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The true and remarkable story of the English double agent who ended up playing for Spartak Moscow.Like many working class children growing up in the war, the young Jim Riordan would fantasise his way out of his devastated surroundings with dreams of Wembley and FA Cup glory for his local team, Portsmouth FC. Spartak Moscow, the team he would end up playing for, wasn't even on his radar.Taught Russian and trained as a spy in the same institution that nurtured the likes of Alan Bennett and Michael Frayn, he was posted to Berlin as part of his National Service to listen in on Soviet military communiqués. But, unbeknownst to his seniors, he began mixing with Russian servicemen, mostly through informal kick-abouts, and the passion of these idealistic young men would cultivate his interest in Russian culture, and especially communism, until it blossomed into a full-grown love affair.From the shambolic outfit that was the British Communist Party in the 1950s, to Cold War Moscow at its coldest, to his friendship with the Cambridge Five and meetings with Brezhnev and Gregarin, and his eventual debut in front of 50,000 Spartak fans at the Lenin Stadium, 'Comrade Jim' is the remarkable true story of the only Englishman to have played - and survived - Russian league football, told with grace, humour and lashings of vodka.An incredible journey of an ordinary man living through extraordinary times.
This memoir investigates the improbable trajectory of an English intelligence officer who transitioned from a Cold War spy in Berlin to a professional footballer for Spartak Moscow. Author Jim Riordan draws upon his personal experiences during the mid-20th century to document his ideological shift toward communism and his integration into Soviet society. The narrative provides a firsthand account of the cultural and political climate of the era, framed through the lens of his unique dual identity as both a British operative and a Soviet athlete.
What You Will Find
This work offers a distinct, personal perspective on the intersection of sports and international espionage during the height of the Cold War. The narrative provides a dense, anecdotal account that serves as both a historical record and a character study of a man caught between two opposing global powers.
Page Count:
223
Publication Date:
2009-01-01
Publisher:
Harpercollins Pub Ltd
ISBN-10:
0007251157
ISBN-13:
9780007251155
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