I have read a lot of literature relating to Barça and was sceptical about what fresh insight could be gleaned.

However, what Wilson has achieved is arguably the most impressive historiography regarding Johan Cruyff’s impact on FC Barcelona and European football. He has chartered and analysed the search for the soul and legacy of the Barça philosophy and who can stake claim to that. The story is told in a compelling way and it was an addictive read.

I was pleasantly surprised and hooked by the level of detail and excellent narrative that Wilson pulled off during his chapters regarding Louis Van Gaal and Ronald Koeman’s managerial careers and the idea of ‘post-Cruyffianism’.

How influential the Dutch footballing philosophies were on the ‘Barcelona Legacy’ has never been in doubt for students of the game, but Wilson analyses these notions with a superiority over other writers who have attempted to capture these themes before. Wilson can now lay claim to commanding the historiography of Cruffianism influence over FC Barcelona with this seminal work.

Indeed, the likes of Sid Lowe and Graham Hunter have a more intimate connection with the Spanish game, yet Wilson’s intellectual approach with a touch of David Winner and Simon Kuper is an irresistible cocktail, a triumph.

The linkages between domestic and international football are also depicted expertly. The way in which Wilson compares the fall of Guardiola’s Barça with Del Bosque’s Spain is thrilling, as well as looking at Post-Cruyffianism in a Dutch context with Ajax and the Dutch National Team.

Overall, would highly highly recommend, one of my favourite football books of all time.