George Best
Goals, girls... where did it all go wrong?
| Full name: | George Best |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | May 22, 1946 |
| Date of death: | November 25, 2005 |
| Clubs played for: | Manchester United, Stockport, Los Angleles Aztecs, Fulham, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Hibernian, San Jose Earthquakes, Bournemouth |
Club Career
George Best was discovered as a 15-year-old in Belfast by Manchester United scout, Bob Bishop. He made his debut for the club two years later having turned professional on his 17th birthday. Best went on to become an Old Trafford legend, making more than 450 appearances in 11 years. He played for numerous clubs after leaving United, including several spells in America, but never again hit the heights he reached in the famous red shirt.
Club Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-74 | Manchester United | 361 | 138 |
| 1975 | Stockport | 3 | 2 |
| 1976 | Los Angeles Aztecs | 23 | 15 |
| 1976-77 | Fulham | 33 | 7 |
| 1977-78 | Los Angeles Aztecs | 32 | 12 |
| 1978-79 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 26 | 6 |
| 1979-80 | Hibernian | 22 | 3 |
| 1980-81 | San Jose Earthquakes | 56 | 28 |
| 1983 | Bournemouth | 4 | 0 |
International Career
It's often said that George Best is the greatest player never to play in a World Cup finals. He won 39 caps for Northern Ireland, but never came close to reaching a major finals. There was some talk that Billy Bingham would select him for the 1982 finals in Spain, but, at 36 and having not played international football for almost five years, that was more a romantic notion than a realistic possibility.
International Career Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-77 | Northern Ireland | 37 | 9 |
Key Games
Benfica 1-5 Manchester United (European Cup quarter-final 2nd leg, March 9, 1966)
Best was dubbed 'El Beatle' by the media after inspiring United to a stunning 5-1 win in Lisbon - Benfica's first-ever European Cup defeat at home - to seal an 8-3 aggregate victory. He scored twice inside the first 12 minutes as United rocked the Portuguese champions, and further goals from John Connelly, Pat Crerand and Bobby Charlton completed the rout on an astonishing night.
Northampton 2-8 Manchester United (FA Cup 5th round, February 7, 1970)
Best returned from a six-week suspension - imposed after he threw mud at the referee during an international - and took out all his frustrations on Fourth Division Northampton, scoring six of United's goals in an 8-2 drubbing. Before netting his sixth, he stopped the ball on the goal-line, saluting the United fans, then rolled it in.
Northern Ireland 0-1 England (Home Internationals, May 15, 1971)
The most famous 'goal' Best ever scored - or never scored, as the case may be - came at Windsor Park in 1971 when he cheekily flicked the ball away from Gordon Banks as the England keeper was taking a goal kick before heading it into the net. Much to the fury of the Irish crowd, however, referee Alistair Mackenzie disallowed it for foul play.
Honours
| Club | Competition | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | League Championship | 1964-65, 1966-67 |
| European Cup | 1968 | |
| European Footballer of the Year | 1968 | |
| Football Writers' Footballer of the Year | 1968 |
Did You Know...?
Best spent Christmas behind bars in 1984, during a three-month prison term for drink-driving.
Belfast City Airport was renamed George Best Belfast City Airport in May 2006, six months after his death, at the age of 59.
To mark the first anniversary of George Best's death, Ulster Bank issued one million commemorative five-pound notes. They sold out within five days.
We want your help to grow the MirrorFootball.co.uk archive! Leave your comments about this piece of football history by clicking on the 'Your Memories' tab above. Tell us who or what you'd like to see covered in the MirrorFootball.co.uk archive by emailing archive@mirror.co.uk
(PDF2.5MB)
