John Leonard Interview: ‘I had just five grand in my account and spent it gambling and drinking’

John Leonard is one of the best GAA goalkeepers you may never have heard of. As understudy to Stephen Cluxton, most of his inter-county life was spent on the subs’ bench. Amazingly, his incredible rise onto the Dublin senior football panel was achieved against a backdrop of a troubled life, battling drug addiction and alcoholism...

To get an idea of just how different a GAA autobiography and career John ‘Lenny’ Leonard has written and lived, as good a place to start is in the Himalayas.

A 27-year-old man is smoking a cigarette in a small café, gazing at the vast valley outside. He pays his breakfast bill, makes his way back to his hostel.