Former Aston Villa, Leeds United and Leicester City striker Julian Joachim's motor had Boston United teammates in hysterics on his first day at training... now you can learn more secrets from the striker's career at town book signing

Former Aston Villa and Leicester City striker Julian Joachim has his teammates in fits of laughter when he first reported for training at Boston United.

The Pilgrims were expecting a flash motor to roll into training on day one.

But what they got what something quite the opposite.

“The lads were excited that we had signed someone of Julian’s calibre, and we were asking each other what kind of car he’d be driving," Lawrie Dudfield remembers in his former teammate's new autobiography You Must Be Joachim.

"A few of us were even taking bets. Will he arrive in a Porsche? A Ferrari? Maybe a Maserati?

"Then, on the day of his arrival, this old, clapped out, big, white 12-seater van, with rust on both sides, pulled into the car park and outstepped Julian Joachim, our big-name signing.

"The boys were on the floor, crying with laughter when he stepped out of the van.

"Nobody expected it at all. But that was Julian, he wasn’t bothered. He didn’t care, he didn’t need to be in a flash motor, he was like, this is what I’ve got, this is who I am.”

The highs and lows of Joachim's career are charted in his book, which he will be signing in town this weekend.

He will be be offering personal messages and posing for photos with those in attendance at the Stump & Candle Pub, Market Place, Boston from noon to 2pm on Saturday (April 2).

Joachim was raised in Boston and spent his formative years playing football for Wyberton Colts and catching chickens while working the land for his uncle Charlie, before bursting onto the footballing scene, winning the Under 18s European Championship with England in 1993 and emerging as one of the tournament’s star players.

He continued his form at Leicester, helping win the Division One Play-Off final a year later, earning the club promotion to the Premier League for the first time.

After scoring Leicester City’s first ever Premier League goal in 1994, Joachim went on to play for numerous clubs across England, including Villa – where he played in the 2000 FA Cup final -Coventry City and Leeds United before dropping down two divisions to play for his home town club Boston.

“People may think that if you’re used to playing in the Premier League then League Two must be easier," Joachim said.

"It’s actually the opposite. The better the players around you the easier it is.

"The further you go down the leagues, the harder I found it."

Joachim scored 19 goals in just 44 appearances, instantly becoming a fan favourite in the 2005-06 campaign, returning for a handful of appearances under Jason Lee in 2011.

‘You Must be Joachim’ published by Morgan Lawrence Publishing Services is available to purchase on Amazon and other major book retailers.

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