A Financial Times Sports Books of the Year.

Cristiano and Leo is the fascinating account of the lives and rivalry between two of the best footballers to ever play the game, Ronaldo and Messi, by Jimmy Burns the bestselling author of Maradona: The Hand of God.

The rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi has defined football to a generation of fans - everyone has an opinion on who is the greatest.

Do you prefer Ronaldo whose work ethic and physique have been honed for one purpose - scoring goals. Or Messi, whose superhuman natural talent means he can do the seemingly impossible with a football.

Between them they have scored over 1300 goals, won the Ballon d'Or ten times, and taken the beautiful game to even greater heights. But statistics alone cannot do justice to their skill, athleticism and dedication to stay at the top for so long of one of the most competitive sports in the world.

Cristiano and Leo tells their definitive story, from children kicking a ball halfway around the world from each other to facing each other in the epic clash El Clasico, between Real Madrid and Barcelona. This is the essential book to understand one the most compelling rivalries in sporting history.

The definitive account of the world-shaping rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and their ongoing competition to be the greatest football player of all time.

About the Author
Jimmy Burns is an award-winning journalist and author of numerous books including Cristiano and Leo. He was born in Madrid in 1953. He has reported for the Financial Times, the Observer, the BBC and The Economist, and was the FT correspondent in South America in the early 80s. His book on Argentina and the Falklands War, The Land that Lost Its Heroes, won the 1988 Somerset Maugham Award for non-fiction. When not in Spain, or travelling elsewhere, he lives in London.

Reviews
A thoroughly researched dual biography by the great Jimmy Burns. -- Simon Kuper, author of The Football Men
I am eating up this book. The verve with which Burns writes about the power politics and rich supporting characters like Florentino and Ferguson makes it a captivating read. -- Richard Fitzpatrick, author of El Clasico: Barcelona v Real Madrid, Football's Greatest Rivalry
Burns is incapable of writing a boring sentence * Irish Times *



Book Information
ISBN 9781509849147
Author Jimmy Burns
Format Paperback
Page Count 416
Imprint Macmillan
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Weight(grams) 330g
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 129mm * 24mm