George Best

Northern Irish association football player (1946-2005)

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.

George Best
George best 1976.jpg
Personal information
Full name George Best
Date of birth (1946-05-22)22 May 1946
Place of birth Belfast, Northern Ireland
Date of death 25 November 2005(2005-11-25) (aged 59)
Place of death London, England
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8+12 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
SeasonClubLeague AppsGoals
EnglandLeague
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 IrelandLeague
1975/76 Cork Celtic Premier Division 3 0
United StatesLeague
1976 Los Angeles Aztecs NASL 24 15
EnglandLeague
1976/77 Fulham Second Division 37 8
United StatesLeague
1977 Los Angeles Aztecs NASL 25 13
EnglandLeague
1977/78 Fulham Second Division 10 2
United StatesLeague
1978 Los Angeles Aztecs NASL 12 1
1978 Fort Lauderdale Strikers NASL 9 4
1979 19 2
ScotlandLeague
1979/80 Hibernian Premier Division 22 3
United StatesLeague
1980 San Jose Earthquakes NASL 26 8
1981 30 13
EnglandLeague
1982/83 Bournemouth Third Division 5 0
AustraliaLeague
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

[2][3]

Northern Ireland national team
YearAppsGoals
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

  1. "Was Georgie the Best?". BBC Sport. 25 November 2005. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  2. Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "George Best". www.national-football-teams.com.
  3. "Northern Ireland - Record International Players". www.rsssf.com.

Other websitesEdit