Nikolaos Kirkinis – författare

Junior is sure that this is the last car ride of his life. His tear-stained cheeks shine in the morning sun through the car window. He sniffs heavily and thinks about his mother, he wonders if she will ever find out what happened to him. The car stops. Junior reaches for the handle but a firm hand on his shoulder tells him to stop.’ Daveyton-born Junior Khanye always dreamt of making it big in football. Scouted to Kaizer Chiefs at just 17, his dream seemed within reach. With his dribbling and goal scoring prowess, Junior was the darling of the nation. But then his self-destructive behaviour sees him kicked off­ the team … Trying to pick himself up, Junior cycled between poverty and prosperity, sometimes getting it right, but often deeply disappointing those who loved him most. This book, with its wealth of stories from both on and of­ the pitch, tells of the making of a soccer sensation. Junior shares his experience of poverty, the death of his brother, soccer stardom, alcoholism, the murder of his father, and raising children, with great honesty. Much more than a sports biography, Ghetto Ninja is Junior Khanye’s tragic, yet triumphant story. It is impossible to put down.