Messi vs. Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two GOATs, and the Era That Remade the World's Game

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Jonathan Clegg Joshua Robinson

Messi vs. Ronaldo

Name: Messi vs. Ronaldo
Price: 47.95 AUD
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ISBN: 9780063157187

One Rivalry, Two GOATs, and the Era That Remade the World's Game

Jonathan Clegg, Joshua Robinson

$47.95

Paperback

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English

HarperCollins
07 December 2023

Biography: general; Biography: sport; Memoirs; General & world history; Sociology: sport & leisure; Sports & outdoor recreation

Essential World Cup Reading | Featured in The New York Times’ ‘What to Read During the World Cup’

Wall Street Journal reporters Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg offer a deeply reported account of the intertwined sagas and legacies of two of the greatest soccer players of all time—Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo—examining how their rivalry has grown from a personal competition to a multi-billion-dollar industry, paralleling the stunning rise, overwhelming excesses, and uncertain future of modern international soccer.

For over fifteen years, almost any conversation about international soccer has always come back to two players—Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo—undoubtedly the greatest of their generation but with styles, attitudes, and fanbases that couldn’t be more different. For millions of people around the world ""Messi or Ronaldo?"" isn’t simply a barroom argument, or an affirmation of fandom, so much as a statement of philosophy, of values, of what global soccer is today and of what it will be tomorrow.

Now Wall Street Journal reporters and co-authors of The Club, Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg, unite the stories of Messi and Ronaldo into a single modern epic of a global sports rivalry, detailing how one rivalry changed both the game and the business of international soccer—forever. Based on dozens of firsthand accounts and years of original reporting, Messi vs. Ronaldo weaves together the stakes, color, and characters at the heart of each man’s story, going inside the locker rooms and boardrooms where their legends were forged and revealing off-field drama as gripping as anything that happened on it. From their contrasting origin stories to their divergent career arcs and their conflicting reputations, these players have built their successes on opposite paths, yet each, in his own way, offers a riveting tale of triumph and excess. Taken together, their story embodies the astronomical growth of international soccer, how social media has revolutionized the power of sports celebrity, and how the desire to capitalize on the billions of dollars these players represent electrified some of the most storied clubs in Europe—Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Manchester United among them—and cost them almost everything.

With the 2022 World Cup almost certain to be the last for both of these figures, Messi vs. Ronaldo offers a deeply researched look at their legacy and grapples with the impact that their talents have had on the game for better and for worse. Much more than a retelling of the dual accomplishments of these great players, this definitive soccer biography is truly a biography of a rivalry, one that has become a crucial lens for understanding the past, present, and future of global soccer.

This definitive account of the modern game’s biggest sports rivalry explores:

The GOAT Debate: Go beyond the barroom argument to see how the nonstop comparison between Messi and Ronaldo fueled their ambition, defined their legacies, and changed the conversation around international soccer. The Business of Soccer: A deeply reported look at how two players became a multi-billion-dollar industry, revolutionizing sports celebrity, and pushing storied clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid to the brink. Locker Rooms and Boardrooms: Based on years of original reporting, this book takes you inside the closed-door meetings and training ground clashes where their legends were forged. A Rivalry That Defined an Era: Uniting their contrasting origin stories and divergent careers, this is the complete biography of a rivalry that captured the world’s attention and transformed the global game forever.

By: Jonathan Clegg, Joshua Robinson
Imprint: HarperCollins
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 135mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 286g
ISBN: 9780063157187
ISBN 10: 0063157187
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 07 December 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Jonathan Clegg is an editor for The Wall Street Journal, and his work has also appeared in the Daily Telegraph, the Independent (U.K.), and FourFourTwo magazine. They are the co-authors of The Club: How the English Premier League Became the Richest, Wildest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports; Messi vs. Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two GOATs, and the Era That Remade the World’s Game; and The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 into the World’s Fastest-Growing Sport. Joshua Robinson is the European sports correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, and has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post and Sports Illustrated.

Reviews for Messi vs. Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two GOATs, and the Era That Remade the World's Game

“Deep and intelligent…a portrait of football greatness.” — Arsène Wenger “This book explains the brilliant backstory behind how each player became a star and how that stardom changed the footballing landscape not just in Spain but in the wider world as well…I read it in a day.” — Rebecca Lowe, NBC Sports “While these two soaring greats are known for their transcendent wonder on the field, this rollicking narrative plunges into the complex backstories and entire ecosystems that propelled their colliding trajectories. With a pair of epic hero stories like The Last Dance or Homer’s Odyssey in cleats, this book traces the journey from aspirational prodigies to global commercial billboards, explaining how these two juggernauts and their rivalry shaped the most popular, and lucrative, era of the world’s most beloved sport.” — Roger Bennett, founder, Men in Blazers Media Network ""Impressive."" — Boston Globe ""Excellent... A brilliant follow-up to The Club."" — The Independent (UK) ""This rigorously researched book avoids becoming hagiography. The result is an ambitious and valuable study for all those who want to understand the modern world of football that Mr. Messi and Mr. Ronaldo have helped forge."" — The Economist ""A comprehensive primer into the entwined histories of the two titans and the commercial forces that have molded their careers and, by extension, the sport."" — New York Times An absorbing cautionary tale for soccer fans and students of sports finance alike. — Kirkus Reviews