'I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Messi' Diego Maradona

FULLY UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE 2022 WORLD CUP TRIUMPH & MESSI'S TRANSFER TO INTER MIAMI

As Lionel Messi raised the World Cup triumphantly into the air, the world watched on in awe. Messi's final peak conquered; his final dream achieved. It was the fairy tale ending to a glittering career. Yet despite delivering Argentina their third World Cup, Messi's time at Paris Saint-Germain came to a dramatic conclusion, and Miami awaited the Argentinian legend.

Guillem Balague has had unprecedented access to Messi's inner circle including the player himself: his coaches, team-mates and family. From tracing the origins of Messi's precocious talent in Rosario, Argentina, to chronicling his peerless seventeen-season career at Barcelona, and his tumultuous Parisian adventure, Guillem takes us behind-the-scenes of Messi's World Cup triumph and his long-desired move to the MLS. This is an epic, authoritative and compelling account of an enigmatic footballing genius.

'I can tell my grandkids one day that I coached Lionel Messi' Pep Guardiola

About the Author

Guillem Balague is an award-winning football author, journalist and presenter who works regularly for BBC Radio 5 Live, LaLiga TV and the American network CBS. In his previous role at Sky Sports, he was a key fixture of their Spanish football coverage for over twenty years, known for his regular appearances on Sky Sports News,
'Revista de LaLiga', his punditry work and being the go-to man for anything relating to the Spanish transfer market. He has his own YouTube channel, 1.2m+ followers on social media, his own podcast (Pure Football) and gives Master Classes in journalism at UCFB University in Wembley (London) and the Etihad stadium in Manchester.

He wrote the bestselling A Season on the Brink, an insider's account of Liverpool's 2004-05 Champions' League winning campaign. In November 2012, he published the first international biography of Pep Guardiola, based on conversations with him, shortlisted for Football Book of the Year, as were his following four books. The following year, he published Messi: The Definitive Biography, the first complete biography of the Argentinian star. As well as two ebooks (diaries of the 2012 European Championships and the 2014 World Cup), he published the Official History of FC Barcelona in the autumn of 2014. In November 2015, he wrote Cristiano Ronaldo: the Biography which won the Football Book of the Year Award at the British Sports Book Awards and the Best Football Book of 2016 in Poland. His latest books Brave New World - Inside Pochettino's Spurs and Maradona were Sunday Times bestsellers in the UK. He is also chairman of non-league Biggleswade FC.

Follow Guillem at:
- www.guillembalague.com
- www.facebook.com/guillembalague
- www.instagram.com/guillembalague
- www.twitter.com/GuillemBalague

Reviews
You may know a lot of the Messi legend already, but his is still a fascinating backstory. * Four Four Two *
There's certainly some interesting insight and information...particularly Balague's understanding of Argentinian politics, culture and mores. ...The book glows with extended testimonies from those who ever coached or mentored Messi. -- David Stubbs * WHEN SATURDAY COMES *



Book Information
ISBN 9781399619134
Author Guillem Balague
Format Paperback
Page Count 784
Imprint Seven Dials
Publisher Orion Publishing Co
Weight(grams) 600g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 130mm * 52mm