In the 1980s and 1990s, Serie A was known as `Il campionato piu bello del mondo' - the most beautiful championship in the world - and had the highest match attendances in Europe. The stadiums were not only full of people, but full of colour, flags, songs and rituals. Italy hosted World Cup 1990 and the stadia and stars on show in Serie A became iconic. Across a ten year period from 1989 to 1999 a remarkable 10 different Serie A clubs occupied nearly half the places in the finals of the Champions League and Europa Cup. They were dominant. But then in the 2000s they began to fall behind and despite the Azzurri winning the World Cup in 2006 and Inter Milan winning the Champions League in 2010, Italian football was on a downwards trajectory that saw the national team fail to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, their first absence from the tournament since 1958. What happened and why? In this extraordinary book, Steven G. Mandis investigates. Given unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to Italian clubs and key decision makers and players, Mandis is the first outside researcher to rigorously analyse both the on-the-pitch and business aspects of a club and league. What he learns is completely unexpected and challenges popular explanations and conventional wisdom."--Publisher's description

A deep dive into Italy's storied league. "An excellent book . . . Anyone with an interest in football beyond the playing pitch will find it fascinating.” —Game of the People In the 1980s and 1990s, Serie A was known as "Il campionato più bello del mondo"—the most beautiful championship in the world—and had the highest match attendances in Europe. The stadiums were not only full of people, but full of color, flags, songs and rituals. Italy hosted World Cup 1990 and the stadia and stars on show in Serie A became iconic. Across the ten year period from 1989 to 1999 a remarkable 10 different Serie A clubs occupied nearly half the places in the finals of the Champions League and Europa Cup. They were dominant. But then in the 2000s they began to fall behind and despite the Azzurri winning the World Cup in 2006 and Inter Milan winning the Champions League in 2010, Italian football was on a downwards trajectory that saw the national team fail to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, their first absence from the tournament since 1958. What happened and why? In this extraordinary book, Steven G. Mandis investigates. Given unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to Italian clubs and key decision makers and players, Mandis is the first outside researcher to rigorously analyze both the on-the-pitch and business aspects of a club and league. What he learns is completely unexpected and challenges popular explanation and conventional wisdom.

A forensic examination into Italian football and its fall from grace since its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s.

An important read for those passionate about not only U.S. Soccer but fascinated by player development. This in-depth look uses unprecedented access and original data and analysis for the U.S. and other countries. Prior to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team had won just four World Cup matches in 72 years. While the American women's team has made World Cup victories a regular expectation, the men failed to even qualify for the 2018 tournament. In What Happened to the USMNT Columbia Business School adjunct professor and acclaimed author of The Real Madrid Way Steven Mandis turns his lens inward to examine what it will take for the U.S. men to achieve lasting success on the international stage. This meticulously researched, probing investigation challenges conventional wisdom and speaks to the importance of familiarity and authenticity to cultivate an organizational identity. If the Italians have their cantenaccio, the Spanish their tiki-taka, the Dutch their "total football," and the Brazilians their ginga, Mandis argues that cultivating a unique "American way" of soccer (coined the "Spirit of 1776") is not only possible but absolutely essential. Finally, a source of reference that goes beyond recounting history without context or repeating opinions without facts or analysis.

For more than one hundred years, AC Milan has been considered one of the top soccer clubs in Italy. This book charts the team's rise to become the most valuable team in the nation and one of the richest in the world. In its early years, it faced local class rivalries and threats from fascism, while more recent challenges have often been financial in nature. Yet AC Milan continues to push forward as a global icon. This book explores these aspects and more to define what has made the club the powerhouse it is today.