Born in Belfast on 22nd May 1946, he was the son of Richard ‘Dickie’ Best and Anne Best, who lived on the Cregagh estate in the southeast end of the city. Bob Bishop, the Manchester United scout, noticed the talent of young George with the ball. Bob Bishop called Matt Busby to tell him he’d found an adroit player.
George, at that time, was just 15 years old. He was offered a two-week trial and was selected. George used to write letters back home about his adventures with Manchester United.
Harry Gregg, who played for Manchester United from 1957 to ’67, in an interview with Sky Sports, said that he was once playing 5-a-side in training and a 15-year-old George Best stunned him by dribbling past him 3 times.
As a 17-year-old, George Best secured his place in Manchester United’s first team and scored 6 goals in his first season. His debut match was against West Bromwich Albion in September 1963. The young man from Northern Ireland was becoming a phenomenon in Manchester United’s first-division team. They even won the title in 1965.
Northern Ireland was interested in getting George Best in their national team, but it was Harry Greg, who tipped off the manager of Ireland, Bertie Peacock. George Best made 37 appearances for Northern Ireland and instantly became a favourite. His dribbles, runs, and goal-scoring ability attracted many admirers. George’s most prolific performance for Northern Ireland was the one at Windsor Park, Belfast, in a 1-0 win over Scotland. This was his most celebrated performance for his country.
George Best, along with Sir Bobby Charlton and Dennis Law, was becoming very prominent at Old Trafford. As the time passed by, this trio of Best, Charlton and Law became one of the most potent partnerships in English football.
In Lisbon, in March 1966, George put up a phenomenal performance, demolishing Benfica with a 5-1 win, scoring 2 early goals for United. The Portuguese press were so amazed that they called him ‘El Beetle’.
In 1967, Manchester United were very dominant and the manager Matt Busby was eyeing the European Cup. After the Munich disaster, 10 years earlier, the final at Wembley was poignant because Bobby Charlton and Matt Busby were survivors of the air crash in Munich. George Best put up his best performance in the European Cup final match against Benfica. Bobby Charlton gave Manchester United the lead in the first half. Benfica then equalized through Grassa and the final went into extra time. In the extra time, George Best scored the winner for Manchester United.
After Matt Busby’s retirement, Manchester United went into decline. This was reflected in George’s form and enthusiasm. He started missing training sessions very frequently.
With the arrival of the new coach, Tommy Dockerty, things still did not return to normal and George Best, aged 27 years, was on his way out. George Best even quit the game for a brief time, after leaving Manchester United. During this time, he went to Spain and played a few games for Stockport County and a summer for Los Angeles Aztec, before signing for Fulham in West London.
The personal life of George Best also changed. He was spending an increasing amount of time in America, where he met his first wife, Angela.
Although George’s career was in a decline, he still held fascination for football fans across the world. He still played as a key player for Los Angeles Aztecs, San Jose earthquakes and Fort Lauderdale Strikers and the USA witnessed the last moments of George Best’s footballing genius.
After completely retiring from Football, George’s life started to drift and he became an alcoholic. The problems kept mounting like bankruptcy and prison for drunk driving.
In 1995, George married for a second time, but there was nothing that could stop his addiction.
In November 2005, George’s liver took a turn for the worse, and he died in hospital at the age of 59.
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