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The Greatest Show on Earth: The Inside Story of the Legendary 1970 World Cup Kindle Edition

by Andrew Downie (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 48 ratings
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Shortlisted for Football Book of the Year in the Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year Award

The 1970 World Cup is widely regarded as the greatest ever staged, with more goals per game than any World Cup since. But more than just the proliferation of goals was the quality of the overall football, as some of the finest teams ever to represent the likes of West Germany, Peru, Italy and England came together for a tilt at the world title. But at the heart of the tournament were Brazil; captained by Carlos Alberto and featuring legends like Pelé, Gérson, Jairzinho, Rivellino and Tostão, the 1970 Seleção are often cited as the greatest-ever World Cup team. Using brand new interviews alongside painstaking archival research, Andrew Downie charts each stage of the tournament, from the preparations to the final, telling a host of remarkable stories in the players’ own words. The result is an immediate, insightful and compelling narrative that paints a unique portrait of an extraordinary few weeks when football hit peaks it has seldom reached since. This is Mexico 1970. Welcome to the Greatest Show on Earth.
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  1. Print length
    347 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Arena Sport
  5. Publication date
    September 2, 2021
  6. File size
    16991 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The author is...really a curator, gracefully piecing together first-person accounts from players who are still alive and inclined to share their stories."
Wall Street Journal

For any football nurd out there it is fascinating because you don’t only speak about the beautiful final between Brazil and Italy, you go for the first round matches too. It is a really, really interesting read…'
Monocle Daily

Phenomenal – a terrific read'
Grant Wahl

An account of arguably the best football World Cup, told almost entirely in quotes from the men who played in it'
Financial Times, FT Best Books of the Year

the voices in this charming book—each one an aging football star’s—are eloquent to a man'
Tunku Varadarajan, The Wall Street Journal --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

About the Author

Andrew Downie is the Brazilian football correspondent for Reuters, and has lived in the country for almost 20 years. He has written on football for GQ, the Economist, the New York Times and the Guardian among others. He translated Garrincha: The Triumph and Tragedy of Brazil's Forgotten Footballing Hero, and is the best-selling author of the critically-acclaimed Doctor Socrates: Footballer, Philosopher and Legend. Now based in London, he still spends much of the year in Brazil. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BP8GGD18
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arena Sport (September 2, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 2, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 16991 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 347 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 48 ratings

About the author

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Andrew Downie

Andrew Downie

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Andrew Downie was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He moved Latin America in the 1990s and spent the decade as a foreign correspondent living in Mexico and Haiti. He moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1999 and currently resides in São Paulo.

He now mostly writes about sports but his work on all sorts of topics has appeared in publications that include The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time magazine, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Scotland on Sunday, The Economist, the Financial Times, GQ, Esquire and Condé Nast Traveller. He translated the biography of Garrincha from Portuguese to English.

'Doctor Socrates: Footballer, Philosopher, Legend' is his first book.

Twitter: @adowniebrazil

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AndrewDownieAuthor

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
48 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Carlos Azanza
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Memories
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2022
Verified Purchase
For those of us that lived Mexico 70 is a great memory full of great stories. For those who did not, a great source of soccer history
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William R. Lemen
5.0 out of 5 stars Story is 1979 Soccer World Cup held in Mexico. Fantastic description, story & pictures.
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2022
Verified Purchase
Gifts for soccer fans. They loved them!
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Wellington Amorim
5.0 out of 5 stars Livro soberbo
Reviewed in Brazil on May 16, 2022
Verified Purchase
A Copa do Mundo de 70 de forma completa, abrangendo todas as seleções, sem exceção. Majoritariamente se baseando em depoimentos pessoais dos jogadores e técnicos, é uma obra-prima para quem gosta de de futebol. Os preparativos, erros e acertos de todas as seleções, a análise detalhada de todos os grupos das oitavas de final e de seus principais jogos, assim como uma visão ampla sobre todos os jogos a partir das quartas-de-final, o livro é uma delicia para quem viveu a Copa ou para aqueles que a conhecerão pela primeira vez.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A real insight into what it was like to play in that tournament
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 18, 2023
Verified Purchase
This is really interesting. It’s mainly interviews with players. So you get the inside story on what happened, rather than what the managers or respective FAs would want you to know.
I assume the interviews were conducted not long after the event as there’s a lot of detail which may be forgotten over time.
But it’s not like other books written about the tournament
One person found this helpful
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Martin D Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 17, 2022
Verified Purchase
Loved the way this retelling of one of the most iconic world cups was written. Engaging and compelling throughout. Really enjoyed it.
One person found this helpful
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Rayman
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Introduction to the greatest team ever.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 19, 2023
Verified Purchase
As an introductory reader to the wonderful Brazian team of the 1970 World Cup, this book serves it purpose magnificently. Well researched and full of illuminating insights.
One person found this helpful
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Sid Joseph
4.0 out of 5 stars 1970 World Cup
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2023
Verified Purchase
A few interesting details but i found it generally a bit boring but details like the African nations boycotted the 66 world cup i didnt know and a few other titbits
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