Golazo! The Beautiful Game from the Aztecs to the World Cup; The Complete History of How Soccer Shaped Latin America

Campomar's (publishing director, Constable & Robinson) history of Latin American soccer does a wonderful job of teasing apart the various narratives and influences that have shaped the sport. This chronicle is thorough but also readable, guiding the reader from early Aztec ball games through the dizzying complexities of inter- and intranational rivalries and the advent of global football. All of this is done while explaining soccer's place in the larger history of the world, and the role the game played in the development of national identities by Latin Americans as they became more and more enamored of a pastime that was at least partially developed by their colonizers. In this sense, the book is a creative and rare combination of what are normally several distinct topics. It is a work of truly ambitious scope and although the reader may at times be bogged down by the sheer volume of detail on minor players and teams it is successful.