Come On Georgie Boy

"I was the one who took football off the back pages and put it on to page one." - George Best

George Best scored many great individual goals throughout his short career, the length and breadth of Britain and Europe. Yet scoring at Old Trafford, his spiritual home, always seemed to please him the most. Many wonder where Best, in his prime, stands amongst the wealth of talent currently playing in the Premiership today. Take the pace of Henry, the skills of Rooney and the determination and never-say-die attitude of Roy Keane, and roll all of those traits into one player, you get an idea of just how brilliant and talented an individual George Best was.

His problems with alcohol are well documented, and its effect on him even more so. One of the saddest memories of Best, at his worst, was a TV interview he took part in the mid-eighties with Terry Wogan. The host sensibly cut short the interview when it quickly became apparent that George was intoxicated and in no shape to continue.

Whilst Best should forever be remembered as a skillful soccer-playing icon to young players everywhere, his excessive drinking should also be noted as a career-ending threat for any aspiring young athlete.


"I used to dream about taking the ball round the keeper, stopping it on the line and then getting on my hands and knees and heading it into the net. When I scored against Benfica in the European Cup Final I nearly did it. I left the keeper for dead, but then I chickened out. I might have given the boss a heart attack." - George Best.

The scene: somewhere from the Match of the Day archives from the 1970's. A bright summer's day with Old Trafford packed to the rafters. West Ham United are the unfortunate opposition, about to be fed to the Lions. And there is Best, racing towards the heaving Stretford End, at top speed, with the ball glued to his feet. He literally shines in his bright red Manchester United jersey with stylish side-locks and that cheeky Northern Irish grin on his face.

You know what's coming. You have seen it a million times before, but you still cannot drag yourself away from the screen. He feints left, goes right - never breaking speed - and leaves two defenders trailing in his wake. Just for the hell of it, he waltzes around one more defender before (despite the best efforts of the goalkeeper) stroking the ball nonchalantly into the net.

The crowd lets out a guttural roar of approval.

Best stands, arms aloft, head thrown back with mouth wide open, and slowly brings his arms down by his side, seemingly breathing in the air of adoration that surrounds him.

He was George Best. Simply the best.