FORMER Geelong and Essendon star Paul Chapman has used his upcoming book to slam former teammate Brendon Goddard, labelling him "self-centred" and a "perfectionist".

Chapman retired this year after 16 seasons and 280 games – the final 29 of those with the Bombers in 2014 and 2015 – and wasted no time transferring his hard-nosed approach from the footy field to his life in retirement.

In an extract from his book published in the Herald Sun, the three-time premiership Cat and 2009 Norm Smith medallist said that while Goddard was a popular player at Essendon, his volatile nature on and off the field often alienated him from his teammates.

"When I first joined Essendon I was excited to play with BJ (Brendon Goddard). He did a lot of talking and at first, I enjoyed listening to what he had say. He reads the game well. Unfortunately I found him to be too self-centred," Chapman wrote.

The dual All Australian forward recalled an incident from a game in which Goddard's emotions boiled over and it caused a heated altercation between the pair.

"When we played Geelong in Round 15, 2014, it was naturally a game I wanted to play really well in. Unfortunately I didn’t. We were getting flogged in the first half and Brendon was getting very frustrated, as were we all," Chapman wrote.

"There were Geelong blokes everywhere when BJ (Goddard) screamed at me, 'Where's your man?' I said, 'Right there, where the [expletive] is your man?'

"Then his eyes seemed to glaze over and he lost his cool.

"His reaction was completely futile. I was frustrated because we weren’t playing well and I had seen him react like this in the past. Someone had to put a stop to it but I let it slide.

"I remember thinking how bad it would look if we were at each other in the middle of play. Plus, his whole tirade was nonsense to me and frankly, I couldn’t be bothered.

"I told him after the game that he shouldn’t speak to our young players like that. I could handle it because I never really took anything personally anyway. And what I really saw was a bloke cracking under pressure.

"It was something I had never witnessed before from a leader and a player of his calibre. Even my ex-teammates looked at him in disbelief."

Chapman said that afterwards when confronted about the incident, Goddard denied it had ever taken place.

A self-confessed "selfish player" early in his playing days, Chapman wrote that he had to learn how to put the team first at Geelong, and it turned his career around.

Known for his love of sledging, Goddard was often seen angrily remonstrating with the umpires, opposition players and his own teammates.

Chapman wrote that the former Saint's motto was, "I'm not here to be liked, I'm here to be respected" and it didn't earn a lot of respect at the club from certain parties.

"At Geelong he wouldn’t have lasted a minute. I know this because in many ways, I was Geelong's version of BJ in my earlier days. My criticism wasn't constructive but I didn't deal with harsh feedback well," Chapman wrote. 

"My insecurities had me believe that it was a personal attack and these guys simply didn't like me. Eventually I realised that I had to take it on board and deal with it — it was for the benefit of the team."

Chapman admitted that he didn't feel comfortable in pulling Goddard into line, given he'd only arrived at the Bombers at the end of the 2013 season.