Once Upon a Time in La Liga

Brendan Madden delves into archives and secret files, and speaks to those who were there, to uncover Spanish football’s most incredible hidden stories.

Perfect for anyone interested in Spanish football or wider Spanish culture and history.

In this passionately crafted collection brimming with compelling characters, you’ll learn about:

• The team-mates persecuted by Franco’s regime for a humble protest
• How the fastest winger in the land became a Nazi spy
• The boy abandoned at an orphanage who became a rebellious generational talent
• Two rising stars caught in one of Spain’s deadliest fires
• The boardroom figures who defied ETA and Galicia’s drug cartels
• Johan Cruyff’s bizarre stint at Levante
• The extraordinary life of the man who gave the world ‘tiki-taka’
• How a Blackpool lad became the cherished voice of Spanish TV
• The goal that shook Barcelona in the middle of the night
• The profound connection between Cádiz’s carnival and its football club

Meet new heroes and villains in this meticulously researched anthology, which offers a vivid, deeply human glimpse into Spanish football – and the culture, politics and history that shaped it.