Alfie Potts-Harmer (03-14) has launched his first book England’s Greatest Defender: The Untold Story of Neil Franklin. As the title suggests, the book charts the rise and fall of former England player, Neil Franklin, a footballing visionary hailed by Sir Stanley Matthews as “the greatest centre-half I ever had the privilege of playing with.”

Alfie wrote the book with the help of Neil's son, former England internationals, club team mates, club chairmen and numerous others who have contributed a huge deal of valuable material to tell the story of possibly the finest footballer you’ve never heard of. 

Alfie said: “Franklin was the complete centre-half, rated by those who saw him in action to be superior to even the great Sir Bobby Moore, but his move to Colombia combined with a lack of surviving footage mean he’s far from a  household name in 2019. Hopefully the book can help change that.”

Capped 27 times by England, setting a record for consecutive England appearances, Franklin sent shockwaves through the British game when he left Britain for Bogota in 1950, just months before England were set to make their World Cup debut in Brazil. In a flash, the fate of Franklin's career and English football in its entirety was irrevocably damaged.

Alfie said: “Researching for a book about a footballer who was at the peak of his powers in the late 1940s wasn’t easy, but I was very fortunate with the amount of people who were willing to sit down and share their stories of Neil with me, most of whom were in their 90s. It’s taken two-and-a-half years from start to finish, but it’s great to be able to hold the book in the flesh now.”

Alfie is a multimedia sports journalist who writes and creates YouTube videos about football. He began his writing career by founding his own website, A Halftime Report, focussing on quirky and historical tales from the world of football. In 2015, Alfie was named as the best young football blogger in the world by a panel of esteemed print and broadcast journalists. He now runs a football-based YouTube channel called HITC Sevens. 

England’s Greatest Defender: The Untold Story of Neil Franklin was published by Red Door Publishing in August 2019 and is available from Amazon, other online and high street retailers and bookstores, or it can be ordered directly from www.englandsgreatestdefender.com.