Fear and Loathing in La Liga cover art

Fear and Loathing in La Liga

Barcelona vs Real Madrid

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Fear and Loathing in La Liga

By: Sid Lowe
Narrated by: Sid Lowe
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £10.34

Buy Now for £10.34

LIMITED TIME OFFER

£0.99/mo for the first 3 months. Terms apply.

It’s Messi vs Ronaldo, it’s Catalonia vs Castilla. It’s the nation against the state, freedom fighters vs Franco’s fascists. It’s majestic goals and mesmerising skills, red cards and bench brawls. It’s the best two teams on the planet going face to face and toe to toe. It’s more than a game. It’s a war. It’s Barcelona vs Real Madrid.

...Only, it’s not that simple. From the wounds left by the civil war to the teams’ recent global domination, historian and expert on Spanish football, Sid Lowe lifts the lid on sport’s greatest rivalry. Lowe has spoken to the biggest names and the forgotten heroes who defined their clubs. Men like Alfredo Di Stéfano and Johan Cruyff as well as the only survivor of the most politically charged game in history, the Barcelona striker who knocked Madrid out of the European Cup for the first time ever, and the president who celebrated his club’s defining moment by taking a midnight dip in the Thames.

By exploring the history, politics, culture, economics and language, while never forgetting the drama on the pitch, Lowe demonstrates the symbiotic nature of the relationship between these two football giants. In doing so he reveals the human story behind this explosive rivalry.

 Europe Football (American) Football (Soccer) Spain Sports War Celebrity Imperialism Game Civil War Socialism Portugal
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

One of the year’s best football books … an extremely well-informed and usefully myth-busting portrait
Fascinating
Sports Book of the Year
Football Books of the Year: Sid Lowe isn’t an ordinary football writer and, as a result, this is not an ordinary football book. Lowe paces it all so well ... like an engaging lesson from your favourite teacher
A revelation. Anyone interested in Spain's two biggest teams can learn something new from this labour of love ... tackling tricky subjects with skill and weaving them into an engaging story. For that, this book stands out from the rest.
Lowe is a man with deep knowledge. He is a proper researcher. His list of interviewees – from Di Stéfano to Beckham – is a Who's Who of six decades of football. And his re-runs of past epic matches make you seek out grainy YouTube videos.
Utterly brilliant (Henry Winter)
A history of modern Spain told through one of world football's most intense rivalries. It conjures up the complex passions of a country whose national team has become not only the best in the world at present, but, some say, the best ever (Chris Maume)
Like so many of Spain's deep rifts, the enmity stems from the civil war. Barcelona represent the losers, democrats, Catalonia. Real Madrid represent the victors, repressors, Spain. Lowe's detailed study shows that the caricature is simplistic but not entirely incorrect (Nick Pitt)
A work of profound research and stimulating discoveries… Lowe has done El Clasico a service by defining its history (Hugh MacDonald)
All stars
Most relevant
This is one of the best football books I've read. I've learned more about the culture and history of Spain from reading this than I have from reading history books about the country. Brilliant. I was engaged from start to finish

More than a club? More than a book about football

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

If you could sum up Fear and Loathing in La Liga in three words, what would they be?

Comprehensive, interesting

What does Sid Lowe bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He emphasizes on certain points that may be missing in the book. The fact it is narrated by the author comes across in the way he narrates the book

Any additional comments?

I haven't read the book yet, but since I signed up to audible and had the credits to purchase it I decided to do so. This book is a very interesting, comprehensive history of Real Madrid Vs Barcelona, covering their rivalry and also the history of each club, how they reacted to and dealt with the Spanish Civil War and other off-pitch issues, as well as the common flashpoints on the pitch, like Di Stefano's transfer, Mourinho, Figo and so on.I strongly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in either of these clubs or football generally.

Sid Lowe is a good writer in his various columns on Spanish football, and here he narrates his own book. This helps the audiobook emphasize key points - it feels like the audiobook is better because the author is narrating, rather than a narrator reading someone elses work.

Fear and Loathing in La Liga

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
incredibly detailed and intensely facinating tour of the two biggest titans in world football. stunning

wonderous re-telling of football's biggest rivalry

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Always one of the most insightful of sports journalists when he appears on Guardian Football Weekly, this book is a delight, especially in audio form. An interesting blend of football and history, it does not offer a comprehensive story of either but will leave the reader/listener with an incredible insight into how the two intertwine.

Dial Up Sid Lowe

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A well researched, well read and engaging book. Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in Spanish football. If you think you know about these two clubs think again. I did.

Excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews