From the publisher:
Nii Lamptey: The Curse of Pele is the authorised biography of Ghanaian footballer Nii Lamptey, a one-time bright young talent who was hailed as 'the next Pele' by Pele himself. By age 16, Lamptey had won the Belgian title with RSC Anderlecht and the world championship with Ghana's under-16s. One year later, he won a bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
After joining Dutch masters PSV Eindhoven on loan in 1993 and scoring 10 times in 22 games that season, Lamptey appeared to have the world at his feet. Spells at Aston Villa and Coventry City followed, but he failed to fulfil Pele's bold prophecy. Instead, his career became a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when too much pressure is applied to young players.
Injuries, lack of schooling, domestic violence, bad agents and a tragic and turbulent personal life pushed Lamptey to the brink of suicide, but thankfully he recovered. In this 'warts and all' account he finally lifts the lid on his incredible story.
The author:
Joris Kaper is a Dutch journalist who writes for various media. After an interview with Lamptey, they decided to write a book together. Joris travelled to Ghana to work on the project with Lamptey in person. In Holland, the book was nominated for Staantribune Football Book of the Year 2019. Joris's next book, about PSV Eindhoven during the Second World War, will be published in 2023.
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