After 15 years, five published books, a must-read newspaper column and many social media threads dedicated to outing him, The Secret Footballer has finally been revealed. At one point during the height of his popularity, there was even a website called Who is the Secret Footballer?, which assembled all the clues from the weekly behind-the-scenes dispatches to try to find out who it was.

His articles would pull back the curtain on the “billion-dollar circus” that is elite football, with key themes including agents, dressing room politics and the industry’s cynicism. Many football fans of a certain age will likely know his identity, but former Reading, Stoke City, Sheffield United and Portsmouth striker Dave Kitson has finally confirmed it publicly. Speaking to the Express, he said: “I am The Secret Footballer.

“I’ve never said that out loud before. I wasn’t happy with where football was going, and I needed an outlet to express it for my own mental health.”

Kitson, now a leading motivational speaker, has finally decided to come clean and has provided details on why his career took the turn it did towards writing best-selling novels and intriguing articles, both before and after he hung up his boots.

“I’ve been writing since I was a kid,” he said.

“It’s a passion. Before football, I wanted to be a travel writer. The writing was cathartic. It helped me process what was going on in football.

“Would I do it again, knowing what I know now? Probably not. People come up and ask me about it all the time. It’s nice to unburden myself.”

Kitson, now 46, started writing in 2011 and retired from football aged 34 in July 2014.

He added: “It started as something that wasn’t about naming names. It was about explaining what happens in the industry and why.

“I would write and leave people to form their own opinions. It was fun for a while, then it bred huge anxiety.

“I had a career and a big contract. If I’d been outed, I would have been sacked and ostracised.

“Now everyone has a podcast and an outlet. Back then, it was genuinely new.

“It changed football in this country and led to overhauls at the highest levels, which I’m proud of. But the stress and anxiety were immense.”

Kitson also revealed the tragic turning point that ultimately led him to end the column.

In November 2011, he wrote a piece addressing what he described as an “epidemic” of mental health struggles in football, at a time when the subject was rarely discussed publicly.

“I wrote a column called ‘Sometimes There’s Darkness Behind the Light’. I said it was only a matter of time before someone in football would take their own life,” he said.

The article was published on a Saturday. The following day, former Wales manager Gary Speed was found dead.

“That’s when it stopped being fun,” said Kitson.

“It gave the column credibility in the worst possible way, and it was really difficult. I suffered and struggled with guilt for a long time. I felt that if I’d written that column earlier, we might have prevented what happened. I struggled with that.

“Then I became angry at the authorities for being passive on the issue of mental health and not doing enough. I still feel anger towards them, but fortunately, the people who were in those positions are no longer there, and things have changed and improved.

“That tragedy was the most horrendous thing that could happen. I felt such sympathy for his family. It was unnecessary. That was the day The Secret Footballer went from being a cult column to something people were treating almost like a Bible on football.

“It was credibility in the worst possible way. Not long after that, I stopped.”

Kitson said he had never set out to be a footballer.

“I wanted to be a travel writer,” he said. “I wanted to get around the world and have someone pay me to do it. Then I fell into football.

“The reason I fell into football was because I was playing for a non-league team and our striker broke his leg. I was put up front to take his place, and I managed to score these goals.

“I remember having a real thought, even then at a young age, that it was a real opportunity to make a mark. Fortunately for me, I was able to take advantage of it.

“I became a professional footballer and found myself eventually playing in the Premier League.”

The Secret Footballer’s written work has captured the attention of football supporters across the country over the years, but was it worth it?

“One piece of advice to my younger self: don’t write those books,” he said.

“They were fun and helped me mentally, but people always want more of you. Whatever you give is never enough.

“You give pieces of your soul to people. You’re either the type who can survive that, or you struggle. I know a lot who have struggled and wish they’d never done it.

“I’m glad I played football. It shaped me. Would I miss it if I hadn’t done it? Probably not.”

Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org