George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Ireland football international who is mainly remembered for his time with Manchester United F.C.. He played for United between 1963 and 1974, helping them to win the Football League Championship in 1965 and 1967, and the European Cup in 1968. The same year, he was named European Footballer of the Year and Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year.
At the age of 15, George Best was discovered in Belfast by Manchester United scout Bob Bishop. He was subsequently given a trial and signed up by chief scout Joe Armstrong in 1961. He turned professional and made his debut for Manchester United in 1963.
He made 466 appearances for Manchester United in all competitions, scoring 178 goals (including six in one game against Northampton Town). In 1974, the 27-year-old Best was sacked by United for excessive drinking and persistent failure to attend training sessions and matches. Over the next decade, Best drifted between several football clubs.
Best has often been called the most naturally gifted player from the British Isles, rivaled only by Pelé and Diego Maradona on the world stage. Maradona himself has frequently named Best as his all-time favourite player. Pelé once stated that George Best was the best player he ever saw play and named him as one of the 125 best living footballers in his 2004 FIFA 100 list.
While at Manchester United, Best’s talent and showmanship made him a crowd and media favourite. He was dubbed “the fifth Beatle” for his long hair and good looks, but his celebrity lifestyle led to problems with gambling, womanising and alcoholism. Best often told the story of a bellboy who entered his hotel room with breakfast in the early 1970s. Seeing Best in bed with the current Miss World, a magnum of champagne and several thousand pounds of cash won from a night’s gambling.
Taken from the [Wikipedia].