We look back at some the tabloid controversies and famous anecdotes that define the life of George Best, 20 years after his death
The great George Best died 20 years ago this week
The great George Best who died 20 years ago
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"You can keep your Cruyffs, Peles and Maradonas. He was the best ever." These words were said by Mark Longden from the Independent Man Utd Supporters Association, on the death of George Best 20 years ago. Manchester United's Northern Irish football genius died on November 25, 2005, at the age of 59.
Best suffered from alcoholism for most of his life. Following a liver transplant in 2002, he was admitted to intensive care in October 2005 at the private Cromwell Hospital in London with a kidney infection caused by the immunosuppressant medication used to prevent his body from rejecting his new liver.
Six weeks later, George Best passed away surrounded by his family. Not quite reaching his 60th birthday, some might say he was lucky to live as long as he did.
What's not in dispute is the fact that Best crammed a lot of life into those nearly six decades. At just 15 years old, he caught the eye of Manchester United scout Bob Bishop while playing in his native Belfast.
Bob sent a telegram to the legendary United manager Sir Matt Busby. "I think I've found you a genius," it read.
Following a trial, he signed with Manchester United. Still, he only stayed for two days before a bout of homesickness sent him back to Northern Ireland. Eventually, he returned to Manchester, spending two years playing as an amateur while working as an errand boy on the Manchester Ship Canal.
After making his First Division debut in September 1963, aged 17, it wasn't long before he was one of the first names on Sir Matt Busby's starting list. Best combined vision with incredible skill, balance, and feints that left defenders chasing a ghost.
George Best, Manchester United in action against Fulham in 1968
George Best, Manchester United in action against Fulham in 1968
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Even Pelé, regarded as one of – if not the – best player of all time, would go on to call United's no.7 "the greatest player in the world."
And it was Best's outrageous ability that made him a target of rough treatment from opposition teams. Sir Matt Busby would conduct fierce training sessions to ensure his prodigy was well used to coping with the brutal challenges of the top English league.
Best mesmerised both on and off the pitch, and is widely regarded as one of the first celebrity footballers. But it wasn't just his flair, technical ability, unmatched dribbling skills and pop-star good looks that drew attention.
Having more money and fame than a Belfast boy could ever wish for, he soon had the Playboy lifestyle to match.
Yet throughout his football career, Best would become a target of the newspapers for controversies both on and off the pitch. Here, we've compiled a selection of tabloid stories and anecdotes from his decade playing for Manchester United (1963-1974).
Driving ban
Manchester United footballer George Best with his Jaguar E-Type outside his boutique in Manchester, circa 1966
Manchester United footballer George Best with his Jaguar E-Type outside his boutique in Manchester, circa 1966
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Best was famous for his E-Type Jaguar, but his driving was a frequent source of trouble. In July 1968, shortly after winning the European Cup, he was fined £25 and banned from driving for six months for careless driving after colliding with a bus in Manchester.
A year earlier, the Daily Mirror reported that a Manchester United fan, David Rooney, had heard an "almighty crash" early in the morning. He jumped out of bed to see that George Best's Jaguar had wrecked his 10-year-old Morris Minor outside his home in Victoria Avenue, Blackley.
When David told his girlfriend the Minor was a "write-off", all she could say was: "How's George?"
Eva Haraldsted "Breach of Promise" lawsuit
George Best pictured with his Danish girlfriend Eva Haraldsted at The Brown Bull pub in Manchester, announcing they are to marry. 23rd August 1969
George Best pictured with his Danish girlfriend Eva Haraldsted at The Brown Bull pub in Manchester, announcing they are to marry. 23rd August 1969
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In a bizarre legal controversy, Best was sued by his Danish fiancée, Eva Haraldsted, for "breach of promise" after he ended their engagement. While awaiting the hearing, Best and teammate Pat Crerand reportedly got into a nightclub altercation with her new boyfriend. The outdated legal tort was abolished shortly after, but the tabloid frenzy was intense.
The Daily Mirror reported that at one point, Best and his former fiancée got into a "duel" using pop records at Manchester nightclub Blinkers. The incident was described as a "childish exchange of discourtesies" through records played at the club.
Haraldsted played "I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane," with Best retaliating with a Beatles classic, featuring the lyric "Get Back to where you once belonged." Haraldsted eventually dropped her breach of promise action against Best.
Red cards, suspensions and fines
George Best during an on-pitch altercation. Manchester United v Fulham. 8th August 1971
George Best during an on-pitch altercation. Manchester United v Fulham. 8th August 1971
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In a League Cup semi-final against Manchester City on December 3, 1970, Best childishly knocked the ball out of the referee's hands in frustration after a decision went against him. The FA handed him a four-week suspension for "ungentlemanly conduct," a severe punishment for the era and fined him £100.
Just months later, he was at it again. During an international match for Northern Ireland against Scotland, Best lost his temper with the referee. He threw a handful of mud at the official and spat in his direction, resulting in a red card. It was seen as a shocking breach of sportsmanship at the time.
Following his dismissal, a journalist for the Sunday Mirror wrote: "Crowds have destroyed bigger men than George Best and the ominous indications are that the vast slow-moving mood of public opinion is turning against him."
Famous vanishing acts
George Best with photographers taking photos
George Best with photographers taking photos in January 1972
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In perhaps his most famous disappearance, after being dropped by Sir Matt Busby in the previous game, Best missed the train to London for a crucial match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in January 1971. Instead, he spent the weekend in an Islington flat with the actress Sinéad Cusack.
The media besieged the flat, and Best watched the coverage of his own disappearance on the TV inside. He was suspended by the club for two weeks, and the incident threw his United career into turmoil, deeply upsetting his manager.
Sir Matt Busby told the press: "I'm upset and feel terribly let down. We have always had a father-and-son relationship."
George Best and Matt Busby, 6th December 1972
George Best and Matt Busby, 6th December 1972
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Best's business manager, Malcolm Mooney, cited the relentless criticism of Best and him being blamed for United's poor form. Mooney added: "He has every justification to hang up his boots. I think he is on the verge of saying, 'To hell with football.'"
What is without doubt, Best could never escape fame or criticism on or off the pitch. Even when he was hiding out at Sinéad Cusack's flat, police had to be called to end a siege by a mob of screaming teenagers clutching autograph books after they began hammering on the door.
Manchester United's George Best arrives at Euston Station with business manager Malcom Mooney
Manchester United's George Best arrives at Euston Station with business manager Malcom Mooney
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A year after the Cusack incident, Best failed to report for training all week, resulting in his being dropped from the squad to face Wolves. He was discovered to be spending the week with Carolyn Moore, the reigning Miss Great Britain.
For this incident, new Manchester United manager Frank O'Farrell fined Best two weeks' pay and ordered him to leave his luxury home in Bramhall, Cheshire, and move back into the house of his former landlady, Mary Fullaway, in the hope she would be a stabilising influence.
Snubbing Bobby Charlton's Testimonial
Manchester United footballer George Best with Bobby Charlton and Nobby Stiles at Old Trafford. 25th July 1968
Manchester United footballer George Best with Bobby Charlton and Nobby Stiles at Old Trafford. 25th July 1968
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By 1972, the relationship between Best and club captain Bobby Charlton had completely broken down. Best refused to play in Charlton's testimonial match against Celtic, claiming injury. He was spotted that same evening in a local pub, the Brown Bull, drinking and throwing darts at a portrait of Charlton that hung on the wall while the game was being played.
The Marbella retirement
George Best reeling in a fish on a yacht at sea in Marbella. 26th May 1972
George Best reeling in a fish on a yacht at sea in Marbella. 26th May 1972
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On the eve of his 26th birthday, Best fled to the Hotel Don Pepe in Marbella, Spain, and announced his immediate retirement from football, claiming he was "disillusioned" with the game and the press intrusion. He spent the days posing for photographers on the beach while Manchester United management frantically tried to contact him.
In a front page world exclusive with the Sunday Mirror in May 1972, Best said: "I've made up my mind to get out before the game kills me. These last six to seven months have all gone sour on me. It became work instead of the sport I have always enjoyed and would play for nothing."
Clearly struggling with his incredible fame, Best revealed he was a "bloody wreck" and all he had done for the past year was drink.
Despite the announcement, he continued to play for a struggling United team for another season. However, new manager Tommy Docherty suspended him after another disappearing act in December, following Best's partying in London's nightclubs, and he was transfer-listed at a value of £300,000.
Photocall at Old Trafford for the victorious Manchester United team who defeated Benfica in the European cup Final at Wembley in May.
Photographers surround George Best. 25th July 1968.
Photocall at Old Trafford for the victorious Manchester United team who defeated Benfica in the European cup Final at Wembley in May. Photographers surround George Best. 25th July 1968.
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He eventually left United for good in January 1974, playing for an unlikely host of clubs, including Dunstable Town, Stockport County, Fulham, the Los Angeles Aztecs, Brisbane Lions, and the Jewish Guild of South Africa.
However, during his time playing for United, his accomplishments are undeniable, having won the European Cup in 1968, the English First Division in 1965 and 1967, as well as the FA Cup in 1963. Best was also crowned European Footballer of the Year in 1968 and won the Ballon d'Or the same year.
In total, Best made 470 appearances for Manchester United in all competitions from 1963 to 1974, and scored 179 goals. Despite the controversies, that's one hell of a legacy.
Best's personal demons undoubtedly led to his considerable star fading quicker than it might have. Still, Best the football genius never lacked wit, especially when it came to his Playboy lifestyle. This is perhaps best evident in his famous quote: "I spent a lot of money on booze, girls, and fast cars – the rest I just squandered".
George Best celebrates the opening of his fashion boutique with a few glasses of champagne. 14th September 1967
George Best celebrates the opening of his fashion boutique with a few glasses of champagne. 14th September 1967
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That early part of the brilliant young Northern Irish forward's life and career read like many a young man's dream - from his trysts with models and Miss Worlds, to nutmegging the legendary German footballer Johan Cruyff. For those few years, Best had the world at his feet.
While so much more can be said about George Best, we'll end on perhaps the most famous anecdote of them all. In the 1970s, Best was staying at a luxury hotel after a significant win in the casino.
He ordered champagne to his room, where he was entertaining the current Miss World. When the bellboy arrived, he saw thousands of pounds in cash scattered across the bed and the beauty queen waiting with Best.
As he uncorked the champagne, he reportedly took in the scene around him – the money, the girl, the football superstar – and sighed, "George, where did it all go wrong?"