Publisher's Synopsis
At the start of the twenty-first century, John Arne Riise was regarded as one of the most buccaneering left-sided players in European football. During an illustrious career in which he won a Champions League title with Liverpool, he became the finest player Norway has produced in a generation. Yet beneath the veneer of the famous and successful footballer, his ascent masked the huge challenges he had to overcome on the way to the top: bullying, a broken home, uncertainty, loneliness. The bullies' favourite target at school, he overcame their taunts and grew up to become the hero of thousands of schoolchildren. Riise has written a perceptive and opinionated autobiography. It chronicles a successful and colourful career on the frontline of modern football and provides an intriguing assessment of the game which has dominated his life.
