| N. IRELAND | |
| 1963-1984 | |
| Manchester United (1963-1974) Dunstable Town (loan, 1974) Stockport County (1975) Cork Celtic (1975-1976) Los Angeles Aztecs (1976, 1977-1978, 1978-1979) Fulham (1976-1977) Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1978-1979) Hibernian (1979-1980) San Jose Earthquakes (1980-1981) Bournemouth (1983) Brisbane Lions (1983) Tobermore United (1984) | |
With a name like “Best” you had better be able to live up it. George Best did so, and more, during his long career. He was one of the greatest wingers of all time, as his fleet-footed pace and acceleration allowed him to blow by defenders, while his trickery with the ball won him fans and admirers all throughout the world. He was a deadly goal-scorer, putting up an astonishing 138 goals in 361 appearances for Manchester United, and finishing with 204 in his career for both club and country.
His best years were at Old Trafford, where he was surrounded by talented players such as Bobby Charlton and Denis Law. It could have been an even more impressive array of players, as the Munich Air Disaster had occurred five years before Best debuted with the senior team. Best was seen as the replacement for the gifted Duncan Edwards, who had perished in the crash, and Best soon set about making his own legend at Old Trafford. He won two League titles in 1966 and 1967, and in 1968, he had a dream season, winning a European Cup title and being voted European Player of the Year and Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year. In the semi-finals of the European Cup that year, United were in danger of going out against Real Madrid, but Best sent a brilliant side-pass to Bill Foulkes after seeing Real Madrid’s defense and realizing that a conventional cross into the box would have been cut out. Foulkes then scored the goal that put United in the Finals, where Best scored the Cup clinching goal against a Benfica team that was led by Portuguese legend, Eusebio.
Despite his brilliance on the pitch, he was never able to lead Northern Ireland to the World Cup. That didn’t diminish his stature in his home country. Neither did his rapid physical decline as a result of decades of hard-living that turned him into a tabloid laughing stock later in his life. In Northern Ireland, they have a saying there that goes: “Maradona: Good. Pele: Better. George Best.” That about sums it up.
