Golazo!: The Beautiful Game from the Aztecs to the World Cup: The Complete History of How Soccer Shaped Latin America

by Andreas Campomar

Overview

The definitive book about the national identities, heroes, and dramatic stories from Latin American soccer throughout history, perfect for World Cup reading.

“Golazo!” means “amazing goal!” And the word  perfectly captures the unique, exuberant, all-encompassing, passionate role that soccer plays in Latin America.

Andreas Campomar offers readers the definitive history of Latin American soccer from the early, deadly Mesoamerican ballgames to the multi-billion dollar international business it is today. Golazo! explores the intersection of soccer, politics, economics, high and low culture, and how passion for a game captured a continent.

The triumphs, the heartbreaks, the origins and the future, the political and the personal—Golazo! is the perfect book for new fans and diehard followers around the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780698152533
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/06/2014
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	496
File size:	9 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Andreas Campomar was educated at Cambridge University, where he studied Modern History. He is currently Publishing Director at Constable & Robinson in the United Kingdom. He reviews for The Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, Times Literary Supplement, and many others. He is the son of a Uruguayan diplomat and a descendant of Dr. Enrique Buero, the man who brought the first World Cup in Montevideo and later became vice president of FIFA. He lives in London.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for Golazo!

"[A] sweeping exploration of soccer intersecting with politics, history, economics and culture in forging a continent’s passion." — Steven Goff, The Washington Post

"The most comprehensive history of soccer in the part of the world in which it may well mean the most... A thorough, engaging history of the development of futbol and its place in Latin American society... Campomar effectively brings out the color and passion for the game, its evocative langauge, its artistic power and its sometimes-martial ugliness... He accomplishes his task with verve... Fine, scintillating history." — Kirkus

"Perfection, pride, politics and punch-ups. The South American way of football has never been more readable." — John Crace, ESPN and The Guardian

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Golazo!

"[A] sweeping exploration of soccer intersecting with politics, history, economics and culture in forging a continent’s passion." — Steven Goff, The Washington Post

"The most comprehensive history of soccer in the part of the world in which it may well mean the most... A thorough, engaging history of the development of futbol and its place in Latin American society... Campomar effectively brings out the color and passion for the game, its evocative langauge, its artistic power and its sometimes-martial ugliness... He accomplishes his task with verve... Fine, scintillating history." — Kirkus

"Perfection, pride, politics and punch-ups. The South American way of football has never been more readable." — John Crace, ESPN and The Guardian

From the Publisher

06/01/2014
Campomar's (publishing director, Constable & Robinson) history of Latin American soccer does a wonderful job of teasing apart the various narratives and influences that have shaped the sport. This chronicle is thorough but also readable, guiding the reader from early Aztec ball games through the dizzying complexities of inter- and intranational rivalries and the advent of global football. All of this is done while explaining soccer's place in the larger history of the world, and the role the game played in the development of national identities by Latin Americans as they became more and more enamored of a pastime that was at least partially developed by their colonizers. In this sense, the book is a creative and rare combination of what are normally several distinct topics. It is a work of truly ambitious scope and although the reader may at times be bogged down by the sheer volume of detail on minor players and teams it is successful. VERDICT This work will satisfy not only fans of soccer but anyone interested in examining the history of the world through an unusual lens.—John Helling, Bloomfield-Eastern Greene Cty. P.L., IN

Library Journal

2014-04-21
The most comprehensive history of soccer in the part of the world in which it may well mean the most.Campomar, publishing director of Constable & Robinson in the U.K., provides a thorough, engaging history of the development of fútbol and its place in Latin American society. The author focuses mostly on the 20th century, when the game went from being an English import geared primarily toward British expatriates and elites to being the domain of the masses, who worshipped their heroes, condemned their goats, and filled the terraces for their club and national teams. Campomar also illustrates the way soccer reflected and sometimes fueled political developments across the region. He covers a large geographic swath including Mexico and Central America but gives the bulk of his attention to the countries of South America, where he interweaves the story of the local club game into that of the national teams, which have allowed the region to take its place, even if only for 90 or so minutes at a time, with the Europeans. Clearly timed for the summer's World Cup in Brazil, the book illustrates how the Río de la Plata nations of Uruguay and Argentina represented the continent's pre-eminent powers through the first half of the 20th century, with the Brazilians rising to dominance only in the 1950s. Campomar effectively brings out the color and passion for the game, its evocative language, its artistic power and its sometimes-martial ugliness. While the author occasionally tries to do too much, he accomplishes his task with verve.Brazil will be under enormous pressure to win this summer, and Uruguay and Argentina will be in the running. That will provide opportunities for the updated paperback edition of this fine, scintillating history.

Kirkus Reviews