Futebol Nation: A Footballing History of Brazil

The author managed to provide a good overview of both history and development of the Brazilian soccer (football). The author parallels the history of soccer with major social, political, economic events in Brazil and it provides details on important aspects of Brazilian soccer, its players, bosses, clubs, institutions.

Very good and informative especially if you wish to understand how domestic Brazilian football became the provider of so many players across European and World football.

Expected more. In the final chapter the author criticises other books on the subject for being too "journalistic" etc. However, for a country where football is so intrinsic to its identity there was very little written here about actual football. The side of 1970, the greatest team of all time? Barely mentioned. Pele? You could finish the book without knowing who he is. 1982 and 1998-2002? You get no sense of the football brilliance of these sides. Brazilian league football? No real football analysis or positive portrayal of it here. The book focuses on corruption amongst club elites and politicians and structural problems of the country, this isn't why people are interested in Brazilian football.

Having read David's 'The Ball is Round' I expected something more than a football book,and I wasn't disappointed.This gives a tremendous insight into so much of Brazil's history,whether it be political,social or economic,and shows how football both influences, and is influenced by, what has happened alongside it. Shorter than the encyclopedic 'Ball is Round' but a hypnotic read which I shall refer back to again and again.My only regret was not reading it before the World Cup took place as the last few chapters give a damning insight into just how far removed from what TV showed of what was occurring on the field of play was from what had led up to it in the streets and political institutions of the country. It left me fearful of just what 'legacy' will be left by the World Cup and the events that will act as a prelude to the 2016 Olympics. Can't recommend it too highly.

Great book. I was gripped from beginning to end and it crystallized some much about why brazil is where it is .

like football books but better with a bit of humour

A very engaging historical account

If your looking for a good book about brazilian football, their greatest players, club histories legendary matches etc. look somewhere else.David has written a ok book about brazilian football which deals mainly with the larger developments from the beginning of football being established in Brazil around 1900. His focus is on three areas. Each chapter has a section on the football of the era, the politics of the era, and the culture of the era. You're told how football slowly developed from something the white elites did to being a popular event for the masses along with the political development in the land. Along with these developments he takes time of to look at how football manifests itself in the arts, (movies, books, paintings, poems etc).Each chapter that deals with a certain timeperiod he also writes about the national team and how they did in the world cup of that period.Overall the book is interesting enough but not much more. For a book about football theres strangely enough not that much in it. Every world cup is summoned up in just one or two pages with almost no detail about a particular game or special players in the squad. Usually games are being described as "they played lackluster but got managed to win". The rivalry between Argentina is never mentioned at all and only world cups are talked about. No mention ever of what the Selecao did in the South American Cup.You are given only two portraits in the entire book - Pele and Garrincha, thats it. Every other player is just mentioned as a name and which team he played for. Zico is mentioned three times but never which club he played for and that goes for every other great player you can think about.Theres virtually no mention of important club matches both national or international. Exploits by brazilian clubs in the Copa Libatodores is like everything else almost a no feature.Wanting to read and learn more about the history of all the clubs, which great players there were in which great teams. What legendary matches there were and why they became legendary I feel very much in the dark still regarding this.Overall my knowledge about brazilian football has not been much improved after reading this.

Good history

Além da narrativa agradável e fluente, o livro fala do futebol relacionando-o aos aspectos políticos e sociais vívidos pelo Brasil em cada fase do desenvolvimento do país. Assim, o livro mostra como a identidade brasileira influenciou o surgimento do "país do futebol" (football nation) e como o esporte serviu para moldar o caráter nacional nos anos 1930 a 60, sua usurpação durante o regime militar (1964 - 1985) e os questionamentos decorrentes das contradições da democracia contemporânea. Tudo isso é apresentado juntamente com fatos e histórias que formam a mitologia do futebol no Brasil.

A very erudite and comprehensive account of the birth of Brazil as a nation, a society and a football powerhouse from the 1890s to the 2014 World Cup demonstrations. The author knows a lot about the sport but also discusses cultural, social, political and civil society aspects of football through several generations of Brazilians. If you want to understand Brazil, this is an essential read.

Eu escolhi o livro para melhorar meu inglês e tem uma história interessante que facilita no momento da leitura do livro

A good book that gives the history of a nation which many seem to have little understanding of except in modern times. What I like about this book is that he tells the story of Brazil in parts and thematically. Each chapter has a section on the soccer of the era, the politics of the era, and the culture of the era. Also, Mr. Goldblatt shows that some of the problems facing Brazil have been occurring throughout the nations history and not pretending like it is a new idea that has been happening over the past couple of years. Very interesting book that shows how a nation and a sport is connected. The only problem with the book was that while he wanted to write a linear history of Brazil, it sometimes became thematic, especially when he included events that were outside the era in which he was writing about. Another minor issue was that he would give away what happened in Brazil in one section, then go back and repeat the history in another. Overall, good book and a good way to get a brief history of Brazil and soccer.