{"product_id":"my-story-the-greatest-footballer-that-never-was","title":"My Story","description":"Imagine being so good at football that your legs get insured for a million\npounds – at the age of 11.\nIn the 1990s, Sonny Pike had it all. A glittering future in the professional game\nbeckoned. Dutch ‘Total Football’ giants Ajax swooped and flash soccer agent Eric\nHall signed him up. Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Paul Smith queued up to sponsor\nhim. He appeared on TV shows like Fantasy Football and Blue Peter, featured in\nHello Magazine and even had his own rap song. Billed as English football’s ‘next\nDiego Maradona’, everyone loved the baby-faced young superstar.\nAnd then, through no fault of his own, it was all taken from him.\nControversially banned from football, the spotlight faded. Agents turned their\nbacks. Sponsors withdrew their deals. TV and the media moved on. Even his dad\ndisappeared off the scene. Lost and desperate, Sonny searched for an answer,\ndabbling in crime, landing in court and even behind bars. The promise of fame\nand fortune had turned to nothing and there seemed no way back . . .\nSonny Pike: The Greatest Footballer That Never Was is a remarkable tale of\nexploitation and reckless ambition, exposing the worst side of our game in an\nera when it was evolving in to the multi-million pound industry we know today.\nSonny’s story is captivating, at times harrowing, but ultimately inspirational. As\nthousands of young footballers dream of football stardom, it is more relevant\nnow than ever","brand":"Reach plc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54194941690200,"sku":null,"price":18.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9781911613282.jpg?v=1765741512","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/my-story-the-greatest-footballer-that-never-was","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}