Gravesen: knocking out Ronaldo's tooth, rocket fight with Rooney...
In his book 'Mad Dog Gravesen: The Last of the Modern Footballing Mavericks' the man who shared a dressing room with Beckham, Figo and Raúl tells all.
Anyone who was lucky enough to see Real Madrid during the time of 'Los Galácticos' will have enjoyed the scintilating skills of the likes of Ronaldo, Zidane, Figo, Raúl and Beckham. Also the field back then was the less than glamorous Thomas Gravesen. The Danish midfielder didn't go unnoticed during his time in the Spanish capital, where he was known as 'The Ogre', for his constant outbursts during games or at team training.
Now, the former Everton, Celtic and Hamburg star has published his biography, in which he relays a number of anecdotes about his life that could quite easily form the basis of a Hollywood blockbuster. Here are a few from the book, 'Mad Dog Gravesen: The Last of the Modern Footballing Mavericks'.
Knocking Ronaldo's tooth out
At the time, the Brazilian was seen as the best forward in the world and Real Madrid had invested a whole lot in bringing him as a Galáctico. Gravesen's no nonsense style wasn't only witnessed by opposition players at the weekend: training sessions for the Dane also carried his bite. And his exuberant approach had him lifting up and hugging fellow players, one time he ruffed up the goal-machine that was Ronaldo throwing him to the ground and leaving him with one tooth less. That made some headlines in Spain!
Shy boy meets porn actress
Gravesen's love life also gets some attention in the book. When you join Real Madrid, especially around the time of Los Galácticos, you are unlikely to be out of the spotlight. And spending time with a porn actress is only going to intensify that attention. According to the player's first girlfriend, he was so shy that didn't even ask for her phone number. She was therefore rather surprised to hear that he would end up dating the adult entertainer, Kira Eggers, the latter refusing to get involved in the book.
Fireworks fight with Rooney
Wayne Rooney came on to football's professional scene with a bang. And his emergence as the main man, despite his young age, meant that Gravesen's role at Everton was to change. This was part of the reason that the two determined players had various confrontations, and one such battle had more literal 'bangs'. The book tells of how the two of them ended up launching rockets at each other from a distance of around 50 metres. David Moyes, the then manager, described it:
'It was the old gym, it's about 60 yards long. Thomas and Wayne, they were shooting fireworks at each other. They had big rockets full of gunpowder, they were holding one end and shooting them at each other'.
Other stories included his early work selling spare car parts and the night he lost 54 million pounds. You can read more about all these on the Daily Mail's website or buy the book for yourself.