Johnny Haynes

Portrait of a Football Genius

James Gardner

• Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• eBook ISBN:
  9781785313479
• Year: 2017

Johnny Haynes: Portrait of a Football Genius is the biography of one of England's greatest ever footballers—a player described by Pele as "the greatest passer of a ball I have ever seen." He was capped 56 times, 22 as captain, including the 9-3 hammering of the Scots at Wembley in 1961. He succeeded Denis Compton as the "Brylcreem Boy." When he became the first £100-a-week player it cemented his celebrity superstar status as the David Beckham of his day. Haynes only ever played for one professional club and finished his playing career in South Africa. He retired into relative obscurity and lived the last 20 years of his life in Edinburgh before tragically dying in a car accident in 2005. In his obituary, James Lawton wrote, "Haynes was still the beginning and end of how football should be played. He had the wit to change the way the game was understood and played in this country." His fascinating life story is told through his family, ex-team-mates, famous journalists, and celebrities, as well as his fans. 

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword
• Dedication
• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter One: The Early Years
• Chapter Two: Turning Pro
• Chapter Three: Stardom
• Chapter Four: International Recall
• Chapter Five: A Rage for Perfection
• Chapter Six: Sweden 1958
• Chapter Seven: Redemption
• Chapter Eight: Captain of England and the Maximum Wage
• Chapter Nine: Chile 1962
• Chapter Ten: Blackpool
• Chapter Eleven: The Swinging Sixties
• Chapter Twelve: Struggle and Decline 1963–70
• Chapter Thirteen: South Africa
• Chapter Fourteen: Edinburgh and Avril
• Chapter Fifteen: Obscurity
• Chapter Sixteen: 2004–05
• Epilogue
• Postscript
• Appendix
• Bibliography
• Photographs