Luca Caioli Series

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MESSI AND RONALDO Quick, incisive and versatile, Antoine Griezmann is the ultimate modern forward. But did you know that he had to leave France in order to find a professional club willing to take a chance on him? Or that he wears the number 7 shirt as a tribute to his idol, David Beckham? Or that Real Sociedad fans came to affectionately refer to him as 'The Little Devil'? Find our about all this and more in Luca Caioli and Cyril Collot's tirelessly researched biography, featuring exclusive interviews with those who know him best. Includes all the action from the 2017/18 season and the 2018 World Cup

The youngest player to score in the World Cup final since Pelé, for the tournament-winning team, in his brief career to date Kylian Mbappé is breaking records at a rate matched by only the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and is fast becoming one of the biggest names in football. But did you know that even at three years old, he would sit listening to the manager's talk before an AS Bondy match? Or where his signature crossed-arm goal celebration came from and where he first performed it? Or how he got his dressing room nickname 'Thirty-seven'? Find out about all this and more in Luca Caioli and Cyril Collot's tirelessly researched biography of the game's latest superstar, featruing exclusive interviews with those who know him best. Includes 2018 World Cup success.

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MESSI AND RONALDO Tipped for greatness from an early age, it's easy to think that every moment of Neymar's life has been played out under the glare of a spotlight. But did you know that Real Madrid were just €60,000 away from signing him in 2006? Or that a phone call from Pelé stopped Neymar leaving Santos for Chelsea in 2010? Or that his move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 caused tension with his new teammates? Find out about all this and more in Luca Caioli's tirelessly researched biography, featuring exclusive interviews with those who know him best, including friends, family, coaches and teammates. Includes all the action from the 2017/18 season and the 2018 World Cup

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MESSI AND RONALDO A dynamic and commanding presence both on and off the pitch, Paul Pogba is rarely out of the public eye. But did you know that Barcelona came close to sealing a deal for the midfielder a year before he returned to Manchester United? Or that he first performed his famous 'Dab' celebration in December 2015, after scoring against Carpi in Serie A? Or that, as a child, Pogba chose to go by the nickname 'The Pickaxe'? Find out about all this and more in Luca Caioli and Cyril Collot's tirelessly researched biography, featuring exclusive interviews with those who know him best. Includes all the action from the 2017/18 season and the 2018 World Cup

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MESSI AND NEYMAR Strength, speed and dedication:  Cristiano Ronaldo is known throughout the world  as a colossus of the modern game. But did you know that he underwent laser heart surgery aged just fifteen to enable him to continue playing the game he loved? Or that Nacional, his first professional club, donated twenty balls and two sets of kits to his youth team in order to sign him? Or how he came to be known as abelhinha –'little bee' – a name he would later pass on to his Yorkshire Terrier? Find out all this and more in Luca Caioli's biography of the global superstar, featuring exclusive insights from those who know him best and even the man himself. Includes all the action from the 2017/18 season and the 2018 World Cup

Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann were the stand-out stars of France's World Cup-winning team, drawing comparisons to the great class of '98. Be it Pogba's high-profile apprenticeships in the Premier League and Italy's Serie A, Griezmann's seizing his opportunity in Real Sociedad's youth academy or Mbappé's dazzling performances for AS Monaco in the UEFA Champions League, all three have forged their own distinct routes to the very top. The result is an unstoppable blend of pace, determination and creativity that cuts through opposition defences with devastating efficiency. Through exclusive testimonies from friends, families, managers and teammates, acclaimed football writers Luca Caioli and Cyril Collot document the trio's individual journeys and examine the phenomenal success of France's footballing superstars, including their success at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Season after season, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to prove that he is one of football's true greats. A three-time winner of the FIFA Ballon d'Or and the man whose astonishing goalscoring feats have fired much of Real Madrid's recent success, he is driven by an insatiable desire to succeed and to improve himself year after year. Here Madrid-based journalist Luca Caioli tells the inside story of the global superstar, featuring insights from those who know him best: coaches, teammates, girlfriends and even the man himself. Updated to include all the action from 2014/15 – a campaign in which he claimed the European Golden Shoe for a record fourth time – Ronaldo lays bare the career of a modern footballing icon.

The youngest player to score in the World Cup final since Pelé, for the tournament-winning team, in his brief career to date Kylian Mbappé is breaking records at a rate matched by only the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and is fast becoming one of the biggest names in football. But did you know that even at three years old, he would sit listening to the manager's talk before an AS Bondy match? Or where his signature crossed-arm goal celebration came from and where he first performed it? Or how he got his dressing room nickname 'Thirty-seven'? Find out about all this and more in Luca Caioli and Cyril Collot's tirelessly researched biography of the game's latest superstar, featuring exclusive interviews with those who know him best. Includes the 2018/19 season.

In 2009 Real Madrid paid £80m, a then record fee, to sign a ready-made superstar in an effort to keep pace with a Barcelona side that had won it all. In doing so, they sparked a rivalry like no other; Messi vs Ronaldo. The seasons that have followed have been truly spectacular, the battle for supremacy increasing in profile and intensity all the while. Their styles, personalities and footballing allegiances continue to divide opinion, but their dominance of the record books has now put one claim beyond debate - this is football's greatest ever head-to-head. Acclaimed football writer Luca Caioli draws on invaluable testimonies from those closest to the two stars, with exclusive insights from friends, families, teammates and managers, to tell the inside story of this fascinating rivalry.

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF RONALDO AND NEYMAR Prolific, cool-headed and unerringly consistent, Lionel Messi is one of the most revered footballers in history. But did you know that his transfer to Barcelona was first agreed on a paper napkin? Or that an x-ray of his hand was to thank for identifying his growth hormone deficiency? And do you know why he refused to collect his first ever Champions League winner's medal? Find out all this and more in Luca Caioli's classic portrait of a footballing icon, featuring exclusive interviews with those who know him best and even Messi himself. Includes all the action from the 2017/18 season and the 2018 World Cup

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF RONALDO AND NEYMAR. Prolific, cool-headed and unerringly consistent, Lionel Messi is one of the most revered footballers in history. But did you know that his transfer to Barcelona was first agreed on a paper napkin? Or that an x-ray of his hand was to thank for identifying his growth hormone deficiency? And do you know why he refused to collect his first ever Champions League winner's medal? Find out all this and more in Luca Caioli's classic portrait of a footballing icon, featuring exclusive interviews with those who know him best and even Messi himself.

Bestselling football biographer Luca Caioli tackles his most controversial subject yet - Barcelona, Uruguay and former Liverpool forward Luis Suárez. When in late September 2013 Luis Suárez returned from a landmark ten-match ban for biting an opponent, one in a long line of high-profile misdemeanours, it seemed unlikely that he would ever win over his critics. In the months that followed he scored an astonishing 31 times, propelling Liverpool back into the Champions League following a four-year absence. The World Cup in Brazil followed but Suárez saw his action-packed tournament curtailed after just two games, two goals and one moment of madness, with favourable comparisons to Messi and Ronaldo once again overshadowed by those with Jekyll and Hyde. Acclaimed football biographer Luca Caioli provides an in-depth look at one of football's most enigmatic characters, from humble Uruguayan beginnings to his big-money move to Barcelona in July 2014.

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MESSI AND RONALDO. Tipped for greatness from an early age, it's easy to think that every moment of Neymar's life has been played out under the glare of a spotlight. But did you know that Real Madrid were just €60,000 away from signing him in 2006? Or that a phone call from Pelé stopped Neymar leaving Santos for Chelsea in 2010? Or that his move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 caused tension with his new teammates? Find out about all this and more in Luca Caioli's tirelessly researched biography, featuring exclusive interviews with those who know him best, including friends, family, coaches and teammates. Includes all the action from the 2018/19 season.

From a young age, Neymar Junior was identified as a future great of world football. Since then there have been both highs and lows, with triumphs at Santos sometimes overshadowed by the controversies and disappointments of his early days at Barcelona and at the Brazil World Cup. But his pivotal role in Barça's spectacular 2015 treble has reconfirmed him as one of football's most devastating attacking forces and he now stands on the brink of greatness. Fully updated and drawing on exclusive interviews with those who have known and worked with him, Neymar paints a compelling picture of the life and career of a global icon.

Lionel Messi, Neymar Júnior and Cristiano Ronaldo have risen from humble beginnings in Argentina, Brazil and Portugal to rank among the most exciting talents football has ever seen. Now Luca Caioli, author of biographies Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar, asks: 'Who is the greatest of them all?' Comparing their contrasting styles, stories, records and awards, he gives you everything you need to decide who comes out on top. With exclusive insights from their friends, families, teammates and managers – including interviews with managers Luiz Felipe Scolari and Vicente del Bosque – Caioli presents a unique insight into what makes a modern player not just successful, but truly great.

Mario Balotelli has a reputation like no other in football. Since exploding on to the scene at Inter Milan in 2007, he has won league titles in both Italy and England, moving between Europe's elite clubs. Yet for all his undoubted talent, he is better known for his off-field antics – not least his infamous run-ins with both the police and Manchester's firefighters. Once described by José Mourinho as 'unmanageable', match-winning performances at the highest level have continued to convince clubs such as AC Milan and Liverpool to give him a chance. With exclusive access to friends, teammates and coaches, acclaimed football biographer Luca Caioli talks to the people best placed to explain the mystery that is Mario Balotelli.

El Pibe de Oro. The Golden Boy. Diego Maradona's unwaning shadow looms large over world football. In 2007 the brilliant Argentine chose Lionel Messi as his successor to the famous No. 10 shirt. But you can never be sure that potential will be fulfilled. Three years later, Messi – El Pulga, the Flea – is a European Champion, Olympic Gold Medallist, the most naturally gifted footballer on the planet and a hero to millions of fans across the globe. Champions, reporters and coaches blunder time and time again in their haste to find superstars. This time they got it right. Aged only 22, he shows a degree of maturity rarely seen on the soccer pitch. Yet underneath the layers of footballing brilliance, he is still the shy boy who describes his Maradona moment with disarming simplicity: 'I saw the gap and I went for it.' Transcending both club and country, he is a sporting god who prefers homemade cookies to brand name perfumes. Author Luca Caioli draws on exceptional testimonies. Messi's parents, Celia and Jorge, his bother Rodrigo and his uncles and aunts; his coaches at Grandoli and Newell's Old Boys; Charly Rexach, Alex García, Frank Rjikaard, Gianluca Zambrotta from Barcelona; Hugo Tocalli, Pancho Ferrero, el Coco Basile, Roberto Perfumo from Argentina. And to conclude, Leo Messi himself sizes up his life so far.

Mohamed Salah needed little time to settle in to life at Liverpool.   Since signing for the Anfield club in 2017 for a then-club record fee, he has broken the club's scoring record for a debut season, as well as becoming the leading goalscorer in Europe's top five leagues, overtaking Lionel Messi and Harry Kane.  He was the first player to ever win three Premier League Player of the Month awards in the same season and was the winner of the PFA Player's Player of the Year for 2017–18, scoring 32 goals in 36 league games.  In this biography of the Egypt and Liverpool star, bestselling authors Luca Caioli and Cyril Collot examine his rise to success. Up to date with Russia World Cup 2018 analysis and featuring exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes details.

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MESSI , RONALDO AND NEYMAR The world's greatest players, head to head. Lionel Messi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo have risen from humble beginnings in Argentina, Brazil and Portugal to rank among the most exciting talents football has ever seen. Now, Luca Caioli, author of bestselling individual biographies of each player, asks: 'Who is the greatest'? Comparing their contrasting styles, stories, records and awards, he gives you everything you need to decide who comes out top. With exclusive insights from their friends, families, teammates and managers, Caioli presents a unique insight into what makes a modern player not just successful, but truly great. Includes all the action from the 2017/18 season and the 2018 World Cup

Neymar da Silva Santos Junior is the new global football superstar, already acclaimed as 'the next Pelé'. He is the player everyone wants to watch in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, his home country. With Santos, the team where Pelé played, he has reached three national Championships and has twice been elected the best player in South America. With Barcelona, which signed him for 57 million euros, he will flourish alongside Leo Messi to become one of the most lethal partnerships in football's history. Luca Caioli, author of bestselling biographies of Messi and Ronaldo, reconstructs Neymar's life and career through exclusive private access to his friends, his family, his coaches, his teammates, his advisors, his fans. This is the first book about a new world footballing icon.

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MBAPPÉ AND MESSI, NEYMAR, RONALDO For years, a personal battle has defined top-level European football – Messi vs Ronaldo. A rivalry like no other. Since they were first pitted against each other in 2007, the two men's domination of the record books has been unparalleled. They continue to divide opinion but one thing is beyond doubt: this is football's greatest ever head-to-head. Luca Caioli draws on the exclusive testimonies of managers, teammates, friends and family to tell the inside story of this momentous rivalry. Includes all the action from the 2017/18 season and the 2018 World Cup

For years, the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona has defined top-level European football. At its heart: a personal battle – Messi vs Ronaldo. Since they were first pitted against each other in 2007, the two men's domination of the record books has been unparalleled. Their styles, personalities and footballing allegiances continue to divide opinion but one thing is beyond doubt: this is football's greatest ever head-to-head. In this new edition of Messi vs Ronaldo, updated to include all the action from 2016/17, Luca Caioli draws on the exclusive testimonies of managers, teammates, friends and family to tell the inside story of this momentous rivalry.

UPDATED TO INCLUDE HIS CONTROVERSIAL TRANSFER TO BARCELONA Quick, incisive and versatile, Antoine Griezmann is the ultimate modern forward. But did you know that he had to leave France in order to find a professional club willing to take a chance on him? Or that he wears the number 7 shirt as a tribute to his idol, David Beckham? Or that Real Sociedad fans came to affectionately refer to him as 'The Little Devil'? Find our about all this and more in Luca Caioli and Cyril Collot's tirelessly researched biography, featuring exclusive interviews with those who know him best. Includes all the action from the 2018/19 season

When Manchester City's owners appointed Roberto Mancini in late 2009, the message was clear: this was the man who would overtake the Blues' illustrious neighbours and restore the club to the pinnacle of English football. The former Italy playmaker swiftly repaid their faith, following up an FA Cup triumph in his first full season with the Premier League title – won in the most heartstopping fashion imaginable – to continue a success story that had taken him from early stardom in Bologna to back-to-back league titles as Inter Milan manager. Now, renowned Italian sports writer Luca Caioli gives the full inside story of Mancini's rollercoaster life in football – from his early days as a firebrand centre forward, through glory days with Sampdoria and Lazio, to his emergence as a charismatic, if controversial, pitch-side leader. Featuring insights from those who know him best – including family members, former teammates and managers, as well as an exclusive interview with Mancini himself, it provides a unique and revealing portrait of the man behind the Blue revolution.

Lionel Messi is a mesmerising talent who has continued to astound the world of football ever since assuming his role at the heart of a star-studded Barcelona side in 2004. Overcoming a career-threatening growth hormone deficiency, he has won almost everything there is to win, including an unprecedented four FIFA Ballons d'Or. Luca Caioli draws on numerous exclusive testimonies to tell Messi's story, including his parents and extended family, his coaches, those who have played alongside him and even Messi himself. Messi is a revealing portrait of football's most unassuming superstar, updated to include the dramatic 2013/14 season and the 2014 FIFA World Cup in which his match-winning performances finally began to win over his harshest critics – his fellow countrymen.

From a young age, Neymar was identified as a future great of world soccer. Since his move to Barcelona in 2013 he has progressed at an unstoppable rate, not simply coping but thriving under the pressure of expectation. Having established himself as a vital prong alongside Messi and Suarez in Barcelona's attack, 2015/16 saw him vying to take the starring role. His performances made his a serious contender for the Ballon d'Or, an award long-dominated by the unfaltering Messi and Ronaldo. It now seems only a matter of time before he adds the accolade to his ever-growing trophy collection. Fully updated and drawing on exclusive interviews with those who have known and worked with him, Neymar paints a compelling picture of the life and career of a global icon.

A brand new biography of Liverpool and Premier League superstar, Fernando Torres, based on one-of-a-kind insider interviews with those closest to him ... and the player himself. This is the story of a kid who wanted to be a rock star but who turned into a football god, the idolised and adopted son of 42 million Liverpool fans across the world. From his birth in Madrid through to his winning goal in Euro 2008 and beyond, the book goes ehind the scenes of Torres' life and career to examine what makes the golden boy of football tick as well as kick. Renowned sports journalist Luca Caioli has exclusively interviewed figures from fans to his father, Rafa Benítez to Luís Aragones, Steven Gerrard to Kenny Dalglish, Fabio Capello, and Fernando Torres himself. This unrivalled material will give the real untold story of how The Kid became the King of Europe...

Neymar is the youngest Brazilian ever to reach 35 international goals and time is on his side as he closes in on Pelé's long-standing record of 77. The Barcelona wünderkind has already scored more times for Brazil by the age of 22 than Rivaldo or Jairzinho did in their entire careers. Luca Caioli, author of bestselling biographies of Messi and Ronaldo, looks back on Neymar's unstoppable rise with exclusive private access to his friends and family, coaches, teammates and adoring fans. Updated to include his headline-grabbing World Cup performances and the fallout from Brazil's spectacular collapse in his injury-enforced absence, Neymar is the inside story of football's newest star.

Lionel Messi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo have risen from humble beginnings in Argentina, Brazil and Portugal to rank among the most exciting talents football has ever seen. Now Luca Caioli, author of biographies of Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar, asks: 'Who is the greatest of them all?' Comparing their contrasting styles, stories, records and awards, he gives you everything you need to decide who comes out on top. With exclusive insights from their friends, families, teammates and managers, Caioli presents a unique insight into what makes a modern player not just successful, but truly great.

Having long been hailed as a future star of world soccer, Neymar has thrived under the pressure of expectation.  Already well on his way to becoming Brazil's all-time top scorer and a leading light in one of the greatest Barcelona teams in history, his legacy is already taking shape. Updated to include all the action from the 2016/17 season and drawing on exclusive interviews with those who have known and worked with him, Neymar paints a compelling picture of the life and career of a global superstar.