The lives of football players and managers are very often stranger than fiction.
Throughout their high-profile careers and celebrity lives there are dizzying highs, soul-destroying lows and an array of intriguing and bizarre characters. It makes for a rather splendid read for us mere mortals.
Fortunately for those footballers looking to cash in on their anecdotes, there are ghost writers on hand to help them shape their stories before they’re sent out for public consumption. When the final product hits the shelves, it can read like an action-thriller.
Here are the best autobiographies on the market.
Let’s start with a stormer. If there is one man’s autobiography that promises to get readers on the edge of their seats then it’s Zlatan’s.
The maverick Sweden international details his journey as an immigrant from poverty to one of the world’s most successful and controversial footballers. Having been initially released in 2011 – and in English in 2013 – the later chapters of Ibra’s career don’t make the cut but there is still plenty of juiciness to get stuck into.
The autobiography is unsurprisingly funny and bonkers, but also moving as he charts his rise to the top. Whether a Zlatan superfan or just an intrigued onlooker, this one will be tough to put down.
The phrase ‘national treasure’ is tossed around frequently these days, but for Wrighty, it’s an understatement. Even the most fierce Tottenham supporter will struggle not to crack a smile while watching the Arsenal legend on punditry duty.
There is an abundance of Wright’s charm and wit within his simply-titled autobiography, revealing the story of how the English football icon rose from a council estate in South London to the glitz and glam of elite level football and television.
It’s an extraordinary tale and one that will only endear readers to the much-loved sharpshooter.
From one Arsenal legend to another. Arsene Wenger spent 22 years with the Gunners and his autobiography details his managerial journey from France to Japan to north London. All four of the clubs he took charge of wore red and white, a remarkable coincidence across a long career.
However, it was obviously with Arsenal where Wenger made his name as one of the world’s most talented and well respected coaches, rising from relative obscurity to superstar status. There has always been a mystique that surrounds the Frenchman but his autobiography offers a look behind the mask.
One of Italian football’s most well respected and iconic protagonists, the suaveness and elegance of midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo comes through in his thoroughly engaging autobiography. With a helping hand from Italian journalist Alessandro Alciato, I Think Therefore I Play serves as Pirlo’s personal love letter to the beautiful game.
Pirlo is able to name-drop some of football’s greatest legends, with Carlo Ancelotti, Paolo Maldini, Kaka, Clarence Seedorf and Ronaldo Nazario all earning a mention, while the 2006 World Cup winner also shares stories of his greatest individual and team triumphs.
Diego Maradona. One of football’s great wizards.
The late Argentine was one of the game’s most fascinating characters, ascending from the slums of Buenos Aires to international stardom. A national hero and a ridiculously gifted footballer, Maradona remains the greatest of all time in the minds of many who witnessed him play in the flesh.
However, the South American was deeply troubled off the pitch, struggling with drug abuse and health issues throughout his career and following his retirement. A larger than life superstar with plenty of personal demons, his autobiography offers a unique glimpse into the life of an icon.
For many, Sir Alex Ferguson is the greatest manager the world has ever seen. Leading Manchester United to unparalleled success during his 27-year spell in the Old Trafford dugout, the legendary Scotsman reveals all in his autobiography released shortly after his Red Devils departure in 2013.
As is well documented, Ferguson was at the heart of some sensationally dramatic stories and feuds during almost three decades in Manchester, with the former Aberdeen and Scotland manager lifting the lid on an incredible career both on and off the field.
Jamie Vardy’s ascent to England international and Premier League champion has been one of football’s most astounding stories since the turn of the century. The remarkable Leicester City striker has gone from earning £30 per week at Stocksbridge Park Steels while still working in a factory, to being nominated for the Ballon d’Or.
Love or loathe his on-field antics, England’s leading wind-up merchant has an incredible story to tell, rising from nowhere to become one of the Premier League’s most notable performers.
Alex Scott’s memoir is much more than just a story about football. Of course, it details her rise from cage football in London to the heights of women’s football and career in television, all while the former Arsenal defender inspired women across the world with both her sporting achievements and ability to climb the ladder in a male-dominated industry.
However, Scott’s book also reveals the difficulties of a traumatic childhood in an abusive home as she attempts to heal from a damaging youth, with profits from her 2022 memoir going directly to the Refuge charity that helps women and children affected by abuse.
Another book that discusses far more than football, Paul Merson’s autobiography provides an insight into the troubled career of the Arsenal and England legend. The footballer turned pundit has struggled immensely with gambling, alcohol and drug addictions and has also written a book called Hooked which focuses entirely on his off-field struggles.
Merson’s autobiography goes through what not to do if you’re a professional footballer, passing on wisdom from his own experiences. Among the ‘DO NOTs’ are share a house with Paul Gascoigne and manage Walsall.
Pele was one of football’s first celebrities. The effortlessly magical Brazilian stunned audiences across the world as a teenager and his mythical status only grew as his illustrious career progressed. The forward’s international exploits saw him thrust into an unprecedentedly bright spotlight.
The late maestro wrote his autobiography in 2007 and it endures as an inspiring tale of one of the game’s first icons, told with the grace and modesty that one would expect from the brilliant Brazilian.
