{"product_id":"winning-at-all-costs-a-scandalous-history-of-italian-soccer-9781568583686","title":"Winning at All Costs: A Scandalous History of Italian Soccer","description":"The 2006 World Cup final between Italy and France was a down-and-dirty game, marred by French superstar Zidane's head-butting of Italian defender Materazzi. But viewers were also exposed to the poetry, force, and excellence of the Italian game; as operatic as Verdi and as cunning as Machiavelli, it seemed to open a window into the Italian soul. John Foot's epic history shows what makes Italian soccer so unique. Mixing serious analysis and comic storytelling, Foot describes its humble origins in northern Italy in the 1890s to its present day incarnation where soccer is the national civic religion. A story that is reminiscent of \u003ci\u003eGangs of New York\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eA Clockwork Orange\u003c\/i\u003e, Foot shows how the Italian game -- like its political culture -- has been overshadowed by big business, violence, conspiracy, and tragedy, how demagogues like Benito Mussolini and Silvio Berlusconi have used the game to further their own political ambitions. But \u003ci\u003eWinning at All Costs \u003c\/i\u003ealso celebrates the sweet moments -- the four World Cup victories, the success of Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, the role soccer played in the resistance to Nazism, and the great managers and players who show that Italian soccer is as irresistible as Italy itself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Foot\u003c\/b\u003e teaches modern Italian history at University College London. He writes for the \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eLondon Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e, and the TLS and is the author of books on Milan and modern Italian history.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Bold Type Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50420241662226,"sku":"9781568583686","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_4a897863-20f0-4d99-b916-51ee95966271.jpg?v=1729492205","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/winning-at-all-costs-a-scandalous-history-of-italian-soccer-9781568583686","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}