- Hardcover: 327 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd; 1st edition (6 Sep 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0743256840
- ISBN-13: 978-0743256841
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.6 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
162,423 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #70 in Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Football > European > European Leagues
- #97 in Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Football > Leagues
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More About the Author
Product Description
Partrick Barclay, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
'Deserves to father a genre'
Rob Smyth, FOUR FOUR TWO
'A book very much in McManaman's image -- articulate, engaging, easy-going and witty'
Inside This Book
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
El Macca is a well written though sometimes self-congratulatory review of Steve McMananam's four years with the biggest club on the planet.
Sarah Edworthy details the changes faced by the players and fans of Real Madrid when Florentino Perez took over with the intention of moving Madrid into the 21st Century after they had been voted club of the 20th Century by FIFA. She conveys not only McManaman's frustration at having to sit on the bench, even though his manager wants to play him, but the same frustrastions faced by other established players who weren't classed as galicticos.
That Steve McManaman is so highly thought of by his team mates is testamanet to his ability as a player, but possibly also stops him divulging some of the possibly more interesting details of what goes on in the dressing room, although he holds no punches when detailing the influence held over the team by the myriad of directors and president, and some of the more bizarre directives handed down, especially during the clubs centenary celebrations.
All through his time at Madrid Steve remained upbeat due to the support he had from the fans, the players, and the Spanish press, and the book goes some way to dispel the popular conception in this country that Steve was a failure in Spain. Far from it. With two Champions League winners medals, two Spanish league titles and the ringing endorsement of his team mates as detailed in this book, McManaman's career was nothing short of a success, his only failure being that he was not bought for umpteen million pounds, and therefore suffered for not being as marketable as the current crop of galicticos.
Sarah Edworthy details the changes faced by the players and fans of Real Madrid when Florentino Perez took over with the intention of moving Madrid into the 21st Century after they had been voted club of the 20th Century by FIFA. She conveys not only McManaman's frustration at having to sit on the bench, even though his manager wants to play him, but the same frustrastions faced by other established players who weren't classed as galicticos.
That Steve McManaman is so highly thought of by his team mates is testamanet to his ability as a player, but possibly also stops him divulging some of the possibly more interesting details of what goes on in the dressing room, although he holds no punches when detailing the influence held over the team by the myriad of directors and president, and some of the more bizarre directives handed down, especially during the clubs centenary celebrations.
All through his time at Madrid Steve remained upbeat due to the support he had from the fans, the players, and the Spanish press, and the book goes some way to dispel the popular conception in this country that Steve was a failure in Spain. Far from it. With two Champions League winners medals, two Spanish league titles and the ringing endorsement of his team mates as detailed in this book, McManaman's career was nothing short of a success, his only failure being that he was not bought for umpteen million pounds, and therefore suffered for not being as marketable as the current crop of galicticos.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read this book a year ago and thought it was really refreshing for a football book. I gave several copies of the paperback to friends for Christmas this year, and already the feedback has been 100 per cent positive. Like me, my mates like it because, for a start, it is ego-free, as steve mcmanaman clearly wants to tell the story of the fascinating time he had at a fascinating period in Real Madrid's history. He doesn't make himself the central focus of the book, he tells the story of his time there, which is dramatic but built up with lots of subtle detail. It's one of those books you just can't put down because you get true behind-the-scenes glimpses - not the stereotypical slagging off of teammates and managers to create sensation. He gives you the real picture of what it is like moving to a new country, finding yourself in a different footballing culture, and achieving great success on the pitch. He give a (still relevant) critical view of the galacticos era. And the different voices from his wife and family and teammates add up to a very human, unmelodramatic report of his time in madrid. excellent!
Format:Paperback
It was a very good account of life within the galacticos and highlighting the politics that went on at Real Madrid. It is humorous and describes in great detail the inter personal relationships that MAcca formed. Very very good read
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Hugely Disappointing
What a disappointment this book is.
The first 25 pages or so are padded out with Beckham's arrival in Spain and then only sparingly do we hear from McManaman himself. Read more
Published on 12 Dec 2005
El Macca- Simply Mac-nificent!
El Macca, Four Years with Real Madrid, penned by former Liverpool FC starlet, superstar or 'Spice Boy' in the era that football became commercial success intertwined with sport and... Read more
Published on 12 Oct 2004 by Stephen Thanabalan
El Macca- Simply Mac-nificent!!!
El Macca, Four Years with Real Madrid, penned by former Liverpool FC starlet, superstar or 'Spice Boy' in the era that football became commercial success intertwined with sport and... Read more
Published on 10 Oct 2004 by Stephen Thanabalan
Good book
Good book. The only thing I've read that impressed me more was The System by Roy Valentine. I got it here at amazon. You have to read this book.
Published on 2 Oct 2004
the Real story
Macca's story of his time in Spain makes for a great read, lots of good stuff on what it was like to play with Ronaldo, Figo etc and what it was like to leave Liverpool and play... Read more
Published on 10 Sep 2004
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