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The Walls
  • Published: 22 October 2026
  • ISBN: 9781405989275
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 368
Categories:

The Walls

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The most honest, outspoken and hilarious sports autobiography you’ve ever read

Move aside, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Roy Keane: James McClean's The Walls is the most honest, intimate and revealing football autobiography of our time – the new book from the most capped Republic of Ireland players and former Wrexham FC captain.

From growing up in Derry to the Premier League, international football and helping Wrexham FC climb the divisions, James McClean has lived a life between worlds – and rarely been afraid to stand up for what he believes in.

By the time he was 11, McClean knew how to make a petrol bomb. Yet on his first trip as an under-19 international footballer, he was self-conscious because he didn't know how to use a knife and fork.

In The Walls, McClean tells the story of his childhood in Derry, from the 'cheevies', riots and street football to playing for his beloved Derry City at 19. Then came an extraordinary rise: from the League of Ireland to the Premier League in the space of a year.

At Sunderland, his decision not to wear the Remembrance poppy caused a firestorm, changing his life and that of his family forever. Now, McClean explains the origins of his stance, the history of the poppy in English football and the different ways the issue was handled by his clubs over the years.

But The Walls also goes beyond the headlines to reveal the man behind the footballer.

McClean writes openly about his struggles to control his rage, his obsessional eating and training regimens, the pressures of fame and his relationships with managers. Alongside them are laugh-out-loud stories of expensive cars, an addiction to football boots and his struggles with household appliances as a young footballer living alone.

He also takes readers inside his twelve years and 103 caps with the Republic of Ireland, before a late flourish to his club career saw him help Wrexham FC rise through the divisions which was charted on the Disney+ show Welcome to Wrexham. McClean's story is joined by the voices of his wife, his agent and others close to him, whose perspectives sometimes differ fascinatingly from his own.

Magnificently detailed, entertaining and unflinchingly open, The Walls is the intimate true story of James McClean, the places that talent can take you, the pressures of fame, and the joys and costs of standing up for your beliefs.
  • Published: 22 October 2026
  • ISBN: 9781405989275
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 368
Categories:

About the author

James McClean

James McClean was born in Derry in 1989. He is the fifth most capped Republic of Ireland footballer of all time. He played in the Premier League with Sunderland and West Brom, and was captain of Wrexham during their rise through the divisions. He lives in Derry with his wife and children.
JM

Praise for The Walls

Searingly honest

Irish Examiner

A book that ticks so many boxes for any football autobiography yet doesn’t feel like its doing so with a quick flick of the pen. You get everything from McClean, or at least as much as he’s able to give.

The42.ie

The best footballer autobiography I have read in a long time. I admire anyone who is willing to put everything about themselves out there, which McClean has done

Gavin Cooney

Absolutely superb

Paul Kimmage

One of the best sports books of the year . . . powerful and sometimes disturbing . . . elevated by McClean’s willingness to show himself in an unflattering light

Donald McRae, Guardian

Compelling

Irish Daily Mail

Terrific

Malachy Clerkin, Irish Times

Spiky, funny, honest ... absolutely terrific

Brendan O'Connor, RTE Radio One

One of the best football books in years

Second Captains

Superb – the bracing honesty, the gory detail, the refusal to dip anything in honey.

Conor McKeon, Sunday Independent

The warts-and-all approach means we are left with a genuine page-turner

Sunday Times

It’s not a football book, it’s politics, it’s history, yes there is a lot of soccer in there…but actually it is largely a book about human fragility … a great read

Indo Daily Podcast

Not your typical sports biography; this is a spiky, punchy, no holds-barred account

The Last Word

A rollercoaster of a read … if you are a football fan, you will love this book

Katriona O'Sullivan, Irish Independent