George Best

Birth Date: 22nd May, 1946 Birthplace: Belfast, Northern Ireland Height and weight: 5 ft 8 in. Position: Winger Foot: Could use both his feet comfortably Club: Stockport County, Bournemouth, Fulham, Hibernian, Los Angeles Aztecs, Cork Celtic, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, San Jose Earthquakes, Dunstable Town, Brisbane Lions and finally and tragically, Ford Open Prison Starting: # 7 Marital status: Married to Angela MacDonald-James (divorced in 1986); had one son named Calum; he remarried in Alex Pursey in 1995. Personal Profile: George Best was the right megastar of his time who did the impossible, both on and off the pitch. Toying and tormenting the defenders was one of the unique skills that he possessed.  George proved to be a typical and cautionary tale of intelligence and self-destruction. Though he often accepted that he had never accomplished his full potential, George may still have been the best player ever to step on the field. George was a genius on the field. He was always remembered for his wonderful days at Manchester United and thrilling performances for Northern Ireland . As a player he had an extraordinary combination of balance, pace, two-footedness, goal scoring competence and overwhelming ability to run through entire defenses. George Best had a natural charisma and personality that captured the hearts of a nation. He was born on May 22, 1946 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His father Dickie was a shipyard worker while his mother Annie was an athlete who had played hockey on international level. He acquired the supernatural sense of balance and skills from his mother. Being the oldest of 4 siblings, George loved to play football every day in front of their modest home. Despite his fragile body frame, George had remarkable physical strength and toughness. He was strong enough to take the knocks of the opponents who would try to hack him out of the game. It was obvious to Sir Matt Busby from the beginning that the lean 16 year old had some extra-ordinary skills. In 1963, George made his league debut for Manchester United at the age of 17 and had won the international cap. He was perhaps the most important player of the United team which won the League Championship twice in the 1960's. By 1966, a superstar was born after the magnificent performance in United's 5-1 win in Lisbon, where George scored 2 goals. In 1968 he won both the English and European Footballer of the Year awards. He was also the club's top scorer with 28 goals for the following four seasons. In 1970 he scored six goals in an 8-2 win over Northampton in the FA Cup. During the 1960s he was one of the most famous stars in Britain and was transformed into an epitome of youth culture. He had the style, good looks and the girls went crazy for him. Sadly it was this pop star image that led to his ultimate downfall as he began to live the lifestyle of a pop star, and not a footballer. Alcohol, women and wild nights had eventually shortened his professional life and it led to severe health problems later on. As he became a victim of extreme media attention, George could not concentrate on football without being harassed everywhere by paparazzi. He opened a night club and a number of fashion boutiques which were not successful, while a string of famous actress/model girlfriend's meant he was under incredible media scrutiny. In 1972, at the age of 26 he announced his retirement but was convinced to be back in the game by Docherty. However, the comeback was not successful and George left United for better opportunities in 1974. He then played for several other clubs, most notably Fulham (76-77) with the outlandish ex Manchester City star, Rodney Marsh. He also played with Hibernian, Stockport County and USA soccer teams like L.A. Aztecs (1976-78) Fort Lauderdale Strikers (78-79) and San Jose Earthquakes (80-81). George finally ended his career with Bournemouth in 1983, although he went on to play in many friendly and charity matches. In the 1990's he became a successful sports commentator with Sky Sports.   During this period George's health was affected very badly due to years of heavy drinking which finally resulted in severe liver damage. In 2002, he underwent a liver transplant which gave a short lived hope for everyone but once again he faced severe health problems. On 1st October, 2005, George was admitted to the Cromwell hospital in London with flu-like symptoms. Over the next weeks, his condition worsened and he lost his battle for life on 25th November, surrounded by his close family and friends. In keeping with his wishes, George was buried besides his mother in Roselawn cemetery in Belfast. In the years and months leading up to his death, George was passionate about raising funds for liver research. Alcohol addiction was something that he himself could not conquer but he was determined that he would do all he could to prevent others from following the same path. Career in a Glance (appearances - goals): 1963-1974 Manchester United 361 – 137 1975 Stockport County 3 – 2 1975–1976 Cork Celtic 3 – 0 1976–1978 Los Angeles Aztecs 61 – 29 1976-1977 Fulham 42 – 8 1979–1980 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 33 – 7 1979-1981 Hibernian 22 - 3 1979-1981 San Jose Earthquakes 86 - 34 1983 Bournemouth 5 - 0 1983 Brisbane Lions 4 - 0 1984 Tobermore United 1 - 0 1964-1977 Northern Ireland 37 - 9 Major Achievements:   2 1st Div League Championships (1965, 1967) 1 UEFA European Cup winners medal (1968) Individual Honors: 1 European Footballer of the Year (1968) 1 Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year (1968) 1 Honorary Doctorate from the Queen's University of Belfast (2001) 1 Freeman of Castlereagh (2002) 1 Inaugural inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame (2002) 1 PFA Special Merit Award, for his services to football (2006)