The Greatest Footballer Never To Play Football

Kaiser

There’s only one king in this city and he’s got the mullet, swagger and fake ID to prove it.

Raposo's story is brought to life in Rob Smyth's brilliant Kaiser!…a book that exhibits all the verve and skill that its subject never could

Both hilarious and unbelievable, Kaiser! is a preposterously good football read

Smyth does a solid job of showing how Raposo’s unlikely path might have been smoothed by the chaotic nature of Brazillian football at the time…and the vagaries of the pre-social media world

Rob Smyth has worked on the Guardian sports desk since 2004 and has written or edited ten books, including Kaiser: The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football. He has also worked for Manchester United, the Daily Telegraph, The Times, ITV, Sports Illustrated and FourFourTwo.

1980s Rio de Janeiro. 
 
There’s only one king in this city and he’s got the mullet, swagger and fake ID to prove it. 
 
Introducing Carlos Henrique Raposo, known to all as KAISER. 
 
This guy’s got more front than Copacabana beach. He’s the most loveable of rogues with the most common of dreams: to become a professional footballer. And he isn’t about to let trivial details like talent and achievement stand in his way. . . not when he has so many other ways to get what he wants. 
 
In one of the most remarkable football stories ever told, Kaiser graduates from abandoned slumdog to star striker, dressing-room fixer, superstar party host and inexhaustible lover. 
 
And all without kicking a ball. 
 
He’s not just the king… he’s the Kaiser.

Robin Smith

Rob Smyth

Shane Warne

Mark Nicholas

A fine sports autobiography. It is candid and moving without being mawkish or forgetting its readers will also primarily be cricket fans

An incredibly moving yet uplifting account of his career of high achievement and fall to the depths of mental illness

Robin Smith is one of the most-loved cricketers of his era… [The Judge] documents his time in the game, as well as the harrowing struggles he suffered when the eyes went, the runs stopped, and real life intruded. Recommended

This is an engaging, but often uncomfortable read which explains why it’s a contender for sports book of the year

A red-blooded memoir told with unexpected sensitivity

More Than Just a Game

* SHORTLISTED FOR THE TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS * 
 
Robin Smith was one of England's most popular cricketers of the 1990s. The Judge, as he was known to all, took on some of the most dangerous fast bowlers of all time with a skill and fearlessness that ensured hero status. His savage square cut drew roars of approval from fans all around the world, especially those of his beloved England and Hampshire. But when he was prematurely dumped from the England set-up at the age of 32, he had to face his toughest opponent of all - himself. Smith suffered a debilitating loss of identity, especially when he retired from professional cricket in 2003, and struggled to deal with the contradictions in his personality. Was he the Judge, the fearless warrior, or Robin Smith, the frantic worrier? 
 
Without a support structure to transition from cricket to the outside world, Smith suffered from mental health, alcohol, marital and financial problems until he hit rock bottom and planned to take his own life. In The Judge - More than Just a Game, he revisits his experience of extreme darkness and challenges received wisdom about masculinity and mental health. He also shares the many highs and lows of his eventful international and county career, including his exhilarating battles with the West Indies and his struggles against mystery spin. And he reflects fondly on a time when cricketers worked hard and partied even harder; a time almost unrecognisable to the modern day.

The Judge

About us

About Us (Header 4)

Best-Jane-Austen-quotes_Online-Desktop_Penguin

James-Baldwin

Marian-Keyes

haruki-murakami-320×320-1

Richard-Osman

Malorie Blackman

Lisa-Jewell

Charlie-Mackesy

Authors (Header 3)

Children&#039;s

Company

Discover

Fiction

Non-fiction

Penguin Classics

Penguin Shop (Header 5)

Useful links

Work with us

sectionTitle

isEnabled

anchor

anchorLabel

prhuk/featured-book

prhuk/praise-section

maxBooks

showViewMore

prhuk/books-section

hideAuthorAlert

formName

iterableDivision

iterableBrand

buttonText

description

heading

legalText

successHeading

successText

image

alignment

variation

prhuk/email-section

prhuk/series-section

prhuk/biography-section

prhuk/articles-section

prhuk-authors

Join our newsletter for 10% off at the Penguin Shop

The Queerest of Folk

The Nord Stream Conspiracy

Tempting Venom

Not the End of the World

Summer

Rob Smyth

Praise for The Judge

A fine sports autobiography. It is candid and moving without being mawkish or forgetting its readers will also primarily be cricket fans

An incredibly moving yet uplifting account of his career of high achievement and fall to the depths of mental illness

A profoundly moving book

A fine sports autobiography. It is candid and moving without being mawkish or forgetting its readers will also primarily be cricket fans

An incredibly moving yet uplifting account of his career of high achievement and fall to the depths of mental illness

A profoundly moving book

A fine sports autobiography. It is candid and moving without being mawkish or forgetting its readers will also primarily be cricket fans

An incredibly moving yet uplifting account of his career of high achievement and fall to the depths of mental illness

A profoundly moving book

Books by Rob Smyth

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter