George Best: A football genuis undone by a love for booze and women

George Best is widely regarded as one of the best footballers of all time, with the Northern Ireland star making headlines both on and off the pitch.

Football today is an extremely professional sport, where the highest level is only attainable with a regimented training regime and high-level nutrition. This has not always been the case, though, and there's no better example of how different footballers used to be than George Best!

A Northern Irish footballer who rubbed shoulders with the elites of world football in between late nights at Manchester's wildest nightclubs and casinos. It's fair to say he excelled in both environments. 

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Nicknamed “the fifth Beatle” because of his popularity, his haircut and his extravagant lifestyle, he captivated the minds of football fans all over the world: How can one be so talented and nonchalant?

Winner of the Ballon d'Or in 1968, George Best has always proclaimed his love for women and alcohol. This is the story of the craziest and most captivating player of the 20th century – George Best.

George Best was born on May 22, 1946 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Growing up in the working-class neighborhoods of the city, his mother was a former professional hockey player but sank into alcohol dependency dealing with the hardships of the war. 

George Best grew up in this working-class environment and his father, who played football until he was 37, passed on his passion to him. George showed picked it up fast and showed incredible skill on the ball from a very young age. 

In 1963, when he was only 15, Best was scouted by Manchester United, who decided to recruit him and have him join their training center. The young man made his professional debut at the age of 17.

A versatile attacking player, who could play both as a winger and a forward, Best grabbed the attention of fans with his exceptional technical brilliance and sense of the game.

Thanks to his spectacular goals and good looks, he quickly became a fan favorite.  Despite his young age, Best became an indisputable starter at Manchester United.

In 1965 and 1967, George Best helped lead the Red Devils to win the league title. The Mancunians are at the top of their game and, in 1968, they manage to win the European Cup thanks to a goal from their star striker against Benfica.

That same year, George Best won the Ballon d'Or and became something akin to a popstar in the United Kingdom and was held in the same regard as John Lennon or Paul McCartney. He was then nicknamed the “Fifth Beatle” by the media.

In fact, he was so popular that the Old Trafford stadium received more than 10,000 fan letters every week, claiming their love for “Georgie Boy”.

Apart from his sporting successes, George Best was also known for his chaotic lifestyle. In 1971, coach Matt Busby left the club. The coach was something of a father figure to George and was seemingly the only one who could reign him in.

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In the absence of his "guardian", George Best sank. At 25 years old, best spent most of his time frequenting the city's casinos. He would regularly miss training and arrive drunk for the games.

By 1972, Best had put on weight and grew a beard to keep his extra pounds from showing too much. Getting fed up with his condition and lack of dedication, coach Tommy Docherty put Best on the bench.

This decision did not go down well with Best who would then stop training altogether, losing the respect of his team mates in the process. 

Willie Morgan, the club's Scottish winger, later said: “George thought he was the James Bond of football. He had everything he wanted, money, girls, fame. He lived hand to mouth and always got away with it. When he missed practice, people made excuses for him. He didn't have to provide any. He didn't care about anything."

In 1974, Best was fired from Manchester United after arriving "staggering" at training. In 466 appearances in all competitions, George Best scored 178 goals for the club.

But if there is one thing legendary about the “fifth Beatle”, it is his wild statements, which have earned him a reputation around the world, here are some of our favourites. 

"In 1969, I quit women and alcohol, it was the hardest 20 minutes of my life."

On David Beckham: "He can't kick with his left foot, he can't head, he can't tackle, and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that, he's alright."

"I spent a lot of money on booze, girls and sports cars — the rest I squandered."

During his short stint at the Los Angeles Aztecs: “I had a house by the sea. But to go to the beach, you had to go past a bar, so I never saw the sea.”

This addiction to alcohol will unfortunately cut his life short. Due to complications of liver disease in 2005, he died at the age of 59.

In 2004, he was cited by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the 125 best-living footballers, the latter even declaring that Best is the best player he had ever seen develop.

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Idolised by Pelé and Diego Maradona, George Best forever changed football with his talent and, unfortunately, his off-field antics. A unique character, that blurred the lines between genius and madness.