The Secret Agent: Inside the World of the Football Agent is an enjoyable read, something reminiscent of Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire. Both Cruise’s character and our author (who is anonymous) were once at the top of the sports world as high-profile agents only to see things come crashing down, albeit for different reasons. Both had big-name clients and a ton of wealth, but that is where the similarities start to wash away.
Maguire starts his own agency to get away from the “dirty” side of the business, while our author embraces that side with all his might. He soon finds himself devoting his life to his clients and doing whatever he can to sign and keep them on the books. Honestly nothing seems to be off the table for the author as he deals out stories of drugs, cover-ups, gambling, women, and double-crossing on both sides. Yes, the entire football industry comes away a bit scarred, but you have to admire someone who is willing to tell the truth about what will really goes on off the pitch.
It is a story fitting of the tabloids as he holds nothing back. He doesn’t mention any names, thankfully for all of those involved in this precarious business. I guess you could say he is the Donnie Brasco of football agents, someone that unearthed quite a lot of unpleasantries in the beautiful game. You can certainly argue that this was a story that needed to be told.
I normally shy away from the movie references, but this book is just as engaging and exciting as any Hollywood film. It is literally something that is hard to put down. I kept wondering who the author was and who all of his clients were. This kept me reading on and on. Who knows who they are? Maybe, just maybe we wouldn’t know the real answer.
The ending was certainly not a happy one, but I guess that shouldn’t have been a surprise. You could only beat the system for so long, right? The author doesn’t shy away from criticism and was upfront and honest about his misgivings.
This is a must-read for any football fan or for any sports fan. It is a story that has the right amount of humor, sensationalism, and snark. The author is a great storyteller in life and in business and this is a a story you don’t want to miss. This is quite possibly our favorite book of the year.
