Book - Bursting the Bubble Football, Autism, and me

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“My name is John Andrew O’Kane, I played football for the biggest club in the world but you probably don’t remember me. I’ve shared a pitch with legends like Peter Schmeichel, Roy Keane and Eric Cantona. I’ve received the hairdryer treatment from Fergie and partied with the likes of Ryan Giggs and Lee Sharpe. I’ve roomed with David Beckham and knew him inside out. We did everything together. I then watched as he went on to another level entirely when his career took off whilst my own took me in a completely different direction.”

In the same summer that his erstwhile roommate became Real Madrid’s latest galactico, John retired from football at just 29 due to his mental health and diminished appetite for the game, an age when defenders are usually reaching their peak. In truth, he had never been truly satisfied with his career in the game because his autism and naturally questioning nature led to clashes with authority, a cardinal sin in the strict world of the game back then.