The Didi Man

Book excerpt: A warm and highly entertaining account of Dietmar Hamman's personal story, The Didi Man was a Sunday Times bestseller on hardback publication. Dietmar 'Didi' Hamann is a complete one-off. The foreigner with a Scouse accent. The German who now plays cricket for his local village team. The overseas footballer turned anglophile who fell deeply in love with the city of Liverpool, its people and its eponymous football club. The classy midfielder had a long and distinguished playing career, but it was his seven seasons at Anfield that marked him out forever as a true Liverpool legend. His cult status was secured when he came off the bench at half-time during the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul to inspire his team to a dramatic come-back and spectacular European glory. The Didi Man is Hamann's story of his time on Merseyside at a football club which will always have a very special place in his heart.