Now one of the world's greatest central midfielders, it might come as a surprise that Declan Rice actually began his career as a defender.

Released by Chelsea at the age of fourteen, it took a move to the 'Academy of Football' and a change of position to set Declan on the path to stardom.

This is the astonishing story of how a boy from Kingston overcame rejection and heartbreaking defeats to become a Premier League Champion.

This biography is one of the titles in Ransom's Tales from the Pitch series. These books offer a fresh take on the familiar football biography format.

Each of these fast-moving reads focuses on one football superstar, some players who are still to reach the summit of their career, and others who are the already at the top of their game. These are exhilarating reads about players from all walks of life. Many have faced failure, injury and rejection, to ultimately make their dreams come true and have inspirational stories.

So meet the footballers behind the iconic tackles and goals, and find out what makes each of these players so special.