Animals!: The Story of England v Argentina - Tapa blanda

Maradona's "Hand of God" in 1986, David Beckham's red card and redemptive penalty, and Alf Ramsey's infamous description of the 1966 Argentinians as "animals" ...England versus Argentina is a fixture which has been crammed full of controversy since the teams first met in 1951. Neil Clack, a British journalist resident in Argentina, set out to uncover the truth behind the bitter animosity between the two nations and to find out why so many fail to distinguish between the horrors of the Falklands war, the strictures of British Imperialism, the terrors of Argentinian military dictatorship and the relative banality of football. From "the Impossible Goal" and 1966 allegations of "spying" and "conspiracy", through a scandal involving Bobby Moore and a brawl in the 1977 "friendly" to Ossie's trembling knees and the Carlos Tevez transfer fiasco, Clack discovered that the passions which accompany England versus Argentina run high as he unearthed a remarkable tale packed full of suspicion, name-calling, fisticuffs and intrigue.

Neil Clack is a freelance sportswriter based in Buenos Aires, and the Independent's South American football correspondent.