The Quality of Madness

A Life of Marcelo Bielsa

By: Tim Rich

Narrated by: Andrew Loudon

'We were all considered mad, Marcelo was thought mad. My grandfather, my father, Maria Eugenia, my sister, were all considered mad and I was as well. The reason was that we took a different path to everybody else.'
Rafael Bielsa, Marcelo's brother, Foreign Secretary of Argentina, 2003-05.

Marcelo Bielsa is one of football's greatest eccentrics and greatest enigmas. He is described by Pep Guardiola as: 'the greatest football manager in the world'. To the Tottenham manager, Mauricio Pochettino, he is 'my footballing father, the reason I became a player, the reason I became a manager.' This will be the first English biography of one of football's most contradictory characters.

This is a definitive and comprehensive biography from growing up in Argentina under a military dictatorship to reviving the stricken power of Leeds United.

(P)2020 Quercus Editions Limited©2020 Tim Rich

Critic reviews

A triumph. Not one just for Leeds fans, or even football nerds, Bielsa's story will resonate with anyone drawn to life's maverick thinkers

Very good book

I always enjoyed soccer and the story of Marcelo Bielsa is a must read. He created the modern way to play soccer, ball possession and attacking. Very well read.

Quality...

Well written & a great listen sharing nuggets of global football from the madness of Marcelo & the beauty of Bielsa...

Good - Slightly short on insight

If you appreciate football or Marcelo, this is a good listen. He’s a fascinating character. Much of the book is a review of scores and games, which can be tedious. The parts that are about Marcelo as a person are compelling.

Llittle about tactics

Too little about tactics for my taste. Interesting aboutspying on other teams to get data.

Either too long or not enough bBielss

I really thought always buying a book about marcello be Elsa, but this had way more soccer history involved that I'm not sure was necessary