El Clasico: Barcelona v Real Madrid

Barcelona and Real Madrid: two of the most powerfuland popular clubs in world football, and one of the world's most bittersporting rivalries. Going far beyond the boundaries of just sport alone, thisis a rivalry at the heart of Spanish life, taking in politics and culture andsplitting a country in two.El Cl sico gets to the heart of that rivalry, investigatingthe intrigue, the larger-than-life characters, the key flashpoints and theirconsequences. From civil war bloodshed to 40 years of fascism and links withGeneral Franco, the clubs' shared history is the stuff of a Robert Harris noveland includes: murdered presidents from both clubs, player kidnappings, acts ofhooliganism - and that's before you start thinking of the volatile football matchesthemselves.The book contains numerous interviews with key figuressuch as Lu s Figoand Hristo Stoichkov (two of the main hate figures from both clubs), JoanLaporta (Barcelona's most successful president and, having entered politics,Catalonian separatism's poster boy) and various ex-players, ex-managers,agents, referees, hooligans, editors, historians, sociologists, filmmakers,novelists, photographers, TV presenters and celebrity fans.The two clubs are packed with international superstarplayers - including the world's two best players in Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo - and 10 of thestarting 11 players from Spain's 2010 World Cup final victory play with either Barcelonaor Real Madrid.This is a storywith resonance around the sporting world, with many instantly recognisable figuresto an international audience such as Jose Mourinho. But it is also a tale of acountry divided by a bitter rivalry.