Fear and Loathing in La Liga

One of the year’s best football books … an extremely well-informed and usefully myth-busting portrait * Guardian *
Fascinating * Sunday Independent *
Sports Book of the Year * Sunday Times *
Football Books of the Year: Sid Lowe isn’t an ordinary football writer and, as a result, this is not an ordinary football book. Lowe paces it all so well … like an engaging lesson from your favourite teacher * Daily Mirror *
A revelation. Anyone interested in Spain’s two biggest teams can learn something new from this labour of love … tackling tricky subjects with skill and weaving them into an engaging story. For that, this book stands out from the rest. * talksport.com *
Lowe is a man with deep knowledge. He is a proper researcher. His list of interviewees – from Di Stéfano to Beckham – is a Who’s Who of six decades of football. And his re-runs of past epic matches make you seek out grainy YouTube videos. * Guardian *
Utterly brilliant – Henry Winter * @henrywinter *
A history of modern Spain told through one of world football’s most intense rivalries. It conjures up the complex passions of a country whose national team has become not only the best in the world at present, but, some say, the best ever – Chris Maume * Independent *
Like so many of Spain’s deep rifts, the enmity stems from the civil war. Barcelona represent the losers, democrats, Catalonia. Real Madrid represent the victors, repressors, Spain. Lowe’s detailed study shows that the caricature is simplistic but not entirely incorrect – Nick Pitt * The Sunday Times *
A work of profound research and stimulating discoveries… Lowe has done El Clasico a service by defining its history – Hugh MacDonald * Herald *

Sid Lowe is the Spanish football correspondent for the Guardian and World Soccer. He is a regular contributor to the popular Guardian Football Weekly podcast and writes for FourFourTwo. He works as a commentator and panellist for Spanish, Asian and US television and appears regularly on Spanish radio show Al Primer Toque. His previous book, Catholicism, War and the Foundation of Francoism, is about the causes of the Spanish civil war, the rise of fascism, and the creation of the Franco state. He lives in Spain.

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