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George Best: Victim of stardom
Best helped Man Utd become the first English team to win the European Cup before he quit aged 26
The rise of modern footballer as multi-millionaire superstar can arguably be traced to the emergence in the 1960s of one George Best.
Best combined dishevelled good looks and supreme talent with a rock 'n' roll lifestyle that made him the first in a what has since become a long line of players whose antics have become not just tabloid entertainment, but big news.
The growth of television - Best made his debut as a 17-year-old the year before the BBC began its weekly Match of the Day show - meant he was rocketed to stardom in a way never experienced by those before him.
Arguably the most naturally gifted footballer of his generation, Best is famous for squandering his skill and failing to achieve his full potential.
 Best, now 53, learned to dribble with a tennis ball
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The growth of television - Best made his debut as a 17-year-old the year before the BBC began its weekly Match of the Day show - meant he was rocketed to stardom in a way never experienced by those before him.
Arguably the most naturally gifted footballer of his generation, Best is famous for squandering his skill and failing to achieve his full potential.
Best factfile |
1946: Born May 22 in Belfast
1963: Makes debut for Man Utd
1964: Makes Northern Ireland debut
1965: United win the league championship
1968: Voted English and European footballer of the year
1970: Sent off for Northern Ireland for throwing mud at
ref
1972: Walks out on United aged 26
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As a young man the Manchester United star was famous for spending his nights propping up bars at exclusive nightclubs and leaving in the early hours with a beautiful blonde on his arm.
He revelled in the limelight but as the first of the new superstars, found himself unable to cope with the temptations littered across his path.
Alcohol, late nights, women. He indulged in them all to excess and as a result walked out of top class football in 1972 aged just 26.
He spent the next 11 years plying his trade with various second-rate clubs on both sides of the Atlantic before finally hanging up his boots in 1983.
By then he had sunk into alcoholism.
In 1984 he hit rock bottom when he served two months of a 12-week jail term for drink driving and assault on police.
But the talent which once had commentators struggling for superlatives saw him retain a fond place in the hearts of the public.
In 1988 friends in his home town of Belfast helped organise a testimonial match in a bid to raise
funds to stave of his looming bankruptcy.
The match raised £75,000 and attracted a crowd of 20,000 - the largest in Belfast for 20 years.
Unfortunately he is better remembered by the audience of millions who watched his drunken appearance on the BBC chat show Wogan in 1990.
Some were outraged at his offensive language so early in the evening, others found it funny. Most found it sad.
In some ways, though Best had been through unhappier times, that humiliating, public display marked the nadir of his downfall.
He has since become a respected pundit with Sky Sports.
But many of his fans will forever rue his lost promise, the promise which led a scout to telephone Manchester United manager Sir Matt Busby with the message - "I think I've found a genius" after seeing him play as a 15-year-old.
Busby promptly signed Best, who had learnt his craft dribbling tennis balls through the terraced streets of Belfast.
It is significant that Best returned to Northern Ireland before playing a game because he was homesick and only returned to Old Trafford after Busby flew over to talk him into a return.
He was 17 when he made his First Division debut for United against West Bromwich Albion in September, 1963.
Best hit the big time at once, exploding onto the scene at the same time as the Beatles went to No 1 in the hit parade.
For many, Best and the Beatles at full tilt remain the most enduring images of that era.
Two years later he helped United win their first championship for eight years - by then he was not yet 20 - and it was followed by another in 1967.
A year later picked up the English and European footballer of the year awards as United became the first English team to win the European Cup.
He helped United romped to a 4-1 triumph over Benfica at Wembley. Two years earlier he had masterminded a 5-1 demolition of the Portugese giants, scoring twice in the opening 10 minutes.
He also famously scored six goals in an FA Cup fifth-round tie against Northampton.
The world seemed at its feet, but only four years after his famous night at Wembley he shocked the football world by announcing his retirement.
He made a brief but unsuccessful comeback with United then followed spells with Stockport, Fulham, Hibernian, Los Angeles Aztecs and San Jose Earthquakes before finally retiring in 1983 after a brief stint with Bournemouth.
Such was his impact on the game that in 1972, after Best had flown to Spain following his bust-up with United declaring he was finished with football for good, his departure was debated in the House of Commons.
The motion tabled was entitled: "The Best is the enemy of the good."
He revelled in the limelight but as the first of the new superstars, found himself unable to cope with the temptations littered across his path.
Alcohol, late nights, women. He indulged in them all to excess and as a result walked out of top class football in 1972 aged just 26.
He spent the next 11 years plying his trade with various second-rate clubs on both sides of the Atlantic before finally hanging up his boots in 1983.
By then he had sunk into alcoholism.
In 1984 he hit rock bottom when he served two months of a 12-week jail term for drink driving and assault on police.
But the talent which once had commentators struggling for superlatives saw him retain a fond place in the hearts of the public.
 Best's battle with the bottle has been a long one
|
The match raised £75,000 and attracted a crowd of 20,000 - the largest in Belfast for 20 years.
Unfortunately he is better remembered by the audience of millions who watched his drunken appearance on the BBC chat show Wogan in 1990.
Some were outraged at his offensive language so early in the evening, others found it funny. Most found it sad.
In some ways, though Best had been through unhappier times, that humiliating, public display marked the nadir of his downfall.
He has since become a respected pundit with Sky Sports.
 Best is now a Sky TV pundit
|
Busby promptly signed Best, who had learnt his craft dribbling tennis balls through the terraced streets of Belfast.
It is significant that Best returned to Northern Ireland before playing a game because he was homesick and only returned to Old Trafford after Busby flew over to talk him into a return.
He was 17 when he made his First Division debut for United against West Bromwich Albion in September, 1963.
Best hit the big time at once, exploding onto the scene at the same time as the Beatles went to No 1 in the hit parade.
For many, Best and the Beatles at full tilt remain the most enduring images of that era.
 Best walks out with United just before he quit at the age of 26
|
A year later picked up the English and European footballer of the year awards as United became the first English team to win the European Cup.
He helped United romped to a 4-1 triumph over Benfica at Wembley. Two years earlier he had masterminded a 5-1 demolition of the Portugese giants, scoring twice in the opening 10 minutes.
He also famously scored six goals in an FA Cup fifth-round tie against Northampton.
The world seemed at its feet, but only four years after his famous night at Wembley he shocked the football world by announcing his retirement.
He made a brief but unsuccessful comeback with United then followed spells with Stockport, Fulham, Hibernian, Los Angeles Aztecs and San Jose Earthquakes before finally retiring in 1983 after a brief stint with Bournemouth.
Such was his impact on the game that in 1972, after Best had flown to Spain following his bust-up with United declaring he was finished with football for good, his departure was debated in the House of Commons.
The motion tabled was entitled: "The Best is the enemy of the good."
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