I've just finished this and I was very, very impressed. Sid Lowe is really an excellent football writer but, in the early parts of the book at least, what really set it apart was the informative, balanced and in depth treatment of the franco regime.

Sid's other book is all about the causes of the civil war so it's perhaps understandable that he got this bit right but from the mid 50s onwards the football writing was absolutely excellent.

It's not the first book I've read on Real or Barca but it's definitely the best I have read on either.