Fighting Spirit: The Autobiography of Fernando Ricksen

by Fernando Ricksen, Vincent de Vries, Barry Ferguson

Fernando Ricksen was a fighter.

As a footballer, Ricksen carved out a fearsome reputation for Rangers, Zenit St Petersburg and Holland. Throughout his time at Ibrox, his aggressive approach won him hero status among the Rangers fans, and off the field he was just as dynamic a force, finding himself on the front page as often as in the sports section.

After leaving the club in 2006 and signing for Zenit St Petersburg, he went on to defeat his former teammates in the final of the 2008 UEFA Cup and established as wild a reputation in Russia as he had in Glasgow.

Ricksen was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2013, and here his extraordinary life story is chronicled, along with his 6 year battle with the disease. Fighting Spirit details his wild experiences both on and off the field, in a rollercoaster journey of football, alcohol, drugs, sex, violence and corruption.

288 pages, Paperback

Published January 7, 2020

About the author

Fernando Ricksen was born in Hoensbroek (Heerlen) in 1976 and played professional football for Fortuna Sittard, AZ Alkmaar, Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg as well as gaining international honours for the Netherlands. He lives in Maaseik, Belgium, with his wife Veronika and their daughter Isabella.

Ricksen passed away in september 2019 at the age of 43 due to ALS (motor neurone disease)

Reviews

[Thiago S.]

Good bio. Guy enjoyed his life. RIP

[Andrew Hartshorn]

A very open and honest account of his life. A rough diamond for sure. We all sympathise with Fernando on his demise. No happy ending. Fans will like to remember the onfield dynamo he was. RIP Fernando.

[Marmalade]

A heart breaking yet warming read of a man who never said die even when been diagnosed with such a terrible disease as MND.