George Best
George Best (born May 22, 1946 in Belfast) is a former footballer from Northern Ireland, and one of the most celebrated players ever from Great Britain or Ireland.
He is the father of Calum Best.
Playing career
He played for Manchester United F.C. between 1963 and 1974, where he won two League championships in 1965 and 1967, and one European Cup in 1968, the year he was named European Footballer of the Year and Football Writers' Association Player of the Year. He has had an eventful private life and has remained in the public eye after finishing his playing career.
Best is possibly the most naturally gifted player who ever lived, rivaled only by Pele. He made 466 appearances for Manchester United in all competitions, scoring 178 goals (including six in one game against Northampton Town). He was capped 37 times for Northern Ireland, scoring nine goals. He played mainly as a winger and was known for his dribbling skills and devastatingly accurate passing. He was named one of the 125 best footballers ever in Pelé's 2004 FIFA 100 list.drunken bum
Celebrity
Playing alongside greats such as Denis Law and Bobby Charlton at Manchester United, Best's talent and showmanship made him a crowd and media favourite. He was dubbed "the fifth Beatle" for his long hair and good looks, but his extravagant celebrity lifestyle led to problems with gambling and alcoholism. Best often tells a story of a bellboy who entered his hotel room with breakfast in the early 1970s. Seeing Best drunk, in bed with the current Miss World, with a magnum of champagne and several thousand pounds of cash won from a nights gambling, the youth exclaimed, "George, where did it all go wrong?" In 1974, the 27-year-old Best was sacked by Manchester United for excessive drinking and persistent failure to attend training and matches. Over the next decade, Best drifted between several clubs including Fulham, Stockport County, Dunstable, Hibernian, Los Angeles Aztecs, San Jose Earthquakes and finally Bournemouth until he retired from the game in 1983 at the age of 37.
In 1984 Best made a keep fit video' with wife and former Miss World Mary Stavin called Shape Up And Dance.
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 1984 behind bars and turned out as a player for Ford Open Prison. In 1990, he appeared on a prime time BBC chat show in which he swore and was clearly drunk. He later apologised and said this was one of the worst episodes of his alcoholism. In 2000, he had a liver transplant. In 2003 he was the focus of much criticism when, despite his transplant, he openly drank white wine spritzers and was accused of being selfish and having no regard for other people's feelings. His wife Alex appeared as a contestant in a 2003 reality television programme making allegations about their relationship. On 3 January 2004, Best was convicted of another drink driving offence and banned from driving for 20 months.
In November 2004 Best agreed to join FA Premier League club Portsmouth F.C. as youth coach, citing his desire to get involved in football again.
Best is widely considered, at least in the U.K., to be one of the most skilful players ever to have played the game. Indeed Pele, widely considered the finest talent ever to play the game, once stated that George Best was the best player he ever saw play. His talent would almost certainly have been recognised more on the world stage had his national team not been a relative "minnow". Along with Paul Gascoigne and Lee Sharpe (also of Manchester United fame), Best is held up by UK football fans as an example of the dark side of the game, where a prodigous playing talent is squandered by managers and agents too quick to ignore players' personal problems.
Best has often said that he would like to see a United Ireland soccer team like those in rugby and hockey.
Current illness
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
Best continued to drink, and was often seen at his local in Petersfield. In Autumn 2005 Best was admitted to intensive care at the private Cromwell Hospital in London, suffering from kidney problems caused by the side-effects of drugs used to treat his alcohol problems. (BBC).
On October 4 Best's manager Phil Hughes said Best's condition had improved but will stay in intensive care. [1] As his condition slowly improved he began to ask for sugary treats such as a Ribena lollipop. [2] On October 21 it was reported that his recovery had hit a setback which doctors thought was probably due to a lung infection. [3] Professor Roger Williams, the doctor in charge of Best's medical care, said he was "battling on, but very ill." [4]
Late in the evening of October 26 a "dramatic deterioration" in Best's condition was reported by his ex-wife; he was said to be on a life suppport machine. Early editions of the morning newspapers for October 27 stated Best was close to death and has sent farewell messages to loved ones. [5] and [6]
See also
External links
