BOOK REVIEWS
Autobiography
Peter Shilton: My Autobiography
Peter Shilton
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BOOK SYNOPSIS
A greengrocer's son from Leicester, who became arguably the greatest goalkeeper in the world, Peter Shilton spent many a long evening kicking a ball against his dad's shop wall and diving for the rebound. Within a few years Arsenal and Manchester United were vying for his signature. He opted for his hometown club and in June 1965 began one of the longest careers in football: thirty-two years in the professional game, much of it at the very top.
Peter Shilton not only tells the story of his outstanding football career, but also speaks frankly about the gambling and financial problems that took him to the brink of ruin. Compelling, and hugely entertaining, it is a portrait of a man who is loved and respected throughout the sporting world and is a true football legend.
OUR REVIEW
As with any autobiography that you read, if you're going to enjoy it, your likely to have some kind of connection to the subject matter but a really good book can capture the interest of pretty much anyone. Whilst I have a significant interest in Peter Shilton, for at least two good reasons in that he started his career at my hometown club, Leicester City and in my younger days, I was very much a goalkeeper when playing as a youth, the story is a great read for football fans anywhere and it helps that he had such longevity within the game and a storied career as England's most capped player, a record he still holds to this day.
Being able to chart his rise as a youngster, how he got started within the game at the Foxes, moving onto multiple other clubs and ultimately becoming an England great is a great base for any book but add in winning some of the highest honours in the game, including League titles and European Cups, the stories come thick and fast.
Whilst the basis of the autobiography is about his profession, it also charts his personal life and the struggles that can occur including a significant gambling addiction that thankfully he has overcome and gone on, to do fantastic work on the dangers that can manifest, particularly within the sports industry.
All in all, this is a great book, a timely reminder of how football used to be, what pitfalls can occur and how winning honours, having a 30-year career, marked by over 1250 appearances can build into a brilliant story for football fans to enjoy.
