Here’s An Opinion On:
Manchester United Heroes – George Best
by
Patrick Attlee
George Best was arguably the most talented footballer to ever pull on a Manchester United shirt. Despite a career cut short by alcohol problems, he is still considered second only to Pele in terms of footballing skill. A true flawed genius of the Beautiful Game, one can only wonder how different things would have been and what records he would have broken had he not succumbed to his extravagant lifestyle. In many ways he was the precursor to another sad story of a genius footballer who squandered his talent, that of Paul Gascoigne. But his is another story.
George Best was born on 22nd May 1946 in the Cregagh area of Belfast. He led an unremarkable early childhood and although he was never without his ball, he was considered to small to ever consider a career in the game, despite his obvious ability. However he was eventually spotted by Bob Bishop, the Manchester United scout. Bishop was so impressed with Best’s ability that he sent a telegram to Matt Busby, the United manager telling him he had “found a genius”. Following a trial, he was signed by Manchester United and turned professional shortly thereafter.
George Best played at Manchester United for six seasons and scored 115 goals. His debut was against West Bromwich Albion aged just 17. Best was part of a deadly trio made up of himself, Dennis Law and Bobby Charlton. Too much for their opponents, Manchester United swept to 2 league titles and a European Cup, beating Benfica 4-1 in the final. That year was 1967 and Best was named European Footballer Of The Year.
Best’s prodigious footballing talent coupled with his good looks made him the darling of the media in the same way that David Beckham has done in recent years. Off-field distractions soon started mounting up such as personal appearances, modeling contracts and nightclub ownerships. Best started to enjoy a hedonistic lifestyle and began drinking heavily. This started the the inexorable decline of his professional career. One of his most oft repeated quotes is the answer he gave to the question “what have you done with all the money that you have earned?”, which was: “I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.”
George Best walked out on Manchester United for the last time in 1974 aged just 27. His last game was against QPR on the 1st of January. He made in total 470 appearances and scored 179 goals. He was the top goal scorer for six seasons in a row.
On the 25th November 2005, George Best died aged 59. He suffered organ failure at the Cromwell Hospital in London after failing to stop drinking following his 2002 transplant. He was given immuno-supressant drugs to stop his body rejecting the transplanted liver. This obviously laid him open to new infections.
George Best will be remembered as a genius of the beautiful game who wasted his natural talent to drink. His dazzling appearances in a Manchester United shirt are what he will be most remembered for. His loyal Irish fans perhaps summed him up best when they said : “Maradona good; Pel better; George Best.”
Patrick Attlee is a journalist who writes extensively on all aspects of football. He has a particular interest in the histories of the big English clubs. You can learn more at
manchester-united-shirt.com/manchester-united-player-shirts.html
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