"Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing."
Goodfella
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Craig Bellamy, Liverpool,Trinity Mirror Sport Media, 2013. ISBN: 978-1-908695-30-7
A superb book which is a cut above the average football autobiography. Where so many football autobiographies are bland, Bellamy is not afraid to express opinions. His willingness to quote salaries and confront some of his own problems adds to the interest.
I suppose, like many, I thought I knew what Craig Bellamy was like from watching him on TV. Having breakfast with him during the Olympics showed me that there was a lot more to him. The book confirms that impression.
His assessment of the managers he played under is incisive. Bobby Robson, for example is “The best for man-management I ever came across”.
Rafa Benitez, “was very rigid. He worked on specific moves over and over again. It was a bit like American Football in that respect. But there was no scope for spontaneity. None. He distrusted that. It was a bit like Groundhog Day. You came in and did the same stuff over and over again”. Benitez did not allow players to stay behind after the end of official training for extra voluntary training.
And Roberto Mancini: “The atmosphere at the club quickly became tense under Roberto. The mood changed. He was not worried about whether players liked him or not. It was of no interest to him. You could walk past him and he would not even say hello”.
His honest assessments of Graham Poll and Alan Shearer – neither very positive; his gratitude to Mark Hughes for believing in him and his poignant expression of respect and sadness for Gary Speed are all very readable.
His account of the breakdown of his marriage is honestly written. He admits that his career always came first and that he never considered the implications of a move to Newcastle, Manchester, Coventry etc on his wife and family if it was right for career. He admits to being impossible to live with when he was injured or his career was otherwise struggling. He explains: “I think people simply don’t understand how an injury can take over a player’s life and dominate everything”.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is his life-changing visit to Sierra Leone. He sums up its impact: “I‘d been worrying about the Champions League final and what was going to happen to me, whether I’d join this club or that club for £40,000 a week or £50,000 a week. Seeing Freetown woke me up. I thought ‘you ain’t got no problems’”.
This resulted in him founding his foundation to give people in Sierra Leone an opportunity in life, not just in football. “I wanted to do something for the country and the society not just for the game. So if they didn’t make it as a footballer. I wanted them to be able to go back into Sierra Leone society very well educated. I wanted them to become the next minister of health, the next president, a doctor or a lawyer or go to America on a college scheme”.
He also shares his struggles in confronting his demons and how psychologist, Steve Peters, has been invaluable to him. “I have never been able to watch a recording of myself playing. Because that’s not me. I hate it. I hate watching it. I confront the referee. I don’t like that side of me. There has always been this Jekyll and Hyde. I have had the chimp fighting me”.
An outstanding book.