The Greatest Show on Earth
Mexico 1970
The 1970 World Cup is widely regarded as the greatest ever staged, with more goals scored per game than any tournament since. But more than just the proliferation of goals was the quality of the overall football, as some of the greatest teams ever to represent the likes of Argentina, West Germany, Uruguay and England came together for a tilt at the world title. But at the heart of the tournament were Brazil; led by Carlos Alberto and featuring players such as Pelé, Gérson, Jairzinho, Rivellino and Tostão, the 1970 Seleção are often cited as the greatest-ever World Cup team.
Using brand new interviews alongside painstaking archival research, Andrew Downie charts each stage of the World Cup, telling the remarkable story of the tournament in the players' own words. The result is an immediate, insightful and compelling narrative that paints an utterly unique portrait of an extraordinary few weeks when football hit peaks it has seldom even neared in the years before or since.
Andrew Downie is the Brazilian football correspondent for Reuters, and has lived in the country for almost 20 years. He has written on football for GQ, the Economist, the New York Times and the Guardian among others. He translated Garrincha: The Triumph and Tragedy of Brazil's Forgotten Footballing Hero, and is the best-selling author of the critically-acclaimed Doctor Socrates: Footballer, Philosopher and Legend. Now based in London, he still spends much of the year in Brazil.
