71/72 : Football's Greatest Season?

Fifty years on, Daniel Abrahams perfectly captures a season in which fact was often stranger than fiction. He brings to life the dazzling brilliance of Best, Moore, Keegan, Charlton, Pele, Cruyff, Beckenbauer and Eusebio alongside lesserknown names and stories. From matchfixing to players arrested for gun crime, it was a season like no other.

There was a season when the world''s greatest footballers were all on show at British grounds. Best, Keegan, Charlton and Moore were joined by Pele, Cruyff, Beckenbauer and Eusebio, while in the dugouts Clough, Shankly, Revie and Allison duked it out in the closest ever Championship title race. That season was 1971/72. Britain''s footballing culture was simpler - purer - than the one we know today, with the game played for the public, not for TV companies. It was a time when players shared pints with fans, A&BC football cards were schoolyard currency, Roy Race ruled the comic world and teleprinters saw footy devotees hold their collective breath every weekend. As well as covering the superstars, ''71/''72 is a treasure trove of tales of lesser-known names who added to that extraordinary season. Read about the Aldo Poy goal that is still fanatically celebrated today, Toni Fritsch revolutionising the NFL, cricketing footballers and the OAP ball boy who rowed the River Severn. ''71/''72 is a compelling and fast-paced account of a season like no other, and as John Motson labelled it: ''glorious''.