Guillem Balagué Books

Cristiano Ronaldo is known across the globe as a Portuguese footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club Real Madrid and captains the Portugal national team. He became the most expensive footballer in history when he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2009 in a transfer worth over £80 million. Ronaldo's contract with Real Madrid, under the terms of which he is paid €21 million per year (after taxes), makes him the highest-paid footballer in the world, and his buy-out clause is valued at €1billion as per his contract.Born in Funchal, Madeira in 1985, and as early as 1997 he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal. Ronaldo caught the attention of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who signed him for £12.24 million in 2003. He wore the number 7 shirt which was previously worn by George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham.Ronaldo was the first player playing in England to win all four main PFA and FWA awards, doing so in 2007. In 2008 and 2013, Ronaldowon the Ballon d'Or award for the best footballer on the planet, being the first ever Portuguese to win the award twice.

The exclusive behind-the-scenes story of the Mauricio Pochettino revolution at Spurs

Barca: The Illustrated History of FC Barcelona is the official celebration of modern football's most dominant team. This club-endorsed book traces the club's history from its formation in 1899, the trials and tribulations of growth, through to the blossoming of the club in the 1960s and its recognition as a super power of modern football.

This fully updated edition of the international bestseller includes Pep Guardiola's Bayern years and his decision to join Manchester City

Lionel Messi's career has been a stellar ascent, and shows no signs as yet of slowing down. Born in Rosario in Argentina in 1987, he began playing football at a very young age, and it wasn't long before his skill and potential was noticed in Europe by Barcelona. This book tells his story.

Biographical Portrait of Liverpool's Spanish football manager Rafael Benitez and an extraordinary season for the club.

The dazzling life story of Diego Maradona, one of the greatest and most controversial footballers in the history of the game, by prize-winning biographer Guillem Balague[Bokinfo]

The definitive award-winning biography of Cristiano Ronaldo - fully revised and updated to include the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo's explosive exit from Manchester United and his record-breaking transfer to Al Nassr.As the Qatar World Cup opened to worldwide jubilation, Cristiano Ronaldo's second spell at Manchester United reached an abrupt conclusion. It was not to be the fairy tale ending to a glittering career that so many had hoped for. Instead, over the two seasons, it had snowballed into a toxic standoff between himself, the board and newly appointed manager, Erik Ten Hag. The Theatre's dream was over. On 22 November 2022, Ronaldo's contract was terminated.In this compelling account, Guillem Balague draws on impeccable sources, first-hand interviews and unprecedented access, taking us on a journey from Madeira to Manchester, and onto Spain, Italy, and Saudi Arabia. From Ronaldo's tutelage under Sir Alex Ferguson to becoming the biggest galactico of them all at Real Madrid, and captaining Portugal to the first silverware in their history at the UEFA Euro 2016, Guillem chronicles Ronaldo's career in its entirety. This is nothing less than the definitive portrait of a true icon of modern football, who has reached the very heights of the beautiful game and cemented his place as one of the greatest players of all time.

Lionel „Leo“ Messi ist ein Phänomen. Trotz weltweiter Verehrung ist kaum etwas über das Leben des argentinischen Superstars und siebenfachen Weltfußballers bekannt, der 2022 endlich den lange ersehnten Weltmeistertitel gewann und zum Karriereende überraschend in die USA wechselte. Was steckt hinter dem außergewöhnlichen Talent des Argentiniers, wie wurde er zum besten Spieler der Welt? Wie wurde er ausgebildet, welche Schwierigkeiten galt es zu überwinden? Welche Rolle spielt seine Familie und die unglaubliche Fußballbegeisterung in seinem Heimatland? Wie tickt der stets bescheiden auftretende Superstar privat? Als erster Autor hat Guillem Balagué mit Messi selbst und seiner Familie gesprochen, außerdem seine Trainer sowie zahlreiche Mitspieler und Wegbegleiter getroffen. Mit dem Star-Trainer Pep Guardiola erarbeitete er eine exklusive, detaillierte Analyse des Ausnahmespielers. Das Ergebnis ist das einzige umfassende, hoch spannende Porträt des argentinischen Ausnahmefußballers. In dieser 2023 aktualisierten Neuausgabe werden ausführlich auch der Gewinn des WM-Titels 2022 sowie die Hintergründe von Messis Wechsel zu Paris Saint-Germain und Inter Miami beleuchtet.