Angels With Dirty Faces: The Footballing History of Argentina

Product Information

The books featured on this site are aimed primarily at readers aged 13 or above and therefore you must be 13 years or over to sign up to our newsletter.

Nie chodzi też o to, że w Aniołach nie ma suchych faktów i statystyk, bo są, ale książka jest na tyle niejednorodna w treści, że zanim czytelnik zdąży przysnąć, Wilson już opowiada o czymś innym. The book spends a fair but of time on the decline and fall of Diego, but rather less on the other great Argentinian genius, Lionel Messi. Nevertheless, it is difficult not to feel that Wilson is less enthused by this material, much of which will be familiar to modern readers and some of which, such as the tactical influence of Marcelo Bielsa, the author has covered extensively elsewhere. It is the history of the founding of a country that was followed by the introduction of its footballing soul not long after.

Behind The Iron Curtain and Inverting The Pyramid are two I’d recommend to any of you who enjoy looking at the game through a different type of lens and likewise much of the work produced via his own enterprise The Blizzard, known for an intellectual view of the national game.

ANGELS WITH DITY FACES is the definitive history of a great footballing nation and its many paradoxes.The reality of violence in the US is so pervasive that the state has all the mirrors in the house covered up.

Argentina is a volatile country and football violence has been part of the game, from the very earliest days up the emergence of the barras bravas. Imarisha doesn’t flinch as she guides us through the difficulties and contradictions, eschewing theory for a much messier reality.Fascinating overview of the football history and surrounding socio-political background of Argentina. Leyendo a Wilson, es posible darse cuenta porque la celebración de un Messi que evoca a Riquelme enfrente de Louis Van Gaal reivindica toda una tradición futbolística. Alfredo Di Stefano, Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistua, Juan Roman Riquelme, Lionel Messi… Argentina has produced some of the greatest footballers of all time.

Against the constant rat‑tat‑tat of coups, counter-coups and assassinations, through the eras of Eva Perón’s descamisados and General Videla’s desaparecidos, football provided a sense of continuity, but it could not avoid being tainted by the violence and corruption of the society in which it grew. Yet, with the country’s population growing rapidly through immigration from Italy and Spain, by the early 20th Century football had established itself as the game of ‘the people’ rather than a reminder of home for British expats.Wilson napisał jednak książkę nie tyle o samej piłce nożnej, co o umęczonym kraju, dla którego ten sport jest częścią tożsamości narodowej, tak jak dla Polaka Biedronka i pierogi. Angels with Dirty Faces covers a wide array of issues, both individual and collective, ranging from prison abolition to accountability measures offering redemption, and perhaps, forgiveness, with many points in between.