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Colin Bell: Reluctant Hero
If Manchester City legend Colin Bell were playing today, he'd be one of the most sought-after midfielders in the world and would command the wages of, and comparison to, the likes of Zidane, Ronaldinho or Ballack. Most Manchester City fans regard Bell as the club's best ever player. He graced the midfield during their greatest years, as they won the League Championship, FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup-Winners' Cup. The man they nicknamed 'Nijinsky', due to his supreme athleticism, captained Bury at the age of 17 and represented England 48 times before a serious knee injury effectively ended his career when he was just 29.
Now, for the first time, 'King Colin' has opened up. He talks about his childhood; about never knowing his mother, who died while he was a baby; and of being brought up by his aunt and then his father and older sister. He then leads us through the glory years, singles out his greatest opponents and compares the modern game with the era he dominated.
In Colin Bell - Reluctant Hero, Bell covers the many highs and lows of his career, including his views on the tackle in a Manchester derby that ended his footballing dreams and could even have cost him his life. There's humour, too, as he recalls a teammate who couldn't swim being carried shoulder high through the incoming tide on Blackpool beach, and the time he sent a fellow player to a hotel reception in his birthday suit.
This candid and entertaining autobiography offers a unique insight into the world of a true legend who never actively sought fame. With tributes from the likes of Malcolm Allison, Sir Geoff Hurst and Sir Bobby Charlton, Colin Bell - Reluctant Hero is the life story of a footballer whose brilliance on the field demanded adulation but who was never comfortable in the spotlight, a player who truly preferred to let his feet do the talking.
Now, for the first time, 'King Colin' has opened up. He talks about his childhood; about never knowing his mother, who died while he was a baby; and of being brought up by his aunt and then his father and older sister. He then leads us through the glory years, singles out his greatest opponents and compares the modern game with the era he dominated.
In Colin Bell - Reluctant Hero, Bell covers the many highs and lows of his career, including his views on the tackle in a Manchester derby that ended his footballing dreams and could even have cost him his life. There's humour, too, as he recalls a teammate who couldn't swim being carried shoulder high through the incoming tide on Blackpool beach, and the time he sent a fellow player to a hotel reception in his birthday suit.
This candid and entertaining autobiography offers a unique insight into the world of a true legend who never actively sought fame. With tributes from the likes of Malcolm Allison, Sir Geoff Hurst and Sir Bobby Charlton, Colin Bell - Reluctant Hero is the life story of a footballer whose brilliance on the field demanded adulation but who was never comfortable in the spotlight, a player who truly preferred to let his feet do the talking.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published November 22, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 13, 2022
Colin Bell was a Manchester City football icon and legend throughout the 1960’s and 70’s. A humble and sincere man who had football talent second to none, his football career was savagely cut short by injury and perhaps his ‘best’ years never occurred. A wonderful sporting story of inspiration, tragedy and determination.
November 11, 2024
Colin Bell was of course a childhood hero of mine when i started going to football matches at Maine Road in the mid 1960's. United were the dominant force in Manchester at that time but recently-promoted City were soon to upset the status quo for the next decade. As well as documenting those glorious years through the eyes of one of England's most naturally gifted players, this book gives an insight into the "reluctant hero" part of his character.
Happy kicking a ball alone against the back wall of his home as a child, he remained painfully shy all his adukt life by all accounts. But you'd never guess that watching him playing at the height of his career destroying opposing teams with a swaggering confidence. A career cut short tragically with an awful injury, though its a measure of the man of how he was determined through years of pain to try to regain his full fitness. One of the photos in the book shows him in a team picture of the Durham Under 15 team. He is small skinny lad aged 12, and his older teammates around him look like giants in comparison. I've always giggled at that photo but it shows just how awesomely talented he must have been from an early age.
The edition I had was written in 2006, and Colin tells of his disappointments with the modern game, its tactics and some players behaviours. But he was never a bitter man and explains how he loves the game with all its faults and how he is forever thankful for having such a great career even though it effectively ended when he was still in his twenties. He also near the end of the book says how he wishes the "good times" might one day return to his beloved Man City.
Little did he know at the time that within a few short years Man City would rise once again to shake up the status quo and become arguably the best football team in the world.
R.I.P. Colin Bell.
Happy kicking a ball alone against the back wall of his home as a child, he remained painfully shy all his adukt life by all accounts. But you'd never guess that watching him playing at the height of his career destroying opposing teams with a swaggering confidence. A career cut short tragically with an awful injury, though its a measure of the man of how he was determined through years of pain to try to regain his full fitness. One of the photos in the book shows him in a team picture of the Durham Under 15 team. He is small skinny lad aged 12, and his older teammates around him look like giants in comparison. I've always giggled at that photo but it shows just how awesomely talented he must have been from an early age.
The edition I had was written in 2006, and Colin tells of his disappointments with the modern game, its tactics and some players behaviours. But he was never a bitter man and explains how he loves the game with all its faults and how he is forever thankful for having such a great career even though it effectively ended when he was still in his twenties. He also near the end of the book says how he wishes the "good times" might one day return to his beloved Man City.
Little did he know at the time that within a few short years Man City would rise once again to shake up the status quo and become arguably the best football team in the world.
R.I.P. Colin Bell.
July 9, 2023
Man City appear to be able to buy anybody and everybody these days yet their greatest ever player was bought for a song from Bury, covered every blade of grass on the pitch, he had balance, vision and was nicknamed Niginsky His career was cut cruelly short but what we had, we cherish
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews