Paolo Di Canio: The Autobiography - Tapa dura

The autobiography of the outrageously talented Italian striker, worshipped by West Ham fans and a footballer who has won the hearts of supporters wherever he has played – this despite his infamous tantrums and volatile behaviour on the pitch.

Paolo Di Canio is a player who doesn’t recognise the footballer’s code of conduct: he says what he thinks and heaven help the person who has crossed him.

That’s the root of his troubles as well, of course. Born into a working-class family in Rome, he displays the archetypal Latin temperament, which has seen him get into more trouble with referees than can be good for his health. But is there more to him than a one-man inner-city riot?

In his autobiography, Di Canio relives his colourful career with a host of clubs, from the likes of Milan, Napoli and Juventus in Italy to Celtic, Sheffield Wednesday and, most recently, West Ham. He describes vividly his Latin roots, the young Italians’ pastime of chasing the girls, and the ups and downs of his early football career.

He also provides his own version of the shove on referee Paul Alcock, his anger at his club, Sheffield Wednesday, and the feelings of betrayal and isolation following his four-month ban from the game. He reveals the real reasons behind his retreat into exile in Italy before his career was rescued from oblivion by Harry Redknapp and West Ham.

So what does the future hold for the Hammers’ ticking timebomb? You can find out about this and much more in Paolo Di Canio’s explosive career story.

There is no more exciting footballer in the British game than Paolo Di Canio. In fact, it is hard to think of any player in the last decade who has given as much entertainment value, both with the ball at his feet and in front of the cameras, as West Ham's talismanic striker.

'A complete nutter,' says ex-boss Ron Atkinson, while Harry Redknapp refers to him as 'a genius' and 'the best trainer at the club'; he's an outrageously gifted player who has suffered from depression, undergone psychiatric help and enlisted the services of a faith healer. Is it so surprising then that one man can ignite such contrasting emotions from two of the shrewdest mangers in the game?

One thing's for sure, Di Canio has never been one to shirk the spotlight. As a young trainee at Lazio, he joined the infamous 'Irriducibili' supporters who wrecked trains, smashed shop windows and beat up opponents. At Juventus, playing alongside the likes of Baggio, Ravenelli, Del Piero and Vialli, he was involved in an attack on the manager Trappattoni and threatened by the club boss. And despite spending most his days warming the bench at AC Milan, he fell out with the legendary Fabio Capello was forced to seek his fortunes outside of Italy.

In his autobiography, Di Canio also talks candidly about his time at Celtic; how he fell in love with the club and the fans but ended up criticising fellow players and in dispute with chairman Fergus McCann. Then at Sheffield Wednesday he was inspired by Ron Atkinson before the disastrous altercation with referee Paul Alcock and his subsequent vilification by his club and the British media. For the first time Di Canio describes in detail his self-enforced exile to Italy and contrasts the support of his friends with the many enemies seeking to destroy him.

Rejuvenated at West Ham, given the captain's armband and playing the best football of his career, Di Canio has found a sympathetic manager in Harry Redknapp and a Hammers faithful who have adopted him as one of their own. Yet the emotion still boils beneath the surface. His book unveils the true person behind the often misunderstood footballer.

"He used to get kicked all over the place . . . I knew when he was going to explode"
GIUSEPPE MATERAZZI, 'his coach at Lazio'

"We don't want a player we can't control or who will be a problem in the dressing room"
FERGUS McCANN, 'ex-Celtic chairman'