George Best is widely regarded as a brilliant footballer - one of the best in the world - with a troubled life. A European Cup and Ballon dOr winner with Manchester United, the Northern Ireland international had all the skills and panache to be at the top of the game. Best visited Australia four times between 1967 and 1990, the first time with Manchester United ahead of their European Cup win as the biggest football star in the universe, the last time as a supernova. As early as Bests second visit in 1983, journalist Andrew Dettre wrote that Bests visit to Australia "must surely...be considered rock bottom" for a man of his talents. Despite the popular view that Bests tours down under were all about drinking and women, Lucas Gillard and Jason Goldsmith go behind-the-scenes to talk with people who knew him, who played with him, and who knew there was much more nuance, complexity, and back story to the man than the archetypal celebrity footballer the media preferred to present.
Lucas Gillard is a writer from Melbourne who has a background in marketing and has published long-form football pieces for The Roar and The Football Pink. His love of football was forged in the Great Depression of 1997 and was only further inflamed while sitting in the Gardiner Stand at Princes Park to watch Carlton Soccer Club. Lucas collects jerseys, programs, and other bric-a-brac from football clubs around the world, including diving into every op shop he can find looking for NPL jerseys. He actively supports footballs agency for social change, by providing content for Football v Homophobia, and watching pre-dawn Forest Green Rovers matches. Lucas also has a dark side and has contributed work on AFL for The Roar and the Carlton Football Club website.In a past life Lucas gained credits as a playwright and poet. Lucas’ comedy Love In the Time of Milkbars was warmly received in the Melbourne Fringe Festival in 2009, and he placed on the podium for Best Play in the 2010 Short and Sweet Festival. He co-authored Be My Guest – Football Superstars in Australia with Jason Goldsmith.
Jason Goldsmith lives in the inner north of Melbourne. A father of two, he is heavily involved in community sport and a big fan of Australian footballers and the national teams. He loves nothing more than watching the progress of the Socceroos and Matildas at World and Asian Cups. He has previous written Green and Golden Boots (2023) following Surfing for England (2019) and Be My Guest – Football Superstars in Australia (2021) which was co-written with Lucas Gillard.
* This book goes beyond the headlines and the media reports to talk with people who knew him and travelled with him.
* The worlds most famous footballer in his day and still regarded as one of the top 5 football players of all time.
* Reveals a little known history of his four tours to Australia.
Publicity:
* Nermin Bajric, Watterson PR.
