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old_tim's review
5.0
I thought I knew about rivalries. It turns out I knew nothing. Army officers appearing in locker rooms, animal parts thrown onto the pitch, every kind of chicanery and shenanigans known to man. All played against very real social and political differences. Brilliant and fun.
milomtm's review
5.0
I loved the historic bits best, contrary to what I expected. It goes through the whole history of the XXth century in Spain. Awesome book.
edgwareviabank's review
informative
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
Fear and Loathing in La Liga has been on my read list since I first made a read list on the ColorNotes app of an old phone, and by this time, I lost count of how long ago that was.
The main reason why it took so long to get to it was that I had trouble finding it at the library. Getting a copy took a few years, recreating my list on three different phones (feeling lucky I have it saved on The StoryGraph now) a house move, and waiting out several lockdowns to be able to borrow physical books again.
There's another reason, though: part of me was concerned I may not like it. While I enjoy reading about football, I also expected it to read somehow like a history book, and that was never my strongest subject. Even with my school years long gone, I associate history to hours of sitting at a desk listening to a teacher talking at a thoroughly uninterested class, and just as many hours locked in my childhood bedroom, trying to cram names and dates in my head before the next day's test, so as not to get in trouble with a low mark. Give me a chunky book that begins with events from almost 100 years ago, and you bet I'll be worried that it'll be slow-paced and dry. Not this one, though. This one, I thoroughly enjoyed from the first page to the last.
Fear and Loathing in La Liga is very well written, with a good balance of interesting stories and reflections on how football, politics and society intersect. It's more than a history book, and more than a book about sports. It's true that, on balance, the author spends longer covering events that took place between the 1930s and '60s than more recent years. The coverage of the importance and (for want of a better word) personality the two teams assumed over that period is powerful and detailed, reminding readers at every turn that nothing is as simple as it sounds: there are layers and complexity even to the most strongly held opinions, such as the belief that Real Madrid , and Barcelona the expression of freedom and independence. Because of how engaging the narration is, I ended up learning a thing or two about Spanish history and the years of the Franco dictatorship, which no amount of history lessons back in school managed to get into my head.
All this while diving into one of the topics I find most entertaining to read in nonfiction: football anecdotes! Even with the author's initial caveat that a lot of darlings had to be killed (damn it, and can we please have a while book of them?), there are plenty of stories to make Fear and Loathing in La Liga a very rewarding read for the fans. The names and dates to remember are too many to claim I'd be able to win at a "Barcelona vs. Real Madrid" pub quiz round, if there ever was one, but Spanish football ended up being a very fascinating subject to learn about. I loved getting to know the teams' great players of the past, whose names I'd only heard in passing before (sometimes, not even that: I had no idea who László Kubala was, and yet his personal story is almost worth an entire novel). I also got an understanding of what football means to Spanish fans, and what it means to be a fan of a Spanish club, that no amount of watching Champions League games on TV could ever have given me. If a book like this existed for every major football rivalry, I'd read every single one.
The main reason why it took so long to get to it was that I had trouble finding it at the library. Getting a copy took a few years, recreating my list on three different phones (feeling lucky I have it saved on The StoryGraph now) a house move, and waiting out several lockdowns to be able to borrow physical books again.
There's another reason, though: part of me was concerned I may not like it. While I enjoy reading about football, I also expected it to read somehow like a history book, and that was never my strongest subject. Even with my school years long gone, I associate history to hours of sitting at a desk listening to a teacher talking at a thoroughly uninterested class, and just as many hours locked in my childhood bedroom, trying to cram names and dates in my head before the next day's test, so as not to get in trouble with a low mark. Give me a chunky book that begins with events from almost 100 years ago, and you bet I'll be worried that it'll be slow-paced and dry. Not this one, though. This one, I thoroughly enjoyed from the first page to the last.
Fear and Loathing in La Liga is very well written, with a good balance of interesting stories and reflections on how football, politics and society intersect. It's more than a history book, and more than a book about sports. It's true that, on balance, the author spends longer covering events that took place between the 1930s and '60s than more recent years. The coverage of the importance and (for want of a better word) personality the two teams assumed over that period is powerful and detailed, reminding readers at every turn that nothing is as simple as it sounds: there are layers and complexity even to the most strongly held opinions, such as the belief that Real Madrid , and Barcelona the expression of freedom and independence. Because of how engaging the narration is, I ended up learning a thing or two about Spanish history and the years of the Franco dictatorship, which no amount of history lessons back in school managed to get into my head.
All this while diving into one of the topics I find most entertaining to read in nonfiction: football anecdotes! Even with the author's initial caveat that a lot of darlings had to be killed (damn it, and can we please have a while book of them?), there are plenty of stories to make Fear and Loathing in La Liga a very rewarding read for the fans. The names and dates to remember are too many to claim I'd be able to win at a "Barcelona vs. Real Madrid" pub quiz round, if there ever was one, but Spanish football ended up being a very fascinating subject to learn about. I loved getting to know the teams' great players of the past, whose names I'd only heard in passing before (sometimes, not even that: I had no idea who László Kubala was, and yet his personal story is almost worth an entire novel). I also got an understanding of what football means to Spanish fans, and what it means to be a fan of a Spanish club, that no amount of watching Champions League games on TV could ever have given me. If a book like this existed for every major football rivalry, I'd read every single one.
charliepritchard1996's review
5.0
Sid Lowe is one of my favourite football writers out there and in this book he goes to another level. This is a complete history of Europe’s most political and glamorous rivalry. The formative years of El Clasico are laced with scandal, brutality and footballing brilliance. In the latter chapters, Lowe depicts a rivalry that goes to even greater, more explosive heights as players begin to betray their clubs by switching to the other club, an unforgiving act in the eyes of Madridistas and Catalans. Overall, a spellbinding historical account.
sonofcrunch's review
5.0
Picked this book up off and on over the years. An incredible dense and unbiased book. Anyone who loves soccer, not just Barcelona or Real Madrid, should add it to their list.
elenasquareeyes's review
4.0
By studying the history of Barcelona and Real Madrid, Fear and Loathing in La Liga looks at the history of Spain. From Franco’s dictatorship and how that effected the country and its football – both what actually happened and how those acts were perceived. Real Madrid was seen as Franco’s team, while Barcelona were the Catalan freedom fighters. This mythology still affects how the teams are perceived in the press and by the fans today.
Fear and Loathing in La Liga is a fascinating read. It has first hand accounts of different matches and players, managers and coaches and fans talk about why they believe there to be such a rivalry between the two teams.
I did skim read some sections of Fear and Loathing in La Liga, this was due to the fact that I didn’t really know the players it was talking about or that era of football. It was still interesting but it didn’t have as much as an impact on me. The last section of the book was my favourite – basically anything from the late 1990’s. I’ve only been following Spanish football for about the last 8 years (so the stuff from that time I loved because I knew the players who were being interviewed and the matches they were talking about) but anything from the late 90’s I had a vague recollection of so that was more interesting.
When Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Victor Valdes, Carlos Puyol and more were brought up from the youth squad to the Barcelona team – that’s where the book really started to resonate with me. As I’ve talked about before, I’ve supported the Spanish National Team since I was 15 – these are players I know and admire so seeing how they became the players they are today, which managers gave them their chances, who put together the signature Barcelona playing style and what these players think of the rivalry – is it mainly from the press and the fans who build it up or do players really feel that rivalry too? – was great to read about.
You get to see the rivalry from both sides. There’s accounts from people at Real Madrid, players, managers, kit men and the press and there’s just the same from Barcelona. Also seeing how the history of Spain, and the cultural identity of Barcelona especially, factors into the two teams legendary competition shows the human side to the rivalry and to the two teams.
Fear and Loathing in La Liga is a great book for anyone interested in two of the biggest football teams in the world. It can be a bit dense but with so many great interviews it brings the history of the clubs – and of Spain – to life.
Fear and Loathing in La Liga is a fascinating read. It has first hand accounts of different matches and players, managers and coaches and fans talk about why they believe there to be such a rivalry between the two teams.
I did skim read some sections of Fear and Loathing in La Liga, this was due to the fact that I didn’t really know the players it was talking about or that era of football. It was still interesting but it didn’t have as much as an impact on me. The last section of the book was my favourite – basically anything from the late 1990’s. I’ve only been following Spanish football for about the last 8 years (so the stuff from that time I loved because I knew the players who were being interviewed and the matches they were talking about) but anything from the late 90’s I had a vague recollection of so that was more interesting.
When Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Victor Valdes, Carlos Puyol and more were brought up from the youth squad to the Barcelona team – that’s where the book really started to resonate with me. As I’ve talked about before, I’ve supported the Spanish National Team since I was 15 – these are players I know and admire so seeing how they became the players they are today, which managers gave them their chances, who put together the signature Barcelona playing style and what these players think of the rivalry – is it mainly from the press and the fans who build it up or do players really feel that rivalry too? – was great to read about.
You get to see the rivalry from both sides. There’s accounts from people at Real Madrid, players, managers, kit men and the press and there’s just the same from Barcelona. Also seeing how the history of Spain, and the cultural identity of Barcelona especially, factors into the two teams legendary competition shows the human side to the rivalry and to the two teams.
Fear and Loathing in La Liga is a great book for anyone interested in two of the biggest football teams in the world. It can be a bit dense but with so many great interviews it brings the history of the clubs – and of Spain – to life.
cameroncl's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Thoroughly enjoyable, and learned a ton about the early history of the rivalry - especially during and immediately after the Civil War. Lots of nuance about moments in both club's histories - the complexities of Madrid's perception as "Franco's Team" by Barcelona supporters; Madrid's purchase of Luis Figo in 2000; the doldrums of the 70s and 80s for both clubs. Sid Lowe's writing on Spanish soccer is always a joy, and I just wish the book had gone into more detail on some of the periods it covers (particularly 1970s Barcelona and 1960s Real Madrid)
stormblessedt's review
5.0
One of the best books about football I've read. Lowe managed to write about both sides fairly, showcasing the good and the bad and outlining the facts in a way that reads easily. Good read for any football and history fans. As a Madridista, it's practically a required read for me.
P.S. I finished right before this season's first Clasico! Yay me.
P.S. I finished right before this season's first Clasico! Yay me.