# The Quality of Madness: A Life of Marcelo Bielsa - Paperback

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by **Tim Rich** (Author)

**'Everyone with new ideas is thought mad until they work' Marcelo Bielsa**  
Marcelo Bielsa is one of the great enigmas of world football. To Pep Guardiola, he is the finest mind in the game, a fabulously innovative and obsessive coach who transformed Leeds United, Marseille and Athletic Bilbao after winning three league titles in his native Argentina.

Yet Bielsa is a manager who has won very much less than his reputation suggests. He lasted two days at Lazio and led Argentina to their greatest footballing disaster.

Featuring interviews from across South America, Europe and Yorkshire, _The Quality of Madness_ is a comprehensive and compelling biography tracing Bielsa's story from growing up as a member of one of Argentina's most remarkable families to his revival of Leeds and his comeback with Uruguay at the Copa América.

Bielsa has long been known as 'El Loco' - 'The Madman' - and yet, as Tim Rich's revelatory study shows, there is mercurial method and audacious logic to the madness.

### Author Biography

Although he began his career in sports journalism as a cricket writer for the _Sunderland Echo_, **Tim Rich** has been captivated by football for half a lifetime. Working for _The Independent_, _The Daily Telegraph_ and _The 'i' Paper_, he has covered Newcastle United under Bobby Robson, Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson and, latterly, Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool. _On Days Like These_ is his third book and follows his acclaimed biography of Marcelo Bielsa, _The Quality of Madness_, which was shortlisted for The Daily Telegraph Football Book of the Year. He lives in Cheshire with his stepdaughter, Rose and their three cats.

**Number of Pages:** 448

**Dimensions:** 1.34 x 7.8 x 5.04 IN

**Publication Date:** September 02, 2025

## Details

- **Price:** 19.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 19.99 USD | In stock |

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- The Quality of Madness: A Life of Marcelo Bielsa - Paperback

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