The Secret Footballer is English, has played for at least two Premier League clubs and was once relegated on the last day of the season.
He grew up on a rural council estate and was a late starter in organised football.
He says he considered suicide after the end of his career but his writing steered him away from alcohol abuse.
[1] Former Reading and Stoke City striker Dave Kitson has been written about as being a 'leading contender' as The Secret Footballer.
This biographical article related to English football is a stub.