Editions

Hard Tackles and Dirty Baths

Hard Tackles and Dirty Baths

  • The inside story of football's golden era

'We were the first generation to have to deal with the modern stardom of football. Some handled it better than others' George Best

Written in the months before he died, Hard Tackles and Dirty Baths is George's farewell letter to the great footballing era in which he burned so brightly - a personal history of the golden years before TV and agents changed everything. From the breaking of the maximum wage to the cusp of the first million-pound player, it follows the triumphs and tragedies of every season from 1960 to 1974. It is the story of our greatest footballing generation - Greaves, Moore, Law, Charlton, Osgood, Lorimer, Jennings, Hurst and, of course, Best himself.

Reviews

  • One last look back at the tortured life of the most charismatic footballer of our generation

    Guardian

  • Best's love letter to the Beautiful Game and his own youth

    Irish Times

  • A great read

    Sunday Sport

  • A complete history of the sport before money and marketing took over

    Mirror

More from this Author

About the Author

George Best

Christened the Fifth Beatle at his peak, Best was the first pop star footballer and had teenage girls flocking to Old Trafford decades before the likes of Giggs and Beckham. Unable to cope with the success and fame that his talent brought him, Best fell into alcoholism. Despite well-documented problems with his health and private life over the years, George Best retained the energy and character that had made him an icon to his many fans up until his death on 25 November 2005.

George Best

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