George Best was a professional footballer from Northern Ireland. He is best known for playing for Manchester United, the club where he also spent his youth career. In 1998, he was named to the Football League 100 Legends. In 2004, before his death, he was also named one of FIFA’s 100 World’s Greatest Living Players.
Player Profile, Personal Life, and Youth Career
George Best was born on May 22, 1946, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He stood 175 cm tall. He had five siblings and his parents were Richard and Annie. He was academically gifted and attended Grosvernor High School.
He started his youth career playing for Manchester United after he was scouted by Bob Bishop. He would eventually be promoted to play for their senior team.
| Position | Midfielder |
| Born | 22 May 1946 |
| Died | 25 Nov 2005 (59 years) |
| Nationality |
Northern Ireland
|
| Team History | |
| Tobermore United F.C. | 1984 |
Bournemouth
|
1982 - 1983 |
| Queensland Lions FC | 1983 |
| San Jose Earthquakes (1974–88) | 1980 - 1981 |
Hibernian
|
1979 - 1980 |
|
Fort Lauderdale Strikers
|
1978 - 1979 |
| Los Angeles Aztecs | 1977 - 1978 |
Fulham
|
1976 - 1977 |
| Cork Celtic F.C. | 1975 - 1976 |
| Los Angeles Aztecs | 1976 |
|
Stockport County
|
1975 |
Man Utd
|
1963 - 1974 |
| Dunstable Town F.C. | 1974 |
Best died on November 25, 2005, following complications related to the failure of his liver transplant. His funeral was attended by more than 100,000 mourners. He was only 59 when he died.
Professional Career
He started his senior career in 1963, making his debut with United. His career with the club would span from 1963 to 1974. Best was just 17 at the time of his debut.
In his stint with Manchester United, he helped them win the European Cup in 1968. He also was a key player in the team winning the Charity Shield twice and the Football League First Division twice as well.
Alongside Dennis Law and Bobby Charlton, Best was part of the trio known as the United Trinity. The three players are featured in a statue outside of Old Trafford.
He left Manchester in 1974 after having played 361 games. From that time through to 1984, he jumped from team to team. His next club was the Jewish Guild but he only played 5 games with them. He spent the most time with the San Jose Earthquakes in the United States, making 56 appearances.
He also played in Hong Kong for the Rangers and in Australia for the Brisbane Lions.
Best played for Northern Ireland 37 times and scored nine goals for the National Team. He was even considered to play in the 1982 FIFA World Cup but manager Billy Bingham thought he was too old to do so.
Career Highlights:
Manchester United
- 1964–65, 1966–67 - Football LeagueFirst Division
- 1965, 1967 - Charity Shield
- 1968 - European Cup
Hibernian F.C.
- 1979-80 - East of Scotland Shield
Individual
- 1967–68 - Football League FirstDivision top scorer
- 1967–68 - FWA Footballer of the Year
- 1971 - Ballon d’Or: 1968; thirdplace
- 1977 - PFA Team of the Year SecondDivision
- 1998 - Football League 100 Legends
- 2001 - Honorary doctorate fromQueen’s University Belfast
- 2002 - Freeman of Castlereagh
- 2002 - Inaugural inductee into theEnglish Football Hall of Fame
- 2002 - BBC Sports Personality of theYear Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2003 - UEFA Jubilee Awards –Northern Ireland’s Golden Player
- UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll: No. 19th
- 2004 - FIFA 100 (world’s greatestliving players)
- 2005 - Golden Foot, as a footballlegend
- 2006 - PFA Merit Award
- 1907 to 2007 - PFA England LeagueTeam of the Century
- Team of the Century 1907–1976
- Overall Team of the Century
- 2000 - FWA Tribute Award
- 2002 - English Football Hall of Fame
- World Soccer The Greatest Players ofthe 20th century: No. 8
- 2020 - Ballon d’Or Dream Team(Bronze)
Team History
National Team
- 1964–1977 - Northern Ireland
