Boleyn Boy: My Autobiography

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Mark Noble delighted a hatful of West Ham United fans as the legendary skipper signed copies of his new autobiography, Boleyn Boy, at London Stadium on Thursday 17 November. The simple joy of football shines in Noble – as it will when he embraces the breaks from recruitment and monitoring mental health to step out on the academy pitch with teenage hopefuls to whom he can give a few pointers. All the headaches of being the Boleyn boy trying to keep up with clubs owned by countries will be forgotten for a while. And maybe, I suggest, the academy kids will look up to him as their local version of Messi.

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Mark joined the team aged just 15, making him the youngest player to appear in their reserve team. He was later awarded his first of many Young Hammer of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards, the mark of a footballer with true potential. After scoring his first goal in 2007, Mark went on to score his first penalty, celebrate his 100th appearance in 2009, and regularly play in the Premier League.

I wasn’t prepared for two middle-aged men to spot me in the street,” Noble recalls in his book. “‘Well done, Marky boy,’ one shouted. ‘Oh my God, Mark,’ Carly said as we walked on. ‘He knew who you were.’” The boyhood Hammer who lived the dream, Noble’s book documents his journey from Canning Town to the Academy of Football, and through the ranks, to the first team as an 18-year playing career concluded with a run to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals in 2021/22. This is the story of a brilliant footballer, a genuine ambassador and a local legend. This is the unforgettable autobiography of Mark Noble. Mark Noble leaps on Declan Rice after West Ham’s Europa League last-16 victory over Sevilla in March. Photograph: Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images