Cristiano and Leo

Who's better: Ronaldo or Messi? Ask any football fan and they'll have an opinion.For the best part of the last decade football has seen a personal rivalry unlike any seen before. Cristiano and Leo. This is their definitive story, from children kicking a ball halfway around the world from each other to their era-defining battle to be number one.One the preening adonis, a precision physical machine who blows teams away with his pace and power. The other a shuffling genius, able to do things with a football that seem other-worldly. Their differences seem to tap into something fundamental about football and indeed life.Between them they have scored over 1000 goals, won the Ballon d'Or nine times and redefined modern football. For the past eight seasons they have shared the accolade of best footballer in the world and arguments rage over which one deserves the title of greatest player of all time. Cristiano and Leo by Spanish and South American football expert and journalist Jimmy Burns is the essential book to understand the defining players of a generation.

'Burns is incapable of writing a boring sentence.' -- Irish Times
'A thoroughly researched dual biography by the great Jimmy Burns.' -- Simon Kuper, author of The Football Men

Born in Madrid, Jimmy Burns studied in London and Lancashire, worked in Portugal, Spain and Buenos Aires and is an award winning journalist and author, who wrote the internationally acclaimed Hand of God: A Biography of Diego Maradona, La Roja, Barça and When Beckham Went to Spain. He is married, and has two daughters. His favourite hobbies – apart from watching a good football match or playing football on the beach – include tennis, walking, and practicing yoga. Simon Darwen is an English actor and voice talent known for his roles in BBC television dramas The Bletchley Circle, Call the Midwife, The Bill and Silent Witness. Simon has also performed on stage across London and the United Kingdom, including narrating Skellig, adapted from David Almond’s hauntingly beautiful novel. A voiceover and narration specialist, Simon has recorded numerous audiobooks.

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