A recent television programme stated that footballer David Beckham and his wife Victoria were responsible for more column-inches in newspapers than any other contemporary couple. That I can well believe - what I can't believe, however, is that many of the stories written about them in the press are true!
Thus I looked forward to the publication of "My Side" by David Beckham (with Tom Watt) as a way to find out the truth about this charismatic icon of our time - his life expressed in his own words. And I found it a very entertaining read.
For a start, it contains lots of delightful colour photographs of Beckham in all his incarnations - from his childhood to footballer, family man and fashion plate. (These include a rather tongue in cheek montage of those famous hairstyles.)
However there is more to the book than just pictures and Beckham seems to have opened up on a variety of different subjects. There is his side of the summer of '’98 when he was sent off in France in the World Cup qualifiers after lashing out half-heartedly at an Argentine player. His shock and hurt at the intensity of the hatred that this one incident aroused amongst the British football fans and his slow climb from the depths of football despair to his current status as much revered England Captain.
There is his side of the relationship between himself and Sir Alex Ferguson, including the infamous "boot in the face" incident. And naturally there are his personal experiences of marriage, fatherhood and family.
The book runs from Beckham's childhood, right through to his recent transfer to Real Madrid. Even for someone like me, who knows little or nothing about football it was an entertaining and enlightening read. I have to confess to skipping the odd paragraph here and there but, considering that I am not really that interested in football, I actually skipped surprisingly few paragraphs.
You don't need to be a football officionado (or even a man!) to enjoy this book. And the fact that I found it difficult to put down has absolutely nothing to do with the pictures, honest...
Publisher: Harper Collins Willow
ISBN:0007157320
Price: £18.99 h/b
Date Reviewed: November 2003
My Rating: 4/5
