The Beautiful Dream: A Memoir

by Atiba Hutchinson, Dan Robson (primary_contributor)

Out of the Toronto suburb of Brampton comes an irresistible story of trials, perseverance, the limelight of international soccer, and—above all—heart.Despite debuting on Canada’s senior national soccer team 20 years ago, scarce is known of Atiba Hutchinson. We’ve watched him win Canadian Men’s Player of the Year six times; celebrated his club team championships; and mourned his injuries. We’ve lamented the state of Canadian soccer and cursed the lost potential—and years. Yet, we know little about Atiba’s personal life, or how he rose from suburban (and not soccer-crazy) Brampton to becoming Canada’s most-capped national men’s team player, often described as the country’s greatest athlete you haven’t heard about.For the first time, Atiba is ready to share the extraordinary story of his ascent to the heights of professional soccer, nationally and internationally, and what he believes makes a true champion. The Beautiful Dream is an intimate account of Atiba’s awe-inspiring career, from his humble beginnings to playing across Europe; the crushing disappointment of failing national team competitions in the 2010s that nearly lead to his resignation from the national program; all the way to his triumphant arrival in Qatar to face off against 31 other nations at the world’s most pre-eminent soccer competition. He has strived to better not only his own game but the landscape of Canadian soccer for over two decades, culminating in Canada’s first trip to the FIFA World Cup since 1986. Yet, as the reflective midfielder shows, this isn’t just his The Beautiful Dream is the story of countless Canadians, who strive and scrape for a seemingly unreachable dream—until their fingertips finally graze the surface. It’s a lesson about the unyielding belief required when taking the long road to success. Atiba's journey mirrors the progression of Canadian soccer, and the story of Canada dreams that may begin as outsized but as we work towards them, our world changes with us. Atiba’s journey of hope, belief, and resilience connects the country’s modest soccer past to a bold, exciting future in the game. It’s a story that transcends the pitch, exploring what it means to be a kid who dares to dream of achieving the impossible, and the man who perseveres to get there.  

Genres: Soccer, Canada

312 pages, Hardcover

Published August 27, 2024

Reviews

[Andreas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Beautiful Dream; a respectful and straightforward account of a fascinating career (of one of Canada's top players and personally my favourite of all time) taking you through multiple countries and leagues. You get a real sense of his professionalism and dedication, qualities that take him from the fields of Brampton to the world.

Ultimately, it's a decent read for fans, - let's be honest if you're here you have at some point followed Atiba's career or a Canadian soccer fan- but it doesn't quite reach the level of truly compelling sports memoirs.

[Brendan Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like memoirs of people whose lives are so different from my own. Growing up in an immigrant community in the gta, and working hard for success and then moving to Europe, repping Canada on a world stage and retiring before 40 is something that I can’t relate to, but enjoy reading about the life of someone who did it. This was fun, and not sappy, with highs and lows. It also explains a lot about international football and is casually informative.

[Becky Segato · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing read and insight into a Canadian Men’s Soccer and fabulous Canadian soccer player. I could not put this book down. A definite read for soccer fans from any nation.

[Christopher Spiteri]

I was born in the year 2000 in Canada (exact same day as Alphonso Davies) and soccer has been one of the biggest aspects in my life since I was very young. I had played fairly high level competitive soccer and have followed the professional leagues closely for most of my life.

As Atiba says in the book; he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. He is the undisputed biggest legend of Canadian soccer and has done so much for the sport in the country. When he and that men’s national team took the field for the World Cup in 2022 it made me very emotional and this book brought back those same emotions. I never once played national level soccer but it felt like I was on that field with them and was so proud of them and our country as a whole. For so many years I had to convince others “no Canada is actually good at soccer and we will be really good soon” and that moment justified everything I had said.

The development programs for soccer in Canada when Atiba and I were growing up were abysmal. It was really be the absolute best in the whole country or risk it all and go overseas. It was really discouraging and Atiba was one of the few who had successfully navigated that, which is very inspiring. I am happy that because of people like Atiba the development programs are much better now and we will only develop more and more talent in this country.

I also loved how this book talked about how Canada being so multicultural is so beautiful and what has lead to our country succeeding in many things that aren’t “native”. Canada really is an amazing country and is only getting better.

The book was also very well written, shoutout to Dan Robson for taking Atiba’s story and making it an engaging read.

9.5/10

[Ozan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Besiktas fan, I don’t even remember how and when we signed Atiba - a relatively lower profile player than what Turkish team seeks to sign but he has left a legend!!! I for sure remember all the victories and sad events he mentions in the book and not only Besiktas fans but all Turkish soccer fans will always cherish Atiba for his work ethic, relentless pursuit of greatness and his leadership! I named the state of the art robot vacuum cleaner we have after him, hoping it can achieve 1/10000000 of what Atiba did cleanimg up after our team as the solid midfielder and somehow always managed to be everwhere that matters on the pitch! You are a legend Atiba and we will always remember you as such!!! Hoping Noah chooses a career in football and picks up where you left off. Because the gap you left is hard to fill…

Kartal Gol Gol Gol!

[Mike Broderick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even I couldn’t go with a 4 star for this one. There is nothing wrong with it. I enjoyed it enough because I am sports crazy. It goes through his career which meant he reminisced about important games, league championships, disappointments with Canadian soccer results and finally being a part of the World Cup with Canada.

I would say 15 percent shorter would have been good and a bit more emphasis on personal would make it a more universal read.

The reality is that interesting memoirs often have turmoil. This is an upstanding member of the soccer community, no drug scandals, no scandal like the Hockey Canada situation, didn’t cause problems in other countries…..good for him, but to love this book, I think you’d need to be a soccer fanatic.

[zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was so cool to hear Hutchinson's perspective on the CONCACAF tournament that lead to the CMNT qualifying for the World Cup. Partially because I was at two of the games mentioned (including the game at BMO where the team qualified!). Hearing him talk about how it was the first time he really felt the Canadian fans presence in the stadiums made me very proud to be one of those fans.

I knew a little about his development coming up as a soccer player in Brampton and the influence his father had on his career but it was very nice to hear more detailed experiences. You can see exactly how he became the player he was for the CMNT and in his club career.

[Sara Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried at so many parts of this book. At the end of the prologue, bits in the middle throughout the entire last chapter, the acknowledgments…

I think that Atiba is a humble, hardworking man and I’m I know his story. Dan Robson did a wonderful job weaving his story together.

I admit the quality of writing wasn’t exceptional and deserves a 4/5. That will not sway me to rate this book lower than a 5. The story, the emotion, the passion and the way it made me feel is what deserves all of the stars.

[Clint Lalonde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent memoir that brought back some of my favorite - and not so favorite - memories following the Canadian National team. Not a ton of new insights into what was going on behind the scenes, nor much on his relationship with other players so it felt a bit surface level in places where I wished he would have lingered a bit longer. But it was an enjoyable read from one of my favorite Canadian soccer players.

[Renee]

Soccer fans and readers of sports memoirs will enjoy this book. I appreciated the warmth of the first chapters - images of Atiba's father coaching him, his mother praying for him, his fights with his brother, his nighttime hours hooked up to oxygen - stayed with me as a reader. As someone who also grew up in Brampton, I appreciated references to various places in familiar neighbourhoods.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

He is a legend Beşiktaş football team. I really want to read your book, we love it so much.

[Enid Wray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exactly what you expect to get when you read a sports celebrity title co-writttn by Dan Robson.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Canadian legend

[Tony Mattiacci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book about one of Canada’s best ever athletes. Highly recommend!!!!

[Riccardo Lo Monaco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is very near and dear to me. Excellent.

[To Read Pile Too Big · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a bit repetitive at times but, overall, an interesting read about a legend in Canadian soccer.

[Luigi Benetton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable memoir of a Canadian sports success story that touches on the need to support the beautiful game in the country