Autobiographies have hogged the limelight in recent weeks. Many former players have come out with their life experiences and controversial moments penned in a book which has hit the stands.
Autobiographies have hogged the limelight in recent weeks.
Many former players have come out with their life experiences and controversial moments penned in a book which has hit the stands.
Be it cricketers, footballers or tennis stars; these autobiographies have seen some sensationalism written in between the words.
Off late, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has penned the ‘The Second Half’, a sequel to his 2002 autobiography titled on his name. Judging by the some of the excerpts from the book, controversy is the middle word. The former Irishman has added some controversial moments during his playing career and also his strained relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Aston Villa assistant manager gives a brief sentence on his lash out with the former Red Devils boss. He says, “We need f—–g more from you!”
In the light of Keane’s outburst in his latest offering, we take a look at some of the 10 best controversial quotes from sports’ biographies that have taken centre stage.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Football)
Sweden and PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s took timeout to pen his own bio titled, ‘I Am Zlatan’ that highlights his journey from a small town boy to the heroics in Milan. But during his time at Barcelona, the Sweden skipper had a fracas with then-manager, Pep Guardiola. The following were some of the excerpts from his book: “Yaya Toure was there, and a few others, and then there was the metal box where we put our kit from the match, and I was staring at that box. Then I gave it a kick. I think it went flying about three metres, but I wasn’t finished yet. Not by a long chalk. I yelled, ‘You haven’t got any balls!’ and worse than that I added, ‘You’re s——g yourself in front of Mourinho. You can go to hell!”
Andre Agassi (Tennis)
Former tennis icon Andre Agassi was much known for his playing career as much as his off-the field antics. Right from revealing about drugs to his feud with German legend Boris Becker, Agassi penned every detail in his bio, ‘Open’. In one of the many details in the book, the American wrote about his fellow countryman Pete Sampras, “I envy Pete’s dullness. I wish I could emulate his spectacular lack of inspiration, and his peculiar lack of need for inspiration.” Agassi tells of betting coach Brad Gilbert about how much Sampras tipped a parking valet; they ask the valet, who says $1; Agassi’s conclusion: “We could not be more different, Pete and I.”
Kevin Pietersen (Cricket)
The former England skipper and their T20 hero, Kevin Pietersen entered the firing line after releasing the bio, ‘KP’. The South African-born was booted out from the national side after the dismal Ashes series earlier this year. In his biography Pietersen mentions his experiences and grudge relationships with many of his teammates. Here’s what he wrote on then England team director Andy Flower who terms the latter as “contagiously sour, infectiously dour’. He adds, “95 per cent of the time he was fucking horrendous” to work with” and he could walk into a room and suck all the joy out of it in five seconds.”
Andrea Pirlo (Football)
Italian World Cup winner and Juventus midfielder, Andrea Pirlo shocked the world after the release of his autobiography titled, ‘I Think Therefore I Play’ earlier this year. The biography contains some pensive anecdotes that are of highly sexual content. He writes, “Being part of a team that belongs to everyone makes me feel good. A lot of the time, it’s better than sex: it lasts longer and if it falls flat, it can’t just be your fault […] Much better to be a soldier on the pitch than in the bedroom.”
Harry Redknapp (Football manager)
Current Queens Park Rangers boss Harry Redknapp published his autobiography in 2013 titled, ‘Always Managing’. In the book Redknapp writes about his aggrieved relation with the Football Association when the latter snubbed him for the England manager’s post. He writes, “I wouldn’t trust the FA to show me a good manager if their lives depended on it. How would they know? What clubs have they ever run? Who do they speak to who really knows the game? This isn’t about them giving the England job to me or Roy Hodgson, but English football being run by people who really haven’t got a clue. And they get to pick the England manager!
