Carl Ikeme shares story of leukaemia battle in new book
Former Wolves hero Carl Ikeme is bringing out a book revealing his battle with leukaemia.
The 33-year-old was forced to retire from football last year after a fight against the condition.
He has now joined forces with Wolverhampton-based freelance journalist and former Wolves press officer Paul Berry to tell his story.
The book, entitled Why Not Me?, is due to be released in the next few weeks.
It tells the story of his life growing up in Birmingham before eventually making it as a professional footballer with Wolves.
Ikeme also recalls the impact of his devastating diagnosis on himself and his family and friends.
The book is due to go on sale at the Wolves club shop and Wolverhampton’s Waterstones book shop. Ikeme made 274 domestic career appearances in all competitions, with more than 200 of them coming for Wolves, the club he joined in 2000 as a 14-year-old.
He went on to win two promotions, and 10 international caps for Nigeria, who honoured him at last year’s World Cup by naming him as their 24th squad member.
Ikeme remains a hugely popular figure with Wolves fans and players alike, with current goalkeeper Rui Patricio choosing to wear the number 11 shirt rather than the number one shirt worn by his predecessor in the Wolves goal.
There was an outpouring of support from the football world when he was diagnosed, with famous faces from around the world backing him.
