Arightu, WREXHAM FAIRY TALE
PAUL MULLIN has always wanted to write a book about his life as a footballer in the lower leagues.
But the Wrexham goal-machine never thought in his wildest dreams that it would turn out to have a big-screen Hollywood ending.
Now he is set for a couple of sell-out dates promoting My Wrexham Story, described by the club’s Tinseltown co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mcelhenney respectively as “the best book I’ve read, this guy is a hero” and “one of the greatest footballers in the world”.
It is released on November 23 and is guaranteed to be a bestseller after Mullin – who has joined the likes of Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones and Dixie Mcneil as Racecourse Ground legends – plundered 38 goals to help Wrexham end their 15-year EFL exile in May.
His football life changed when he surprised many people by refusing a new contract to stay at Cambridge United, where he had broken goalscoring records, and turned his back on opportunities to play in the Championship, to sign for National League Wrexham.
Interesting as it might have been to talk about his formative years at Everton and Liverpool’s academies, and spells at Vauxhall Motors, Morecambe and Tranmere in addition to his Cambridge days, it is Mullin’s amazing two-and-a-half seasons in north Wales which will help rack up the sales.
Mullin, who has an autistic boy called Albi, said: “It’s something I thought I would like to do, writing about my career in football – but I didn’t think that it would become as big as it has become.
“I wanted to speak about the life of a lower-league player, the times when you are out of the game, getting released, things like that.
“Now, I’ve got a sort of a platform to talk about other things as well.
“With the book, I think that I can help many people – like parents of autistic children, young lads who have fallen out of the game, to lads who are in the game now – showing them how things can change in such a short space of time, so never give up.
“Writing the book was quite therapeutic at times. It’s emotional, it’s up and down.”