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Historical perspective not tactical
- By Jon on 02-11-20
By: Michael W. Cox
-
Soccernomics
- By: Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why does England lose? Why does Scotland suck? Why doesn't America play the sport internationally... and why do the Germans play with such an efficient but robotic style? Using insights and analogies from economics, statistics, psychology and business to cast a new and entertaining light on how the game works, Soccernomics reveals the often surprisingly counterintuitive truths about soccer.
-
-
Interesting but older version of the book
- By Hansi on 05-08-13
By: Simon Kuper, and others
-
The Barcelona Inheritance
- The Evolution of Winning Soccer Tactics from Cruyff to Guardiola
- By: Jonathan Wilson
- Narrated by: Charlie Anson
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Barcelona's style of play—pressing and possessing—is the single biggest influence on modern soccer. In The Barcelona Inheritance, Jonathan Wilson reveals how and why this came to pass, offering an analysis of the evolution of soccer tactics and style. In the late 1990s, Johan Cruyff's Dream Team was disintegrating and the revolutionary manager had departed, but his style birthed to a new generation of thinkers, including Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho. Today, their teams top the Premier League, marking the latest installment in a rivalry that can be traced back 25 years.
-
-
Too much about the “Special One”
- By Bob Seavers on 06-30-21
By: Jonathan Wilson
-
Inverting the Pyramid
- The History of Soccer Tactics
- By: Jonathan Wilson
- Narrated by: Damian Lynch
- Length: 18 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This pioneering soccer book chronicles the evolution of the sport and how it has affected the lives of players, coaches, and fans–perfect for those who adore the timeless game.
By: Jonathan Wilson
-
Pep Guardiola
- The Evolution
- By: Marti Perarnau
- Narrated by: Thomas Judd
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For three extraordinary seasons at Bayern Munich, Marti Perarnau was given total access around the German super club - to its players, its backroom staff, its board members and, above all, its manager, Pep Guardiola. In the follow-up to his critically acclaimed account of Guardiola's first full season at Bayern, Pep Confidential, Perarnau now lifts the lid on the Catalan's whole tenure in Bavaria.
-
-
Total story. Total football. Total Pep.
- By Michal Kuczek on 08-01-17
By: Marti Perarnau
-
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
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Read don't listen
- By JR3 on 01-23-19
By: Joshua Robinson, and others
-
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
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Historical perspective not tactical
- By Jon on 02-11-20
By: Michael W. Cox
-
Soccernomics
- By: Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why does England lose? Why does Scotland suck? Why doesn't America play the sport internationally... and why do the Germans play with such an efficient but robotic style? Using insights and analogies from economics, statistics, psychology and business to cast a new and entertaining light on how the game works, Soccernomics reveals the often surprisingly counterintuitive truths about soccer.
-
-
Interesting but older version of the book
- By Hansi on 05-08-13
By: Simon Kuper, and others
-
Messi vs. Ronaldo
- One Rivalry, Two GOATs, and the Era That Remade the World's Game
- By: Jonathan Clegg, Joshua Robinson
- Narrated by: Charles Constant
- Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wall Street Journal reporters Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg offer a deeply reported account of the intertwined sagas and legacies of two of the greatest soccer players of all time—Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo—examining how their rivalry has grown from a personal competition to a multi-billion-dollar industry, paralleling the stunning rise, overwhelming excesses, and uncertain future of modern international soccer.
-
-
Messi!
- By Lois R. Reibach on 12-08-24
By: Jonathan Clegg, and others
-
Expected Goals
- The Story of How Data Conquered Football and Changed the Game Forever
- By: Rory Smith
- Narrated by: Simon Darwen
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Football has always measured success by what you win, but only in the last twenty years have clubs started to think about how you win. Data has now suffused almost every aspect of how football is played, coached, scouted and consumed. But it’s not the algorithms or new metrics that have made this change, it’s the people behind them. This is the story of modern football’s great data revolution and the group of curious, entrepreneurial personalities who zealously believed in its potential to transform the game.
-
-
Trove of information
- By KaraS on 03-15-24
By: Rory Smith
-
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
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Great for coaches!
- By Amazon Customer on 09-29-18
By: Grant Wahl
-
Net Gains
- Inside the Beautiful Game's Analytics Revolution
- By: Ryan O'Hanlon
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This in-depth examination of soccer takes listeners on a tour across the world and throughout history, introducing the many people who have attempted to shine a light onto and innovate a sport that, in many ways, is still stuck in the Dark Ages. This deep dive into the rise of analytics in soccer—a sport where tradition reigns supreme—shows how revolutionary tactics and underexplored metrics are breaking the beautiful game wide open.
-
-
Must read!
- By Kathleen V Fahey on 01-26-23
By: Ryan O'Hanlon
-
Messi
- The Definitive Biography Fully Updated to Include Messi's First Season at PSG
- By: Guillem Balague
- Narrated by: Peter Kenny
- Length: 27 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of one of the greatest footballers of all time, Barcelona and Argentina's Lionel Messi. Despite all the fame and adulation, remarkably little is known about Lionel Messi, the modest and intensely private footballing genius. Just how did the boy from Rosario, Argentina, become the world's greatest player? Guillem Balague has had unprecedented access to Messi's inner circle: his coaches, teammates and family. In addition, Pep Guardiola has provided exclusive analysis of the player. The result is an authoritative and compelling account of the wonderful mystery that is Messi.
-
-
In-depth look at Lionel Messi
- By Nicholas Beato on 01-16-22
By: Guillem Balague
-
Jürgen Klopp
- By: Elmar Neveling, Bryn Roberts, Bradley Schmidt
- Narrated by: Saul Reichlin
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jürgen Klopp is the charismatic German manager who single-handedly overthrew the accepted order in German football, taking Borussia Dortmund from nowhere to back-to-back Bundesliga titles and the Champions League final. He had long been admired in the Premiership and was finally wooed by Liverpool in the belief he could bring back the glory days to the Kop. Klopp is revered as a master tactician with his own unique playing philosophies.
-
-
Nice and historic
- By Jose de Leon on 03-22-20
By: Elmar Neveling, and others
-
How to Watch Soccer
- By: Ruud Gullit, Sam Herman
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ruud Gullit knows better than anyone else that to understand soccer you have to understand strategy. When he started playing soccer, his only "strategy" was to get the ball, outrun everyone else to the other end of the field, and score. At first it served him well, but as he advanced through the sport, he learned that it takes much more than speed to make a winning team.
-
-
Great book
- By Gerald Kearney on 03-24-17
By: Ruud Gullit, and others
-
Pep’s City
- By: Lu Martín, Pol Ballús
- Narrated by: Thomas Judd
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over three seasons in England, Pep Guardiola has built something the Premier League has never seen before: a team that dominates games like no other, scoring goals and collecting points and trophies at record-breaking pace. Throughout that journey, the Spanish journalists Lu Martín and Pol Ballús have been embedded with the club, reporting this inside account of how a phenomenal team was constructed: from the recruitment of Guardiola himself, to the backroom staff that provide the platform for his team and the superstar players that have set a new standard in British football.
-
-
Great listen!
- By Turgon23 on 11-02-23
By: Lu Martín, and others
-
The Ball Is Round
- A Global History of Soccer
- By: David Goldblatt, David Goldblatt - foreword
- Narrated by: Liam Gerrard
- Length: 38 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this extraordinary tour de force, David Goldblatt tells the full story of soccer's rise from chaotic folk ritual to the world's most popular sport - now poised to fully establish itself in the USA. Already celebrated internationally, The Ball Is Round illuminates soccer's role in the political and social histories of modern societies, but never loses sight of the beauty, joy, and excitement of the game itself.
-
-
Dry and Boring
- By Kyle on 05-25-22
By: David Goldblatt, and others
-
How to Win the Premier League
- The Inside Story of Football’s Data Revolution
- By: Ian Graham
- Narrated by: Daniel Hawksford
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Between 2012 and 2023, Ian Graham worked as Liverpool FC's Director of Research. His tenure coincided with the club’s greatest period of success since the 1980s, including winning the Premier League in 2020 – Liverpool’s first league title after an agonising 29 years. Here for the first time, Graham reveals the fascinating data that informed some of the club’s most pivotal moments of the past decade, from the appointment of Jurgen Klopp as manager in 2015 to the signing of Mohamed Salah in 2017.
By: Ian Graham
-
Transformer
- Klopp, the Revolution of a Club and Culture
- By: Neil Atkinson
- Narrated by: Neil Atkinson
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Up the Reds
- By Mary M on 10-17-24
By: Neil Atkinson
-
Adrenaline
- My Untold Stories
- By: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Antony Shugaar
- Narrated by: James Hillier
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the decade since his mega-selling memoir I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovic, he has played at Paris Saint-Germain (2012-2016), Manchester United (2016-2018), LA Galaxy (2018-2019) and Milan (2020-). This outrageous and hilarious follow-up is bursting with personal confessions and revealing anecdotes about the world's best players and managers. Packed with revelations, in Adrenaline, we hear for the first time what Zlatan really thinks about his time in the Premier League and what it was like to score that glorious bicycle kick against England.
-
-
Zlatan!!!
- By kobecohiba on 03-02-24
By: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and others
What listeners say about The Barcelona Complex
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Steve Adams
- 04-01-23
Fantastic book for the serious soccer fan
Excellence history of FC, Barcelona’s, and the makings of this great club with this rise and fall.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Elizabeth
- 11-29-22
The beautiful game
I was hesitant to get this book, thinking it was an institutional history of Barca with a bit of Messi thrown in. It’s so much more, a loving, probing assessment of what makes great clubs and great players come alive and make us dream, if only for a time. Wonderful narrator as well. Should appeal to all sports fans, not just football fans, not just Barca fans.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- steve finkelstein
- 10-27-23
Fantastic
Simon Kuper does a fantastic job with writing about futbol. And the narrator, Steve West, does a wonderful job with the book.
A great combination.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous boyfriend
- 09-01-21
Every soccer fan should read
Although it requires some prior knowledge (lots of name dropping) this is a fascinating sociopolitical inspection of FC Barcelona. As a Liverpool fan I genuinely appreciated learning more about the business of int’l football, the history of the modern game and about individual legends. 10/10 would recommend
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Igor
- 02-06-23
brutally honest but necessary book
if you prefer living with your eyes closed, this book is not for you. But if you truly want to understand the breathtaking journey from the low point to the impossible heights and back to the abyss, then this is your book. It is beautifully written. The chapters on Cruyff and his innovations are absolutely amazing. The chapters on Messi are insightful. The chapters on the club's demise will surely make you cry. You don't need to be a football pundit to enjoy the book. I'm a complete novice and could not put the book down. It will teach you all you need to know in order to appreciate the beautiful game. The narrator is great.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- David C.
- 11-03-21
A comprehensive history of Barca
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Kuper goes deep into the world of football and Barcelona. I thought the insights into training methods of Cruyff and what he created at La Masia were particularly interesting. Drills I did as an American player in the 90s came straight from that philosophy and I never knew it. I dinged the narrator a star because of the awkward pronunciations of well known figures in the game.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 04-11-22
Amazing
The book is a colorful story. Wonderful detail provided. I enjoyed it start to finish.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!