In NARCOBALL: LOVE, DEATH AND FOOTBALL IN ESCOBAR’S COLUMBIA, David Arrowsmith shines a spotlight on the fascinating and compelling true story of the infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar and his influence on Columbian football.
While I’m not a particular fan of football, I am a fan of Arrowsmith, and, what’s really interesting about this book he’s written, is that he has crafted a narrative so compelling it can pull in any reader regardless of their level of interest in football, or indeed their knowledge of the story’s wider footballing context.
And isn’t this a true testament to the storytelling? Arrowsmith is reaching wider than the inevitable fans of football, who I’m sure will devour this story to understand deeper context around the touchpoints they know about. But also to readers like me, who are picking this story up with no prior knowledge. And to this, we’re talking about a gripping tale of rags to riches, corruption, money and power.
I had no idea that Escobar started to dream of greater things while kicking a makeshift “football” around the poverty-stricken streets where he lived. And that he early on knew that being a champion of those around him who were downtrodden would award him a man-of-the-people status that would carry him high in the political arena.
With one audacious move after another, he built an empire of drug trafficking, while all the time trying to stay one step ahead of the US extradition laws, which, of all the things that could bring him down, was the one he truly feared. It’s fascinating to read how he starts to use football as a money-laundering enterprise, but underneath all of that is a passion for the game, and a desire to see his team do well, that would see death-threats, and murder, bring the game to the brink of collapse in Columbia. It’s compelling to watch this machinery at work, and told like a thriller here. Some moments were terrifying to comprehend, knowing that this is a true story.
The descriptions of the matches themselves elevate this work. I felt like I was watching these games with Arrowsmith as an expert commentator, with his control of the descriptive language echoing the player’s expert control of the ball. And, especially during the times when more than just a goal or a win was at stake for the players, events play out with high tension and drama. I came to this book knowing nothing about this subject and learned a lot. Highly memorable and I can’t wait to see what David Arrowsmith writes next.
Order NARCOBALL: LOVE, DEATH AND FOOTBALL IN ESCOBAR’S COLUMBIA from Amazon UK