Product Description

Paul McGrath is Ireland's best loved sportsman and also its least understood. An iconic football presence during a professional career stretching over 14 years, he played for his country in the European Championship finals of 1988 and the World Cup finals of 1990 and 1994. But, behind the implied glamour of life in the employ of great English clubs like Manchester United and Aston Villa, McGrath wrestled with a range of destructive emotions that made his success in the game little short of miraculous. That story has until now never been told. It is a story that runs from a hard, hidden childhood spent in Dublin's orphanages all the way to the pain of two marriage break-ups and the struggle to cope with life after football. Quite apart from his all too public struggle with alcoholism, the story runs through the surreal highs and calamitous lows of a life lived habitually on the edge of chaos. It is not just a football story. It is an extraordinary human story that is certain to surprise with its candour. Here, for the first time, read about the father he never met; the mother whose love never died; the routine loneliness and ritual bullying endured by a black kid growing up behind closed doors in 1960s Dublin; the emotional breakdown suffered on leaving that institution; the recovery that - remarkably - brought him all the way to Old Trafford; the rollercoaster ride that followed. Here, the guilt, fear, self-loathing are all laid bare in a story fired with hope and determination for the future. It may well be the most candid sports book ever written.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5213 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 432 pages

From the Publisher
The autobiography of the greatest defender of the 1980s and 90s

From the Back Cover
PAUL MCGRATH is Ireland’s best loved sportsman and also its least understood. An iconic football presence during a professional career stretching over 14 years, he played for his country in the European Championship finals of 1988 and the World Cup finals of 1990 and 1994. But, behind the implied glamour of life in the employ of great English clubs like Manchester United and Aston Villa, McGrath wrestled with a range of destructive emotions that made his success in the game little short of miraculous.

That story has until now never been told. It is a story that runs from a hard, hidden childhood spent in Dublin’s orphanages all the way to the pain of two marriage break-ups, his all-too public struggle with alcoholism, and the surreal highs and calamitous lows of a life lived habitually on the edge of chaos.

It is not just a football story. It is an extraordinary human story.

"Laceratingly honest...remarkably unflinching" Mail on Sunday

"Gripping [and] unflinching... His story is as complex as it is moving, as vulnerable as it is brutal" Guardian

"An extraordinary book" Irish Independent

"Fascinating reading" Evening Standard

About the Author
Paul McGrath was born on December 4, 1959. He joined St Patricks Athletic, Dublin, as a teenager before joining Manchester United in 1982. He won the FA Cup with United and was twice voted Player of the Year before being sold to Aston Villa for 400,000 in 1989, where he was voted Player of the Year four times. He was also PFA Player of the Year in 1993. He also played for Derby and Sheffield United, before retiring in 1998. McGrath also won 83 caps for the Republic of Ireland, appeared at the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, and was Ireland's first black captain.

Customer Reviews

COULDNT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN
I waited till this book came out on paperback, took it on holiday and could not put it down till i had finished it.
I wont go into great detail, but what Paul has gone through in his life is really quite incredible, i remember him as a player , but this book lets you see the troubles the man has had throughout his life.Some may well be self induced, others really heart breaking to read.
For me, one of the best books i have ever read, and i have a lot of respect for Paul after reading this, it is as i see it a very honest book that deals with his problems with drink throughout his life and playing career.
Hope someone makes this into a film.
All the best Paul.

Oooh Aaah!
Oooh Aaah Paul McGrath went the chants around Landsdowne Road, Old Trafford and Villa Park in the late '80s and early '90s when one of Ireland's truely outstanding sports personalities was at the peak of his career.

And what a brilliant career it was. Paul McGrath was a rock at the heart of United and Villa's defences and a collosus for Eire particularly in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups. And the amazing thing is that McGrath achieved all this whilst battling alcoholism and inner demons that would undoubtedly have destroyed a lesser man.

The book is a very candid account of McGrath's life, from his tough childhood in Dublin where he suffered because of his skin colour, to his rise to the summit of professional football where he often played whilst under the influence. The book gives an indication of what McGrath's mindset and mental state was like during these halcyon years, and includes some really interesting stories and insights into the some of the top personalities in English and Irish football at the time.

Legend is a word that is certainly used too lightly, but this is not the case with McGrath. He is a true legend and what's more he comes across as a very honest and likeable character. A great read.

Declan Mullan.

JUST ONE MORE IT WILL BE ALRIGHT
Writen in the same vain as Tony Adams book.

How on earth he was able to stand up let alone play is utterly amazing. Then to win PFA player awards and represent your country defies all logic and reason.

This is not just a football book, but a journey through his life and his constant struggle with the demon drink and drugs.

Great great book.