Barca revisited

Real Madrid may have spent a fortune on securing  the  unpredictable services of  Ronaldo and a new stable of 'galacticos', but it's Barca that currently commands the greater worldwide following.

It will not be easy to forget the beautiful game that Barca played last season, and which they continue to play, thanks to the enduring loyalty of players of such calibre as Messi, Iniesta, and Xavi. They and others in the team display poetry in motion, and a collective spirit based on discipline, sacrifice, and creativity.

As an author I am happy that the original version of my book Barca is as relevant today as when I first wrote it a few years back. It's a book that tries to get under the club's skin, and into its soul-to explain why its politics, its players, its managers, have made it one of the world's greatest and most special sporting institutions over more than a century. The new edition leaves the main body of Barca unchanged while celebrating  the climax to an extraordinary season when Barca won La Liga, the King's Cup, and the Champions League. It's a collectors item I hope of value to fans-old and new.

On wednesday I shall be gathering friends and fans for a small celebration at Bar&Co, Temple Pier, Victoria  Embankment, central London. Next weekend Barca will be playing in the Wembley Cup  (www.thewembleycup.com) tournanement with Celtic, Tottenham Hotspur, and Al Ahly. A good week.

The new edition of Barca should be available in bookshops and on Amazon in time for the start of the new English football season in August. Enjoy it.