In Search of Duncan Ferguson: The Life and Crimes of a Footballing Enigma

From the publisher:

He was one of the hardest, most controversial footballers of his generation: the GBP20million man who became the first professional player to go to jail for an offence committed on the field of play. He was the fans' hero who disappeared. Duncan Ferguson was an old-fashioned Scottish centre-forward who went from a boarding house in Dundee to the marble staircase of Rangers in a record-breaking transfer.

His GBP4m move from Dundee United to Ibrox made him British football's most expensive native player. But he would also become one of the most notorious footballers in the land. Sent to prison after head-butting an opponent during a Scottish Premier Division match between Rangers and Raith Rovers, Ferguson made history all over again.

He served half of a three-month sentence in Glasgow's infamous Barlinnie Prison. A twelve-match ban from the Scottish Football Association was later overturned following a long appeal process. Bruised by the experience, he turned his back on Scotland's national team and the media.

Ferguson reaped the riches of the Sky era. He was a folk hero at Everton, where he spent ten years either side of an injury-hit spell at Newcastle United. Although the game made him a millionaire, he rejected its new culture of celebrity and remained a fiery figure, racking up a Premiership record of eight red cards.

And then, after scoring in the final minute of the last game of his career, he turned his back on football completely - or so it seemed

The author:

A history and politics teacher by day, Jon Spurling has written articles and interviewed footballers for numerous publications at home and abroad, including FourFourTwo, When Saturday Comes, The Blizzard, Nutmeg, 11 Freunde and the official Arsenal programme. He has authored six previous books, including the bestselling Highbury: The Story of Arsenal in N.5 and Death or Glory - The Dark History of the World Cup. A child of the '70s, he is currently writing an '80s follow-up to Get It On and lives in Canterbury with his wife and two daughters..

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