2. A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke Ronald Reng
Read any tabloid newspaper and youll undoubtedly see a series of stories based on the problems of some egomaniacal millionaire footballer. There are 500 players in the Premier League - if you combine the 25-man squads each team has to submit - and they share a reputation based on the actions of a few select players. A Life Too Short dismisses that myth. It is a biography of Robert Enke, a German goalkeeper who committed suicide in 2009 following bouts of depression. He had a great career capped by his stint as the national team keeper but he struggled to handle the pressure placed on him by his own expectations and the criticisms he faced in a profession which is constantly under the media spotlight. This book makes you aware of the human side of the beautiful game and how we have to appreciate that footballers are human beings like everyone else; even if a minority of them are millionaires. After reading this tragic tale I understood how the criticism can affect these players; not every player can simply shrug it off they may take it to heart. We see them as heroes, villains and sporting machines, but A Life Too Short is a reminder that they are just like us.