It took balls to go to Hong Kong. When Scottish footballer Derek Currie was made an offer to travel to Hong Kong to play against the one sportsman he had dreamed of meeting on the field, he couldn’t say no. From apprentice printer in Glasgow to playing football against Pelé in the Far East, singing with Stevie Wonder and shadow-boxing with Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Currie enjoyed a magical life as one of the first three European professional footballers in Asia. He was quickly nicknamed ‘Jesus’ by Hong Kong football fans. Here he traces the early development of professional football in the…mehr
It took balls to go to Hong Kong. When Scottish footballer Derek Currie was made an offer to travel to Hong Kong to play against the one sportsman he had dreamed of meeting on the field, he couldn’t say no. From apprentice printer in Glasgow to playing football against Pelé in the Far East, singing with Stevie Wonder and shadow-boxing with Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Currie enjoyed a magical life as one of the first three European professional footballers in Asia. He was quickly nicknamed ‘Jesus’ by Hong Kong football fans. Here he traces the early development of professional football in the then-British colony through his own career – the games, the places and the characters he met along the way – as well as a season playing for the San Antonio Thunder in Texas. Given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he didn’t think twice – traveling 6,000 miles across the world to pursue his dream of professional football. In the years that followed, he met international stars from music, showbusiness, boxing and horse racing. Here in words and pictures is his amazing story – if not for the photographic proof you could be forgiven for thinking it might be a fairy tale! It isn’t.
Derek Currie was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1949. At the age of 21 he traveled to the then-British colony of Hong Kong to become one of the first three European professionals to play soccer in Asia. Over a 12-year career he played against greats such as Pelé and Eusébio, but also met celebrities from a range of fields, including Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood and Marvin Hagler. During a spell playing for the San Antonio Thunder in the NASL, Currie scored the official first goal in the Bicentennial League against the St. Louis All-Stars. He now lives in Bangkok, Thailand.
Inhaltsangabe
Foreword by Craig Brown CBE Preface by Mike Ingham PART ONE: Life of football 1 Learning a lesson 2 From Douglas Park to the World of Suzie Wong 3 Chickens’ feet, kung fu and history in the making 4 The good, the bad, and the ugly 5 Famous names 6 Rules, Proud Mary, and Good Morning, Vietnam 7 Looting the Tai-Pan’s trophy cabinet 8 Sunset over Manila Bay, taming a German giant... and eventually paying the price 9 Looking good, eating well, and mixing it with the stars 10 Time for a change... and a chance to lead a team against Eusébio 11 Ernie’s House of Horrors, dancing in the street, and keeping Hong Kong clean 12 The Sport of Kings 13 The Lawman and the Cranhill sounds 14 Snakes alive, Fast Wullie and a Double Scotch 15 Every shirt tells a story (with apologies to Rod Stewart) 16 Beating the Drum... and a legend with a heart of gold 17 Interlude: The Yellow Rose of Texas 18 Sweet and Sour 19 Hall of Fame… or should that be infamy? 20 Cordoba Revenge and one night in Bangkok 21 A helping hand... or three 22 The long goodbye PART TWO: Life after football 23 Probably the best beer in the world 24 The Carlsberg Cup 25 The Jockeys Dash 26 Rugby shorts 27 Four World Cups and four European Championships 28 Live at the Hong Kong Hotel with Stevie Wonder and Marvelous Marvin Hagler 29 The Hong Lok Yuen All-Stars 30 Going to the dogs 31 The Currie stable 32 Lasting impressions
Foreword by Craig Brown CBE Preface by Mike Ingham PART ONE: Life of football 1 Learning a lesson 2 From Douglas Park to the World of Suzie Wong 3 Chickens’ feet, kung fu and history in the making 4 The good, the bad, and the ugly 5 Famous names 6 Rules, Proud Mary, and Good Morning, Vietnam 7 Looting the Tai-Pan’s trophy cabinet 8 Sunset over Manila Bay, taming a German giant... and eventually paying the price 9 Looking good, eating well, and mixing it with the stars 10 Time for a change... and a chance to lead a team against Eusébio 11 Ernie’s House of Horrors, dancing in the street, and keeping Hong Kong clean 12 The Sport of Kings 13 The Lawman and the Cranhill sounds 14 Snakes alive, Fast Wullie and a Double Scotch 15 Every shirt tells a story (with apologies to Rod Stewart) 16 Beating the Drum... and a legend with a heart of gold 17 Interlude: The Yellow Rose of Texas 18 Sweet and Sour 19 Hall of Fame… or should that be infamy? 20 Cordoba Revenge and one night in Bangkok 21 A helping hand... or three 22 The long goodbye PART TWO: Life after football 23 Probably the best beer in the world 24 The Carlsberg Cup 25 The Jockeys Dash 26 Rugby shorts 27 Four World Cups and four European Championships 28 Live at the Hong Kong Hotel with Stevie Wonder and Marvelous Marvin Hagler 29 The Hong Lok Yuen All-Stars 30 Going to the dogs 31 The Currie stable 32 Lasting impressions
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