Southampton FC legend Benali on latest gruelling challenge and 'touching' relationship with club and city

In truth, that was probably the wrong thing to tell Benali if the intention was to try and dissuade him. Anyone who knows Benali - whether that is as a footballer or post-retirement philanthropist - knows that it’s almost impossible for him to turn down a challenge.

That mindset saw him make 373 Saints appearances through injury and stern competition. That mindset saw him complete a range of incredible physical challenges to raise money for cancer research in recent years. And that mindset saw Benali enter the studio himself and spend three achingly long days recording the words of his autobiography.

Of course, through gritty determination (and a healthy dose of necessary errors), he succeeded and the book Francis Benali: The Autobiography From Football Man to Iron Fran can now be purchased in physical copy or audiobook.

Image: Bloomsbury Sport (Image: Image: Dave Vokes)

“The publishers said the audio version can be quite a slog to produce and I was almost discouraged from taking it on personally, there are professionals who do this,” Benali explains to the Daily Echo. 

“I thought ‘fair enough.’ But then I gave it a little bit more thought and if someone was listening to my autobiography, I’d want them to hear it in my own voice so that’s what swayed it for me. It’s something I didn’t find easy, there were loads and loads of mistakes and it was difficult for me. I could see where people were coming from when they said ‘you’re not going to breeze through this.’ But I’m pleased I did it. It felt right that I should do it in my own voice.”

Benali’s autobiography - written with the help of Daily Mail Sports Reporter Matt Barlow - is the latest in a long line of seismic challenges battled through. This latest challenge - more mental than physical unlike his previous collection - might have been the hardest yet as it chronicles his life from Southampton native to club legend and MBE-recognised fundraiser.

The story begins with, of course, the beginning: a kid from Southampton, walking past The Dell and dreaming of one day playing for his local team.

For Benali, life in football began with total innocence and joy, playing in the streets with his friends until his teen years. But not long after, things got serious as he played a year up for Southampton Schools before a host of professional sides came calling.

Image: Dave Vokes (Image: Image: Dave Vokes)

Among them were Arsenal, Aston Villa and “dare I say Portsmouth”, the Saints legend laughs. Ultimately, there was only one choice, one dream.

“When I started becoming a bit more interested in football, walking past The Dell as a young boy on the way to school, then I started going to The Dell to watch matches with some school friends, all of a sudden that love for the club was a lot stronger. It was never a decision in some ways, it was always going to be Saints.”

At 14 Benali officially joined the club and two years later he signed on as an apprentice. As part of his education, youth team coach Dave Merrington ensured there was growth on the pitch but equally important was instilling what Benali calls the “Southampton stamp.”

“Dave Merrington, who was youth team manager at the time, prepared us for life and the big bad world, not just sport,” Benali says. “As a group of players, there was a collective effort we all had to do. There were the jobs to do, cleaning boots, doing jobs around the training ground. A lot of those things and the standards he instilled in us both on and off the pitch grew us as young men. There was a Southampton stamp on all of us that we took into the rest of our lives, supporting good causes, being good people as well as hopefully good footballers.”

A major theme of Benali’s autobiography - and as such his entire life - has been maximum commitment to everything he does. Saints fans who got the chance to watch him through the 90s will be no stranger to that mantra and it’s the same fierce drive that saw him push through the audiobook recording. 

“That was a large part of how I approached my career and my outlook on football and that’s crossed over into my life as well. I’ve always been whole-hearted in everything I’ve looked to take on with a goal to try and draw and inspire the people around me as well. 

“And I’ve received that as well whether it’s family or teammates or supporters. I’ve been part of a jigsaw, certainly from a Southampton Football Club perspective and the community and the city. Being born and raised here, the links have always felt that much stronger to me and I guess the word to use would be ‘responsibility.’ I always felt I was responsible in representing so many other people and I knew I was fortunate to be in the position I was and I think that’s reflected in the way that even if I wasn’t the best, I never gave anything less than the best.”

READ MORE: Saints legend Benali thanks 'generosity' of Southampton community after fundraiser

When Benali first joined the club in the late 1980s, Southampton were coming towards the end of a rather spectacular decade that saw them reach multiple Cup semi-finals and finish second to Liverpool in the First Division. 

But the advent of the modern Premier League and a wave of foreign money pumped into the division led to a far more difficult landscape for Saints to compete with. On top of that, The Dell was reduced to an attendance of just 15,000 as English stadiums became all-seater following the tragedy at Hillsborough.

Still, despite the various obstacles, Southampton fought and clawed and kept themselves in the top flight. It’s an achievement Benali is proud of.

“I think that was a collective effort from everyone on and off the pitch,” the retired full-back says. “Players, staff, people working at the club, supporters, the city itself. We had a real close bond. “We had success in the 70s winning the FA Cup and that team in the 80s did so well but I guess you could say it became a little bit of a struggle through the 90s to remain in the Premier League when things started to get bigger. 

“All of us connected with the club would have liked to be a little bit more successful in some ways but survival at times felt like success when we did stay up either on the last day of the season or put a run together where we’d pull ourselves away from danger. Looking back as a player, I’m very proud to say I was never part of a squad or time at the club when we were relegated. When that did happen, it was hard to take even as a retired player.”

Benali’s Saints career included one more memorable highlight as his side reached the 2003 FA Cup Final, narrowly losing to Arsenal. While Benali didn’t participate in the Cardiff finale, he cherishes the memory as he swivels his Zoom camera to show a framed shirt from that day, signed by his teammates.

But Benali’s story - and his autobiography - is so captivating and inspiring because his work didn’t end with the end of his football career. This is no regular football story and that’s why he was encouraged to put it on paper. This is a story that can connect with fans far beyond the city of Southampton.

Really, the end of Benali’s career was just the start of the next chapter of philanthropic work. Through a series of grueling physical challenges including the Iron Fran, Benali has raised over £1m for cancer research, surpassing the target he and his team set from the offset.

It’s this tendency to push through and complete what he starts that has made Benali such a beloved favourite of the Southampton community. 

While his book - and our conversation - is about Benali’s life, he makes sure to mention that his relationship with Southampton is not one-way.

Image: PA (Image: Image: PA)

“It’s something I’m extremely proud of, my connection with the club. To have a role with the Saints Foundation…I’m very humbled by it. And supporters are very kind with their comments, so many people over so many years have been so kind and that’s something that genuinely touches me and my family. It’s something I’m very honoured and very proud of.

“It’s a relationship and connection that I hope will never change and I don’t see it changing. It’s something I genuinely hope will be there forever with me and my family. There’s another generation now. Kenzie works at the club and my son and daughter are huge Saints fans, it’s lovely to enjoy the connection with the club with family and friends as well beyond the playing days. It’s something that’s quite touching to us all.”

There probably is no right time for a book like this and Benali concedes that there will be more chapters to his life even if a back injury has kept him from any more physical endurance challenges. But his story is filled with the kind of inspiration and commitment his whole life has encompassed and after being persuaded to go for it, he is happy that the autobiography is now a reality.

“It was a long one!” he says of the process from starting the book to the finished copy that can be found on the shelves today. “It was a lot of work and I didn’t even physically write it myself! Matt Barlow eloquently put my story and hours and hours of talking to one another into print and he did an incredible job. But there are other people who helped in the process. 

“That was effectively the lockdown project! The whole family threw ourselves into and it was a big team effort like it is with everything with the Benalis! It’s something we’re really proud of. There were hours and hours of conversations and emails. It was harder than I was expecting to be honest.”

Recently, the book was nominated for the Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year just further showcasing the special piece of work he and Barlow created. Perhaps there will be a second volume in due course. But for now, you can find out more information about Francis Benali: The Autobiography by clicking here.

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