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It was obvious to
Sir Matt Busby from the outset that the skinny 16 year old
from East Belfast was something extra-special. Best made his
league debut for United and won the first of 31
international caps before he was 18. It wasn' t long before
he was a household name throughout Britain. By 1966, George
Best superstar had arrived, especially after his magnificent
performance in United's 5-1 thrashing of Benfica in Lisbon
where he scored twice.
George was perhaps the most important member of the great
United team which won the League Championship twice in the
1960's as well as the European Cup in 1968 - where he scored
a superb solo goal in the final. He later claimed that
having beaten round the Benfica keeper he wanted to take the
ball up to the line stop it, lie down on the ground and head
the ball over the line. Only a truly special sort of player
would even have considered such an outrageous act in a game
of such importance.
After five years of playing breathtaking football, in 1968
he finally and deservedly won both the English and European
Footballer of the Year awards. He was also the club's top
scorer that year with 28 goals, and for the following four
seasons. In 1970 he scored six goals in an 8-2 win over
Northampton in the FA Cup, the most goals ever scored in a
single match by any United player. Bestie goals captured on
television, such as the dazzling runs against Sheffield
United, Chelsea, West Ham and the delicate lob against Spurs
have become all-time classics. And who knows what other gems
he scored in an age before blanket television coverage,
great goals that now live on only in the memories of those
lucky to have been there at the time.
| The
first pop-star footballer |
Nicknamed "the fifth
Beatle", he was one of the most famous stars in Britain
during the 1960s. Best was the first pop-star footballer, a
personification of youth culture and the swinging sixties.
At times he was getting 10,000 fan letters a week, something
that had never happened to a footballer before. Sadly it was
this pop star image that proved his eventual downfall, for
he began to live the lifestyle of a pop star, and not a
footballer. The alcohol, women and wild nights spent
partying would ultimately shorten his career and lead to
severe health problems later on.
As he became a casualty of intense media attention, George
could not concentrate on football without being hounded
everywhere by paparazzi. He opened a night club and a number
of fashion boutiques which were not a success, while a
string of famous actress/model girlfriend's meant he was
under incredible media scrutiny. Once Sir Matt Busby retired
in 1969 it was downhill for the Ulsterman as he became
increasingly rebellious and erratic. Busby's successors,
Frank O'Farrell and Tommy Docherty lacked his fatherly
influence on Best who was now frequently missing training
and failing to turn up for games. After a series of on-off
retirements and a dip in form, George left United for good
on New Years Day 1974, his final game against QPR.
He then played for
numerous other clubs, most notably Fulham (76-77) with the
outlandish ex Manchester City star, Rodney Marsh. Then there
was Stockport County, Hibernian and USA soccer teams L.A.
Aztecs (1976-78) Fort Lauderdale Strikers (78-79) and San
Jose Earthquakes (80-81). Even though not as fit as in his
prime, the incredible skills were still apparent, no one
could ever take that away from him.
George finally ended his football career with Bournemouth
in 1983, although went on to play in many charity and
friendly matches. In the 1990's he has established himself
as a successful sports commentator with Sky Sports and after
dinner speaker. Though playing for many clubs, even today it
is still clear that Manchester United are the only team that
truly remains close to Best's heart - he is a red through
and through. Sadly, in 2000 Best had health problems due to
liver damage caused by years of excess drinking. However, in
July 2002 he had a successful liver transplant operation and
made a full recovery.
There are many
regrets for Best, such as ending his career early and never
displaying his phenomenal skills in the World Cup Finals.
However, when you look at the positive things he brought to
British football, the moments of sheer breath-taking
excitement, the glory of 1968, the lifestyle he led, George
Best has lived more than most of us ever will. Lets also not
forget he played for 11 seasons at United - few modern day
players will have a career as long in the red shirt. The
classic story of the wayward genius who had it all and
supposedly threw it all away, people who say this do not
realise that it was this wild self-destructive streak that
made him the player he was. Genius often goes hand in hand
with some sort of eccentric quality, a quality that gives
that creative spark others do not possess. And, George Best
was the ultimate genius, a player that took the game to a
different level, a level which mere footballing mortals can
only gaze up at, in wonder, awe and sheer exhilaration.
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