George Best passed away on Friday, November 25th 2005 and his funeral in Belfast next Friday is expected to be hugely attended.
George Best might never have graced the World Cup Finals, born as he was in Northern Ireland (who have only played at three Word Cup Finals Sweden 1958, Spain 1982 and Mexico a986), but George Best set stadiums alight wherever he played for Manchester United in in the 1960s and 1970s.
Sadly, most of the tabloids preferred to concentrate on his playboy lifestyle; a lifestyle that probably shortened both his playing career and eventually his life.
George Best The Playboy:
One of George Best's famous quotes is: 'They say that I slept with seven Miss Worlds. I didn't, I only slept with four. I didn't turn up for the other three.'
The private lives of a lot of players make the headlines today but George Best was the first real 'pop-star player' (Bob Geldof) who invented 'Rock and Football with his own unique rhythm' (Michel Platini).
George Best The Player:
Imagine his earnings potential today with his amazing dribbling skills and goalscoring ability.
George Best scored 178 goals in 466 appearances for Manchester United, helping them win the European Cup in 1968, and scored 9 goals in 37 appearances for Northern Ireland.
Best also played in America, scoring 54 goals in 139 games for the Los Angeles Aztecs, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and San Jose Earthquakes. His famous walk-out on Fulham earned George Best a worldwide footballing ban.
Sir Bobby Charlton and others around George Best in Manchester United sadly didn't see the drinking problems early enough and if they did, didn't (or couldn't) do enough to stop the talented player press the self-destruct button. Was it really boredom?
George Best - International Hal of Fame.
George Best by The Players Themselves:
Bobby Charlton on George Best:
'He was on a par, at least, with anyone you can name and from the conversations I've had with him over the years, I know Pele would tell you the same thing. From a talent and style point of view, I would say Cruyff was probably the nearest thing to him. George was braver, but Cruyff had great organising ability. George looked after No 1 on the pitch. He wouldn't dictate tactics or chat about what we were going to do.'
Denis Law on George Best:
'I'd put him on a par with the top six I ever saw. I wouldn't like to choose between George, Di Stefano, Cruyff, Maradona, Pele and big John Charles. Bestie definitely belongs among that élite.'
Sir Alex Ferguson on George Best:
'George was unique, the greatest talent our football has ever produced, easily. Look at the scoring record - 137 goals in 361 League games and a total of 179 goals for United in 466 matches played. That's phenomenal for a man who did not get the share of gift goals that come to specialist strikers. George nearly always had to beat men to score.'
Johan Cruyff on George Best:
'What he had was unique, you can't coach it. I think if you talk about Europe's greatest players, you talk about five or six, and if you talk about his qualities, he'd always be in there. It was a short career but if you go back to the basic qualities, he was exceptional.'
George Best Tributes:
There will be hundreds of thousands words written about George Best in the coming days, but here are some of the best tributes to one of the best players ever - a combination of Cruyff, Pele and Maradonna rolled into one.
George Best - Daily Telegraph.
George Best - The Independent.
George Best vs David Beckham:
A BBC 'Funny Old Game' production.
The Day I Met George Best:
Thousands of people have sent emails to the BBC News website to pay tribute to George Best. Many mention his legendary football career and others his sense of humour and warmth. Several readers recall their impressions of George Best on the day they met him.
George Best Books:
Scoring at Half Time.
The Best of Times.
The Good, the Bad and the Bubbly.
And we'll leave you with...... George Best: From presidents to punters, he touched them all.
By TravelNotes @ 10:33 am
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