BIG DUNC
The Upfront Autobiography
Published on 21. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-80495-184-2 (ISBN)
Description
*THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*
They don't make footballers - and football autobiographies - like this anymore. The brutally honest, riotously entertaining story of the much-loved Everton legend and iconic Premier League bad boy.
'A hell of a read. I couldn't recommend it more. Powerful' Gary Lineker
'Pure charisma' The Times
'A legend' Carlo Ancelotti
'One of life's good guys. Kind and generous. As you can imagine, I'd much rather him be a teammate than be an opponent. ' Alan Shearer
____________________________________________________________________
Praised by Wayne Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson as one of the greatest and most passionate players to ever play the game, Duncan Ferguson, or Big Dunc as he is known, is larger than life in every sense. Measuring a towering 6 feet 4 inches in height, from the moment the striker emerged in British football in the 1990s, he was front and back page news.
On the pitch, fans loved Duncan for his roguish charm, his thrilling goals and his total commitment in every game. Fighting tooth and nail, he was a born leader and took no prisoners. Like his rival Roy Keane, he played close to the limit, and often crossed it. Such as the time he was sentenced to 3 months in Glasgow's toughest prison for headbutting an opponent - the first and only time a footballer has ever gone to jail for a crime committed on a football pitch.
In BIG DUNC: The Upfront Autobiography, Duncan reveals, for the first time, the full story: the truth about his experiences in prison, his partying with African princes and Liverpool gangsters, his fighting with burglars, his making and losing a fortune, and how he turned his life around through his beloved Everton F.C..
In the process, the book sheds light on one of football's most charismatic but notorious and enigmatic hardmen. He is a pillar of the community in Merseyside, giving back to stricken children who share a similar tough upbringing to his own. Duncan's book takes readers on a rollercoaster ride of humour, drama and redemption. Buckle up.
____________________________________________________________________________
'Duncan Ferguson is an iconic figure for Evertonians as a great number 9...Big Dunc loves the scousers & the scousers love him!' Jamie Carragher
'Duncan is possibly the most misunderstood man in football. His football IQ and knowledge of the game is second to none, couple that with the person he is and you've got nothing but quality.' Tony Bellew
*A Sunday Times Bestseller, May 2025
They don't make footballers - and football autobiographies - like this anymore. The brutally honest, riotously entertaining story of the much-loved Everton legend and iconic Premier League bad boy.
'A hell of a read. I couldn't recommend it more. Powerful' Gary Lineker
'Pure charisma' The Times
'A legend' Carlo Ancelotti
'One of life's good guys. Kind and generous. As you can imagine, I'd much rather him be a teammate than be an opponent. ' Alan Shearer
____________________________________________________________________
Praised by Wayne Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson as one of the greatest and most passionate players to ever play the game, Duncan Ferguson, or Big Dunc as he is known, is larger than life in every sense. Measuring a towering 6 feet 4 inches in height, from the moment the striker emerged in British football in the 1990s, he was front and back page news.
On the pitch, fans loved Duncan for his roguish charm, his thrilling goals and his total commitment in every game. Fighting tooth and nail, he was a born leader and took no prisoners. Like his rival Roy Keane, he played close to the limit, and often crossed it. Such as the time he was sentenced to 3 months in Glasgow's toughest prison for headbutting an opponent - the first and only time a footballer has ever gone to jail for a crime committed on a football pitch.
In BIG DUNC: The Upfront Autobiography, Duncan reveals, for the first time, the full story: the truth about his experiences in prison, his partying with African princes and Liverpool gangsters, his fighting with burglars, his making and losing a fortune, and how he turned his life around through his beloved Everton F.C..
In the process, the book sheds light on one of football's most charismatic but notorious and enigmatic hardmen. He is a pillar of the community in Merseyside, giving back to stricken children who share a similar tough upbringing to his own. Duncan's book takes readers on a rollercoaster ride of humour, drama and redemption. Buckle up.
____________________________________________________________________________
'Duncan Ferguson is an iconic figure for Evertonians as a great number 9...Big Dunc loves the scousers & the scousers love him!' Jamie Carragher
'Duncan is possibly the most misunderstood man in football. His football IQ and knowledge of the game is second to none, couple that with the person he is and you've got nothing but quality.' Tony Bellew
*A Sunday Times Bestseller, May 2025
Reviews / Votes
'A legend' * Carlo Ancelotti * 'One of life's good guys. Kind and generous. As you can imagine, I'd much rather him being a teammate than being an opponent. I loved my time playing up front with the Big Man. I could see the fear of defenders standing in the tunnel before a ball was kicked.' * Alan Shearer * 'Duncan Ferguson is an iconic figure for Evertonians as a great number 9, but he is also held in the highest regard by most of the city of Liverpool, for his generosity and being seen as one of us. Big Dunc loves the scousers & the scousers love him!' * Jamie Carragher * 'Duncan is possibly the most misunderstood man in football. His football IQ and knowledge of the game is second to none, couple that with the person he is and you've got nothing but quality.' * Tony Bellew *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Cornerstone
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
278 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80495-184-2 (9781804951842)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
05/2025
Penguin (Cornerstone)
€9.49
Available for download
Person
Duncan Ferguson is a former Scottish footballer. He grew up in the tenements of Stirling and began his career at Dundee United in 1990. He moved to Rangers in 1993 for what was then a British transfer record fee of GBP4 million. He won seven caps playing for the Scottish national team. After spending three months in 1995 at HM Prison Barlinnie for an on-pitch offence, he spent the remainder of his career in England. He played for Everton first between 1994 and 1998, winning the FA Cup in 1995. He played for Newcastle United between 1998 and 2000, after which he returned to Everton, where he retired in 2006. He has scored more goals (68) than any other Scottish player in England's Premier League since its creation in 1992. As a coach, at Everton he was caretaker manager and assistant manager, working alongside Carlo Ancelotti among others. He coached young players including John Stones, Ross Barkley, Dele Alli and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who all went on to play for England. He has most recently managed Forest Green Rovers and Inverness Caledonian Thistle.