You stroll up to a nite club as player league player and you’re straight in, no queuing, no paying, no hassle, people want to buy you drinks. They want to be your friend… then you finish and your invisible, no one cares. You go from 50’000 people singing your name every week to struggling to get a table in pizza express’ I've read a good number of books by footballers, both for business and pleasure, and this is easily one of the best, mainly on the grounds that it's incredibly funny Ben Machell, The Times Magazine The source material is promising. How do you cope with life after one of the best jobs possible and the twin highs of competition and earning almost unfathomable amounts of money? Many footballers don't cope well at all, with almost 40% going bankrupt within five years of retirement. Time on their hands can also leave time for various addictions to creep in. Those facts are mentioned, but this book is more about the more entertaining things footballers have gone on to do, whether it's a career in art or releasing their own range of condoms.

Peter goes in search of the answer to what his second career might be and encounters stories far more bizarre than anything you'll find on the pitch. From the pleasure and pain of management to the lessons we can learn from Jamie Carragher and Joe Cole on not going to seed. From those staying in the sport—the diehard veterans, coaches, managers, owners and of course the legion of pundits, to those moving on to pastures new. Peter talks to entrepreneurs, men of the cloth, eco warriors, artists, private detectives and budding actors, as well as those who've lost their way in addiction, crime and NFTs. When Chris asked what he has learned about life, the former England striker said: “My own experiences are, certainly in football, you’re never as good as people think you are, and you’re never as bad as people think you are. Titled The Troubled, Crouch explores the darker side of retirement and reflects on those whose paths in and beyond football have been more problematic. It’s a reminder of footballers as human beings, their flaws and challenges, their addictions and struggles, their mistakes and reparations. Yes, football is glamorous, yes, it’s swimming in money and, yes, playing football for a living is a dream many of us wished we’d got a chance to live, but it also comes with a short shelf life, a pool of sharks and scammers and one of the most abrupt shifts imaginable, from superstar footballer to has-been ex-footballer. It’s a lot for anyone to get their head around, but for mostly young men who have only experienced life in a pampered, dreamlike bubble, it’s easy to see how navigating the real world can be a genuine challenge and why some prefer to leave their footballing pasts well and truly behind. For every successful pundit, there’s a footballer struggling to adjust to life; and while some may find a new lease in becoming a painter, a detective or an MP, the path for others isn’t quite so rewarding. In a Jerry Springer-esque final thought, Crouch thus asks of his readers a simple request: to choose a former footballer and give them a day: ‘mark it in your diary and celebrate them as they once were, and as they are now,’ he urges, ‘don’t’ let them be forgotten.’ So, in the spirit of Crouch’s appeal, I allocate today, the 22 October, George Boateng Day. Stalwart of Coventry City, Villa, Middlesbrough and Hull to name a few, Boateng hung up his boots in 2013 and is now assistant coach of the Ghana national team. Happy George Boateng Day, everyone. I've read a good number of books by footballers, both for business and pleasure, and this is easily one of the best, mainly on the grounds that it's incredibly funny -- Ben Machell * The Times Magazine *

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Peter himself has managed to sidestep some of those pitfalls with his success as a pundit along with his podcasts and of course his books. In this book he examines some of the ways other ex players have also successfully forged a new life after their careers ended.

However overpaid and preening you might assume Premier League footballers to be, think again. They're worse, according to this amusing insider's account * Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year * Football star turned bestselling author Peter Crouch joined The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky to talk about his fourth book, How to be an Ex Footballer.The host of That Peter Crouch Podcast concluded: “And people will always try and put you down, but as long as you’ve got that inner belief, and keep having that, and good people around you, you’ll always be okay. Speaking about how some former players move into management, and how he didn’t, Peter said: “There are times when I think I’m missing out. When I saw Scott Parker getting promoted, I feel like I’m never going to have that buzz. I’m never going to have that team around me and that chance to win a game or win a trophy again. That’s never going to be there for me. There’s something inside me that feels a bit hurt by that.” I'm not a big book reader, I'm just not. And I've skimmed through this already and thought 'I'm gonna really, really, really, really like this. Seriously, I'm really gonna like it Chris Moyles Similar to his previous two books, and in his typical comedic charm style, Peter provides anecdotes from his playing days to shed light on some of the characters he has encountered behind the scenes of some of English football’s biggest clubs. You get built up to be this, and you think, ‘Just take it all with a pinch of salt, because next week someone’s going to tell me how bad I am, because I’ve not scored.’”

man-children are thrown out into the real world, utterly defenceless apart from their multi-million-pound bank accounts. Just as there are books being written to be turned into screenplays, there are definitely books that are written to be listened to as opposed to read. Considering Crouch is a successful podcaster, it's not surprising that it is such clear audio book material.Peter Crouch’s 3rd book is another examination of the lives of football players presented in Crouch’s inimitable style. Crouch is an adequate TV pundit, no better or worse than some of his colleagues on BT Sports, but what he does have that some of the others don’t have is a sense of humour. You get the impression he doesn’t take himself too seriously. For that reason he is one of the more entertaining of the bunch. If you don’t agree with his assessment of the game he’ll still make you laugh. The only thing more ridiculous than a professional footballer is an ex-professional footballer... the eagerly awaited new book from the bestselling phenomenon For the unprepared it can be daunting prospect hanging up your boots. It is sobering to learn that ‘around 40% of ex players go bankrupt in the first 5 years after quitting, a 3rd get divorced.’