George Best
Winger · Manchester United · Northern Ireland
About George Best
George Best was the most naturally gifted footballer Britain has ever produced — a player so exceptional that Pelé and Maradona both named him the greatest they ever saw. A product of Belfast (NIR) who conquered Old Trafford at 17, he won the European Cup and the Ballon d'Or in 1968 before his demons — principally alcohol — shortened a career that should have been twice as long.
George Best's story
Belfast's Boy
Best was born in the Cregagh estate of east Belfast (NIR) to a Protestant working-class family. When Manchester United scout Bob Bishop first saw him aged 15, he sent Matt Busby a telegram that read: "I think I've found you a genius." Best moved to Manchester (ENG) as a homesick teenager, returned to Belfast (NIR) within days, was persuaded back, and became the most exciting player England had ever seen.
The Fifth Beatle
At his peak in the mid-to-late 1960s, Best was more famous than any footballer before him — so much so that he was dubbed "the Fifth Beatle" by the press. He had his own boutique in Manchester (ENG), dated models and actresses, and appeared on magazine covers across Europe. The modern concept of the footballer as global celebrity was essentially invented around George Best.
The Battles with Alcohol
Best's alcoholism is one of sport's great tragedies. He retired effectively at 27 — a peak that most consider too short by a decade. He made various comebacks at smaller clubs but never recaptured his Old Trafford form. His quote "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered" became one of sport's most famous lines. He died in November 2005, aged 59, from multiple organ failure linked to alcoholism.
Did you know?
- 👑 Both Pelé and Diego Maradona named George Best as the greatest footballer they ever saw — a remarkable consensus from the two men most often cited as the greatest players in history.
- 🎸 He was dubbed "the Fifth Beatle" by the press in the 1960s, such was his fame — appearing on magazine covers across Europe and becoming the template for the modern celebrity footballer.
- 👨👩👧👦 Married Angie McDonald in 1978 and Alex Pursey in 1995; son Calum Best (born 1981) became a TV personality. George died in November 2005 aged 59.
- 🏆 He won the European Cup in 1968 with Manchester United, scoring one of the goals in the final against Benfica at Wembley.
- 🎯 His Ballon d'Or in 1968 made him the first British player to win the award. He scored 28 goals in 41 games in that season — from a winger position.
- 💬 "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." This quote, attributed to Best, remains one of the most famous in British sporting history.
- 🇮🇪 Northern Ireland, representing just 1.8 million people, qualified for the 1982 World Cup with Best's international-era successors — but Best himself never played at a World Cup.
- ⚽ He scored 179 goals for Manchester United — an extraordinary figure for a winger — including a hat-trick against Liverpool in a First Division match in 1968.
- 🌟 A statue of Best stands outside Windsor Park in Belfast and another outside Old Trafford. He is considered a national hero in Northern Ireland — the most famous person the country has produced.
Honours
- Ballon d'Or: 1968
- First Division x2: Manchester United (1965, 1967)
- European Cup: Manchester United (1968)
- FWA Footballer of the Year: 1968
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