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Real Madrid & Barcelona: the Making of a Rivalry

Elliott Turner (Goodreads Author)

4.58 · Rating details · 19 ratings · 4 reviews

A look at the first hundred years of one of sport's greatest rivalries: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona. From the clubs' founding through the turbulent Spanish Civil War and into the new millennium, the line between politics and sport, fan and player, and right and wrong blur into a murky Iberian haze. ...more

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Published April 11th 2013 by Round Ball Media (first published March 24th 2013)

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Aug 06, 2013 Gus Sanchez rated it really liked it

Shelves: sports

Think of the sports rivalries you know: Ohio State-Michigan; Duke-North Carolina; Yankees-Red Sox. All rivalries that have written chapter after chapter into the history books, and will continue to write chapters. All of which continue to inspire passionate debate.

None of which hold a candle to the rivalry that is Real Madrid versus Barcelona, the sporting world's premier rivalry. In Elliott Turner's concise history of the first 100 years of the Spanish soccer giants' rivalry, he discusses the s Think of the sports rivalries you know: Ohio State-Michigan; Duke-North Carolina; Yankees-Red Sox. All rivalries that have written chapter after chapter into the history books, and will continue to write chapters. All of which continue to inspire passionate debate.

None of which hold a candle to the rivalry that is Real Madrid versus Barcelona, the sporting world's premier rivalry. In Elliott Turner's concise history of the first 100 years of the Spanish soccer giants' rivalry, he discusses the social, political, and economic aspects that defined both the rivalry and the teams individually. At its core, the rivalry speaks of a division, both real and imagined, that exists between Castilian Spain (as represented by Real Madrid) and Catalonia (represented by Barcelona). It's a rivalry defined by identity and by power struggle, and Turner does an excellent job of painting the picture, and introducing the characters - the legends on the pitch (DiStefano, Kubala, Cruyff, Raul) and in the board room (Santiago Bernabeu plays a massive part in this rivalry) - that came to define their teams and the rivalry.

At less than 150 pages, The Making of a Rivalry does suffer from being too short. There's a sense that Turner is rushing through the history of this rivalry, and perhaps that's by design. This great rivalry does deserve far greater coverage, and other books have been written on such a topic; Turner is keenly aware of that, and simply adds his objective take on it, even if he does reveal his Real Madrid loyalties in the introduction to the book.

One final note: because the book discusses the first 100 years of the rivalry, it does end at the dawn of the 21st century. Therefore, the most compelling, and most heavily publicized era of both the rivalry and the respective teams is left out of the book. The era of Los Galacticos (Zidane, Ronaldo, Figo, Beckham, and Roberto Carlos, to name a few) at Real Madrid; Pep Guardiola and the transformation of Barca into a feared yet beloved juggernaut; the rise of Lionel Messi into the greatest player seen in several generations; and the rivalry gets heated - the war of words between Guardiola and RM's Jose Mourinho - and goes global. Millions of words have already been written on such. An objective overview of this brilliant, caustic, and controversial era must wait. And surely Elliott Turner will pen those words. ...more

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Jul 28, 2013 Rob rated it really liked it

An enjoyable trawl through the byways of Spanish soccer and culture. The book is reviewed in depth at The Two Unfortunates blog here. ...more

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May 16, 2013 Tanuj Lakhina rated it really liked it

A great read for fans from both sides to truly understand the rivalry from the very start. Covers each decade from 1900 till 2000. Most important bit for me in the book is the light it sheds during the Civil War/Franco Era.

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May 06, 2013 Scott rated it really liked it

Shelves: sport

A fascinating history lesson, but to be be published in 2013 I was disappointed on how abruptly it ended in the 90's. ...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Elliott Turner rated it really liked it · (Review from the author)

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About Elliott Turner

Elliott Turner

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Elliott Turner’s debut novel The Night of the Virgin was an Int'l Latino Book Awards Finalist. His fiction has appeared in Azahares (Spanish), Apogee Journal, Barren Magazine, Vol. 1: Brooklyn, & countless others. ...more