Sign-In
Cart
Messi vs. Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two Goats, and the Era That Remade the World's Game
Hardcover
Publisher Price: $29.99
ISBN13: 9780063157170
Publisher: Mariner Books
Published: Nov 1 2022
Pages: 320
Weight: 1.03
Height: 1.17 Width: 6.28 Depth: 9.22
Language: English
Essential World Cup Reading Featured in The New York Times' 'What to Read During the World Cup'
Wall Street Journal reporters Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg offer a deeply reported account of the intertwined sagas and legacies of two of the greatest soccer players of all time--Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo--examining how their rivalry has grown from a personal competition to a multi-billion-dollar industry, paralleling the stunning rise, overwhelming excesses, and uncertain future of modern international soccer.
For over fifteen years, almost any conversation about international soccer has always come back to two players--Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo--undoubtedly the greatest of their generation but with styles, attitudes, and fanbases that couldn't be more different. For millions of people around the world Messi or Ronaldo? isn't simply a barroom argument, or an affirmation of fandom, so much as a statement of philosophy, of values, of what global soccer is today and of what it will be tomorrow.
Now Wall Street Journal reporters and co-authors of The Club, Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg, unite the stories of Messi and Ronaldo into a single modern epic of a global sports rivalry, detailing how one rivalry changed both the game and the business of international soccer--forever. Based on dozens of firsthand accounts and years of original reporting, Messi vs. Ronaldo weaves together the stakes, color, and characters at the heart of each man's story, going inside the locker rooms and boardrooms where their legends were forged and revealing off-field drama as gripping as anything that happened on it. From their contrasting origin stories to their divergent career arcs and their conflicting reputations, these players have built their successes on opposite paths, yet each, in his own way, offers a riveting tale of triumph and excess. Taken together, their story embodies the astronomical growth of international soccer, how social media has revolutionized the power of sports celebrity, and how the desire to capitalize on the billions of dollars these players represent electrified some of the most storied clubs in Europe--Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Manchester United among them--and cost them almost everything.
With the 2022 World Cup almost certain to be the last for both of these figures, Messi vs. Ronaldo offers a deeply researched look at their legacy and grapples with the impact that their talents have had on the game for better and for worse. Much more than a retelling of the dual accomplishments of these great players, this definitive soccer biography is truly a biography of a rivalry, one that has become a crucial lens for understanding the past, present, and future of global soccer.
This definitive account of the modern game's biggest sports rivalry explores:
- The GOAT Debate: Go beyond the barroom argument to see how the nonstop comparison between Messi and Ronaldo fueled their ambition, defined their legacies, and changed the conversation around international soccer.
- The Business of Soccer: A deeply reported look at how two players became a multi-billion-dollar industry, revolutionizing sports celebrity, and pushing storied clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid to the brink.
- Locker Rooms and Boardrooms: Based on years of original reporting, this book takes you inside the closed-door meetings and training ground clashes where their legends were forged.
- A Rivalry That Defined an Era: Uniting their contrasting origin stories and divergent careers, this is the complete biography of a rivalry that captured the world's attention and transformed the global game forever.
Also from
Clegg, Jonathan
The Playbook: The Hidden Forces Shaping Winners and Losers in the Modern NFL
Clegg, Jonathan
Robinson, Joshua
Hardcover
The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 Into the World's Fastest-Growing Sport
Robinson, Joshua
Clegg, Jonathan
Hardcover
The Club: How the English Premier League Became the Wildest, Richest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports
Clegg, Jonathan
Robinson, Joshua
Paperback
Messi vs. Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two Goats, and the Era That Remade the World's Game
Clegg, Jonathan
Robinson, Joshua
Paperback
The Playbook: The Hidden Forces Shaping Winners and Losers in the Modern NFL
Clegg, Jonathan
Robinson, Joshua
Audio Book
The Playbook: The Hidden Forces Shaping Winners and Losers in the Modern NFL
Clegg, Jonathan
Robinson, Joshua
Audio Book
Also in
Soccer
We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World's Greatest Sporting Event
Bennett, Roger
Hardcover
The Messi Effect: How the Global Legend Changed the Future of American Soccer
Tenorio, Paul
Hardcover
The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts
Schaerlaeckens, Leander
Hardcover
Soccernomics (2026 World Cup Edition): Why European Men and American Women Usually Win--And American Men Don't (Yet)
Szymanski, Stefan
Kuper, Simon
Paperback
The Shortest History of Soccer: From Ancient Kicking Games to the World's Most Popular Sport
Bunk, Brian D.
Paperback
Relegated: One American's Pints-And-Pies Journey from the Top to the Bottom of English Football
Smith, Todd
Hardcover
Compete: Developing a Mental Playbook for Performance Under Pressure in Sport
Abrahams, Dan
Paperback
The Ultimate Soccer Jersey Collection: Iconic Kits from the World's Greatest Game
Football Shirts, Classic
Hardcover
Your Guide to the 2026 World Cup: Everything You Need to Know about the Players and Teams
Stay, Shane
Paperback
It's a Numbers Game! Soccer: The Math Behind the Perfect Goal, the Game-Winning Save, and So Much More!
Buckley
National Geographic Kids
Hardcover
The World Cup: A History of the Planet's Biggest Sporting Event, 2026 Edition
Lisi, Clemente A.
Paperback
The Girls of Summer: The U.S. Women's Soccer Team and How It Changed the World
Longman, Jere
Paperback
Every Moment Matters: How the World's Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams
O'Sullivan, John
Paperback
More Than a Shirt: How Football Shirts Explain Global Politics, Money and Power
D'Urso, Joey
Paperback
The Miracle of Castel di Sangro: A Tale of Passion and Folly in the Heart of Italy
McGinniss, Joe
Paperback
La Historia del Fã°tbol En 500 Partidos / The History of Soccer in 500 Matches
Wernicke, Luciano
Paperback
That World Cup Guy: Forty Years, Nine World Cups and One Fan's Incredible Journey
Milne, Andy
Paperback
The Club: How the English Premier League Became the Wildest, Richest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports
Clegg, Jonathan
Robinson, Joshua
Paperback
American Soccer Nation: The Remarkable 150-Year History of Yanks on a Roll, from Mob Football to the Modern Game
Franek, Mark C.
Paperback
La Apasionante Historia de Los Mundiales / The Exciting History of the World Cups
Lati, Alberto
Paperback
Los Héroes Numerados (Crónica Y Ensayo) / The Numbered Heroes (Chronicles and Essays)
Villoro, Juan
Paperback
The Soccer Book of Why: The Answers to Questions You've Always Wondered about
Cuttone, Charles
Paperback
Messi vs. Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two Goats, and the Era That Remade the World's Game
Clegg, Jonathan
Robinson, Joshua
Paperback
1000 Football Shirts Revised and Updated: From Vintage Classics to the Latest Releases
Lions, Bernard
Paperback
A Home on the Field: How One Championship Team Inspires Hope for the Revival of Small Town America
Cuadros, Paul
Paperback
The Game of Their Lives: The Untold Story of the World Cup's Biggest Upset
Douglas, Geoffrey
Paperback
Angels with Dirty Faces: How Argentinian Soccer Defined a Nation and Changed the Game Forever
Wilson, Jonathan
Paperback
World Football Club Crests: The Design, Meaning and Symbolism of World Football's Most Famous Club Badges
Nilsson, Leonard Jägerskiöld
Hardcover
Play With Your Brain: A Guide to Smarter Soccer for Players, Coaches, and Parents
Norsen, Travis
Paperback
The Vision Of A Champion: Advice And Inspiration From The World's Most Successful Women's Soccer Coach (Latest Edition)
Dorrance, Anson
Averbuch, Gloria
Paperback
Men in Blazers Present Gods of Soccer: The Pantheon of the 100 Greatest Soccer Players (According to Us)
Davis, Miranda
Bennett, Roger
Davies, Michael
Hardcover
Jurgen Klopp - 102 Passing, Counter-pressing Possession Games, Speed & Warm-ups Direct from Klopp's Training Sessions
Soccertutor Com
Paperback
Pep Guardiola Attacking Tactics - Tactical Analysis and Sessions from Manchester City's 4-3-3
Terzis, Athanasios
Paperback
The Great Game: A Tale of Two Footballs and America's Quest to Conquer Global Sport
Martinez, Andrés
Hardcover
It's Not about the Bra: Play Hard, Play Fair, and Put the Fun Back Into Competitive Sports
Chastain, Brandi
Paperback
How to Win the World Cup: Secrets and Insights from International Football's Top Managers
Evans, Chris
Paperback
Soccer Analytics with Machine Learning: Learning Predictive Modeling Techniques with Sports Data
Joury, Ari
Gao, Haipeng
Shen, Weining
Paperback
When Nobody Was Watching: My Hard-Fought Journey to the Top of the Soccer World
Coffey, Wayne
Lloyd, Carli
Paperback
Coaching Positional Play - ''Expansive Football'' Attacking Tactics & Practices
Basile, Pasquale Casà
Paperback
Arsenal Quiz Book: 101 Questions That Will Test Your Knowledge of the Gunners.
Carpenter, Chris
Paperback
Pep Guardiola - Coaching High Pressing Tactics & Sessions Against Different Formations
Terzis, Athanasios
Paperback
Leading: Learning from Life and My Years at Manchester United
Ferguson, Alex
Moritz, Michael
Paperback
366 Historias del Fútbol Mundial Que Deberías Conocer / 366 Stories from World Football You Should Know
Relaño, Alfredo
Paperback
My Beautiful Sisters: A Memoir of Courage, Hope, and the Afghan Women's Soccer Team
Popal, Khalida
Hardcover
The Barcelona Complex: Lionel Messi and the Making--And Unmaking--Of the World's Greatest Soccer Club
Kuper, Simon
Paperback
Saving Soccer: An insider's account of how the World Game went wrong - and how to set it right
Brennan, Mel
Paperback
American Huckster: How Chuck Blazer Got Rich From-And Sold Out-The Most Powerful Cabal in World Sports
Papenfuss, Mary
Thompson, Teri
Paperback
The Biography of Tottenham Hotspur: The Incredible Story of the World Famous Spurs
Welch, Julie
Hardcover