A tribute to George Best

lovablemum · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 4068 Location: Northants

Although George Best made headlines for his notorious drinking exploits, womanising and brushes with the law, it is well worth remembering the moments he lit up the front and back pages for all the right reasons, namely his footballing genius.

Once described by Pele as the greatest player in the world and a genius by Sir Matt Busby and Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best is unquestionably one of the greatest footballers to have graced the game.

Dubbed ‘the fifth Beatle’, Best shot to International stardom after playing an influential role in Manchester United’s European Cup victory over Benfica in 1968. On a famous night at Wembley Stadium, Best scored a wonderful goal in extra time to send United on the way to becoming the first English team to lift the famous trophy.

Such was Best’s genius in turning players inside-out, he was famously described as leaving defenders with ‘twisted blood’. His heroics for United earned him the European Footballer of the Year award for 1968.

Although his rise to stardom was meteoric, his fall from grace was just as dramatic. The first ‘rockstar’ footballer, the quiet Belfast boy struggled to cope with the adulation, money and media attention and found it difficult to cope with the temptations of such a lifestyle.

"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered," he famously said of his lifestyle.

One particular story tells of George in bed with Miss World, his cash winnings from a night in the casino scattered over the room. On entering the debaucherous room to deliver room service, the startled waiter exclaimed, 'George! Where did it all go wrong!'

Only four years after lifting the European Cup, Best retired from top flight football. He made a brief but unsuccessful comeback with United then followed spells with Stockport, Fulham, Hibernian, Los Angeles Aztecs and San Jose Earthquakes before finally retiring in 1983 after a stint with Bournemouth.

As his private life slowly began to unravel into a world of alcohol, womanising and brushes with the law, Best’s health deteriorated rapidly. In March 2000 he was diagnosed with serious liver damage, leading to a liver transplant in 2002. Although Best vowed to quit drinking on strict doctors orders, he recently returned to the bottle.

Not long before his death on Friday 25 November, Best said that he hoped fans would remember him not for his womanising or battles with alcohol but for his football.

Best is to be buried in Belfast on Saturday after a funeral service at Stormont.

Career highlights
1946: Born May 22 in Belfast
1963: Makes debut for Man Utd
1964: Northern Ireland debut
1965: United win the league championship
1968: Voted English and European footballer of the year
1972: Quits United aged 26

Club statistics
1963-74: Manchester United (465 appearances, 180 goals).
1975: Stockport (3 apps, 2 goals).
1975-76: Cork Celtic (3 apps, 0 goals).
1976: Los Angeles Aztecs (24 apps, 15 goals).
1976-77: Fulham (47 apps, 10 goals).
1977-78: Los Angeles Aztecs (37 apps, 14 goals).
1979: Fort Lauderdale Strikers (14 apps, 5 goals).
1979-80: San Jose Earthquakes (30 apps, 13 goals).
1979-80: Hibernian (22 apps, 3 goals).
1980: Fort Lauderdale Strikers (19 apps, 2 goals).
1981: San Jose Earthquakes (26 apps, 8 goals).
1983: Bournemouth (5 apps, 0 goals).
1984: Brisbane Lions (4 apps, 0 goals).