Name: George Best Birthday: 22 May 1946 Place of Birth: Belfast (Northern Irland) Nickname: The Belfast Boy
Position: Winger
Biography of
Best George
George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) is widely acknowledged to
have been one of the greatest football players of all time, remembered
for his halcyon days with Manchester United F.C.. He played for the
Northern Ireland team, but their failure to reach the final rounds of
the World Cup denied him the ultimate global stage.
He played for United as a winger between 1963 and 1974, helping them to
win the Football League Championship in 1965 and 1967, and the European
Cup in 1968. He was named European Footballer of the Year and Football
Writers' Association Player of the Year in 1968. He had a rare
combination of pace, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring prowess and
the ineffable ability to run through entire defences. Indeed, Pelé, the
Brazilian who is often said to be the greatest player of all time,
called Best "the greatest footballer in the world". The great
Argentinian Diego Maradona regarded Best equally highly.
Best's lovable, cheeky image won him many fans, during his career and
after. News of Best's death led to tears on the streets of Belfast,
before and during a funeral for which some 100,000 people turned out on
a rainy day. Best had developed a drinking problem while still a player,
and it contributed to his early retirement from top-level football. He
was imprisoned in 1984 for drunk driving and assaulting a policeman and
was unable to give up alcohol for any length of time. The condition of
his liver deteriorated to the point where a transplant became necessary.
The immuno-suppressive drugs given to prevent rejection of his new liver
caused him to develop a serious kidney infection, which his doctors were
unable to redress. In 2005, the infection caused him to fall into a
coma. His final days were watched over by his father and other family
members, and also by former football colleagues such as United's Denis
Law. He died at the age of 59 and is buried in East Belfast.
Biography
Football career
The Cregagh Estate honoured George Best by unveiling a mural on his 60th
birth anniversary.At the age of 15, Best was discovered in Belfast by
Manchester United scout Bob Bishop, whose telegram to United manager Sir
Matt Busby read: "I have found a genius". His local club Glentoran had
previously rejected him for being "too small and light".Best was
subsequently given a trial and signed up by chief scout Joe Armstrong in
1961. He turned professional and made his debut for Manchester United in
1963 against West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford. He became
world-famous at the age of eighteen when he scored three goals in a
European Cup match against Benfica in 1966, and scored in United's
European Cup final win against the same club in 1968.
He made 466 appearances for Manchester United in all competitions,
scoring 178 goals (including six in one game against Northampton Town).
Best was United's top scorer for six consecutive seasons. During this
run he also topped the first division scoring charts in 1967-68 with 28
goals, remarkable for a player who was not an out-and-out striker. In
1974, the 27-year-old Best was sacked by United for excessive drinking
and persistent failure to attend training sessions and matches. His last
competitive game for the club was on 1 January 1974 against Queens Park
Rangers at Loftus Road.
Over the next decade, Best drifted between several football clubs
including spells in America, Scotland and Australia. He played for three
clubs in America: Los Angeles Aztecs, Fort Lauderdale Strikers and San
Jose Earthquakes; he also played for the Detroit Express on an European
tour. At San Jose Earthquakes, the club was owned by Milan Mandaric with
whom George developed a close relationship over the years. Throughout
2004 George was often seen with Milan at the club he runs, Portsmouth FC.
In 1983 George finally retired from the game, at the age of 37. His last
games as a professional were with third division A.F.C. Bournemouth.
He was capped 37 times for Northern Ireland, scoring nine goals. He
played mainly as a winger and was known for his dribbling skills and
passing. Many say it was a shame that Best never got to perform on the
world stage due to Northen Ireland's lack of success. Best called for a
United Ireland soccer team on more than one occasion. On 15 May 1971,
Best scored the cheekiest and arguably the most famous 'goal' of his
career at Windsor Park in Belfast against Gordon Banks. The English
goalkeeper was about to kick the ball downfield and dropped the ball
towards his left foot. However, Best had anticipated the move and, with
his right boot, knocked the ball up in the air behind Banks. The famous
duo both scrambled towards the net but Best outpaced Banks and headed
the ball into the empty goal, to the delight of the home supporters. His
effort was disallowed for ungentlemanly conduct by a referee whose back
had been turned away from the incident, but even this untimely and
incorrect intervention did not spare Banks the embarrassment of having
been outwitted.
Diego Maradona has frequently named Best as his all-time favourite
player and Pelé once stated that Best was the best player he ever saw
play. He also named him as one of the 125 best living footballers in his
2004 FIFA 100 list.
In 1988, a testimonial match was held for Best at Windsor Park, Belfast.
Amongst the crowd were Sir Matt Busby and Bob Bishop, the scout who
discovered Best, while those playing included Ossie Ardiles, Pat
Jennings and Liam Brady. Best scored twice, one goal from outside the
box, the other from the penalty spot.
In 1998, Best became a football pundit on Sky Sports.
In November 2004 Best agreed to join FA Premier League club Portsmouth
F.C. as a youth coach, citing his desire to get involved in football
again.
Celebrity
George Best on the cover of The Wedding Present's 1987 album he lent his
name to.While at Manchester United, Best's talent and showmanship made
him a crowd and media favourite. He was dubbed "the fifth Beatle" for
his long hair and looks, but his celebrity lifestyle led to problems
with gambling, womanising and alcoholism. Best often told the story of a
bellboy who entered his hotel room with breakfast in the early 1970s.
Seeing Best in bed with Mary Stavin, the current Miss World, a magnum of
champagne and several thousand pounds of cash won from a night's
gambling, the youth exclaimed, "George, where did it all go wrong?"
Best opened two nightclubs in Manchester, in the late 1960s, Oscar's and
the other called Slack Alice's. He also owned fashion boutiques, in
partnership with Mike Summerbee of Manchester City.
British group The Fall, fronted by Mark E. Smith, mentioned Best in
their 1983 football-themed single, "Kicker Conspiracy," with the line:
"In the Blues Club/ George Best does rule," in reference to Best's
popularity even amongst Manchester City (the "Blues") fans. Smith has
said that even though he is a City fan, he often went with mates to
watch United just so he could see Best play.
In 1984, Best made a fitness video with Mary Stavin called Shape Up And
Dance.
Indie group The Wedding Present's 1987 debut album was titled George
Best and featured him on the cover (pictured, right).
The Belfast Oi Punk band Runnin' Riot have a song titled "Alcoholic
Heroes" written about George Best.
Family
The eldest child of Dickie and Anne, Best was brother to Carol, Barbara,
Julie, Grace and Ian.
Best was married twice:
Angela Douglas-James (1978-1986), with whom he had a son, Calum
Alex Pursey (1995-2004)
According to the Daily Mirror, Best had two illegitimate daughters.
Convictions
In 1984, Best received a three-month prison sentence for drunk driving,
assaulting a police officer and failing to answer bail. He spent
Christmas of 1984 behind bars and turned out as a player for Ford Open
Prison.
On 2 February 2004, Best was convicted of another drunk driving offence
and banned from driving for 20 months.
Alcoholism
In September 1990, Best appeared on an edition of primetime BBC chat
show Wogan in which he swore and was clearly drunk. He later apologized
and said this was one of the worst episodes of his alcoholism.
In 2002, he had a liver transplant. In 2003 he was the focus of much
criticism when, despite his transplant, he openly drank white wine
spritzers and was accused of being selfish and having no regard for
other people's feelings. Also in 2003, his second wife Alex Best
appeared as a contestant on the reality television programme I'm a
Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! and made allegations about their
relationship.
Illness and death
Gates of Belfast City Hall soon after Best's death, Another view.
Graffitti honouring Best like this one in the New Lodge area appeared
all over Belfast after his death.Best continued to drink, and was
sometimes seen at his local pub in Petersfield, Hampshire. On 3 October
2005 Best was admitted to intensive care at the private Cromwell
Hospital in London, suffering from kidney problems caused by the
side-effects of immuno-suppressive drugs used to prevent his body from
rejecting his transplanted liver. On 27 October, newspapers stated that
Best was close to death and had sent farewell messages to his loved ones.
Best's condition improved at first, but deteriorated again in November.
On 20 November the British tabloid News of the World published a picture
of Best at his own request, showing him in his hospital bed, along with
what was reported to be his final message: "Don't die like me". Of the
many tributes left to George near his hospital bed, one was a signed
football which read: "From the second best player in the world". It was
signed by Pele, the man many people consider to be the greatest player
ever to play the game.
In the early hours of 25 November 2005 Best's treatment was stopped; he
eventually died, after a battle that lasted longer than doctors had
expected, at 13.06pm (GMT) from a lung infection and multiple organ
failure. His father, four sisters, brother, son and agent were all at
his bedside, as was his former United team-mate Denis Law.
The FA Premier League announced that a minute's silence would be
observed before all Premiership games to be held over the weekend of his
death, however, this tradition was ignored at many grounds, in favour of
a minute's applause in his honour. Many football supporters travelled to
pay tribute to Best outside Manchester United's stadium Old Trafford,
Windsor Park in Belfast and at Belfast City Hall and outside his
father's home where they left signed shirts, scarves, flowers and
messages. The city of Belfast subsequently announced that those mementos
left by fans are to be collected and given to children's charities.
George's father Dickie condemned the theft of some football memorabilia
left by fans at the Best home in the Cregagh estate.
Funeral
Best's funeral was one of the largest that Northern Ireland has ever
seen. Best's body left the family home at Cregagh Road, East Belfast,
shortly after 10 a.m. UTC on Saturday, December 3. The cortege then
travelled the short distance to Stormont. The route was lined with
around 100,000 mourners. There was an 11 a.m. service in the Grand Hall
relayed to around 25,000 mourners inside the grounds of Stormont, and
live on BBC One, UTV, RTÉ, ITV News, BBC News 24, Sky News, Sky Sports
News, EuroNews and MUTV. Afterwards, Best was buried beside his mother
Annie in a private ceremony at the hill-top Roselawn Cemetery,
overlooking east Belfast. Bryan Appleyard's reporting of the funeral and
remarks about the various members of the Best family in the Sunday Times
[9] led to calls by the Belfast Telegraph for his sacking.
Quotations
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
George Best"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars - the
rest I just squandered."
"I used to go missing a lot...Miss Canada, Miss United Kingdom, Miss
World..."
(On David Beckham) "He cannot kick with
his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn't
score many goals. Apart from that he's alright."
"If I had been born ugly, you would never have heard of
Pelé"
"In 1969 I gave up women and alcohol. It was the worst 20 minutes of my
life."
"Pelé called me the greatest footballer in the world. That is the
ultimate salute to my life."
"I've stopped drinking, but only while I'm asleep."
"I once said Gazza's IQ was less than his shirt number and he asked me:
"What's an IQ?""
(On Eric Cantona) "I'd give all the Champagne I've ever drunk to be
playing alongside him in a big European match at Old Trafford."
(On the blood transfusion after his liver transplant) "I was in for 10
hours and had 40 pints - beating my previous record by 20 minutes."
Honours
Football League Championship winners medal, 1965 & 1967
UEFA European Cup winners medal, 1968
European Footballer of the Year, 1968
Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year, 1968
Holds the record for the most goals by a Manchester United player in a
single match, six against Northampton Town, FA Cup fifth round on
February 8, 1970. United won the match 8-2.
Freeman of Castlereagh, 2002
Inaugural Inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame, 2002
Honorary Doctorate from the Queen's University of Belfast, 2001
PFA Special Merit Award, for his services to football, 2006
Memorials
The new airport signageBelfast City Airport has been renamed George Best
Belfast City Airport as a tribute to the East Belfast footballing legend.
The official new name and signage was unveiled to a gathering of the
Best family and friends at the airport on 22 May 2006 which would have
been his 60th birthday. After Best's funeral, his family contacted the
airport, indicating that they felt that this would be the most
appropriate memorial. Their spokesperson commented:
"We are delighted that airport management have decided to rename the
airport in honour of George. Belfast City Airport is synonymous with
East Belfast and with thousands of people using the airport on a daily
basis George's memory will never be forgotten. This is a highly visible
and lasting memorial to George that we hope will please many people in
Northern Ireland."
In March 2006, Flybe, the airport's biggest operator, named a plane The
George Best. The specially branded Q400 aircraft was used to carry
Best's family across to the Manchester memorial service for Best.
Goals
One of George's greatest goals (1981) as a member of the US team San
Jose Earthquakes, which is also considered one of the greatest goals in
NASL history, can be viewed from here:
Appearances and goals for each club
Pre -1963 - Cregagh Boys Club
1963-1974 - Manchester United: 466 games, 178 goals, (Lge 361/137, FA
Cup 46/21, Lge Cup 25/9, Europe 34/11)
1974-1974 - Jewish Guild of Johannesburg: 5 games
1975-1975 - Dunstable Town (friendlies)
1975-1975 - Stockport County: 3 games, 2 goals
1976-1976 - Cork Celtic: 3 games, 0 goals
1976-1976 - Los Angeles Aztecs: 24 games, 15 goals (NASL Season only)
1976-1977 - Fulham: 47 games, 10 goals
1977-1978 - Los Angeles Aztecs: 37 games, 14 goals (NASL Season only)
1978-1979 - Fort Lauderdale Strikers: 33 games, 7 goals (NASL Season
only)
1979-1980 - Hibernian: 22 games, 3 goals
1980-1981 - San Jose Earthquakes: 56 games, 21 goals (NASL Season only)
1983-1983 - Bournemouth: 5 games, 0 goals
1983-1983 - Brisbane Lions: 4 games, 0 goals
1984-1984 - Tobermore United: 1 game, 0 goals
International: 1964-1978 - Northern Ireland: 37 games, 9 goals
