Since arriving in the FC Barcelona youth academy at the age of thirteen, Lionel Messi has demonstrated an innate and awe-inspiring talent for football - in the process creating a sort of poetry in the game. He has steadily grown in stature to become the greatest player in the world, and arguably the greatest of all time.
All the young fans want to be Messi, his replica shirts are the best-selling in every continent, and videos of his goals are some of the most-viewed on YouTube. And, for so many fans around the globe, watching Messi play has brought great happiness - to nobody more than Catalan writer and pundit Jordi Punti.
In this book, Punti captures the enjoyment of watching Lionel Messi. In 22 short essays, he explores the beauty, the hunger, the genius and the obsession of the man - he takes us from the near-mythical scenery of a South American footballing youth, where the world is "an infinite football pitch", to the goals, the plaudits and the trophies of a glittering professional career. There is rivalry - with Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo - and there is passion - Messi's desire to win every ball, beat every record - all played out on a global stage.
Punti writes with a playful, sentimental and analytical style, creating a breathless portrait of an artist for the 21st Century.
