George Best
George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish footballer. He played as a winger. Best played most of his club career at Manchester United. Best is said to be one of the best players in the history of the sport.[1] He was named European Footballer of the Year in 1968 and came fifth in the FIFA Player of the Century vote. Best received praise for his playing style. It combined pace, skill, balance, feints, goalscoring and the ability to get past defenders. In Belfast, where Best was born, they named the airport after him.
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Best | ||
| Date of birth | 22 May 1946 | ||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||
| Date of death | 25 November 2005 (aged 59) | ||
| Place of death | London, England | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder (retired) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1963-1974 1974 1975 1975-1976 1976 1976-1977 1977 1978 1978 1978-1979 1979-1980 1980-1981 1983 1983 |
Manchester United →Arsenal F.C. (loan) Stockport County Cork Celtic Los Angeles Aztecs Fulham Los Angeles Aztecs Fulham Los Angeles Aztecs Fort Lauderdale Strikers Hibernian San Jose Earthquakes Bournemouth Brisbane Lions | ||
| National team | |||
| 1964-1977 | Northern Ireland | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Both of Best's marriages ended in divorce. He was married to Angie Best from 1978-1986; the couple had a son, Calum Best. George Best was married to Alex Best from 1995-2004.
Best was an alcoholic. He had a liver transplant in 2003. He died of a lung infection and multiple organ failure in London [England]
Club career statisticsEdit
| Club statistics | League | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals |
| England | League | |||
| 1963/64 | Manchester United | First Division | 17 | 4 |
| 1964/65 | 41 | 10 | ||
| 1965/66 | 31 | 9 | ||
| 1966/67 | 42 | 10 | ||
| 1967/68 | 41 | 28 | ||
| 1968/69 | 41 | 19 | ||
| 1969/70 | 37 | 15 | ||
| 1970/71 | 40 | 18 | ||
| 1971/72 | 40 | 19 | ||
| 1972/73 | 19 | 4 | ||
| 1973/74 | 12 | 2 | ||
| 1974/75 | Dunstable Town | 5 | 0 | |
| 1974/75 | Stockport County | Fourth Division | 3 | 2 |
| Republic of Ireland | League | |||
| 1975/76 | Cork Celtic | Premier Division | 3 | 0 |
| United States | League | |||
| 1976 | Los Angeles Aztecs | NASL | 24 | 15 |
| England | League | |||
| 1976/77 | Fulham | Second Division | 37 | 8 |
| United States | League | |||
| 1977 | Los Angeles Aztecs | NASL | 25 | 13 |
| England | League | |||
| 1977/78 | Fulham | Second Division | 10 | 2 |
| United States | League | |||
| 1978 | Los Angeles Aztecs | NASL | 12 | 1 |
| 1978 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | NASL | 9 | 4 |
| 1979 | 19 | 2 | ||
| Scotland | League | |||
| 1979/80 | Hibernian | Premier Division | 22 | 3 |
| United States | League | |||
| 1980 | San Jose Earthquakes | NASL | 26 | 8 |
| 1981 | 30 | 13 | ||
| England | League | |||
| 1982/83 | Bournemouth | Third Division | 5 | 0 |
| Australia | League | |||
| 1983 | Brisbane Lions | National Soccer League | 4 | 0 |
| Country | England | 421 | 150 | |
| Republic of Ireland | 3 | 0 | ||
| United States | 145 | 56 | ||
| Scotland | 22 | 3 | ||
| Australia | 4 | 0 | ||
| Total | 595 | 209 | ||
International career statisticsEdit
| Northern Ireland national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1964 | ||
| 1965 | ||
| 1966 | ||
| 1967 | ||
| 1968 | ||
| 1969 | ||
| 1970 | ||
| 1971 | ||
| 1972 | ||
| 1973 | 1 | 0 |
| 1974 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | 0 | 0 |
| 1976 | 2 | 0 |
| 1977 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 37 | 9 |
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ "Was Georgie the Best?". BBC Sport. 25 November 2005. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- ↑ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "George Best". www.national-football-teams.com.
- ↑ "Northern Ireland - Record International Players". www.rsssf.com.
Other websitesEdit
- English Football Hall of Fame Profile Archived 2005-04-15 at the Wayback Machine
- The George Best Foundation Archived 2009-06-28 at the Wayback Machine
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