Few writers in his genre are on the same literary pitch. Wilson is the Lionel Messi of world football writing. He finds that the country's most celebrated moments and players are never as great as they seem.” Bloomberg Businessweek What sets Wilson's book apart is the depth to which he goes to show how soccer weaves through Argentina's political and economic turmoil. ∺rgentina's narrative is complicated, and Jonathan Wilson mines all of it ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES. The soccer book of the decade.' - Sunday Business Post 'Here, for the first time in decades, is a top-notch soccer book on how soccer is actually played on the field.' - Simon Kuper In Angels with Dirty Faces, Jonathan Wilson chronicles the operatic drama of Argentinian soccer: the appropriation of the British game, the golden age of la nuestra, the exuberant style of playing that developed as Juan Perón led the country into isolation a hardening into the brutal methods of anti-fútbol the fusing of beauty and efficacy under César Luis Menotti, and the emergence of all-time greats.

Argentina's rich, volatile history - by turns sublime and ruthlessly pragmatic - is mirrored in the style and swagger of its national and club sides. Perhaps it's because the country lives and breathes the game, its theories, and its myths. Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Alfredo Di St'fano: in every generation Argentina has uncovered a uniquely brilliant soccer talent. The Masterful, Definitive History of Argentinian Soccer

Angels with dirty faces wilson