The Brazilian football team is one of the modern wonders of the world. At its best it exudes a skill, flamboyance and romantic pull like nothing else on earth. Football is how the world sees Brazil and how Brazilians see themselves. The game symbolises racial harmony, flamboyance, youth, innovation and skill, and yet football is also a microcosm of Latin America's largest country and contains all of its contradictions. Travelling extensively from the Uruguayan border to the northeastern backlands, from the coastal cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo to the Amazon jungle -Bellos shows how Brazil changed football and how football shaped Brazil. He tells the stories behind the great players, like Pele and Garrincha, between the great teams, like Corinthians and Vasco de Gama, and the great matches, as well as extraordinary stories from people and pitches all over this vast country. With an unerring eye for a good story and a marvellous ear for the voices of the people he meets, Alex Bellos describes the startling range of football spinoffs found in Brazil; from Autoball, literally football with cars and a giant leather ball to Ecoball, played in the heart of the rainforest, from Button football and its highly regulated procedures organised by fearsome Buttonistas to the truly alarming Footbull (yes with bulls).
Futebol
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Amazon Review
Futebol is sub-titled "The Brazilian Way of Life", and if any sport can truly be deemed to be such a thing for any country on the planet, then surely the sport must be football, and the country Brazil. Alex Bellos's study of football in Brazil, its history, its players, supporters and legends, works from the standpoint that Brazilian football is one the modern wonders of the world, "the beautiful game" being an art form in itself and a universally recognised trademark and brand. From such a view, he is able to entertain the reader not only with stories about great players and matches well known by the followers of world football, but also about the unique position of the game in the world's fifth largest country. Thus featured here are not only tales of Garrincha, Socrates and Ronaldo, of Flamengo and Fluminense, but also of football amongst the Indians of the Amazon, Brazilian footballers in the Faroe Islands and the story of the design (and designer) of the famous golden yellow Brazilian shirt, perhaps the most instantly recognisable icon in football anywhere. Where other books investigating the footballing culture of one country might have a more straightforward story to tell, Bellos uses this more eclectic approach. While the subjects of his observations are linked by the common threads of football and Brazil, he still captures magnificently the beauty, passion and the occasional absurdity of the world game in the world's number one footballing nation. --Trevor Crowe
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'A captivating page-turner ... it brims with beguiling discoveries' -- Daily Telegraph
'Affectionate and shrewd ... full of intriguing sidelights on Brazilian popular culture; its hedonism, piety and wondrous absurdity' -- Guardian
'Fascinating ... perceptive ... evocative ... vivid, remarkable' -- Sunday Times
'Hugely enjoyable account of a nation obsessed ... riveting stories behind the great players such as Pele, Garrincha and Ronaldo' -- The Times
'Magnificent ... Bellos has managed to perfectly capture the chaos and corruption and the romance and obsession' -- FourFourTwo
'Affectionate and shrewd ... full of intriguing sidelights on Brazilian popular culture; its hedonism, piety and wondrous absurdity' -- Guardian
'Fascinating ... perceptive ... evocative ... vivid, remarkable' -- Sunday Times
'Hugely enjoyable account of a nation obsessed ... riveting stories behind the great players such as Pele, Garrincha and Ronaldo' -- The Times
'Magnificent ... Bellos has managed to perfectly capture the chaos and corruption and the romance and obsession' -- FourFourTwo
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Much more than just a book about Brazilian football, and much more interesting than a book just about Brazilian culture, this wide-ranging work takes the reader right into the heart of the spiritual homeland of what Pele may or may not have called 'the beautiful game'.
From the sweltering depths of the Amazon to the barren wastes of the Faeroe Islands, Bellos takes us on a voyage of discovery into the cultural significance of Brazil's most important gift to the rest of the world.
Want to know what made kicking a pig's bladder around the most appealing game for Brazil's poor huddled masses? You'll find the answer here. Puzzled by the connections between samba, candomble religion and Brazilian football? Look no further. Interested in whatever happened to auto-football/button football/futevolley? Bellos is your man.
Along the way, we discover a football tournament where beauty queens score as many points as the players themselves; meet the man who designed Brazil's iconic strip (and supports the team responsible for the national tragedy that led to its creation); and delve into the heart of darkness that characterises Brazilian football's current relationship with its paymasters.
As we all gear up for the moneyfest that will be the forthcoming World Cup in Japan and Korea, this book represents a valuable reminder of the deep humanity at the heart of our planet's most valuable sporting commodity.
Anyone who has ever marvelled at the perfection of Carlos Alberto's goal in the 1970 World Cup Final should read this book. Anyone who hasn't, should get themselves a tape of the game, then read this book.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By rigsby
Format:Paperback
A wonderful annecdotal, factfile of Brazilian life and how it's seemingly totally entwined with football. Football is life to Brazilians and they take the playing of the game to extremes of all kinds! The wonderful telling of beautiful but tragic tales of players such as Garrincha and Barbosa and the "Fateful Final" of the 1950 World Cup where the whole of Brazil seemingly mourned the defeat against Uruguay.
Terrific book and a real eye opener on Brazilian culture and life...
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is an entertaining and well-researched book, although at over 400 pages it could do with a bit of editing. It's not so much a book about Brazilian football, but one about the Brazilian obsession with football. As such, it's more about Brazilian history, culture, society, politics and national identity, and the relationship of football with Brazil's other obsession - sex. This is not a book about the technicalities of football itself. Pelé, Garrincha, Tostão, Ronaldo, Rivelino, Zico, Carlos Alberto, Roberto Carlos and Romário all feature (though surprisingly not Rivaldo), with interesting insights and information presented (not always of a footballing nature). However, the real stars of the book are those eccentric characters who have extended Brazil's love of football to autoball (football involving cars!), button ball (table football), beach soccer and ball juggling (especially by women, including Ronaldo's wife). The names of Brazilian footballers are deciphered, emphasising the Brazilian preference for nicknames and the names of famous film stars and singers. Bellos discusses at some length the deep trough that Brazilian football sunk into after the defeat in the 1998 World Cup final, in particular the controversy around Ronaldo. The extent of corruption in Brazilian football that was uncovered at the time is also exposed. In a fascinating interview, Socrates explains his reasons for Brazil's failings in the couple of years before the 2002 World Cup. It's only a pity that the book was published before Brazil's subsequent success. Such a dramatic turnaround in fortunes, both for Brazil and Ronaldo, cried out for further explanation. Bellos states more than once that Brazilians view football as "a game in which prodigious individual skills outshine team tactics, where dribbles and flicks are preferred over physical challenges and long distance passes". The Brazilian team of 2002 showed that a combination of these attributes can be both successful and highly entertaining.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
REVIEW
It's a little outdated now, but is a great source of information on the topic that is discussed. I would still reccommend it to prospective readers for historical background.
Published 5 months ago by Randolph
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic book.
I bought this more for the "Brazil" side of things, but as I'm about to move there getting into Football will be a good way to fit in. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Gramsci
5.0 out of 5 stars
football intertwined with culture
I bought this as a last minute read for a holiday at christmas from an airport store. I wanted some easy-reading for the beach. How wrong was I? Read more
Published 13 months ago by LEZMOND
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding book
I found the delivery to be very fast and the book of excellent quality. I really recommend both this seller and the book itself. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Magnus Nordman
4.0 out of 5 stars
The game and the lifestyle
In Futebol, Alex Bellos delivers his insight into the game, the players, the clubs, the authorities and the style of football brazilian-style. Read more
Published on 4 Mar 2010 by Darren Simons
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful book about wonderful people
I must admit, the only reason I bought this book was a search of "Socrates" which lead me to this work from Alex Bellos. Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2010 by B. Chapman
3.0 out of 5 stars
brazil football
i enjoyed the early part of the book, but it began to descend into non-footie territory.
Published on 27 Nov 2009 by fallaslad35
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some excellent chapters but maybe a few too many
Alex Bellos has written a book about Brazilian football with some very interesting chapters. Unfortunately there are a few chapters that might be described as filler. Read more
Published on 8 Sep 2009 by haunted
5.0 out of 5 stars
A gem of a book
This is quite simply one of the best football books you'll ever read.
Rather than a dry history of the game in Brazil, Bellos has attempted (and very much succeeded) to... Read more
Rather than a dry history of the game in Brazil, Bellos has attempted (and very much succeeded) to... Read more
Published on 23 Mar 2007 by Fat-Old-Sun
3.0 out of 5 stars
Bits of it were good, bits of it were soso
I like football and I like Brazil, but somehow this book fell through the cracks. It was interesting to get what is an in-depth and knowledgable view of a fascinating country, but... Read more
Published on 11 Feb 2007 by Robert Francis
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