"Writing this book is my way of showing that perhaps there's a lot more
to see when we take in perspectives we never previously considered.
Because, after all, we are not all the same, but when you think about
it, why should we be?"
Nedum Onuoha was not a typical footballer, and never wanted to write a
typical footballer's autobiography. While other members of the
Manchester City Academy were working towards their compulsory
qualifications in the canteen at the training ground, Nedum was in
school, studying for his GCSEs, then A-Levels, a rare player that
combined a formal education with his rise to the first team of one of
the most famous clubs in world football. He was there for the seismic
changes at Manchester City, and when they won their first Premier League
title - as an opposition player having left the club just four months
previously.
Kicking Back is more than just a tale of those he played alongside,
and under. His views on Stuart Pearce, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Roberto
Mancini and Harry Redknapp are characteristically forthright of a man
who's now a notable broadcaster for the BBC, ESPN and more; but this is
also a book about identity. Nedum's has been shaped by the experience of
being a black man of Nigerian descent growing up - initially as an
outsider in Manchester - and then living in the US during the Black
Lives Matter protests; and also of a black footballer that faced
horrific racist abuse in his career. While his assessment of how
football and society have failed the black community is damning, he is
also able to provide insights into his family life that are deeply
personal, particularly the recollections of his mother, who passed away
in 2012.
In his book, Nedum reflects on those moments on the pitch that shaped
his career, but also those off it that formed the opinions he shares so
frankly. His story is not just that of a footballer, but a black man who
has spent a lot of his life in environments where there are few faces
like his own.
