Media:Paperback Edition:New edition Pages:288 Shipping Weight (lbs):2.4 Dimensions (in):7.6 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN:1861054351 EAN:9781861054357 ASIN:1861054351
Publication Date:October 4, 2001 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Customer Reviews:
Poorly researched, badly structuredApril 9, 2006 Pantse What a huge disappointment this book turned out to be. The book's subject is a Brazilian footballer so it is pretty weird that the vast majority of the people interviewed for this book are British. I can understand a little Anglo-angle but this is ridiculous...page after page of former English players telling their opinions on Pelé. It gets repetitive and uninteresting, and leaves an image that the author just didn't bother to make real research (starting from, perhaps, actually going to Brazil!). When it is Terry Butcher's turn to give his opinion the whole thing gets tragicomical.
It's probably because of this lack of proper research that the book has been absurdly structured. Pelé's whole childhood and career in Brazil are told in just over hundred pages, the other half concentrating on his political and business ventures and (of course) the endless appraisals by former English players. I wonder which half most people would find more interesting.
Pelé's story deserves a much better book. The only reason for the extra star is the good quality of the actual writing. Too bad that the substance is such tripe.
