Calcio: A History of Italian Football
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Product Description
Guardian
'A marvellous chronicle...reads like a magic realist novel...anyone interested in Italy or football in general should read this book.'
Review
‘“Calcio: A History of Italian Football” reveals more about the national character than any dry study of politics or economics ever could. This is a hefty work but there is so much going on that the pace never slackens. Foot is a meticulous and knowledgeable guide to his complex subject and leaves the reader wanting to investigate further.’ Andrew Baker, Daily Telegraph
‘John Foot is head over heels in love with calcio, and his detailed, thematically structured account of its past and present is overwhelming evidence of that.’ Independent, Sport Section Book of the Week
'An excellent chapter on British failures in Serie A but it's the many scandals that one keeps coming back to.' Observer Sport Monthly
'Foot's exemplary history shows how football and Italian society are inextricably intertwined, and is full of fascinating vignettes.' Sunday Times
'Highly readable… “Calcio” has set an impressive benchmark for football histories in general.' Sean O'Connor, Soccerpile.com
'Like a match-winning penalty taken in extra time, this is a book not to be missed.' Oldie
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
From my point of view, the problems with this book begin with its constant comparisons between British football, and its football culture, and Italian football and football culture. I realize that the author's main target audience is obviously British, and to them this may be interesting, but the dearth of English language resources on calcio have led to this book being regarded as a definitive work not only in Mr. Foot's home nation but also in North America, as it's the only one out there that claims to be an in-depth look at calcio. For a reader outside the British Isles, this becomes tiresome very quickly. The second, and related, problem, is that the tone of the book is, overall, much less professional than one would expect from a "history," which I suspect may stem from the tabloid-style and quality coverage football universally receives in the UK. Again, this may be what a British audience expects, but elsewhere (particularly in Italy, ironically), standards for sports journalism and punditry are generally higher, and at points the tone becomes almost jingoistic, particularly in the section regarding the Heysel disaster, where much is made of, among other things, unsourced claims of Italian media referring to all English people as animals. It may well be, but again, little about calcio is mentioned without being related back to Britain. The author also claims that the name "calcio" is a reference to "calcio fiorentino," and implies that this is an attempt by Italians to claim that they invented football, when in fact "calcio" simply means "kick" in Italian. Similarly, in Friulano dialect, the game is known simply as "balon," which translates to "ball." Given that the Italian names for a penalty, corner kick and free kick are "calcio di rigore," "calcio d'angolo" and "calcio di punizione," I'm not sure how the author could have been unaware of the meaning of the word.
Probably the most disappointing thing about the book is the format. Unlike most works labeled as in-depth histories, it is divided, essentially, into a series of lists, mainly consisting of opinions and personal anecdotes. Never before have I come across a "history" that was presented in the form of a factbook. Notable omissions are Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero from the section on fantasisti, and the complete omission of Zico, Cerezo and Milan's legendary Gre-No-Li trio of the 1960s and 70s; Nils Leidholm in particular being a remarkable omission due to his impact on calcio as a coach. Also notably, Giuseppe Meazza is completely misrepresented as a goal poacher.
All in all, I was very disappointed in this book, as it was highly opinionated, in my opinion by both omission and inclusion failed to be definitive, and, again, included much that is of no interest to non-British readers, and most importantly, it was not what I expect a "history" to be.
Probably the most disappointing thing about the book is the format. Unlike most works labeled as in-depth histories, it is divided, essentially, into a series of lists, mainly consisting of opinions and personal anecdotes. Never before have I come across a "history" that was presented in the form of a factbook. Notable omissions are Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero from the section on fantasisti, and the complete omission of Zico, Cerezo and Milan's legendary Gre-No-Li trio of the 1960s and 70s; Nils Leidholm in particular being a remarkable omission due to his impact on calcio as a coach. Also notably, Giuseppe Meazza is completely misrepresented as a goal poacher.
All in all, I was very disappointed in this book, as it was highly opinionated, in my opinion by both omission and inclusion failed to be definitive, and, again, included much that is of no interest to non-British readers, and most importantly, it was not what I expect a "history" to be.
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A great read for anyone interested in football, Italy or Italian football. The author takes us through the history, the scandals, the players, the teams and the mysteries which have surrounded the game in Italy. Funny, sad and powerful at the same time, it reads like a thriller whilst having a strong historical base in documents and research. Great Stuff! I learnt a lot despite being a fan of the game. Hilarious section on the English and Scottish players failures in Italy. Terrifying section on the fans.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having grown up through the days of Rivera, Mazzola, Sivori, Charles when Italian football was the most important thing in everyone's life, this book gave me a very good background of the way the modern game has developed in Italy. Controversial in parts with its description of certain characters (Nereo Rocco for one), but accurately puts its finger on the reasons for calcio's decline over the years: betting scandals, corruption, doubts about results, endless court cases, violence in the grounds. And throughout all this the national side managed to win 2 World Cups since 1982!
The more recent times, with Maradona, Van Basten, Gullit, Baggio, Paolo Rossi, Baresi, Maldini and hundreds of world class players appearing in Serie A are well worth pondering over; back in the 1980-1990 all the best players in the world competed in what was then the best league in the world. A far cry from today's half-full arenas.
I can't recommend this book highly enough.
The more recent times, with Maradona, Van Basten, Gullit, Baggio, Paolo Rossi, Baresi, Maldini and hundreds of world class players appearing in Serie A are well worth pondering over; back in the 1980-1990 all the best players in the world competed in what was then the best league in the world. A far cry from today's half-full arenas.
I can't recommend this book highly enough.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Well researched, comprehensive history
This is a well researched history of Italian football. It gives the background and some understanding to the sometimes incomprehensible world that is Itlain football.
Published 9 months ago by Aindrias Mc Cullagh
An excellent insight into Italian football
This is a thorough, fascinating and highly readable historical account of football in Italy, written by John Foot, a historian, writer and football fan. Read more
Published 20 months ago by M. V. Clarke
Good without being amazing
It took me a while to read the whole book; I found myself dipping in and out of it, and I guess that is the good and bad about it: you can read it and enjoy it but it ain't going... Read more
Published on 18 Mar 2010 by Ivan
All you ever wanted to know about Italian football
This is a very accessible combination of history, sociology and football fanatic's guide to Italian football. Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2009 by Orielh
Bellissimo!
In Italy, football is far more than just a game. It's a part of life. The loyalties and passions of those involved in the italian game and it's fan can get to quite extreme... Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2009 by Paul Tapner
Very poor, colourless and ill-informed.
This book fails to talk about Coverciano, the spiritual centre of Italian football, gives the impression there is no passion or joy in Italian football and makes some absurd and... Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2009 by M. Ryan
essential for the history of italian footy
Of all the books on the market about Italian football (and there are plenty) this is perhaps the best of the lot. Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2008 by godzilla78
Entertaining and well-paced read.
I have just finished reading this book (the updated edition with Cannavaro lifting the World Cup on the cover.) The author obviously knows his calcio. Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2008 by Grant Coleby
Appropriate for Britons. The rest of the world, not so much.
I'm sympathetic towards the difficulty in getting in more information and pages in a book that already spans 500+ pages. I am, truly. Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2008 by Er Cavosso
Pure Joy
This book is a wonderful read. Even my wife, who hates football, enjoyed it. I've read an awful lot of books, from Dostoevsky to detectives, and can't remember too many that gave... Read more
Published on 2 Sep 2007 by S. Ferry
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