SPARKY : Mark Hughes Barcelona, Bayern and Back Hardback Book
Spotted as a teenager, he was brought to Manchester United reserves, the First Team, and foreign interest. For Mark Hughes, success as a footballer came young and in no short measure. In his early twenties, he was not only playing for one of the big English League clubs but was also being sought by one of the big Spanish ones, Barcelona.
All well and good, and good luck to him. Yes. But.There is always another side to
the coin, and that is the one revealed in this book. Before success comes,
doubt and insecurity, and with it comes pressure. The pressure of playing for a
team which is expected to win [and which hasn't for a while]; the pressure
of being in the spotlight of the media; the pressure of having to decide your
future, and, through it all, maybe simply wanting to play football.
It is possible to lose yourself and Mark Hughes tried to do just that with
with the help of a few pints, and a few more. Here he tells of his experiences: of
his drinking and his beating of that problem; of a less than wonderful stay
in Barcelona and a hoped-for stay in Munich; of his return to Manchester
United, and of the pride of playing for his country. Here, too, are his comments
on some of the game's personalities with whom he has come into contact:
Neville Southall, Ian Rush, Alex Ferguson, Flon Atkinson, Terry \/enables. Mike England, Bryan Flobson. Being blessed with talent is one thing; making it work for you is another.
Mark Hughes has been learning the hard way how to go about this, and in his
In the book, we learn something about what he has lost and gained in the process.
Published by Cockerel Books Ltd., 1989, 96 pages with illustrations. Hardcover in very good condition, dustjacket same.
