This book is dedicated to my family and my friends, to all those who have followed me through the years and been by my side, good days as well as bad. I also want to send a thought to all the kids out there, all the kids who feel different, who dont quite fit in and who are singled out for all the wrong reasons. Its okay not to be like everyone else. Keep believing in yourselves. Things worked out for me, after all.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
CO ADRIAANSE My first coach at Ajax.
ALEKSANDAR, also known as KEKI My little brother, born in 1986.
MASSIMO AMBROSINI AC Milan team captain. Midfielder.
MICKE ANDERSSON My coach at Malm FF, in the Superettan League and later in the Allsvenskan League.
ROLAND ANDERSSON Former footballer and member of the Swedish national side. My coach when I joinedMalm FF.
MARIO BALOTELLI Young talent with Inter Milan. Striker. Later with Manchester City.
MARCO VAN BASTEN Striker, outstanding goal scorer. Totally dominated at AC Milan. Named World Player of the Year in 1992.
LEO BEENHAKKER Football boss, previously managed teams including Real Madrid. Sporting director at Ajax when I joined the team.
TXIKI BEGIRISTAIN Sporting director at Barcelona during my time with that club. Later resigned.
SILVIO BERLUSCONI Owner of AC Milan. Former Italian prime minister.
HASSE BORG Former player and defender with the Swedish national side. Sporting director at Malm FF during my time with the club.
FABIO CANNAVARO Arrived at Juventus at the same time I did. Defender. Named World Player of the Year in 2006. Won the World Cup with Italy.
FABIO CAPELLO Demon manager. My coach at Juventus.
ANTONIO CASSANO Striker at AC Milan. Member of Italian national side.
TONY FLYGARE Childhood friend. Footballing talent at Malm FF.
LOUIS VAN GAAL Football boss. Former manager. Director of Ajax during the latter part of my time there.
ITALO GALBIATI Capellos right-hand man at Juventus.
ADRIANO GALLIANI Football boss, vice-president of AC Milan.
GENNARO GATTUSO Midfielder at AC Milan. A warrior. Won the World Cup with Italy in 2006.
PEP GUARDIOLA Former midfielder, played for FC Barcelona. My coach at that club.
HELENA My girlfriend, my partner. Mother of my children.
THIERRY HENRY My friend at Barcelona. French superstar, formerly with Arsenal, where he became that clubs top goal scorer of all time. Won the World Cup and European Championship with France.
ANDRS INIESTA Brilliant midfielder and winger with Barcelona. Won the World Cup and European Championship with Spain.
FILIPPO INZAGHI Striker, leading goal-scorer. Star with AC Milan. I lived in his flat in Turin. Won the World Cup with Italy.
JURKA My mum. Born in Croatia. Worked as a cleaner.
KAK attacking midfielder, global star. Named World Player of the Year in 2007. Transferred from AC Milan to Real Madrid.
RONALD KOEMAN My coach during the latter part of my time at Ajax..
JOAN LAPORTA President of Barcelona during most of my time with the club.
HENKE LARSSON Legendary Swedish striker. Played for Celtic and Barcelona. Recipient of the European Golden Boot award in 2001. A mentor to me at the start of my career.
BENGT MADSEN Chairman of the Board at Malm FF during my time there.
DANIEL MAJSTOROVI Member of the Swedish national side, has played for various teams abroad. A good friend.
ROBERTO MANCINI My coach during my first two years at Inter Milan.
MARCO MATERAZZI Rock-solid defender who won the World Cup with Italy in 2006. Played with me at Inter Milan.
HASSE MATTISSON Team captain at Malm FF during my time with the club.
MAXIMILIAN My eldest son, born in 2006.
MAXWELL Brazilian player. Incredibly elegant defender. My mate ever since the early days at Ajax.
We also played together at Inter Milan and Barcelona.
OLOF MELLBERG Friend, member of Swedish national side, defender. Played for Aston Villa and Juventus, among others.
LIONEL MESSI Global star. Focus of the game in Barcelona. Joined the club as a 13-year-old. Named World Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010.
GUDMUNDUR METE A good friend. We played together at Malm FF.
MIDO Egyptian. A good friend at Ajax.
LUCIANO MOGGI Football boss, legendary sporting director at Juventus during my time with the club.
MASSIMO MORATTI Oil magnate, owner of Inter Milan.
JOS MOURINHO Legendary manager. My coach at Inter Milan. Later went to Real Madrid.
PAVEL NEDVD Midfielder with me at Juventus. Named European Player of the Year in 2003.
ALESSANDRO NESTA Star defender with AC Milan. Won the World Cup with Italy in 2006.
ALEXANDRE PATO Keen young striker at AC Milan. Brazilian.
ANDREA PIRLO Midfielder at AC Milan, later sold to Juventus. Won the World Cup with Italy in 2006.
MINO RAIOLA My agent, my friend, my adviser.
ROBINHO Amazing talent from Brazil. Second striker at AC Milan, previously with Real Madrid and Manchester City.
RONALDINHO Superstar. Named World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005. We played together at AC Milan
RONALDO One of the greatest players of all time. Brazilian. Striker. Named World Player of the Year in 1996, 1997 and 2002. My idol as a kid.
CRISTIANO RONALDO Striker, global star. Named World Player of the Year in 2008. Played for Manchester United. Transferred to Real Madrid for a record sum. (Usually referred to as Cristiano in this book to distinguish him from the player who will always be the one true Ronaldo for me.)
SANDRO ROSELL Joan Laportas successor as president of Barcelona.
SANELA My older sister, born in 1979.
SAPKO My older brother, born in Bosnia in 1973.
EFIK My dad. Born in Bosnia. Has worked as a bricklayer and property caretaker
THOMAS SJBERG Former footballer and member of the Swedish national side. Assistant coach during my early days with Malm FF.
THIJS SLEGERS Dutch journalist and friend.
RUNE SMITH Journalist who wrote the first major article about me.
JOHN STEEN OLSEN Agent who discovered me at Malm FF. Managed to sell me to Ajax. One of my close friends today.
LILIAN THURAM Defender. Played with me at Juventus. Won the World Cup and European Championship with France.
DAVID TRZGUET French goal-scorer and star. We played together at Juventus. European champion and World Cup winner with France.
RAFAEL VAN DER VAART Midfielder during my time at Ajax.
PATRICK VIEIRA Midfielder, played with me at Juventus and Inter Milan. Superstar. Friend. Brilliant player. Won the World Cup and European Championship with France.
CHRISTIAN WILHELMSSON, CHIPPEN Midfielder, member of Swedish national side, friend.
VINCENT My second son, born in 2008.
XAVI midfielder at Barcelona. Joined the club as an 11-year-old. Won the European Championship and World Cup with Spain.
GIANLUCA ZAMBROTTA Legendary defender, played with me at both Juventus and AC Milan. Won the World Cup with Italy in 2006.
ALEXANDER STLUND Friend, former member of the Swedish national side. Played for clubs including Southampton.
1
PEP GUARDIOLA the Barcelona manager, with his grey suits and brooding expressions came up to me, looking a little self-conscious.
I thought he was all right in those days, not exactly another Mourinho or Capello, but an okay bloke. This was long before we started to do battle with each other. It was the autumn of 2009, and I was living my boyhood dream. I was playing with the best team in the world and had been welcomed by 70,000 people at Camp Nou. I was walking on air well, maybe not completely. There was a certain amount of rubbish in the papers. That I was a bad boy and all that: that I was difficult to manage. Even so, I was there. Helena and the boys liked it. We had a nice house in Esplugues de Llobregat, and I was ready. What could possibly go wrong?