On the Edge

Brought to you by Penguin

Over three revolutionary decades, Martin Keown played football at the highest level. He witnessed the birth of the Premier League, the arrival of the millionaire player and was a key player in one of the best sides of all time – Wenger’s Arsenal. So why has he always felt like a man battling on the edge?

In this autobiography, Keown recounts how a son of working-class Irish parents, raised in a hostile England during the unrest of the 1970s, rose to be an automatic and enduring pick for club and country; the outsider who stayed the distance while so many insiders fell away.

Over his career, Keown played alongside some of the world’s finest footballers – including Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Tony Adams, David Beckham – and under inspirational managers – Arsène Wenger, Kevin Keegan, Sven-Göram Eriksson, Howard Kendall. He was the backbone for many years of the invincible Arsenal team that went on to win the 2003/4 Premier League title without losing a match.

Known as “The Rash” by friend and foe alike for the intensity of his man-marking, Keown always played as if he had more to prove. But his teammates knew he was fast, skilful, tough and loyal, a leader on and off the pitch. Fearless too, as you’ll discover – he doesn’t pull any punches here.

On The Edge is the story of one of Arsenal’s all-time greats – a man whose commitment put him at the centre of the pitch, a place he dominated like almost no other footballer of his generation.