Overview

Who was the standout player when the Class of '92 won the FA Youth Cup? David Beckham? Paul Scholes? Ryan Giggs? Think again. Ben Thornley: The Class of '92 Star Who Never Got to Graduate is the compelling autobiography of a teenager who had the world at his feet, only for one tackle to shatter his knee - and his dreams of playing for Manchester United. A supremely gifted winger with pace to burn, he played in every round of that Youth Cup run and finished as top scorer. It wasn't long before Alex Ferguson, keen to unleash this prodigious talent, gave him his first-team debut - but just six weeks later came the moment that would change the path of Ben's career, and life, forever. This tale is not only told from Ben's perspective but also with exclusive insights from those who witnessed him in action first hand. They include family and school friends, as well as Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Gary Neville and many more. This is the Class of '92 as you've never heard it before - from a player who was a class apart.

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9781785314476

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Reviews

Feels really genuine and the style captures the interaction among friends and family really well. Thornley shows a different side of the game, the side of potential unfulfilled, of hopes dashed and the challenges of nonetheless building a life. A very honest and candid account of the life of the superstar that never was. An enjoyable read. --AllSportsBooks.Reviews The book follows a chronological path through Thornley's life, interspersed with chapters on the Class of 92, the Class of 93 and his first-team debut. These chapters provide more detail and contain interviews with many players and staff of the time, including Gary Neville, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs. --Programme Monthly A lively and different read. An engaging, funny character. The book ends positively, but it is not only his leg (one photo shows the 9.5-inch mark left by the surgery) that bears an obvious scar. --When Saturday Comes It's probably heresy to admit a fondness for autobiographies on these pages, but I happily breezed through those by Peter Crouch, Kieron Dyer and Kevin Keegan. The best I read was Ben Thornley's Tackled, the bittersweet tale of the Manchester United starlet whose career was wrecked by a hideous tackle in 1994. --Observer Favourite Sports Books of 2018

Feels really genuine and the style captures the interaction among friends and family really well. Thornley shows a different side of the game, the side of potential unfulfilled, of hopes dashed and the challenges of nonetheless building a life. A very honest and candid account of the life of the superstar that never was. An enjoyable read. --AllSportsBooks.Reviews The book follows a chronological path through Thornley's life, interspersed with chapters on the Class of 92, the Class of 93 and his first-team debut. These chapters provide more detail and contain interviews with many players and staff of the time, including Gary Neville, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs. --Programme Monthly It's probably heresy to admit a fondness for autobiographies on these pages, but I happily breezed through those by Peter Crouch, Kieron Dyer and Kevin Keegan. The best I read was Ben Thornley's Tackled, the bittersweet tale of the Manchester United starlet whose career was wrecked by a hideous tackle in 1994. --Observer Favourite Sports Books of 2018 A lively and different read. An engaging, funny character. The book ends positively, but it is not only his leg (one photo shows the 9.5-inch mark left by the surgery) that bears an obvious scar. --When Saturday Comes

Author Information

Ben Thornley wrote Tackled with the collaboration of journalist Dan Poole. Dan is now the chief sub-editor of Monocle magazine. He started his career at The Independent and then worked in Sydney for three years, writing for FHM, Empire and Rolling Stone. He has also contributed to Manchester United fanzine, United We Stand. This is his first book.

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