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The Secret Footballer is the pseudonym of a former Premier League footballer who contributes articles to The Guardian newspaper and has written five books, I Am The Secret Footballer, Tales From The Secret Footballer, The Secret Footballer's Guide to the Modern Game,The Secret Footballer: Access All Areas, and How to Win: Lessons from the Premier League.
The Secret Footballer is English, has played for at least two Premier League clubs and was once relegated on the last day of the season. [1] He grew up on a rural council estate and was a late starter in organised football and signed his first professional contract aged 21. [1] He was still playing as late as 2011. [1]
He says that he considered suicide after the end of his career but his writing steered him away from alcohol abuse. [1] The Secret Footballer wants to reveal his identity but fears being sued for the content of his work. [1]
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor, singer and former professional footballer. Regarded as one of the greatest Manchester United players of all time, Cantona is credited with having played a leading role in making Manchester United the dominant force in English football in the 1990s, and has legendary status at the club. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional football coach, pundit, sports broadcaster and former player. He is currently the manager of the France national under-21 team. He is considered one of the greatest strikers of all time, and one of the greatest players in Premier League history. He has been named by Arsenal as the club's greatest ever player. Henry was runner-up for both the Ballon d'Or in 2003 and the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004. He was named the FWA Footballer of the Year a record three times, the PFA Players' Player of the Year a joint-record two times, and was named in the PFA Team of the Year six consecutive times. He was also included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI once and the UEFA Team of the Year five times. In 2004, Henry was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.
Patrick Paul Vieira is a French professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Ligue 1 club Strasbourg. He is widely considered as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history, one of the best captains in league history, and amongst Arsenal's greatest-ever players.
The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup, then the league runners-up provide the opposition. The fixture is recognised as a competitive super cup by The Football Association and UEFA.
David William Moyes is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club West Ham United. He was previously the manager of Preston North End, Everton, Manchester United, Real Sociedad, and Sunderland. Moyes was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 League Managers Association Manager of the Year. He is also on the committee for the League Managers Association in an executive capacity.
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish football pundit, former coach and former professional player. He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 of which came during his time at English club Manchester United. Regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players in 2004. Noted for his hardened and brash demeanour, he was ranked at No. 11 on The Times' list of the 50 "hardest" footballers in history in 2007. Keane was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2021.
Ryan Joseph Giggs is a Welsh football coach and former player. Regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Giggs played his entire professional career for Manchester United and briefly served as the club's interim manager.
Ashley Cole is an English football coach and former player. As a player, he played as a left-back, most notably for Arsenal and Chelsea. Cole is considered by many critics and fellow professional players as one of the best defenders of his generation, one of the greatest English players of all time as well as one of the greatest left-backs in the history of the sport. Born in Stepney, London, Cole began his youth career at Arsenal and made his full debut for the club in November 1999, going on to make 228 appearances and scoring nine goals for the North London club. With Arsenal he won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, and was an integral member of the "Invincibles" team of the 2003–04 season, who went the entire league season undefeated. Cole also made an appearance in Arsenal's first UEFA Champions League final in 2006; the club lost 2–1 to Barcelona.
Gerard James Butler is a Scottish actor and film producer. After studying law, he turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as Mrs Brown (1997), the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and Tale of the Mummy (1998). In 2000, he starred as Count Dracula in the gothic horror film Dracula 2000 with Christopher Plummer and Jonny Lee Miller.
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas Soler is a Spanish football manager and former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. He is the current assistant coach of Como in the Italian Serie B.
Roy Hodgson is an English football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Crystal Palace.
Josep "Pep" Guardiola i Sala is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who is currently managing Premier League club Manchester City. Guardiola is the only manager to win the continental treble twice, the youngest to win the UEFA Champions League, and he also holds the records for the most consecutive league games won in La Liga, the Bundesliga, and the Premier League. He is considered to be one of the greatest managers of all time.
Mauricio Roberto Pochettino Trossero is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Chelsea.
Brendan Rodgers is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who is manager of Scottish Premiership club Celtic.
Graham Stephen Potter is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently manager of Premier League club Chelsea.
Jürgen Norbert Klopp is a German professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Liverpool. He is widely regarded as one of the best football managers in the world.
Kevin De Bruyne is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for and captains both Premier League club Manchester City and the Belgium national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation as well as one of the best midfielders in the world. Pundits have described him as a complete footballer.
The 2009 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 2008–09 Football League Cup, the 49th season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and The Football League. The match was played at Wembley Stadium on 1 March 2009, and was contested by Tottenham Hotspur, who won the competition in 2008, and Manchester United, who last won the competition in 2006. The two joint-top goalscorers played for each of the finalists. Roman Pavlyuchenko of Tottenham Hotspur, who scored in every match in which he played in the tournament up to the final, and Manchester United's Carlos Tevez; both players had six goals each.
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. After a brief early career in the Irish League, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham Forest. He won the First Division title in 1977–78 and the European Cup twice, in 1979 and 1980. He was capped 64 times for the Northern Ireland national football team, also captaining the side at the 1982 World Cup.
Curtis Julian Jones is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool.