Obsessed: The Autobiography
  • Published: 10 November 2024
  • ISBN: 9781844885206
  • Imprint: Penguin Ireland
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 432
  • RRP: $59.99
Categories:

Obsessed: The Autobiography

Formats & editions
Paperback
16 Jun 2025
Hardback
10 Nov 2024
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The gripping and revelatory autobiography of a rugby legend

Four European Cups. Four Six Nations championships (including two Grand Slams). A series win in New Zealand. Two stints for Ireland at number 1 in the world. And the World Player of the Year award.

No Irish rugby player has ever achieved more, or been a source of more inspiration to teammates and fans alike, than Johnny Sexton.

Outspoken, on and off the field, Sexton offers an honest look at his childhood, his relationships with key teammates and coaches (including Brian O'Driscoll, Paul O'Connell, Ronan O'Gara, Joe Schmidt and Andy Farrell), and his ideas about the game.

But it is also a work of deep self-exploration, tracing the psychological arc of a player who almost always felt embattled, who struggled with self-doubt, and who was still learning new lessons about being a team-mate and a leader into his late thirties.

Intense, witty, perceptive and frank, Obsessed is an autobiography worthy of its author and the essential chronicle of an extraordinary era in Irish rugby.
  • Published: 10 November 2024
  • ISBN: 9781844885206
  • Imprint: Penguin Ireland
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 432
  • RRP: $59.99
Categories:

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Praise for Obsessed: The Autobiography

An essential read for any keen follower of professional sport in Ireland

Irish Independent

A must-read … a revealing glimpse into the psyche of a serial winner

Robert Kitson, The Guardian

Absolutely fantastic … unflinchingly honest

Brendan O'Connor

Belongs on the top shelf of the best Irish sports books ever written

Paul Howard, Irish Times

Sexton is on that rarefied plane of athlete where even his mere presence can feel quietly decisive

Jonathan Liew, The Guardian

A great read

Matt Cooper, The Last Word

Excellent

Rúaidhrí O'Connor

Sexton is a remarkable figure – stroppy, spiky, angry, unrepentant to a large degree – and it is to his credit that he has produced a seriously compelling book

Stephen Jones, Sunday Times

Great book

Paul Kimmage, Sunday Independent

Revealing and full of fresh insights and surprises ... superb

Murray Kinsella, The42.ie

Incredible

Dion Fanning, Free State Podcast

One of the best sports biographies in any discipline in recent times

RTÉ Guide

Terrific

Denis Walsh, Irish Times

Offered levels of wit and psychological insight that are all too rare in a sporting star’s autobiography

The Telegraph

An autobiography to be inhaled

Irish Examiner

A fascinating portrait of a man always at war … Candid, frank and brilliantly written, this is a must for any rugby lover

Daily Mail

A rich insight into one of Irish sport’s most complex, high-performing minds … up there with the all-time great rugby books.

Cathal Dennehy, Irish Independent
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