Irish
soccer player George Best starred for Manchester United and was named European
Footballer of the Year in 1968, before a hard-partying lifestyle took its toll
on his career and health.
Synopsis :
Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in
1946, George Best began his club career with Manchester United in 1963. He led
United to two First Division titles and a European Cup triumph, earning
European Footballer of the Year honors in 1968. A hard-partying lifestyle led
to a quick decline, and after leaving United in 1974, Best played out his
career with various clubs in England and the U.S. He died of causes
related to alcoholism in 2005.
Profile
Born
in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on May 22, 1946, soccer great George Best began
his club career with Manchester United in 1963. He helped United win the First
Division title in 1965 and 1967, and in 1968 he led his club to a European Cup
triumph. That year he also tied for the First Division lead in goals, and was
named both the European Footballer of the Year and the FWA Footballer of
the Year.
Best
also starred for Northern Ireland's national team, but his love of the
nightlife took its toll, and he was finished as a top-shelf player by the time
he left United in 1974. Attempted comebacks with smaller clubs in England,
the U.S. and Scotland were unsuccessful. Following years of alcoholism that led
to a liver transplant in 2002, Best died at London's Cromwell Hospital on
November 25, 2005, from multiple organ failure.
George Best Biography