David Ginola is a man in demand. A footballer and celebrity in equal measure, someone who turns heads for his face as well as his feet, this orchestrator-in-chief oozes charm, charisma and sex appeal. Never before has one footballer cast such a spell on the English game.

The wonderfully talented Frenchman has been honoured with both the English Football Writers and PFA Footballer of the Year accolades, reward for the breathtaking quality of his goals and his crowd pleasing skill on the ball. Yet his arrival in the English Premiership proved far from a smooth journey.

In his fascinating autobiography Ginola unveils his private thoughts on his early years in France: his national service duties; his first steps in the game and his dismay when his coach at Nice told him he would never make it as a professional footballer; and how he went from being the most vilified player in his home country to Footballer of the Year in the same season.

His arrival at Newcastle in 1995 presaged a bitter-sweet affair with the Toon Army during the time of Kevin Keegan, then Kenny Dalglish and Alan Shearer, of whom Ginola has some strong views. Just two years later, a transfer to Tottenham preceded George Graham's arrival as manager, and Ginola is forthright in assessing the complex relationship between the two key figures at White Hart Lane at the time.