The book is full of interesting anecdotes and Hunter’s passion for his subject shines through. Hunter will be well known to many as one of the leading English language analysts of Spanish football. It really places the team, and the city, in the broad social, political and cultural context of modern Spain.įor an in-depth look at Barça’s modern era, Graham Hunter’s excellent ‘Barça: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World’ is excellent. It’s particularly fascinating on the lives and careers of key figures throughout the club’s early years as well as the role the club played in the hearts and minds of Catalans during the Franco era. It is an incredibly detailed, extensively researched history of the club. For those interested in a deep dive into Barça’s history, Jimmy Burns wrote the excellent Barça: A People’s Passion which provides everything you could want. No club quite symbolises the connection between a Spanish club and its home town like FC Barcelona. The majority of English language books on Spanish football understandably focus on Barcelona and/or Real Madrid, two of the most famous clubs in world football. And there is nowhere where football is quite so entwined in politics, culture and identity as in Spain. A a fascinating introduction to Spanish history, politics and culture, Morbo really puts the game its broader societal context. Morbo is a wonderful history of Spanish football but it is so much more than that. The starting point for any reading list on Spanish football has to be Morbo: The Story of Spanish Fo otball by Phil Ball (2003). Inevitably, and thankfully, many of them have written books.
The rise in interest in Spanish football was helped by, and also led to, an accompanying rise in the number of British and Irish writers living and working in Spain covering the local game. The Messi and Ronaldo era, combined with Spanish dominance in international football, saw a continued rise in the interest of the English speaking world in Spanish football.
By the time Beckham left, Pep Guardiola and Leo Messi were on the rise, Spain would soon win Euro 2008, and Cristiano Ronaldo would arrive the following year. The addition of Beckham to the Galactico project made La Liga the hottest property in global football. When David Beckham signed for Real Madrid, the average English-speaking football fan was suddenly exposed to a lot more coverage and commentary on Spanish football.
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