The Greatest Show on Earth

The Inside Story of the Legendary 1970 World Cup

Andrew Downie

$39.99

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Arena Sport
01 January 2022

World Cup

The 1970 World Cup is widely regarded as the greatest ever staged, with more goals scored per game than any tournament since. But more than just the proliferation of goals was the quality of the overall football, as some of the greatest teams ever to represent the likes of Argentina, West Germany, Uruguay and England came together for a tilt at the world title. But at the heart of the tournament were Brazil; led by Carlos Alberto and featuring players such as Pel, Grson, Jairzinho, Rivellino and Tosto, the 1970 Seleco 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 World Cup, telling the remarkable story of the tournament in the players' own words. The result is an immediate, insightful and compelling narrative that paints an utterly unique portrait of an extraordinary few weeks when football hit peaks it has seldom even neared in the years before or since.

By: Andrew Downie
Imprint: Arena Sport
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 23mm
Weight: 563g
ISBN: 9781909715967
ISBN 10: 1909715964
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 01 January 2022
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Andrew Downieis the Brazilian football correspondent forReuters, and has lived in the country for almost 20 years. He has written on football for GQ, the Economist, theNew York Timesand theGuardianamong others. He translatedGarrincha: The Triumph and Tragedy of Brazil's Forgotten Footballing Hero, and is the best-selling author of the critically-acclaimedDoctor Socrates: Footballer, Philosopher and Legend. Now based in London, he still spends much of the year in Brazil.

Reviews for The Greatest Show on Earth: The Inside Story of the Legendary 1970 World Cup

'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 * '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