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A review by edgwareviabank
Kaiser: The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football by Rob Smyth
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
Rob Smyth's Kaiser always sounded like the sort of biography I'd love. Football trivia! An elaborate con! A completely bonkers story! It could hardly get any better.
I had a great time reading it, and learnt lots about Brazilian football, which I knew almost nothing about. Kaiser is packed with anecdotes and recollections from all sorts of Brazilian football personalities (some of whom, I was delighted to discover, were the same who rose to fame in Europe in the '90s, when I started watching games). Thanks to a strong sense of time and place, the city of Rio seems to be as much of a character as any of the people, with a personality of its own; I got the sense it's like no other city in the world, and certainly not like anywhere I've been before.
As for the life and deeds of Carlos Kaiser, everything in this book points to reality being stranger than fiction. Or to Kaiser's reality being complete fiction. Or both, depending on which part, and who's talking. Sound intricate? It's meant to be. The author sums it up perfectly towards the end, when he writes that Kaiser may be the only man whose life is inspired to a true story. And that's really all I can say. Giving away any other details would be spoiling the wild ride Kaiser is. If you're even mildly curious about football and remember the eighties and nineties (or are ready to jump into several Wikipedia rabbit holes looking up teams and players), read this. I will be watching the documentary next.
I had a great time reading it, and learnt lots about Brazilian football, which I knew almost nothing about. Kaiser is packed with anecdotes and recollections from all sorts of Brazilian football personalities (some of whom, I was delighted to discover, were the same who rose to fame in Europe in the '90s, when I started watching games). Thanks to a strong sense of time and place, the city of Rio seems to be as much of a character as any of the people, with a personality of its own; I got the sense it's like no other city in the world, and certainly not like anywhere I've been before.
As for the life and deeds of Carlos Kaiser, everything in this book points to reality being stranger than fiction. Or to Kaiser's reality being complete fiction. Or both, depending on which part, and who's talking. Sound intricate? It's meant to be. The author sums it up perfectly towards the end, when he writes that Kaiser may be the only man whose life is inspired to a true story. And that's really all I can say. Giving away any other details would be spoiling the wild ride Kaiser is. If you're even mildly curious about football and remember the eighties and nineties (or are ready to jump into several Wikipedia rabbit holes looking up teams and players), read this. I will be watching the documentary next.