True Genius: George Best
The games, the goals, the glory: The complete untold story
Published on 9. October 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
448 pages
978-1-916811-35-5 (ISBN)
Description
'Remember me for the football' was George Best's last wish before his untimely death, aged just 59.
'True Genius' is the definitive family-backed account of his remarkable career, now to be released in paperback, 20 years on from George Best's death.
Written by celebrated Manchester United author Wayne Barton, this biography goes into unparalleled depth to tell the complete story for the first time of how the lad from Cregagh, Northern Ireland, became the game's first superstar.
Barton has spent years trawling the archives and spoken to a host of former team-mates, managers, friends and close family to tell his story, going behind the scenes and researching matches and official records in microscopic detail.
While there have been many books on George Best, this is the only biography that captures the football story so exhaustively, unearthing revealing material that will shed new light on one of the game's most naturally gifted players.
Supplemented with rare and unseen images painstakingly researched and restored from the Daily Mirror, this is the ultimate portrait of a true football genius.
True Genius was adapted into a documentary by BT Sport, to coincide with the hardback release in 2021.
'True Genius' is the definitive family-backed account of his remarkable career, now to be released in paperback, 20 years on from George Best's death.
Written by celebrated Manchester United author Wayne Barton, this biography goes into unparalleled depth to tell the complete story for the first time of how the lad from Cregagh, Northern Ireland, became the game's first superstar.
Barton has spent years trawling the archives and spoken to a host of former team-mates, managers, friends and close family to tell his story, going behind the scenes and researching matches and official records in microscopic detail.
While there have been many books on George Best, this is the only biography that captures the football story so exhaustively, unearthing revealing material that will shed new light on one of the game's most naturally gifted players.
Supplemented with rare and unseen images painstakingly researched and restored from the Daily Mirror, this is the ultimate portrait of a true football genius.
True Genius was adapted into a documentary by BT Sport, to coincide with the hardback release in 2021.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Reach plc
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
338 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-916811-35-5 (9781916811355)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Wayne Barton is widely regarded as the pre-eminent writer on Manchester United, with over 20 books on the club to his name. His works include family-authorised biographies of United legends such as George Best, Duncan Edwards, Wayne Rooney and Jimmy Murphy. Two of his books, including True Genius, have been adapted into documentaries by BT Sport, and his expertise has been lauded by figures such as former United owner Martin Edwards and The Independent. Barton's extensive knowledge and deep research into Manchester United's history have made him one of the foremost authorities on the club.