Mike Summerbee: The Autobiography - Tapa dura

MIKE SUMMERBEE is one of the true cult heroes of English football, a player who inspired affection, anger and awe right across the game. He was admired for his brilliant wing play and feared for his hard-man tackling. He enraged opposition spectators with some of his antics, but was adored by many more for his jolly rapport with crowds as he sped up and down the touchline. In the unforgettable era of the Swinging Sixties he had a charmed life off the field; he was the closest friend of George Best as they dated beauty queens together, and was also great pals with showbiz stars like Jimmy Tarbuck, Michael Crawford and Kenny Lynch. Here, in his long-awaited autobiography, Mike tells the inside story of how he became a champion footballer in the magnificent Manchester City team of the late 1960s created by the fabled managerial partnership of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison. He reveals the intense family heartbreak behind his journey from a YMCA team on parks pitches all the way into the England international side. And he explains how a small, shy, insecure boy called ‘Tich’ was transformed into a ferocious opponent who nobody messed with on a football pitch. Even in retirement he couldn’t stay out of the limelight. In the company of Bobby Moore, he became a Hollywood film star alongside Sylvester Stallone in the movie Escape to Victory. Mike Summerbee has always found a way to entertain the fans.

Mike Summerbee is the most famous of member of an English football family that has spanned three generations. His father George was a professional at Preston North End alongside Bill Shankly, while son Nicky was a fine winger at a number of clubs. Mike won the League title, the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners’ Cup with Manchester City, and gained eight caps for England. He is still closely involved with his beloved City, for whom he works on match days and in hospitality. Jim Holden, who collaborated in the writing of this book, is Chief Sports Correspondent of the Sunday Express. He is also a columnist for the magazine World Soccer, and author of the highly acclaimed biography of Stan Cullis.