George Best

For the 1987 album by The Wedding Present, see George Best (album).

George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish football player best known for his years with Manchester United. He was a winger whose game combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders.^[1] In 1968, his annus mirabilis, he won the European Cup with Manchester United, and was named the European Footballer of the Year. When fit, he was an automatic choice for the Northern Ireland team, but he was unable to lead them to the FIFA World Cup tournament.

In 1999 he was voted 11th, behind Marco van Basten, at the IFFHS European Player of the Century election and 16th, behind Lothar Matthäus, in the World Player of the Century election.^[2] Pelé named him as one of the 125 best living footballers in his 2004 FIFA 100 list and Best was named 19th, behind Gerd Müller, at the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll. In his native Northern Ireland the admiration for him is summed up by the local saying: "Maradona good; Pelé better; George Best."^[3]

He was one of the first celebrity footballers, but his extravagant lifestyle led to problems with alcoholism which curtailed his playing career^[4] and eventually led to his death at the age of 59. His cause of death was a kidney infection, a side-effect of the immuno-suppressive drugs he was required to take after a liver transplant. Best's lovable, cheeky image won him many fans, during his career and after, despite his public drunkenness on TV, his convictions for drunk driving and assaulting a policeman, allegations of domestic violence, and his inability to give up drinking even after the transplant. GQ named him as one of the fifty most stylish men of the past fifty years. 100,000 people turned out on a rainy day for his funeral in East Belfast.

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Manchester United

  At the age of 15, Best was discovered in Belfast by Manchester United scout Bob Bishop, whose telegram to United manager Matt Busby read: "I think I've found you a genius."^[5] His local club Glentoran had previously rejected him for being "too small and light".^[6] Best was subsequently given a trial and signed up by chief scout Joe Armstrong.

Best made his Manchester United debut, aged 17, on 14 September 1963 against West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford in a 1-0 victory. Two weeks later Best scored his first goal against Burnley. By the close of the season Best had 6 goals, and Manchester United finished second, behind champions Liverpool.

In his second season, 1964-65, Best and Manchester United claimed the league title.

Best hit the headlines the age of twenty when he scored two goals in a European Cup quarter-final match against Benfica in 1966, and was dubbed "El Beatle" in the press.

Best's talent and showmanship made him a crowd and media favourite. He was dubbed "the fifth Beatle" for his long hair, good looks and extravagant celebrity lifestyle, and even appeared on Top of the Pops in 1965.^[7] Other nicknames included the "Belfast Boy" and he was often referred to as Georgie or Geordie in his native Belfast.^[8]

The 1966-67 season was again successful as Manchester United claimed the league title by four points. The following season Best became a European Cup winner after scoring in the final against Benfica. United won 4-1 and Best was later crowned European Footballer of the Year and Football Writers' Association Player of the Year; after that began a steady decline.

He opened two nightclubs in Manchester, in the late 1960s, Oscar's and the other called Slack Alice's (which later became 42nd Street Nightclub). He also owned fashion boutiques, in partnership with Mike Summerbee of Manchester City. However, he developed problems with gambling, womanising and alcoholism.

In 1974, aged 27, Best quit United. His last competitive game for the club was on 1 January 1974 against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road.

In total Best made 466 appearances for Manchester United in all competitions from 1963 to 1974, and scored 178 goals (including six in one game against fourth division Northampton Town). He was the clubs top scorer for six consecutive seasons, and was the First Division's top scorer in the 1967-68 season.

Over the next decade he went into an increasingly rapid decline, drifting between several clubs, including spells in America, Scotland, and Australia.

Fulham

Best had a brief resurgence in form with Fulham F.C. in 1976-77, showing that, although he had lost some of his pace, he retained his skills. His time with the Cottagers is particularly remembered for an FA Cup game against second division outfit Hereford United in which he tackled his teammate, and old drinking mate, Rodney Marsh. Best stated later in life that he enjoyed his time most while at Fulham, despite not winning any honours.

United States

Best played for three clubs in the United States: Los Angeles Aztecs, Fort Lauderdale Strikers and San Jose Earthquakes; he also played for the Detroit Express on a European tour. Best revelled in the anonymity America afforded him after England and was a success on the field, too, scoring 15 goals in 24 games in his first season with the Aztecs and was named as the NASL's best midfielder in his second.^[9] He opened "Bestie's Beach Club" (now called "The Underground" after the London subway system) in Hermosa Beach, California in the 1970s, and continued to operate it until the 1990s.

In his third season in the States Best scored only once in 12 appearances. His moves to Fort Lauderdale and San Jose were also unhappy, as his off-field demons began to take control of his life again. He was invited as a guest player and played three matches for two Hong Kong First Division teams in 1982, as well as Dunstable Town F.C. in 1973.^[10]. In 1983 Best retired from the game at the age of 37. His last games as a professional were with third division A.F.C. Bournemouth. In 1988 a testimonial match was held for Best at Windsor Park. Among 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.

Northern Ireland

He was capped 37 times for Northern Ireland , scoring nine goals. Of his nine international goals four were scored against Cyprus and one each against Albania, England, Scotland, Switzerland and Turkey.

On 15 May 1971, Best scored possibly his most famous "goal" of his career at Windsor Park in Belfast against England. As Gordon Banks, the English goalkeeper, attempted to kick the ball downfield, Best kicked the ball out of his hands over his head. The famous duo scrambled towards the net but Best outpaced Banks and headed the ball into the empty goal. His effort was disallowed for ungentlemanly conduct by a referee whose back had been turned away from the incident.^{[citation needed]}

Best was considered briefly by manager Billy Bingham for the 1982 World Cup. However, at 36 and with his football skills dulled by age and drink, he was not selected in the Northern Ireland squad. In view of his home country's relative lack of success, he was an advocate of an all-Ireland team.

Career honours

With Manchester United:

• Football League Championship winners medal, 1965 & 1967
• UEFA European Cup winners medal, 1968

Personal:

• European Footballer of the Year, 1968
• Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year, 1968
• 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

Later careers

In the later 1980s, Best narrated Streaker, a documentary on the streaking phenomenon, discussing the careers of people such as Erica Roe and Sheila Nicholls.

In 1998, Best became a football pundit on the Sky Sports live show Soccer Saturday. His last appearance on the show was in 2004.

In November 2004, 58-year-old Best agreed to join FA Premier League club Portsmouth F.C. as a youth coach, citing his desire to get involved in football again.

Alcoholism

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.

In September 1990, Best appeared on an edition of primetime BBC chat show Wogan in which he was clearly drunk and swore, at one point saying to the host, "Terry, I like screwing".^[11] He later apologized and said this was one of the worst episodes of his alcoholism.

In 2002, he had a liver transplant at King's College Hospital in London. In 2003 he was the focus of much criticism when, despite his transplant, he openly drank white wine spritzers. Also in 2004, his second wife Alex Best appeared as a contestant on the reality television programme I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and alleged that Best physically abused her during their relationship.

Illness and 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 a farewell message 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".

In the early hours of 25 November 2005 treatment was stopped; he eventually died, after a battle that lasted longer than doctors had expected, at 13:06 GMT from a lung infection and Multiple organ failure.^[12]

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. The first match at Old Trafford after Best's death was a League Cup tie against West Bromwich Albion, the club against which he made his debut for Manchester United in 1963. The match was preceded by tributes from former team-mate Sir Bobby Charlton, and Best's son Callum and former team-mates, surviving members from the West Bromwich Albion team which he played against in his debut, all joined the current United squad on the pitch for a minute's silence, during which fans held aloft pictures of Best, which were given out to all fans before the match for free.

Funeral

His body left the family home at Cregagh Road, East Belfast, shortly after 10 a.m. UTC on Saturday, December 3, 2005. The cortège 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. Afterward, Best was buried beside his mother Annie Elizabeth Kelly in a private ceremony at the hill-top Roselawn Cemetery, overlooking east Belfast.

Memorials

  Belfast City Airport was renamed George Best Belfast City Airport as a tribute to Best.^[13] 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.

Public opinion in Northern Ireland about the renaming of the airport was divided, with one poll showing only 52% in favour and 48% against.^[14] Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) deputy leader and East Belfast Member of Parliament Peter Robinson, in whose constituency Belfast City airport is situated, stated that his preference was a sports stadium be named after Best.^[15] The move generated negative comments beyond Northern Ireland.^[16]

In March 2006, airline Flybe, named a Dash 8 (Q400) plane The George Best. The aircraft was later used to carry Best's family across to the Manchester memorial service for Best.^[17]

In June 2006, Sarah Fabergé, great-granddaughter of Russian Imperial Jeweller Carl Fabergé was commissioned to create the George Best Egg, in tribute. A strictly limited edition of 68 eggs were produced, with all profits from the sale of the eggs going to the George Best Foundation. The first egg from the collection is now on permanent public display at the George Best Airport.

  For the first anniversary of his death, Ulster Bank issued one million commemorative five pound notes.^[18] The notes sold out in five days.^[19] The notes sold on the online auction site eBay for up to £30.^[20]

Current plans for a new national stadium for Northern Ireland near Lisburn include a proposed statue of Best as one of several celebrating sporting heroes from the country. These statues would surround the main sporting arena and Best would be joined by rugby player Willie John McBride, Gaelic Athletic Association player Cormac McAnallen, Olympic gold medalist Mary Peters, Grand National winner Richard Dunwoody, Grand Prix driver Eddie Irvine, Motor cycle World champion Joey Dunlop and snooker world champion Alex Higgins.

Family

George was the first child of Dickie and Anne. He had four sisters, Carol, Barbara, Julie and Grace, and a brother, Ian.

Best was married twice, first to Angela MacDonald-James (1978-1986). They had a son, Calum, who was born in 1981. He was married to Alex Pursey from 1995 to 2004, and they had no children. He is reported to have had two daughters by other women.^[21]

Best's father is still alive, and is now 89 years old. His mother died from an alcoholism-related illness in 1978, aged 55. [1]

Best in popular culture

Best's autobiographies include:

• Bestie (co-written with Joe Lovejoy),
• The Good, The Bad and The Bubbly (with Ross Benson)
• Blessed: The Autobiography (with Roy Collins)
• Scoring at Half Time (with Martin Knight).

A biographical film titled Best was released in 2000 which chronicled Best's struggles within his personal life. The film starred John Lynch as George Best and Roger Daltrey as Rodney Marsh. Best has been the subject of or mentioned in numerous songs, TV shows and internet postings. In 1984 Best made a fitness video with Mary Stavin called "Shape Up And Dance".

See also

• UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll
• BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award
• Grosvenor Grammar School

Notes