I'm Jamie Redknapp. Chances are my surname rings a bell. In this book I want to introduce you to a colourful cast of characters from my formative years.

Growing up, Dad and grandad 'Pop' told us tall stories from London's East End, but there was no artistic license needed when I was actually kicking a ball about with legends like George Best, Bobby Moore, and Geoff Hurst.

This is the story of my childhood and adolescence, but it's also the tale of a journey through an extraordinary obsession with football. One minute i'm reading Shoot! magazine, the next i'm playing for Bournemouth. Not long afterwards, I got my move to Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool. I was living the dream, desperately hoping it was the start of something special.

My Family and the Making of a Footballer has helped me discover so much about myself. This book is my way of explaining who and what have made me.... well, me.