Bobby Moore, Matt Dickinson
Bobby Moore, Matt Dickinson
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Bobby Moore
The Man in Full

Author: Matt Dickinson

Narrator: Colin Mace

Unabridged: 9 hr 58 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/18/2014


Synopsis

‘Immaculate footballer. Imperial defender. Immortal hero of 1966. Master of Wembley. Captain extraordinary. Gentleman of all time.’

These are some of the words inscribed beneath the statue of England’s World Cup-winning captain, Bobby Moore, at Wembley stadium. Since Moore’s death, of bowel cancer at just 51, these accolades represent the accepted view of this national treasure. But what do we actually know about Bobby Moore as a person? What about the grit alongside the glory?

Moore was undeniably an extraordinary captain and player. Pelé called him the greatest – and fairest – defender he ever played against. His feats for West Ham United and England are legendary and his technical mastery of the game ahead of its time. Few footballers since have come close to his winning combination of intelligence, skill, temperament and class.

Yet off the pitch, Moore knew scandal, divorce and drink. What about the string of failed businesses, whispers of bad behaviour, links to the East End underworld and turbulent private life? Ignored by the football world post-retirement, this great of the game drifted into obscurity and, famously, there was no knighthood.

Acclaimed football writer Matt Dickinson traces the journey of this Essex boy who became the patron saint of English football, peeling away the layers of legend and looking at Moore’s life from all sides – in triumph, in failure, in full.

About Matt Dickinson

Matt Dickinson joined The Times in 1997 and is currently Senior Sports Writer for the paper. His previous book, Bobby Moore: The Man in Full, was a Sunday Times bestseller and shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year prize. He lives in south-west London.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Stephen on March 11, 2015

interesting read where the author is in search of the real bobby moore not the urban myth of recent years and through interviews you find that the person you don't really know but was of that generation where feelings weren't expressed even when he was dying of cancer. moore was probably one of most......more

Goodreads review by Kai on August 28, 2025

A book that gives you a real insight into one of the most iconic footballers in world football. Being a West Ham fan growing up he was spoken about in the highest regard possible; stands named after him at Upton Park/London stadium as well as two statues outside each respective ground. It covers his......more

Goodreads review by Steve on February 23, 2016

Disgrace the way he was treated post 1966. Hadn't realised what a disappointment Ron Greenwood was and shameful the way the mighty irons treated Mooro in his twilight years. That tackle ... Blimey they could neck it in those days too - sad really. Saw him play once, against the Gas, truly. Legendary a......more

Goodreads review by Elliot on September 18, 2014

V. V. exciting to be the first person to rate this book on Goodreads.......more

Goodreads review by Matthew on February 17, 2023

They say you should never meet your heroes, but I did, briefly once, maybe 1971. A friend and I were on The Heath at Petersfield when Bobby Moore came round a corner with his wife. He was polite, couteous and signed a scrap of paper we produced, sadly now lost. How many times did he do that? He trul......more


Quotes

Brilliant Daily Mirror

Devastating. No ghosted autobiography can match the nuanced insight of the latest book on Bobby Moore, a hero flawed by alcohol Independent

Well-researched and written, this book brings us the real Bobby Moore The Times

A tragic tale, admirably researched and poignantly told Sunday Times

It’s an immaculately researched voyage of discovery into a footballing enigma. We’ll never know the man in full, but this comes close Metro

We know this story, but it's still a page-turner Daily Mail

The strength of the book lies in the way Dickinson has been able to go beyond football and find Moore’s real character… Dickinson’s achievement has been to honour the memory of Moore while also allowing us to understand that he was far from perfect When Saturday Comes

Absorbing Spectator

This should be essential, sobering reading for anyone who cares about West Ham, England or English football Metro

Bobby Moore will rightly be forever remembered as the champion of his era, the most serenely masterful footballer ever to have hailed from these shores; “The Man in Full”, not shying away from human fallacies, serves as a reminder that he was the same as every one of us Mail Online


Awards

  • William Hill Sports Book of the Year
  • British Sports Book Publishing Awards