Golazo!: A History of Latin American Football

(Paperback)

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'Striking . . . extraordinarily ambitious' JONATHAN WILSON, NEW STATESMAN

'A compelling account of how football became a force in Latin America with an impact far beyond the pitch, helping forge national identity and fuelling regional rivalries' INDEPENDENT

Golazo! recounts the story of Latin American football: the extravagantly talented players; pistol-toting referees; bloody coup d'etats; breathtaking goals; invidious conspiracies; strikers with matinee idol looks and a taste for tango dancers; alcoholism; suicide and some of the most exhilarating teams ever to take the field.

And yet it is gripping social history. Andreas Campomar shows how the sport that started as the eccentric pastime of a few expat cricket players has become a defining force, the architect of national identity and a reflection of the region's soul.

Including not only the well-known heroes of 'the beautiful game', but also the numerous forgotten gems of Latin American football, Golazo! is the extraordinary tale of how football came to define a continent.

Reviews

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

Extra ordinarily ambitious. - New Statesman

A compelling account of how football became a force in Latin America with an impact far

beyond the pitch, helping forge national identity and fuelling regional rivalries. - Independent

Campomar effectively brings out the colour and passion for the game, its evocative language, its artistic power and its sometimes-martial ugliness . . . Fine, scintillating history. - Kirkus

This year's World Cup has inspired a number of notable books, among them Golazo! by

Andreas Campomar. - Guardian

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

Extra ordinarily ambitious. - New Statesman

A compelling account of how football became a force in Latin America with an impact far beyond the pitch, helping forge national identity and fuelling regional rivalries. - Independent

Author Bio

Andreas Campomar is a publishing director, and has reviewed for, among others, the Daily Telegraph, Times Literary Supplement and the Spectator. He is the great-grand-nephew of Dr Enrique Buero, the man who convinced Jules Rimet to stage the first World Cup in Montevideo and later became Vice-president of FIFA.