The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop

Since the early nineties, when FC Barcelona was still under the charge of sporting legend Johan Cruyff, journalist Simon Kuper has had an intimate connection with the football club, and unprecedented access to staff and facilities. In this book, Kuper tracks the history of FC Barcelona from Cruyff to Lionel Messi. He analyses the largely unchanging structure of the club (from its Catalan merchant-class directors down to its impressive pool of footballing talent), and reveals the localised, long-term focus that has long guided its workings. He studies how the revolutionary ‘Barcelona Innovation Hub’ is shaping the club’s future, how the football philosophy is built on a cross-pollination of different sports such as waterpolo and basketball, and, crucially, how a nutritional revolution is constantly optimising the fitness of the players.