George Best

George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a winger for Manchester United and the Northern Ireland national team. In 1968 he won the European Cup with United, and was named the European Footballer of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year. He is described by the national team's governing body, the Irish Football Association, as the "greatest player to ever pull on the green shirt of Northern Ireland".
Born and brought up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Best began his club career in England with Manchester United, who had spotted his talent at the age of 15. He went on to see success with United, scoring 179 goals from 470 appearances over 11 years. His playing style combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders. Best unexpectedly quit United relatively early in 1974 at age 27, but returned to football for a number of clubs around the world in short spells, until finally retiring in 1983, age 37. In international football, he was an automatic choice when fit, being capped 37 times and scoring nine goals from 1964 to 1977, although a combination of the team's performance and his lack of fitness in 1982 never allowed his talent to be displayed in the finals of a European Championship or World Cup.
Such was Best's talent and charisma that he became one of the first celebrity footballers, but his subsequent extravagant lifestyle led to various problems, most notably alcoholism, which he suffered from for the rest of his adult life. These problems affected him on and off the field throughout his career, at times causing controversy. He often said of his career that "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars – the rest I just squandered". After football he spent some time as a pundit, but his financial and health problems continued into his retirement. He died in 2005, age 59, due to complications from the immunosuppressive drugs he needed to take after being controversially granted an NHS liver transplant in 2002. Best was married twice, to two former models, Angie Best and then Alex Best. His son, Calum Best, was born in 1981 from his first marriage.
Before he died, Best was voted 16th in the IFFHS World Player of the Century election in 1999 and was one of the inaugural 22 inductees into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002; in 2004 he was also voted 19th in the public UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll and former Brazilian footballer Pelé, considered by many as the world’s greatest, admired Best. He named George Best as the world’s greatest ever player, stating, “George Best was the greatest player in the world.” Pelé added later that Best was “an unbelievable player.” Best was once quoted as saying, “Pelé called me the greatest footballer in the world. That is the ultimate salute to my life.” After his death, on what would have been his 60th birthday, Belfast City Airport was renamed the George Best Belfast City Airport. According to the BBC, Best was remembered by mourners at his public funeral held in Belfast as "the beautiful boy" [with a] "beautiful game".
==External links==
*The George Best Foundation
*George Best – FIFA.com Classic Player profile
*George Best Profile at CultureNorthernIreland.org
*George Best Player Profile
*George Best's appearance on This Is Your Life
Category:1946 births
Category:2005 deaths
Category:Players
Category:Association football midfielders
Category:Association football wingers
Category:Association footballers from Northern Ireland
Category:Northern Ireland international footballers
Category:Manchester United F.C. players
Category:Dunstable Town F.C. players
Category:Stockport County F.C. players
Category:Expatriate association footballers in the Republic of Ireland
Category:Cork Celtic F.C. players
Category:Los Angeles Aztecs players
Category:Fulham F.C. players
Category:Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–83) players
Category:Hibernian F.C. players
Category:San Jose Earthquakes (1974–88) players
Category:A.F.C. Bournemouth players
Category:Queensland Lions players
Category:Nuneaton Town F.C. players
Category:Tobermore United F.C. players
Category:The Football League players
Category:League of Ireland players
Category:North American Soccer League (1968–84) players
Category:Scottish Football League players
Category:North American Soccer League (1968–84) indoor players
Category:National Soccer League (Australia) players
Category:First Division/Premier League topscorers
Category:Hong Kong Rangers FC players
Category:Jewish Guild players
Category:Sea Bee players