Young Bobby - The Bobby Moore Story Vol 2 - Boleyn to Bratislava, the Rise of England's Greatest Captain

First published - November 2023

Bobby Moore was England's greatest ever captain and the finest, most graceful defender football has known. The two volume set looks at the life and times of Bobby Moore, up until he won his first full-England cap in 1960. This volume continues the story.

‘Young Bobby II’ continues the story, after Moore broke into the West Ham first team on September 8,1958, and the celebration of the legend that was and remains Bobby Moore as he moved towards the peak of his shining career. This second volume offers a vista on the next stage, the embedding of his personality and the elaboration of his talents and extension of his skills. The work concentrates on his application, taking in the 1962 World Cup in Chile and his first dozen caps, but also the characters that influenced and interacted with him such as Alf Ramsey and Ron Greenwood.

So, this is a portrait of the young man, more than the myth of a footballing saint; the adolescent, his situation and character, who made the myth possible. Here is the complex and intriguing process of growth and development.

Stories and facts about Bobby

The list of England captains in terms of numbers of caps is headed by Billy Wright and Bobby Moore; both led England 90 times. Steph Houghton captained the England Women's side on 72 occasions, the only player so far to come close to Wright and Moore in this respect.
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Wright served as captain in 70 consecutive England matches during the 1950s. Bryan Robson, who led England 66 times, along with Wright, Moore and Hounghton are (at the time of writing) the only players to lead England more than 60 times (Harry Kane, who has skippered England 58 times to date will likely soon join the '60+ Club')
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"Of all the defenders I have challenged, Bobby Moore was the fairest, the best and the most honourable." No one can say fairer than that. Probably ever."
Pele - Santos and Brazil
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360 Pages

ISBN - 9781780916330

Ebook - 9781781563335 (Available on Amazon)

About the Author

Like so many West Ham supporters Brian Belton was born only five minutes walk from the club ('I heard 'em cheering in me cradle'). As a teenager Brian worked primarily to support his habit of following West Ham around England. In his twenties the Mayflower Centre shanghaied him to work with young people in the Canning Town area.

Brian was now a youth worker and eventually was persuaded/ bullied/ bribed into taking a professional qualification with the YMCA College in London. He gained a degree at City University and then became a Senior Youth and Community worker in Islington, whilst gaining a Masters Degree at Essex. He has published over 50 books, mainly on football.

For more information on Brian Belton please see his "About our Authors" page