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{{Short description|Northern Irish footballer (1946–2005)}}
{{About|the Northern Irish footballer|other people named George Best or places and things named after him}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = George Best
| image = George best 1976.jpg
| caption = Best in 1976
| fullname = George Best<ref>{{Hugman|1503|access-date=22 April 2017}}</ref>
| birth_date = {{birth date|1946|5|22|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Belfast]], Northern Ireland
| death_date = {{death date and age|2005|11|25|1946|5|22|df=y}}
| death_place = [[South Kensington]], London, England
| height = {{height|ft=5|in=9}}
| position = [[Winger (association football)|Winger]], [[attacking midfielder]]
| youthyears1 = 1960–1961
| youthclubs1 = [[Cregagh Boys Club]]
| youthyears2 = 1961–1963
| youthclubs2 = [[Manchester United F.C. Under-21s and Academy|Manchester United]]
| years1 = 1963–1974
| clubs1 = [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]]
| caps1 = 361
| goals1 = 137
| years2 = 1974
| clubs2 = [[Dunstable Town F.C.|Dunstable Town]]
| caps2 = 2
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 1975
| clubs3 = [[Stockport County F.C.|Stockport County]]
| caps3 = 3
| goals3 = 2
| years4 = 1975–1976
| clubs4 = [[Cork Celtic F.C.|Cork Celtic]]
| caps4 = 3
| goals4 = 0
| years5 = 1976
| clubs5 = [[Los Angeles Aztecs]]
| caps5 = 23
| goals5 = 15
| years6 = 1976–1977
| clubs6 = [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]]
| caps6 = 42
| goals6 = 8
| years7 = 1977–1978
| clubs7 = [[Los Angeles Aztecs]]
| caps7 = 32
| goals7 = 12
| years8 = 1978–1979
| clubs8 = [[Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983)|Fort Lauderdale Strikers]]
| caps8 = 28
| goals8 = 6
| years9 = 1979–1980
| clubs9 = [[Hibernian F.C.|Hibernian]]
| caps9 = 17
| goals9 = 3
| years10 = 1980–1981
| clubs10 = [[San Jose Earthquakes (1974–88)|San Jose Earthquakes]]
| caps10 = 56
| goals10 = 21
| years11 = 1982–1983
| clubs11 = [[AFC Bournemouth]]
| caps11 = 5
| goals11 = 0
| years12 = 1983
| clubs12 = [[Queensland Lions FC|Brisbane Lions]]
| caps12 = 4
| goals12 = 0
| years13 = 1984
| clubs13 = [[Tobermore United F.C.|Tobermore United]]
| caps13 = 1
| goals13 = 0
| totalcaps = 616
| totalgoals = 204
| nationalyears1 = 1964–1977
| nationalteam1 = [[Northern Ireland national football team|Northern Ireland]]
| nationalcaps1 = 37
| nationalgoals1 = 9
}}
{{George Best series}}
'''George Best''' (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional [[association football|footballer]] who played as a [[winger (association football)|winger]], spending most of his club career at [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]]. A skillful [[Dribbling|dribbler]], he is considered one of the greatest players of all time,<ref name="May">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/4309502.stm|title=Was Georgie the Best?|date=25 November 2005|work=BBC Sport|access-date=12 October 2018|archive-date=25 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625195651/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/4309502.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-18 |title=The 50 Greatest Soccer Players of All Time |url=https://www.si.com/soccer/the-50-greatest-soccer-players-of-all-time |access-date=2025-09-17 |website=Sports Illustrated |language=en-US}}</ref> along with being considered one of the most talented to play.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Safin |first=Muhammed Maklet |date=18 March 2009 |title=Seven Most Naturally Gifted Footballers Ever |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/140983-seven-most-naturally-gifted-footballers-ever |access-date=23 November 2023 |website=Bleacher Report }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Football |first=Planet |date=22 May 2023 |title=13 of the best quotes on George Best: 'It was paradise watching him play' |url=https://www.planetfootball.com/quick-reads/11-of-the-best-quotes-on-george-best-it-was-paradise-watching-him-play-football |access-date=23 November 2023 |website=Planet Football }}</ref> He was named [[European Footballer of the Year]] in 1968 and came fifth in the [[FIFA Player of the Century#FIFA Magazine and Grand Jury vote|FIFA Player of the Century]] vote. Best received plaudits for his playing style, which combined pace, skill, balance, [[Dummy (football)|feints]], the ability to get past defenders, and goalscoring. In 1999 he was on the six-man shortlist for the BBC's [[BBC Sports Personality of the Year#Sports Personality of the Century Award|Sports Personality of the Century]]. He was an inaugural inductee into the [[English Football Hall of Fame]] in 2002.

Born in [[Belfast]], Best began his club career in England with Manchester United, with the scout who had spotted his talent at the age of 15 sending a telegram to manager [[Matt Busby]] which read: "I think I've found you a genius". After making his debut at age 17, he scored 179 goals in 470 appearances over 11 years and was the club's [[List of Manchester United F.C. seasons#Seasons|top goalscorer]] in the league for five consecutive seasons.<ref>''Reliving the Dream: The Triumph and Tears of Manchester United's 1968 European Cup Heroes''. Random House,</ref> He won two [[List of English football champions#Total titles won|League titles]], two [[FA Community Shield|Charity Shield]]s and the [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]] with the club.

In international football, Best was [[Cap (sport)|capped]] 37 times for [[Northern Ireland national football team|Northern Ireland]] between 1964 and 1977. A combination of the team's performance and his lack of fitness in 1982 meant that he never played in the finals of a major tournament. He considered his international career as being "recreational football", with the expectations placed on a smaller nation in Northern Ireland being much less than with his club. He is regarded as one of the greatest players never to have played at a [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]]. The [[Irish Football Association]] described him as the "greatest player to ever pull on the green shirt of Northern Ireland".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishfa.com/international/squad-profiles/profile/341/legends-of-the-game/george-best|title=George Best|date=1 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101012945/http://www.irishfa.com/international/squad-profiles/profile/341/legends-of-the-game/george-best |archive-date=1 November 2012 }}</ref>

With his good looks, dark [[The Beatles|Beatle]] mop-top hair and [[playboy lifestyle]], Best became one of the first media celebrity footballers, earning the nickname "[[Fifth Beatle|o Quinto Beatle]]" by Portuguese press reporters after a stand-out performance for Manchester United in Lisbon in March 1966. However, his extravagant lifestyle led to various personal problems, most notably [[alcoholism]], from which he suffered for the rest of his life. These issues affected him on and off the field, often causing controversy.<ref name=LongGoodbye>Gordon Burn, [https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,3604,1650397,00.html "The Long Goodbye"], ''[[The Guardian]]'' (London), 25 November 2005</ref> Although conscious of his problems, he made light of them and was known for his intelligence and wit on the subject during periods of sobriety: "I spent a lot of money on booze, girls, and fast cars – the rest I just squandered".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4090840.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |title=Best: Decline of the golden boy |date=14 June 2005 |access-date=14 August 2013 |archive-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514163912/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4090840.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> After football, he spent some time as a [[Pundit|football analyst]], but his financial and health problems continued into his retirement. He died in 2005, aged 59, from complications from the [[immunosuppressive drug]]s he needed to take after a [[Liver transplantation|liver transplant]] in 2002.

== Early years and family ==
[[File:Burren Way, Cregagh Estate - geograph.org.uk - 1392932.jpg|thumb|right|Best grew up on the [[Cregagh]] estate, east [[Belfast]]. The playing fields in the estate where he played football as a boy, Cregagh Green, is protected for community recreation in perpetuity as a [[Fields in Trust]] Active Space.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fieldsintrust.org/ArchivedNews/active-spaces--belfast%E2%80%99s-cregagh-green-first-to-benefit-from-london-marathon-charitable-trust|title=ACTIVE SPACES: Belfast's Cregagh Green first to benefit from London Marathon Charitable Trust funding |publisher=Fields in Trust |access-date=13 October 2020|archive-date=12 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812210109/http://fieldsintrust.org/ArchivedNews/active-spaces--belfast%E2%80%99s-cregagh-green-first-to-benefit-from-london-marathon-charitable-trust |url-status=live}}</ref>]]
George Best was the first child of Northern Irish parents, Richard "Dickie" Best (1919–2008) and Anne Withers (1922–1978). He was born on 22 May 1946 and grew up in [[Cregagh]], east [[Belfast]]. Best was raised in the [[Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster|Free Presbyterian]] faith.<ref name=Andrews>{{cite book|last=Andrews|first=David L |title=Manchester United: a thematic study|year=2004|publisher=Routledge|location=Abingdon, Oxfordshire|isbn=0-415-33333-4 |page=135 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ueYTmo5apM4C&pg=PA135 }}</ref> His father was a member of the [[Orange Order]] and as a boy George carried the strings of the banner in his local Cregagh lodge. In his autobiography, Best mentioned how important the Order was to his family.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goli.org.uk/ |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100925205154/http://www.grandorangelodge.co.uk/press/PressReleases-2009/090709-goerge_best_collarette_in_exhibition.htm|url-status=dead|title=Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland &#124; Fraternal Organisation &#124; Belfast |archive-date=25 September 2010 |website=GOLI}}</ref> Best had four sisters, Carol, Barbara, Julie and Grace, and one brother, Ian Busby Best.<ref>{{cite news |title=Family, friends and team-mates: they were there with George until the very end |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/family-friends-and-team-mates-they-were-there-with-george-until-the-very-end-516982.html |access-date=10 October 2020 |newspaper=The Independent |archive-date=4 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004160605/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news/family-friends-and-teammates-they-were-there-with-george-until-the-very-end-516982.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Best's mother Anne died from alcoholism-related [[cardiovascular disease]] in 1978, at the age of 55.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/george-best-drama-an-intrusive-film-that-failed-to-tell-the-whole-story-14282152.html |title=George Best drama: an intrusive film that failed to tell the whole story |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015121418/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/george-best-drama-an-intrusive-film-that-failed-to-tell-the-whole-story-14282152.html |archivedate=15 October 2010 |work=Belfast Telegraph |accessdate=10 October 2020 }}</ref> Best's father died on 16 April 2008, at the age of 88, in the [[Ulster Hospital]] in [[Dundonald, County Down|Dundonald]], Northern Ireland.<ref>{{cite news |title=George Best's dad dies of a broken heart grieving for son |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/george-bests-dad-dies-of-a-broken-303227 |work=Mirror.co.uk |date=17 April 2008 |accessdate=11 March 2022 |archive-date=24 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424210557/http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/george-bests-dad-dies-of-a-broken-303227 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1957, the academically gifted Best passed the [[Eleven-plus|11-plus]] and went to [[Grosvenor Grammar School|Grosvenor High School]], but he soon played truant as the school specialised in [[rugby union]]. Best then moved to Lisnasharragh Secondary School, reuniting him with friends from primary school and allowing him to focus on football. He played for [[Cregagh Boys Club]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Your Place And Mine - George Best 1946 - 2005 |publisher=BBC Northern Ireland |access-date=13 January 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/yourplaceandmine/archive/A877188.shtml |archive-date=30 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130175238/https://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/yourplaceandmine/archive/A877188.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> He grew up supporting [[Glentoran F.C.|Glentoran]] and [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]].<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=4}}</ref>

== Club career ==
=== Manchester United ===
At the age of 15, Best was discovered in [[Belfast]] by [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] scout Bob Bishop, whose telegram to United manager [[Matt Busby]] read: "I think I've found you a genius."<ref>{{cite news |first=Stephen |last=McGinty |url=http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=505&id=2300312005 |title=Best coming to the end of his life |work=[[The Scotsman]] |date=25 November 2005 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210154147/http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=505 |archivedate=10 February 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.talkfootball.co.uk/guides/football_legends_george_best.html |title=George Best |access-date=5 March 2008 |publisher=Talk Football |archive-date=25 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225142744/http://www.talkfootball.co.uk/guides/football_legends_george_best.html |url-status=live }}</ref> His local club [[Glentoran F.C.|Glentoran]] had previously rejected him for being "too small and light".<ref>{{cite news |first=Anne |last=Cadwallader |url=http://www.tiscali.co.uk/news/newswire.php/news/reuters/2005/11/25/sport/besttoosmallandlightforlocalclubasteen.html |title=Best too small and light for local club as teen |work=Tiscali News |date=25 November 2005 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070213081438/http://www.tiscali.co.uk/news/newswire.php/news/reuters/2005/11/25/sport/besttoosmallandlightforlocalclubasteen.html |archivedate=13 February 2007 }}</ref> Best was subsequently given a trial and signed up by United's chief scout [[Joe Armstrong (football scout)|Joe Armstrong]]. His first time moving to the club, Best quickly became homesick and stayed for only two days before going back home to Northern Ireland.<ref name="George Best">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLbPmolooK8 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125092934/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLbPmolooK8&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=25 November 2011 | url-status=dead|title=George Best Interview from 1972 |publisher=Barnjournalen |year=1972 |access-date=10 February 2008}}</ref> He returned to Manchester and spent two years as an amateur, as English clubs were not allowed to take Northern Irish players on as apprentices. He was given a job as an errand boy on the [[Manchester Ship Canal]], allowing him to train with the club twice a week.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=3}}</ref>

Best made his [[Football League First Division|First Division]] debut, aged 17, on 14 September 1963 against [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]] at [[Old Trafford]] in a 1–0 victory.<ref name="page 1">{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=1}}</ref> He then dropped back into the [[Manchester United F.C. Reserves and Academy|reserves]], before scoring his first goal for the first team in his second appearance in a 5–1 win over [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]] on 28 December.<ref name="page 1"/> Manager [[Matt Busby]] then kept Best in the team, and by the end of the [[1963–64 Manchester United F.C. season|1963–64]] season, he had made 26 appearances, scoring six goals. Manchester United finished second, four points behind [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]].<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=34}}</ref>

They reached the [[FA Cup semi-finals|semi-finals]] of the [[FA Cup]], where a defeat to [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]] cost Best the chance to break a record. In [[1964 FA Cup Final|the final]] [[Preston North End F.C.|Preston North End]]'s [[Howard Kendall]] became the youngest ever player in a [[FA Cup Final]] – he shared the same birth date as Best.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=34}}</ref> That same season, Best captained the [[Manchester United F.C. Reserves and Academy|Manchester United]] side that won the 1964 [[FA Youth Cup]], the sixth FA Youth Cup won under the management of [[Jimmy Murphy (footballer)|Jimmy Murphy]], and the first since the 1958 [[Munich air disaster]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ponting |first1=Ivan |title=George Best |date=2012 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |page=85}}</ref>

{{multiple image
<!-- Essential parameters -->| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
| header            = 
| width             = 210
<!-- Image 1 -->| image1            = Manchester The United trinity.jpg
| width1            = 
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = The [[United Trinity]] statue of Best (left), [[Denis Law]] (centre) and [[Bobby Charlton]] (right) outside [[Old Trafford]]
<!-- Image 2 -->| image2            = Feb 6th 2018 Player's trinity statue and Munich tribute.jpg
| width2            = 
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = Rear view looking towards the stadium
}}

Though opponents would often use rough play to try to stifle his technical ability, Busby ensured that "fierce, sometimes brutal" training sessions left Best well used to coping with tough challenges.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=43}}</ref> In the [[1964–65 Manchester United F.C. season|1964–65]] season, his first full season as a first team regular, Best helped Manchester United to claim the [[List of English football champions|league title]].<ref name="page 57">{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=57}}</ref> A 1–0 victory at [[Elland Road]] proved decisive as the title race came down to goal average between the "Red Devils" and [[Leeds United F.C.–Manchester United F.C. rivalry|bitter rivals]] [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]]. Leeds managed to gain some measure of revenge though, by knocking Manchester United out of the FA Cup at the semi-final stage.<ref name="page 57"/> Over the course of the campaign Best contributed 14 goals in 59 competitive games.<ref name="page 57"/> He scored the opening goal of the [[1965 FA Charity Shield]] at Old Trafford, which ended in a 2–2 draw with [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Manchester United 2 – 2 Liverpool|url=http://www.lfchistory.net/SeasonArchive/Game/296|work=lfchistory.net|access-date=9 October 2012|archive-date=7 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407193630/http://www.lfchistory.net/SeasonArchive/Game/296|url-status=live}}</ref>

The rising star of English football, Best was catapulted to superstar status at the age of 19, when he scored two goals in a [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]] quarter-final match against [[S.L. Benfica|Benfica]] at the [[Estádio da Luz (1954)|Estádio da Luz]] on 9 March 1966.<ref name="Beatle">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/the-birth-of-el-beatle-518425.html |title=The birth of El Beatle |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224160833/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/the-birth-of-el-beatle-518425.html |archivedate=24 December 2016 |work=The Independent |location=London |accessdate=20 August 2014 }}</ref> His impressive stand-out display allied with his dark [[The Beatles|Beatle]] mop-top hair, the Portuguese media dubbed him "O Quinto Beatle" ("the [[fifth Beatle]]"), and on the team's return to England, Best was photographed on the airport tarmac in his new sombrero with the headline, "El Beatle".<ref name="Mop top">{{cite news |title='El Beatle' arrives |url=https://www.espn.co.uk/football/columns/story/_/id/1031683/rewind-to-1966%3A-%27el-beatle%27-arrives |access-date=5 December 2021 |work=ESPN |quote=His ''dark Beatle mop'' of hair and film star looks were gaining him as much attention off the pitch as his skills on it. |archive-date=6 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206020940/https://www.espn.co.uk/football/columns/story/_/id/1031683/rewind-to-1966%3A-%27el-beatle%27-arrives |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Beatle"/> His talent and showmanship made him a crowd and media favourite, and he went from being headline news in the back pages to the front pages.<ref name="Beatle"/>

{{blockquote|Before the game, manager Matt Busby had told his wingers, Best and Connelly, to stay deep for the first 20 minutes. Keep it tight and quieten the crowd. But George Best was only 19, too young for such caution. All he heard was 'blah, blah, blah'. When the game started, he grabbed it by the scruff. 'Watch this, Eusebio. And Coluna, Simoes, Torres, Germano, Jose Augusto. I'm George Best, and this is how it's done.'|'''El Beatle' arrives'', Jon Carter for ESPN.<ref name="Mop top"/>}}

Other nicknames included the "Belfast Boy", and he was often referred to as ''Georgie'', or ''Geordie'' in his native Belfast.<ref>Jim White, [https://web.archive.org/web/20071012110649/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2005/11/28/do2803.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2005/11/28/ixop.html "Too many knew only the tabloid Best"], ''[[Daily Telegraph]]'' (London), 28 November 2005</ref> However United failed to win any major honours in the [[1965–66 Manchester United F.C. season|1965–66]] season, and Best was injured from 26 March onwards, with a twisted knee following a bad tackle from a [[Preston North End F.C.|Preston North End]] player.<ref name="page 73">{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=73}}</ref> United staff claimed it was light ligament damage, to keep Best on the field for the rest of the campaign.<ref name="page 73"/> He had little faith in the United medical staff, and so he secretly saw Glentoran's physiotherapist, who readjusted his ligaments in a painful procedure.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=74}}</ref> His last game of the season, his knee strapped-up, came on 13 April, and ended in a 2–0 defeat to [[FK Partizan|Partizan Belgrade]] at [[Partizan Stadium]].<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=75}}</ref>

The [[1966–67 Manchester United F.C. season|1966–67]] season was again successful, as Manchester United claimed the league title by four points. Best stated that "if the championship was decided on home games we would win it every season. This time our away games made the difference. We got into the right frame of mind."<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=115}}</ref> An ever-present all season long, he scored 10 goals in 45 games. He then helped the "Red Devils" to share the [[FA Community Shield|Charity Shield]] with a [[1967 FA Charity Shield|3–3 draw]] with FA Cup winners [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]]. It was the first game to be broadcast [[Color television|in colour]] on British television.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=117}}</ref>

Best scored twice against [[Liverpool F.C.–Manchester United F.C. rivalry|rivals]] [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] in a 2–0 win at [[Anfield]], and claimed a hat-trick over [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] in a 6–0 home win on the penultimate league game of the season. However a home defeat to hated [[Manchester derby|local rivals]] [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] proved costly, as City claimed the league title with a two-point lead over United. Yet the [[1967–68 Manchester United F.C. season|1967–68]] season was remembered by United fans for the [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]] win. After disposing of [[Malta|Maltese]] [[Hibernians F.C.|Hibernians]], United advanced past Yugoslavian [[FK Sarajevo|Sarajevo]] with a 2–1 home win – Best assisted [[John Aston, Jr.|John Aston]] for the first and scored the second himself, and was described by [[Geoffrey Green]] of ''[[The Times]]'' as "the centrepiece of the chessboard&nbsp;... a player full of fantasy; a player who lent magic to what might have been whimsy".<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=123}}</ref> 

In the quarter-finals, United advanced past [[Poland|Polish]] club [[Górnik Zabrze]] 2–1 on aggregate, having held on to their aggregate lead in freezing temperatures in front of 105,000 at [[Silesian Stadium]]. Despite losing the away tie 1–0, Best described the defeat as "one of our best-ever performances, given all the unwelcome circumstances".<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=127}}</ref> Facing six times champions [[Real Madrid C.F.|Real Madrid]] in the semi-finals, Best scored the only goal of the home fixture with a 15-yard strike that [[Alex Stepney]] described as one of Best's finest goals.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=129}}</ref> In the tie at the [[Santiago Bernabéu Stadium|Bernabéu]], Best was marked effectively by [[Manuel Sanchís Martínez]], but on the one time Best got the better of him he made a telling pass<ref>[https://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/2/12/1360670193597/manu1968-001.jpg Albert Barham Match report "The Guardian" 15 May 1968]</ref> to [[Bill Foulkes]], who calmly found the net,<ref>[https://www.manutd.com/en/videos/detail/goal-of-the-day-bill-foulkes-v-real-madrid-in-1968 Bill Foulkes winning goal]</ref> to level the game at 3–3 and to win the aggregate tie 4–3.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=139}}</ref>

Days after returning to England, as the First Division's joint top-scorer, level on 28 goals with [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]]'s [[Ron Davies (footballer, born 1942)|Ron Davies]], Best was presented with the [[FWA Footballer of the Year]] award, becoming the youngest ever recipient.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=144}}</ref> Facing United in the [[1968 European Cup Final|European Cup Final]] at Wembley were Benfica. While his teammates rested, Best found "a novel way to relax" before the big game by sleeping with "a particular young lady called Sue".<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=142}}</ref> The game went into extra-time, and just three minutes into extra-time Best went on a mazy run and beat goalkeeper [[José Henrique]] with a dummy, before rolling the ball into the net. Two further goals from [[Brian Kidd]] and [[Bobby Charlton]] settled the tie at 4–1.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=146}}</ref> The victory was not only the pinnacle of Best's career, but arguably Manchester United's greatest achievement, considering the [[Munich air disaster]] had wiped out most of the [[Busby Babes]] just ten years previously.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=148}}</ref> Best also won the [[Ballon d'Or]] in [[1968 Ballon d'Or|1968]] after receiving more votes than Bobby Charlton, [[Dragan Džajić]] and [[Franz Beckenbauer]]. This meant that he had won the three major honours in club football at the age of just 22, the league title, European Cup, and European Player of the Year award. After this, his steady decline began.
{{Quote box|width=30%|align=right|quote="It seems impossible to hurt him. All manner of men have tried to intimidate him. Best merely glides along, riding tackles and brushing giants aside like leaves."|source=— [[Joe Mercer]], Manchester City manager, 1969.<ref name="Mirror"/>}}

The "[[United Trinity|Holy Trinity]]" of Best, [[Denis Law|Law]] and Charlton were still as effective as ever in the [[1968–69 Manchester United F.C. season|1968–69]] campaign. Although, it became obvious that the club's new recruits were not up to scratch as United dropped to 11th in the league before Busby announced his retirement. Best later said that "I increasingly had the feeling that I was carrying the team at times on the pitch."<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=162}}</ref> He scored 22 goals in 55 games, though only he and Denis Law scored more than six league goals. In the [[Intercontinental Cup (1960–2004)|Intercontinental Cup]], fans and players alike looked forward to seeing United take on Argentine opposition [[Estudiantes de La Plata]] over the course of [[1968 Intercontinental Cup|two legs]]. However Best said "no one tackled harder or dirtier than this Argentinian team" as a 1–0 defeat at the [[La Bombonera|Estadio Camilo Cichero]] was followed by a 1–1 draw at Old Trafford.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=165}}</ref> In the home tie, Best was kicked and spat on by José Hugo Medina, and both players were sent off after Best reacted with a punch.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=166}}</ref> Despite their poor league form, United managed to reach the semi-finals of the European Cup (they had a relatively easy run in getting past Ireland's [[Waterford United F.C.|Waterford United]], Belgium's [[R.S.C. Anderlecht|Anderlecht]], and Austria's [[SK Rapid Wien|Rapid Wien]]) where they were knocked out 2–1 on aggregate by [[A.C. Milan]] following a 2–0 defeat at the [[San Siro]]; Milan goalkeeper [[Fabio Cudicini]] was the hero after keeping United to only one goal at Old Trafford.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=167}}</ref>
{{Quote box|width=30%|align=left|quote="It's been a joke on the circuit ever since. You know, I'm on one side of the street, George Best is on the other. He nods to me and I dive under a bus."|source=— Northampton goalkeeper [[Kim Book]] on the jibes he has faced since being fooled by Best's [[Dummy (football)|feint]] in a 1970 FA Cup game against Manchester United.<ref name="Book"/> Best's six goal performance in the game was voted {{abbr|No.|Number}} 26 on Channel 4's list of the [[100 Greatest (UK TV series)|100 Greatest Sporting Moments]].<ref name="Channel4 Greatest">{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest_sporting/results.html|title=100 Greatest Sporting Moments – Results|year=2002|publisher=[[Channel 4]]|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020204090913/http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest_sporting/results.html|archive-date=4 February 2002|url-status=dead|access-date=6 December 2016}}</ref>}}
United improved slightly under new boss [[Wilf McGuinness]], but still only managed an eighth-place finish in the [[1969–70 Manchester United F.C. season|1969–70]] season. Best hit 23 goals, including an [[FA Cup]] record six goals in an 8–2 win over [[Northampton Town F.C.|Northampton Town]] in a mud-bath at the [[County Cricket Ground, Northampton|County Ground]] on 7 February 1970.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=174}}</ref> Best's sixth goal saw him go one on one with Northampton goalkeeper [[Kim Book]]. Best made a [[Dummy (football)|feint]] to go right which put Book on his backside, before he went left and walked the ball into the net.<ref name="Northampton"/> Book states: 
{{blockquote|I remember thinking George was going to go one way, but he dropped his shoulder and went the other, and by then I was already on the deck. He was just too good for me.<ref name="Northampton">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2371414/Book-still-winces-at-six-of-the-Best.html |title=Book still winces at six of the Best |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004160603/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2371414/Book-still-winces-at-six-of-the-Best.html |archivedate=4 October 2022 |work=Daily Telegraph |accessdate=5 September 2014 }}</ref>}} Best's six goal performance earned him an invitation to No [[10 Downing Street]] from UK Prime Minister [[Harold Wilson]], who had also regularly written fan letters to him.<ref name="Book">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2371669/Book-looks-back-with-no-anger.html |title=Book looks back with no anger |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004160603/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2371669/Book-looks-back-with-no-anger.html |archivedate=4 October 2022 |work=Daily Telegraph |accessdate=5 September 2014 }}</ref> In 2002 the British public voted Best's record breaking performance No. 26 in the list of the [[100 Greatest (UK TV series)|100 Greatest Sporting Moments]].<ref name="Channel4 Greatest"/> Busby returned as manager in December 1970, though the [[1970–71 Manchester United F.C. season|1970–71]] season also ended without a trophy. Best began to get into trouble with his discipline: he was fined by [[the Football Association]] for receiving three bookings for misconduct, and he was suspended by United for two weeks after missing his train to [[Stamford Bridge (stadium)|Stamford Bridge]] so as to spend a weekend with actress [[Sinéad Cusack]].<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=212}}</ref>

New manager [[Frank O'Farrell]] led United to an 8th-place finish in [[1971–72 Manchester United F.C. season|1971–72]]. Highlights for Best included hat-tricks against [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]] and [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]], as well as a goal against [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]] that came after he beat four defenders in a mazy run.<ref name="page 235">{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=235}}</ref> However, he was also sent off against [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]], was the subject of death threats, and failed to turn up for training for a whole week in January as he instead spent his time with [[Miss Great Britain]] 1971, Carolyn Moore.<ref name="page 235"/> On 17 November, he was the subject of [[Eamonn Andrews]]'s biographical television show ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' when he was surprised at a central London restaurant.<ref name="page 235"/> He would be the subject for a second time in 2003 when [[Michael Aspel]] surprised him at [[Teddington Studios]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Manchester United: A Thematic Study |date=2004 |publisher=Routledge |page=138}}</ref> With 27 goals in 54 appearances, Best finished as the [[List of Manchester United F.C. seasons|club's top-scorer]] for the sixth – and final – consecutive season. Best then announced his retirement from football, but nevertheless turned up for pre-season training, and continued to play.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=249}}</ref>
[[File:George Best memorabilia.jpg|thumb|upright|George Best memorabilia at the [[Manchester United]] museum at [[Old Trafford]]]]
United's decline continued in the [[1972–73 Manchester United F.C. season|1972–73]] season, as Best was part of the 'old guard clique' that barely talked to the newer, less talented players.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=252}}</ref> Frustrated with the club's decline, Best went missing in December to party at the London nightclubs.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=270}}</ref> He was suspended, and transfer-listed at a value of £300,000.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=271}}</ref> After O'Farrell was replaced as manager by [[Tommy Docherty]], Best announced his retirement for a second time.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=272}}</ref> He resumed training on 27 April.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=275}}</ref>

Best's last competitive game for the club was on 1 January 1974 against [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]] at [[Loftus Road]], which United lost 3–0.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aboutmanutd.com/man-u-matches/01-01-1974-queens-park-rangers.html |title=About Man Utd &#124; Manchester United vs Queens Park Rangers - 1 Jan 1974 |access-date=30 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107230951/http://www.aboutmanutd.com/man-u-matches/01-01-1974-queens-park-rangers.html |archive-date=7 November 2011 }} Tuesday 1 January 1974</ref> He failed to turn up for training three days later and was dropped by Docherty, though he claimed Docherty was deceitful with him.<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=301}}</ref> Best was arrested and charged with stealing a fur coat, passport, and cheque book from [[Marjorie Wallace]], but was later cleared of all charges.<ref name="page 302">{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=302}}</ref> United went on to suffer relegation into the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] in [[1973–74 Manchester United F.C. season|1973–74]].<ref>''The Official Manchester United Illustrated Encyclopedia'' (3rd ed.). 2001. London: Manchester United Books. pp. 18–19</ref>

Best played at United when shirt numbers were assigned to positions, and not the player. When Best played at right wing, as he famously did during the later stages of the 1966 and 1968 European Cups, he donned the number 7. As a left winger, where he played exclusively in his debut season and nearly all of the 1971–72 campaign, he wore the number 11. Best wore the number 8 shirt at inside right on occasion throughout the 1960s, but for more than half of his matches during 1970–71. He was playing at inside left (wearing the number 10) in 1972 when he famously walked out on United the first time but was back in the number 11 for the autumn of 1973 before leaving for good. Best even wore the number 9 jersey once for United, with [[Bobby Charlton]] injured, on 22 March 1969 at Old Trafford, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win over [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soccer.mistral.co.uk/players/intro-gb.htm|title=PLAYERS MATCH BY MATCH|website=www.soccer.mistral.co.uk|access-date=17 May 2018|archive-date=1 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501110337/http://www.soccer.mistral.co.uk/players/intro-gb.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> In total Best made 474 appearances for Manchester United in all competitions from 1963 to 1974, and scored 181 goals. Over the next decade he went into an increasingly rapid decline, drifting between several clubs, including spells in South Africa, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, Scotland, and Australia.<ref name="HOf"/>

=== Later years ===
[[File:Aankomst Noordierse elftal op Zestienhoven George Best bij de douane, Bestanddeelnr 928-8252.jpg|thumb|left|Best (middle) in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, October 1976]]
Playing only five competitive matches for [[Jewish Guild]] in South Africa, Best endured criticism for missing several training sessions. During his short time there, he was the main draw attracting thousands of spectators to the matches.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Raath |first=Peter |date=November 2007 |title=Our Blood Is Also Red-ish |journal=Sports Illustrated (South Africa) |issue=119 |page=107 |publisher=Touchline Media }}</ref>

In 1975, Best played three matches for [[Stockport County F.C.|Stockport County]] in the [[Football League Fourth Division|Fourth Division]].<ref>{{cite news |title=It was the Best of times, it was the worst of times - town pays tribute |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/it-was-the-best-of-times-it-was-the-worst-of-times---1094039 |access-date=8 June 2020 |work=[[Manchester Evening News]] |date=5 September 2007 |archive-date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608105050/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/it-was-the-best-of-times-it-was-the-worst-of-times---1094039 |url-status=live }}</ref> He had a brief spell at [[Cork Celtic F.C.|Cork Celtic]] from December 1975 to January 1976. He made his [[League of Ireland]] debut against [[Drogheda United F.C.|Drogheda United]] at [[Páirc Uí Rinn|Flower Lodge]] on 28 December. He played only three league games, the others against [[Bohemian F.C.|Bohemians]] and [[Shelbourne F.C.|Shelbourne]], but despite attracting big crowds he failed to score or impress. Being on a rolling contract with Cork his failure to show for a game saw him being dropped and subsequently leaving the club.<ref>{{cite news |title=Best's run with Cork among many regrets |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/soccer/2005/1125/cork.htm |newspaper=The Irish Times |access-date=6 April 2010 |archive-date=11 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011183348/http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/soccer/2005/1125/cork.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

He had a brief resurgence in form with [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] club [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]] from [[1976–77 Football League|1976–78]], showing that, although he had lost some of his pace, he retained his skills. His time with the "Cottagers" is particularly remembered for a match against [[Hereford United F.C.|Hereford United]] on 25 September 1976 in which he jokingly tackled his own teammate, and old drinking mate, [[Rodney Marsh (footballer)|Rodney Marsh]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ponting |first1=Ivan |title=George Best |date=2012 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |page=231}}</ref> Best and Marsh were drawn to the club by the presence of England World Cup winning captain [[Bobby Moore]], and they were involved in exuberant [[goal celebration]]s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Iain |first1=McCartney |title=George Best Fifty Defining Fixtures |date=2015 |publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited |page=47}}</ref>

[[File:George Best, Los Angeles Aztecs 1979 media guide page 53.png|thumb|right|upright|Best with the [[Los Angeles Aztecs]] circa 1978]]

Best played for three clubs in the United States: [[Los Angeles Aztecs]], [[Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983)|Fort Lauderdale Strikers]] and later [[San Jose Earthquakes (1974–88)|San Jose Earthquakes]]; he also played for the [[Detroit Express]] on a European tour. Best was a success on the field, scoring 15 goals in 24 games in his first season with the Aztecs and named as the NASL's best midfielder in his second.<ref>Sean O'Conor, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20061112003905/http://www.yanks-abroad.com/content.php?mode=extratime&id=1279 "Best's American Years"]}}, Yanks Abroad, 26 November 2005</ref> He and manager Ken Adam opened "Bestie's Beach Club" (now called "The Underground" after the London subway system) in [[Hermosa Beach, California|Hermosa Beach]], [[California]] in the 1970s, and continued to operate it until the 1990s.

Best caused a stir when he returned to the UK to play for the Scottish club [[Hibernian F.C.|Hibernian]].<ref name="st">{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article1117695.ece |title=Caught in Time: George Best joins Hibs, 1979 |work=[[The Sunday Times]] |date=9 March 2003 |access-date=26 October 2010 |last=Wilson |first=Mike |location=London |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801003827/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The club was suffering a decline in fortunes and was heading for [[promotion and relegation|relegation]] from the [[Scottish Football League Premier Division|Premier Division]],<ref name="st"/> before Best was signed on a "pay per play" basis after the club chairman, Tom Hart, received a tip-off from an ''[[Edinburgh Evening News]]'' reporter that he was available.<ref name="st"/><ref name="scotsman">{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Thomas |url=http://news.scotsman.com/georgebest/Bests-time-at-Hibs-a.2681526.jp |title=Best's time at Hibs a heady cocktail of scandal and skill |work=[[The Scotsman]] |date=25 November 2005 |access-date=26 October 2010 |location=Edinburgh |archive-date=4 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604132135/http://news.scotsman.com/georgebest/Bests-time-at-Hibs-a.2681526.jp |url-status=live }}</ref> Even though Best failed to save Hibs from relegation, gates increased dramatically, and the attendance quadrupled for his first match at [[Easter Road]].<ref name="st"/> One infamous incident saw Best initially sacked by Hibs after he went on a massive drinking session with the [[France national rugby union team|French rugby team]], who were in [[Edinburgh]] to play [[Scotland national rugby union team|Scotland]].<ref name="scotsman"/> He was brought back a week later. In August 1982, he played 20 minutes for [[Scone Thistle F.C.|Scone Thistle]] against Scone Amateurs; the appearance fee he received helped to pay off an income tax bill.<ref>{{cite web|title=George Best at Burrelton |url=http://www.pkc.gov.uk/Education+and+learning/Libraries+archives+and+learning+centres/Libraries+-+local+and+special+collections/Local+Studies/Amazing+past+Perthshire/George+Best+at+Burrelton.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090719021306/http://www.pkc.gov.uk/Education%2Band%2Blearning/Libraries%2Barchives%2Band%2Blearning%2Bcentres/Libraries%2B-%2Blocal%2Band%2Bspecial%2Bcollections/Local%2BStudies/Amazing%2Bpast%2BPerthshire/George%2BBest%2Bat%2BBurrelton.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 July 2009 |work=pkc.gov.uk |access-date=18 November 2012 }}</ref>

[[File:GeorgeBest.jpg|thumb|upright|Best in Hong Kong in 1982]]

He returned to the US to play for the San Jose Earthquakes in what was officially described as a "loan", though he only managed a handful of appearances for Hibs in the [[Scottish Football League First Division|First Division]] in the [[1980–81 in Scottish football|following season]].<ref name="scotsman"/> He returned one last time to Easter Road in 1984, for [[Jackie McNamara, Sr.|Jackie McNamara]]'s [[testimonial match]] against [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]].<ref name="st"/> In his third season in the States, Best scored once in 12 appearances. His moves to Fort Lauderdale and San Jose were also unhappy, as his off-field demons began to take control of his life again. After failing to agree terms with [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]] in 1981, he was invited as a guest player and played three matches for two [[Hong Kong First Division League|Hong Kong First Division]] teams ([[Sea Bee]] and [[Hong Kong Rangers FC|Rangers]]) in 1982. At HK Rangers he played alongside his former Northern Ireland teammate [[Derek Spence]]. While in Hong Kong, Best also played darts for a team called Presstuds, made up of a combination of professional footballers and sports journalists.<ref>{{YouTube|njYDrP40sSU|"George Best in Hong Kong"}} (video clip)</ref>

In late 1982, [[AFC Bournemouth]] manager [[Don Megson]] signed the 36-year-old Best for the [[Football League Third Division|Third Division]] side, and he remained there until the end of the [[1982–83 Football League|1982–83]] season, when he retired from football at the age of 37. Best played in a friendly for [[Newry City F.C.|Newry Town]] against [[Shamrock Rovers F.C.|Shamrock Rovers]] in August 1983,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1983/0811/Pg003.html#Ar00311:78A64C7B76617BF64C7D9661|title=Irishtimes.com|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|access-date=11 October 2009|archive-date=19 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019202124/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1983/0811/Pg003.html#Ar00311:78A64C7B76617BF64C7D9661|url-status=live}}</ref> before ending his professional career exactly 20 years after joining Manchester United with a brief four-match stint playing for the [[Queensland Lions FC|Brisbane Lions]] in the [[National Soccer League|Australian National Soccer League]] during the [[1983 National Soccer League|1983 season]].<ref name="stats">{{cite web |url=http://www.soccer.mistral.co.uk/players/best7884.htm |title=Complete game list 1978-84 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120910024437/http://www.soccer.mistral.co.uk/players/best7884.htm |archivedate=10 September 2012 |accessdate=19 March 2013 }}</ref> He also was a guest player for an exhibition match between Dee Why Football Club and Manly Warringah held on 27 July 1983; Dee Why won the match 2–1, with Best having scored the winning goal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dyfc.com.au/about/history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607175418/http://dyfc.com.au/about/history |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 June 2011 |title=Dee Why Football Club : History |first=Nathan |last=Radford |date=6 October 2011 |publisher=Dee Why Football Club |access-date=12 September 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The professionals who played for pub teams |first=John |last=Ashdown |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/jul/30/1 |newspaper=The Guaridan |date=30 July 2008 |access-date=12 September 2011 |location=London |archive-date=19 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819131634/http://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/jul/30/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 29 October 1984, Best played as a special guest for [[Reading F.C.|Reading]] against the [[New Zealand men's national football team|New Zealand national team]] in a friendly game, alongside 1966 World Cup winner [[Martin Peters]]. Reading were defeated 2–1.<ref>{{cite news |title=When George Best Was A Royal |url=https://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/2014/october/when-george-best-was-a-royal/ |access-date=2 November 2021 |publisher=Reading FC |archive-date=2 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102104113/https://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/2014/october/when-george-best-was-a-royal/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 8 August 1988, a testimonial match was held for Best at [[Windsor Park]]. Among the crowd were Sir [[Matt Busby]], [[Jimmy Murphy (footballer)|Jimmy Murphy]], and Bob Bishop, the scout who discovered Best, while those playing included [[Osvaldo Ardiles]], [[Johan Neeskens]], [[Pat Jennings]] and [[Liam Brady]].<ref name="testimonial"/> Best scored twice, one goal from outside the box, the other from the penalty spot.<ref name="testimonial">{{cite book |last=McCartney |first=Iain |title=George Best Fifty Defining Fixtures |date=2015 |publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited |page=49}}</ref>

==International career==
{{Quote box|width=30%|align=right|quote="George Best was one of the most talented players of all time and probably the best footballer who never made it to a major world final."|source=— 1974 World Cup winning West Germany captain [[Franz Beckenbauer]] on Best not playing at a [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]].<ref name="Mirror">{{cite news |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/george-best-anniversary-what-fellow-2269446 |title=George Best anniversary: What his fellow football legends say about him |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018012816/http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/george-best-anniversary-what-fellow-2269446 |archivedate=18 October 2017 |work=Daily Mirror |accessdate=5 January 2014 }}</ref>}}
Best was capped 37 times for [[Northern Ireland national football team|Northern Ireland]], scoring nine goals.<ref name="May"/> Of his nine international goals, four were scored against [[Cyprus national football team|Cyprus]] and one each against [[Albania national football team|Albania]], [[England national football team|England]], [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]], [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] and [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]]. Largely surrounded by teammates of lesser ability with Northern Ireland than with his club and lower expectations as a result, Best considered his international career as being "recreational football".<ref name="Murray">{{cite news|last=Murray|first=Scott|title=The Joy of Six: football greats who never made the World Cup|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2013/nov/22/joy-of-six-football-greats-world-cup|access-date=10 April 2018|work=The Guardian|date=22 November 2013|archive-date=30 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930081747/https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2013/nov/22/joy-of-six-football-greats-world-cup|url-status=live}}</ref> He is regarded as one of the greatest players never to have played at a [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]], and like his namesake, Liberia star [[George Weah]], he was "hamstrung in World Cup terms by hailing from a global minnow".<ref name="Murray"/>

[[File:George_Best_(1976).jpg|alt=George Best (1976)|thumb|upright=0.81|Best with Northern Ireland in 1976]]

On 15 May 1971, Best scored possibly the most famous "goal" of his career at [[Windsor Park]] in Belfast against England.<ref name="mirror">{{cite news |url=http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/archive/George-Best-article785.html |title=George Best: Goals, girls&nbsp;... where did it all go wrong? |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091110081637/http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/archive/George-Best-article785.html |archivedate=10 November 2009 |work=Daily Mirror }}</ref> As [[Gordon Banks]], the English goalkeeper, released the ball in the air in order to kick the ball downfield, Best managed to kick the ball first, which sent the ball high over their heads and heading towards the open goal.<ref name="mirror"/> Best outpaced Banks and headed the ball into the empty goal, but the goal was disallowed by referee Alistair Mackenzie.<ref name="mirror"/>

Best continued to be selected for Northern Ireland throughout the 1970s, despite his fluctuating form and off field problems. Dutch captain [[Johan Cruyff]] commented: "What he [Best] had was unique, you can't coach it".<ref name="Tribute"/>

Best was considered briefly by manager [[Billy Bingham]] for the [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982 World Cup]], but at the age of 35, with his football skills dulled by age and drink (and five years having passed since his last cap), he was not selected for the Northern Ireland squad.<ref name="Murray"/> A proponent of a United Ireland football team, in 2005 Best stated: "I've always thought that at any given time both the [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic]] and Northern Ireland have had some great world class players. I still hope that in my lifetime it happens."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2357115/Best-calls-for-united-Ireland.html |title=Best calls for 'united' Ireland |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004160603/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2357115/Best-calls-for-united-Ireland.html |archivedate=4 October 2022 |work=The Daily Telegraph |accessdate=1 November 2013 }}</ref>

== Style of play ==
A highly skilful winger, considered by several pundits to be one of the greatest [[Dribbling|dribblers]] in the history of the sport, Best received plaudits for his playing style, which combined pace, skill, balance, [[Dummy (football)|feints]], two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to get past defenders.<ref name="reliable">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/john-roberts-george-best-was-reliable-only-when-there-was-a-football-at-his-feet-516948.html|title=John Roberts: 'George Best was reliable only when there was a football|date=26 November 2005|work=The Independent|access-date=11 May 2017|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305221005/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/john-roberts-george-best-was-reliable-only-when-there-was-a-football-at-his-feet-516948.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Belfast Telegraph"/> [[Pelé]] declared that Best was the greatest footballer he'd ever seen.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Stoddart |first=Russell |date=30 December 2022 |title=George Best would have hit even greater heights had Pele joined him at Manchester United, says former Northern Ireland star Sammy McIlroy |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/george-best-would-have-hit-even-greater-heights-had-pele-joined-him-at-manchester-united-says-former-northern-ireland-star-sammy-mcilroy/42251191.html |access-date=20 January 2024 |work=BelfastTelegraph.co.uk |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> Recalling Best's career and style of play, sports writer [[Patrick Barclay]] said: "In terms of ability he was the world's best footballer of all time. He could do almost anything – technically, speed, complete mastery of not only the ball but his own body. You could saw his legs away and he still wouldn't fall because his balance was uncanny, almost supernatural. Heading ability, passing ability, I mean it goes without saying the dribbling – he could beat anybody in any way he chose. For fun he'd play a one-two off the opponent's shins."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thesefootballtimes.co/2015/07/02/george-best-footballs-achilles/ |title=The fleeting career but eternal brilliance of George Best |publisher=TheseFootballTimes |first=Jon |last=Townsend |date=7 February 2015 |access-date=21 June 2017 |archive-date=16 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716132410/http://thesefootballtimes.co/2015/07/02/george-best-footballs-achilles/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Quote box|width=28%|align=left|quote="People were transfixed, bewitched and delighted by the impish, cheeky skills of Best that invariably brought a smile to all except the defenders who had to face him."|source=— [[BBC]] journalist John May in an article titled, "Was Georgie the Best?".<ref name="May"/>}}
Although Best was mostly renowned for his dribbling skills, he also drew praise for his ability as a creator; in regard to this ability, ''Daily Telegraph'' reader Tony Dove commented: "I only had the opportunity to see George play once in person – Man U played a tour game in [[Auckland]], New Zealand, late in the 60s. His brilliance was simply dazzling – player after player from the New Zealand national team queued up to try to tackle him and he gave them all dancing lessons. I clearly remember one run, starting almost from the goal-line, from a roll-out by Stepney, when he evaded every player in the NZ team, one after the other, until he reached the opposite end of the pitch and produced a perfectly floated centre for Charlton's head. His grace, agility and ball skills were only eclipsed by his unselfish passing – many love to remark on his goal scoring but he was prodigious as the set-up man. On the field you couldn't ask for a better football role-model. Let the man pass with what dignity remains to him. Remember him at his best."<ref name="Your View">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2368753/Your-View-Best-a-true-legend-of-football.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2368753/Your-View-Best-a-true-legend-of-football.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Your View: Best a true legend of football|publisher=The Telegraph|date=24 November 2005|access-date=21 June 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In an interview, Manchester United's [[Alex Stepney]] said, "Best would knock the ball on to the goalkeeper's shin, who would be rushing towards this feet to close down the angle, and the ball would bounce back to him and he would score. No one has been able to emulate that in football. Not only did he do it in training but he did it against Manchester United's arch rivals Liverpool at Anfield."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eultv0xTThE|title=29th May 1968 Manchester United European Cup 50th Anniversary with Alex Stepney|date=28 May 2018 |via=www.youtube.com|access-date=18 August 2022|archive-date=4 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004171736/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eultv0xTThE|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
{{Listen |filename=George Best - The New Elizabethans -20 Jul 2012 - b01kt7cs.flac |title=George Best's voice |type=speech |description=from the [[BBC Radio 4]] programme ''[[The New Elizabethans]]'', 20 July 2012<ref name="b01kt7cs">{{cite episode |title=George Best |series=The New Elizabethans |series-link=The New Elizabethans |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01kt7cs |access-date=18 January 2014 |station=BBC Radio 4 |date=20 July 2012 |archive-date=19 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019024939/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01kt7cs |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
During his early years at [[Old Trafford]], Best was a shy teenager who passed his free time in [[Billiard hall|snooker halls]].<ref>{{harvnb|Best|2005|p=46}}</ref> However, he later became known for his long hair, good looks and extravagant celebrity lifestyle, and appeared on ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' in 1965.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/68979/The_Rolling_Stones_The_Last_Time.html |title=The Rolling Stones – The Last Time (video clip) |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211200851/http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/68979/The_Rolling_Stones_The_Last_Time.html |archivedate=11 February 2007 }}</ref> He had a brief relationship with actress [[Sinéad Cusack]] in 1971.<ref>Rutherford, Adrian (24 April 2018). "[https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/news/play-turns-spotlight-on-george-bests-lost-weekend-with-sinead-cusack/36841797.html Play turns spotlight on George Best's 'lost weekend' with Sinead Cusack]". ''Belfast Telegraph''.</ref>

He opened a nightclub called ''Slack Alice'' on Bootle Street in [[Manchester]] in 1973 and owned restaurants in the city including ''Oscars'', on the site of the old Waldorf Hotel.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/george-best-and-me-903754 |title=George Best and me |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819085233/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/george-best-and-me-903754 |archivedate=19 August 2014 |work=Manchester Evening News |date=25 November 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/leisure/literature/news/8489199.Ramsbottom_author_tells_George_Best_inside_story_in_book/ |title=Ramsbottom author tells George Best inside story in book |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210000136/http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/leisure/literature/news/8489199.Ramsbottom_author_tells_George_Best_inside_story_in_book/ |archivedate=10 December 2014 |work=Lancashire Telegraph |date=2 November 2010 }}</ref> He also owned fashion boutiques, in partnership with Manchester City player [[Mike Summerbee]]. Best's cousin, Gary Reid, a member of the [[Ulster Defence Association]], was killed in 1974 during an episode of serious rioting in east Belfast.<ref>David McKittirck, Seamus Kelters, Brian Feeney, Chris Thornton & David McVea, ''Lost Lives: The Stories of the Men, Women and Children Who Died as a Result of the Northern Ireland Troubles'', Mainstream Publishing, 2008, p. 425</ref>

{{Quote box|width=27%|align=left|quote="In 1969 I gave up women and alcohol—it was the worst 20 minutes of my life."|source=— Best quips on his lifestyle.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4467360.stm |title=Best in quotes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140515024949/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4467360.stm |archivedate=15 May 2014 |website=BBC Sport |accessdate=10 September 2014 }}</ref>}}

Best married [[Angie Best|Angela MacDonald-Janes]] on 24 January 1978 at Candlelight Wedding Chapel in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]], having met her in the United States when Best was playing for the [[Los Angeles Aztecs]] in 1976. Their son, [[Calum Best|Calum]], was born in 1981. They separated in 1982 and [[divorce]]d in 1986.<ref>{{cite news|title=Matches of the Day: How footballing marriages of yesterday compare to Coleen and Wayne's lavish nuptials|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/matches-of-the-day-how-footballing-marriages-of-yesterday-compare-to-coleen-and-waynes-lavish-nuptials-6877219.html|access-date=5 October 2012|newspaper=London Evening Standard|date=11 June 2008|archive-date=17 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617064115/http://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/matches-of-the-day-how-footballing-marriages-of-yesterday-compare-to-coleen-and-waynes-lavish-nuptials-6877219.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Quote box|width=27%|align=right|quote="If I had to choose between dribbling past five players and scoring from 40 yards at [[Anfield]] or shagging Miss World, it'd be a hard choice. Thankfully, I've done both."|source=— Best on life on and off the field.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Havemann |first1=N. |title=European Football and Collective Memory |date=2015 |publisher=Springer |page=148}}</ref>}}

He married Alex Pursey in 1995 in [[Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea|Kensington and Chelsea]], London.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp|title=findmypast.com - The place to start tracing your family history|date=12 November 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061112042755/http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp |archive-date=12 November 2006 }}</ref> They divorced in 2004<ref name="AlexBest2005">Best, Alex (2005), ''"Always Alex"'', John Blake, pg 276</ref> with no children. In 2004, she alleged that Best was [[domestic violence|violent]] towards her at times during their marriage, an issue that was covered in Best's authorised 1998 [[biography]] ''Bestie'' in which Alex claimed that Best punched her in the face on more than one occasion.<ref name="JoeLovejoy1998">Lovejoy, Joe (1998), ''"Bestie"'', Pan, pg 356</ref> Earlier in the book it is revealed that he struck another of his girlfriends at least once and was arrested and charged with [[assault]] on a waitress, Stevie Sloniecka, in November 1972, when he fractured her nose in Reuben's nightclub, Manchester.<ref name=autogenerated1>Lovejoy, Joe (1998), ''"Bestie"'', Pan, pg 236</ref> He was successfully defended when the case reached court in January 1973 by barrister [[George Carman]] QC, a close drinking companion of Best, as acknowledged in his book, ''Scoring at Half Time''.

{{blockquote|Although the football pitch was his arena, Best was essentially a pop star—young, stylish, strikingly beautiful, possessed of a creative confidence that bordered on arrogance, and worshipped by young men and women alike. Like [[The Beatles]] and [[The Rolling Stones]], he epitomised the first, sudden, dynamic emergence of a postwar youth culture that, for better or worse, would help define the rest of the century. Long before [[David Beckham|Beckham]], he was Britain's first footballer as popular icon.|Sean O'Hagan in ''[[The Guardian]]'' on Best's [[celebrity]] status in the 1960s.<ref name="Celebrity Best"/>}}

At the peak of his career in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Best advertised [[Cookstown]] sausages on television with the phrase "the Best family sausages".<ref name="cookstown"/> In 2007 a memorial plaque was placed outside the pork factory in the [[County Tyrone]] town.<ref name="cookstown">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6340651.stm |title=Tribute to Best's sausage adverts |date=8 February 2007 |publisher=BBC |access-date=31 October 2010 |archive-date=14 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070214121838/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6340651.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In the early 1970s, Best also advertised eggs, under the campaign "E for B and Georgie Best," both in print and on TV, where "E for B" was short for "Eggs for Breakfast."<ref name="eforb">{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeXlaN8hUZM  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/NeXlaN8hUZM| archive-date=12 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=E for B ad |date=1970 |publisher=OgilvyMuseum |access-date=18 October 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Best had a [[cameo appearance|cameo]] as himself in the 1971 British comedy film ''[[Percy (1971 film)|Percy]]''. In 1984, he made a fitness album with [[Mary Stävin]] called ''[[Shape Up and Dance]]''. [[The Farm (British band)|The Farm]]'s video for their 1992 cover version of [[The Human League]]'s "[[Don't You Want Me]]" featured Best mouthing the chorus.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Farm are all together now but for how long? |url=https://metro.co.uk/2008/07/14/the-farm-are-all-together-now-but-for-how-long-270462/ |access-date=23 November 2021 |work=Metro |archive-date=23 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123103635/https://metro.co.uk/2008/07/14/the-farm-are-all-together-now-but-for-how-long-270462/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A biographical film entitled ''[[Best (film)|Best]]'' was released in May 2000, with [[John Lynch (actor)|John Lynch]] portraying George Best. Indie rock band [[The Wedding Present]] named their first album ''[[George Best (album)|George Best]]'', and featured Best on the cover wearing his red Manchester United kit. After his death, [[Brian Kennedy (singer)|Brian Kennedy]] and [[Peter Corry]] released a single entitled ''[[George Best – A Tribute]]''. Best features in EA Sports' [[FIFA (video game series)|''FIFA'' video game series]]; he was included as an icon in the ''[[FIFA 19]]'' Ultimate Team Legends.<ref>{{cite news |title=How NI and Man United icon George Best is rated in FIFA 19 |url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/football/how-ni-and-man-united-icon-george-best-is-rated-in-fifa-19-1-8634886 |access-date=15 August 2019 |work=Newsletter |archive-date=15 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815113405/https://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/football/how-ni-and-man-united-icon-george-best-is-rated-in-fifa-19-1-8634886 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2007, ''[[GQ]]'' magazine named him as one of the 50 most stylish men of the past 50 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://men.style.com/gq/features/slideshow/v/091307STYLISH?loop=0&slideshowId=slideshow43073&iphoto=3&nphoto=50&play=false|title=GQ: The 50 Most Stylish Men: GQ Features on men.style.com|date=7 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607212407/http://men.style.com/gq/features/slideshow/v/091307STYLISH?loop=0&slideshowId=slideshow43073&iphoto=3&nphoto=50&play=false |archive-date=7 June 2008 }}</ref> When Best played football, salaries were a fraction of what top players earn today, but, with his pop star image and celebrity status, Best still earned a fortune. He lost almost all of it. When asked what happened to the money he had earned, Best quipped: "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds (women) and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msn.com/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326025307/http://him.uk.msn.com/in-the-know/famous-rich-celebrity-men-who-lost-everything-money|url-status=dead|title=MSN &#124; Outlook, Office, Skype, Bing, Breaking News, and Latest Videos|archivedate=26 March 2013|website=MSN}}</ref>

In 2012, Best was featured in the list of ''[[The New Elizabethans]]'' to mark the [[diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II]]. A panel of seven academics, journalists and historians named Best among the group of people in the UK "whose actions during the reign of Elizabeth II have had a significant impact on lives in these islands and given the age its character".<ref name="b01kt7cs"/>

=== Alcoholism ===
{{Quote box|width=25%|align=right|quote="I was born with a great gift, and sometimes with that comes a destructive streak. Just as I wanted to outdo everyone when I played, I had to outdo everyone when we were out on the town."|source=— Best on his excesses off the field.<ref>{{cite news |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106040630/http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/players/player=46539/ |archivedate=6 January 2014 |url=http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/players/player=46539/ |title=Football's tragic playboy prince |website=FIFA.com |accessdate=6 January 2014 }}</ref>}}
Best suffered from alcoholism for most of his adult life, leading to numerous controversies and, eventually, his death.<ref name="psychologytoday.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mouse-man/200902/do-alcoholics-deserve-liver-transplants|title=Do Alcoholics Deserve Liver Transplants? &#124; Psychology Today|website=www.psychologytoday.com|access-date=18 August 2022|archive-date=4 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004161120/https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mouse-man/200902/do-alcoholics-deserve-liver-transplants|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1981, while playing in the United States, Best robbed a woman by taking money from her handbag in order to fund a drinking session. He recalled the incident, "We were sitting in a bar on the beach, and when she got up to go to the toilet I leaned over and took all the money she had in her bag."<ref name=autogenerated2>Lovejoy, Joe (1998), ''"Bestie"'', Pan, pg 306</ref>

In 1984, Best received a three-month prison sentence for [[Driving under the influence|drunk driving]], assaulting a police officer and failing to answer bail. He spent Christmas 1984 at [[HM Prison Ford|Ford Open Prison]]. Contrary to popular belief and urban legend, he never played football for the prison team. In September 1990, Best appeared on the primetime [[BBC One|BBC1]] chat show ''[[Wogan]]'' in which he was heavily drunk and swore, at one point saying to the host, "Terry, I like screwing".<ref>{{YouTube|pjZcQnAIC2A|Video clip}}; Stephen McGinty, [http://business.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=598&id=521652006 "Parky was a 'nut', says Meg Ryan"], ''The Scotsman'', 5 April 2006 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211163424/http://business.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=598&id=521652006 |date=11 December 2007 }}</ref> In 2002, he told ''[[The Guardian]]'': "I was ill and everyone could see it but me."<ref name="Celebrity Best">{{cite news |title=Been there, drunk that |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2002/jul/21/features.review147 |access-date=10 October 2020 |newspaper=The Guardian |archive-date=14 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214010437/https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2002/jul/21/features.review147 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Liver transplant and controversy ===
Best was diagnosed with severe liver damage in March 2000.<ref name="death"/> His liver was said to be functioning at only 20%.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/jul/17/football.stevenmorris|title=Don't serve Best, pleads doctor|last=Morris|first=Steven|date=17 July 2000|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=29 August 2019|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=25 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125074057/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/jul/17/football.stevenmorris|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/672852.stm|title=Obituary: George Best|work=BBC News|access-date=29 August 2019|archive-date=28 November 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081128205345/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/672852.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2001, he was admitted to hospital with pneumonia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/george-best-in-hospital-with-pneumonia-3409.html/breakingnews.ie/George|title=Best in hospital with pneumonia|access-date=2 March 2013|archive-date=10 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910215730/http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/george-best-in-hospital-with-pneumonia-3409.html/breakingnews.ie/George|url-status=dead}}</ref> At the end of July and start of August 2002, he had a successful [[Liver transplantation|liver transplant]] at the private [[Cromwell Hospital]] in London.<ref name="death"/> He haemorrhaged so badly during the operation that he nearly died.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1435947/Back-on-the-drink-George-Best-arrested-by-police-in-pub-brawl.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1435947/Back-on-the-drink-George-Best-arrested-by-police-in-pub-brawl.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Back on the drink: George Best arrested by police in pub brawl|last=Booth|first=Thair Shaikh and Jenny|journal=Daily Telegraph|date=12 July 2003|access-date=29 August 2019|issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The transplant was performed at public expense on the [[National Health Service|NHS]], a decision which was controversial due to Best's alcoholism.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news|title=News &#124; The Scotsman|website=www.scotsman.com|access-date=18 August 2022|archive-date=19 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919163045/http://news.scotsman.com/entertainment/Corinne-Brewery--Still-in.4467021.jp|url-status=live}}</ref> The controversy was reignited in 2003 when he was spotted openly drinking [[white wine]] [[spritzer]]s.<ref name="psychologytoday.com"/> On 2 February 2004, Best was convicted of another drink-driving offence and banned from driving for 20 months.<ref>{{cite web|title=George Best Gets Drink-Drive Ban |url=http://news.sky.com/story/243101/george-best-gets-drink-drive-ban |publisher=[[Sky News]] ([[BSkyB]]) |date=2 February 2004 |access-date=8 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222021359/http://news.sky.com/story/243101/george-best-gets-drink-drive-ban |archive-date=22 February 2015 }}</ref>

== Death ==
[[File:Gb city hall.jpg|thumb|right|Gates of [[Belfast City Hall]] soon after Best's death, [[:File:Cityhall2.jpg|Another view]].]]
Best continued to drink and was sometimes seen at his local pub in [[Surbiton]], London. On 3 October 2005, he was admitted to [[Intensive care medicine|intensive care]] at the private [[Cromwell Hospital]] in London, suffering from a [[kidney infection]] caused by the side effects of immuno-suppressive drugs used to prevent his body from rejecting his transplanted liver.<ref name="death"/> On 27 October, newspapers stated that Best was close to death and had sent a farewell message to his loved ones. Close friends in the game visited his bedside to make their farewells, including [[Rodney Marsh (footballer)|Rodney Marsh]], and the two other members of the "United Trinity", [[Bobby Charlton]] and [[Denis Law]].<ref name="The Age"/> 

On 20 November, the tabloid ''[[News of the World]]'' published a picture of Best, at his own request, showing him in his hospital bed with [[jaundice]], along with a warning about the dangers of alcohol with his message: ‘Don't die like me’.<ref name="The Age">{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/11/25/1132703375635.html |title=Flawed Best had it all |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141001083310/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/11/25/1132703375635.html |archivedate=1 October 2014 |work=The Age |location=Melbourne |accessdate=10 September 2014 }}</ref> In the early hours of 25 November 2005, treatment was stopped; later that day he died, aged 59, as a result of a [[lung infection]] and [[Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome|multiple organ failure]].<ref name="death">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4380332.stm |title=Football legend George Best dies |work=[[BBC News]] |date=25 November 2005 |access-date=26 October 2010 |archive-date=20 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820092026/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4380332.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4465456.stm |title=George Best very close to death |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720150138/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4465456.stm |archivedate=20 July 2008 |website=BBC News }}</ref>

Tributes were paid to Best from around the world, including from arguably three of the greatest football players ever, [[Pelé]], [[Diego Maradona]] and [[Johan Cruyff]].<ref name="Tribute"/> Maradona commented: "George inspired me when I was young. He was flamboyant and exciting and able to inspire his teammates. I actually think we were very similar players – [[Dribbling#Association football|dribblers]] who were able to create moments of magic."<ref name="Tribute">{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/english/2005/1126/198627-bestg/ |title=Maradona hails 'inspirational' Best |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004042608/http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/english/2005/1126/198627-bestg/ |archivedate=4 October 2016 |work=RTE Sport |accessdate=9 September 2013 }}</ref> Fellow Manchester United legend [[Eric Cantona]] gave a eulogy to Best: "I would love him to save me a place in his team, George Best that is, not God."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.goal.com/en/news/2377/top-10/2010/11/28/2235602/top-10-eric-cantona-quotes-seagulls-water-carrier-terminator-and- |title=Top 10 Eric Cantona Quotes - Seagulls, Water Carrier, Terminator And Many More |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150228234830/http://www.goal.com/en/news/2377/top-10/2010/11/28/2235602/top-10-eric-cantona-quotes-seagulls-water-carrier-terminator-and- |archivedate=28 February 2015 |website=Goal.com |accessdate=4 February 2015 }}</ref>

The [[Premier League]] announced that a minute's silence would be observed before all Premier League games to be held over the weekend of his death; however, at many grounds a minute's applause broke out in his honour.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2368799/Minutes-silence-for-Best.html |title=Minute's silence for Best |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118123632/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2368799/Minutes-silence-for-Best.html |archivedate=18 November 2018 |work=The Daily Telegraph |accessdate=10 September 2014 }}</ref> The first match at Old Trafford after Best's death was a [[Football League Cup|League Cup]] tie against [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]], the club against which he made his debut for Manchester United in 1963.<ref name="OT tribute"/> The match, which United won, was preceded by tributes from former teammate Sir Bobby Charlton. Best's son, Calum, former teammates and surviving members from the West Brom team which he played against in his debut all joined the current United squad on the pitch for a minute's silence. During this, fans in every seat held aloft pictures of Best, which were given out before the match.<ref name="OT tribute">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/4483924.stm |title=Old Trafford stages Best tribute |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061214002346/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/4483924.stm |archivedate=14 December 2006 |website=BBC Sport |accessdate=10 September 2014 }}</ref>

=== Funeral ===
[[File:Roselawn Crematorium and Cemetery, Belfast - geograph.org.uk - 331615.jpg|thumb|upright|The Best family grave at Roselawn Cemetery, overlooking east Belfast]]
His body left the family home at Cregagh Road, [[Belfast|East Belfast]], shortly after 10 am on Saturday 3 December 2005. The cortege then travelled the short distance to [[Parliament Buildings (Northern Ireland)|Stormont]]. The route was lined with around 100,000 mourners.<ref name="funeral"/> Former Northern Ireland manager Billy Bingham, international teammates [[Derek Dougan]], [[Peter McParland]], [[Harry Gregg]] and [[Gerry Armstrong (footballer)|Gerry Armstrong]], and Denis Law were the first to carry the coffin to the base of the Stormont steps.<ref name="funeral">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4493898.stm |title=Final farewell to football legend |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306171046/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4493898.stm |archivedate=6 March 2016 |website=BBC News |accessdate=7 August 2015 }}</ref>

There was an 11&nbsp;am service in the Grand Hall attended by 300 invited guests relayed to around 25,000 mourners inside the grounds of Stormont. Best's brother Ian, agent Phil Hughes, Dr Akeel Alisa, who treated Best, and his brothers-in-law Norman McNarry and Alan McPherson, were also pallbearers. As the cortege left Stormont, the [[Gilnahirk]] pipe band played. The funeral was live on several television stations including [[BBC One]]. Afterwards, Best was interred beside his mother, Annie Mary Best, in a private ceremony at the hill-top Roselawn Cemetery, overlooking east Belfast.<ref name="funeral"/>

=== Memorials ===
{{multiple image
<!-- Essential parameters -->| align             = left
| direction         = vertical
| header            = 
| width             = 230
<!-- Image 1 -->| image1            = George Best Belfast City Airport signage.jpg
| width1            = 
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = Following his death, the George Best Belfast City Airport was named after him
<!-- Image 2 -->| image2            = Wax Museum Plus (6345531996).jpg
| width2            = 
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = George Best waxwork in [[Malahide]], Dublin
}}
Belfast City Airport was renamed [[George Best Belfast City Airport]] as a tribute to Best.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.belfastcityairport.com/news_detail.asp?id=84 |title=Belfast City Airport to be renamed in honour of George Best |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212075455/http://www.belfastcityairport.com/news_detail.asp?id=84 |archivedate=12 February 2007 |date=21 March 2006 |publisher=Belfast City Airport }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/5002166.stm |title=Best family proud of airport name |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080429112649/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/5002166.stm |archivedate=29 April 2008 |date=22 May 2006 |website=BBC News }}</ref> The official new name and signage was unveiled to a gathering of the Best family and friends at the airport on 22 May 2006, which would have been his 60th birthday. Public opinion in Northern Ireland about the renaming of the airport was divided, with one poll showing 52% in favour and 48% against.<ref>Deric Henderson, [http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=447492006 "'George Best Airport' splits city"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070918204309/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=447492006 |date=18 September 2007 }}, ''The Scotsman'', 22 March 2006; [http://www.belfast-airport.info/belfast-airport-news-220306.htm "Best family hits out at Belfast Airport renaming opposition"], belfast-airport.info, 22 March 2006 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928193925/http://www.belfast-airport.info/belfast-airport-news-220306.htm |date=28 September 2007 }}</ref> [[Democratic Unionist Party]] (DUP) deputy leader and [[Belfast East (UK Parliament constituency)|East Belfast]] Member of Parliament [[Peter Robinson (Northern Ireland politician)|Peter Robinson]], in whose constituency Belfast City airport is situated, stated that his preference was a sports stadium be named after Best.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.uk-airport-news.info/belfast-airport-news-271105.htm |title=Ex-Mayor in Belfast City Airport Best tribute call |website=uk-airport-news.info |date=27 November 2005 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926140556/http://www.uk-airport-news.info/belfast-airport-news-271105.htm |archivedate=26 September 2006 }}</ref>
{{Quote box|width=30%|align=right|quote="With feet as sensitive as a pickpocket's hands, his control of the ball under the most violent pressure was astonishing. The bewildering repertoire of feints and swerves... and balance that would have made Isaac Newton decide he might as well have eaten the apple."|source=— Sports writer [[Hugh McIlvanney]].<ref name="Belfast Telegraph">{{cite news |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/incoming/we-have-just-unearthed-a-gem-from-your-neck-of-the-woods-28038717.html |title=We have just unearthed a gem from your neck of the woods... |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817204852/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/incoming/we-have-just-unearthed-a-gem-from-your-neck-of-the-woods-28038717.html |archivedate=17 August 2016 |work=Belfast Telegraph |accessdate=5 January 2014 }}</ref>}}
In March 2006, the airline [[Flybe (1979–2020)|Flybe]] named a [[De Havilland Canada Dash 8|Dash 8 (Q400)]] plane ''The George Best''. The aircraft was later used to carry Best's family across to the Manchester memorial service for Best.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.flybe.com/news/0603/15.htm |title=Flybe pays tribute to George Best! |date=15 March 2006 |publisher=Flybe |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901114433/http://www.flybe.com/news/0603/15.htm |archivedate=1 September 2006 }}</ref>

In June 2006, Sarah Fabergé, great-granddaughter of Russian imperial jeweller [[Peter Carl Fabergé]], was commissioned to create the George Best Egg, in tribute. A limited edition of 68 eggs were produced, with all profits from the sale of the eggs going to the George Best Foundation, which promotes health through sport and supports people with alcohol and drug problems.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgebest.com/the-foundation/ |title=Aims & Objectives |website=The George Best Foundation |date=2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514025209/http://www.georgebest.com/the-foundation/ |archive-date=14 May 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The first egg is on display at the George Best Airport. For the first anniversary of his death, [[Ulster Bank]] issued 1&nbsp;million commemorative £5 notes.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bank note honour for George Best |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6086902.stm |publisher=BBC Online |date=26 October 2006 |access-date=26 October 2006 |archive-date=25 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425020929/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/6086902.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The notes sold out in five days.<ref>{{cite news |title=Last of Bestie fivers sells out |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6199180.stm |publisher=BBC Online |date=1 December 2006 |access-date=9 June 2007 |archive-date=14 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070214121351/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6199180.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The notes sold on the online auction site eBay for up to £30.<ref>{{cite news |title=Best note prompts auction fever |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6142840.stm |publisher=BBC Online |date=1 December 2006 |access-date=9 June 2007 |archive-date=25 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425015946/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/6142840.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In December 2006, the George Best Memorial Trust launched a fund-raising drive to raise £200,000 in subscriptions to pay for a life-size bronze sculpture of George Best. By 2008 the money had still not been raised until a local developer, Doug Elliott, announced on 29 January 2008, that he would put up the rest of the money and would manage delivery of the project.<ref>{{cite news |first=Victoria |last=O'Hara |title=Best memorial plan rescued by fan |work=[[The Belfast Telegraph]] |page=3 |date=29 January 2008 }}</ref>

== Career statistics ==
=== Club ===
{| class="wikitable nowrap" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition<ref name="stats"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stretfordend.co.uk/playermenu/best.html |title=George Best |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415025404/http://www.stretfordend.co.uk/playermenu/best.html |archivedate=15 April 2015 |website=StretfordEnd.co.uk |accessdate=19 March 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://homepages.sover.net/~spectrum/nasl/naslstar.html |title=Top international stars in the NASL, 1967-1984; George Best |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126110900/http://homepages.sover.net/~spectrum/nasl/naslstar.html |archivedate=26 November 2010 |website=ASHA |accessdate=19 March 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://nasljerseys.com/Players/B/Best.George.htm |title=Best North American Soccer League stats |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528095724/http://nasljerseys.com/Players/B/Best.George.htm |archivedate=28 May 2009 |website=NASLJerseys.com |accessdate=19 March 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player/georgebest.html |title=George Best league stats |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004161127/http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player/georgebest.html |archivedate=4 October 2022 |accessdate=19 March 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ihibs.co.uk/player.php?playerid=820 |title=Hibernian stats |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722052553/http://www.ihibs.co.uk/player.php?playerid=820 |archivedate=22 July 2018 |website=Ihibs.co.uk |accessdate=19 March 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.soccer.mistral.co.uk/players/best7376.htm |title=Complete game list 1973-76 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20121223143458/http://www.soccer.mistral.co.uk/players/best7376.htm |archivedate=23 December 2012 |accessdate=19 March 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.soccer.mistral.co.uk/players/best7678.htm |title=Complete game list 1976-78 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512181859/http://www.soccer.mistral.co.uk/players/best7678.htm |archivedate=12 May 2006 |accessdate=19 March 2013 }}</ref>
|-
! rowspan="2"| Club
! rowspan="2"| Season
! colspan="3"| League
! colspan="2"| Cup
! colspan="2"| League Cup
! colspan="2"| Continental
! colspan="2"| Other
! colspan="2"| Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="12"|[[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]]
|[[1963–64 Manchester United F.C. season|1963–64]]
|[[Football League First Division|First Division]]
|17||4||7||2||colspan="2"|—||2||0||0||0||26||6
|-
|[[1964–65 Manchester United F.C. season|1964–65]]
|First Division
|41||10||7||2||colspan="2"|—||11||2||0||0||59||14
|-
|[[1965–66 Manchester United F.C. season|1965–66]]
|First Division
|31||9||5||3||colspan="2"|—||6||4||1{{efn|Appearance in [[1965 FA Charity Shield]]}}||1||43||17
|-
|[[1966–67 Manchester United F.C. season|1966–67]]
|First Division
|42||10||2||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||0||0||45||10
|-
|[[1967–68 Manchester United F.C. season|1967–68]]
|First Division
|41||28||2||1||colspan="2"|—||9||3||1{{efn|Appearance in [[1967 FA Charity Shield]]}}||0||53||32
|-
|[[1968–69 Manchester United F.C. season|1968–69]]
|First Division
|41||19||6||1||colspan="2"|—||6||2||2{{efn|Appearances in [[1968 Intercontinental Cup]]}}||0||55||22
|-
|[[1969–70 Manchester United F.C. season|1969–70]]
|First Division
|37||15||8||6||8||2||colspan="2"|—||0||0||53||23
|-
|[[1970–71 Manchester United F.C. season|1970–71]]
|First Division
|40||18||2||1||6||2||colspan="2"|—||{{efn|Appearances in [[Watney Cup]]}}3||1||51||22
|-
|[[1971–72 Manchester United F.C. season|1971–72]]
|First Division
|40||18||7||5||6||3||colspan="2"|—||1{{efn|Appearance in [[Watney Cup]]}}||1||54||27
|-
|[[1972–73 Manchester United F.C. season|1972–73]]
|First Division
|19||4||0||0||4||2||colspan="2"|—||0||0||23||6
|-
|[[1973–74 Manchester United F.C. season|1973–74]]
|First Division
|12||2||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||0||0||12||2
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!361!!137!!46!!21!!25!!9!!34!!11!!8!!3!!474!!181
|-
|[[Dunstable Town F.C.|Dunstable Town]]
|[[1974–75 Southern Football League|1974–75]]
|[[Southern Football League|Southern League Division One North]]
|0||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||0||0
|-
|-
|[[Stockport County F.C.|Stockport County]]
|[[1975–76 Football League|1975–76]]
|[[Football League Fourth Division|Fourth Division]]
|3||2||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||3||2
|-
|[[Cork Celtic F.C.|Cork Celtic]]
|[[1975–76 League of Ireland|1975–76]]
|[[League of Ireland]]
|3||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||3||0
|-
|[[Los Angeles Aztecs]]
|[[1976 North American Soccer League season|1976]]
|[[North American Soccer League (1968–1984)|North American Soccer League]]
|23||15||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||1{{efn|name=nasl-p|Appearance(s) in  NASL play-offs}}||0||24||15
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]]
|[[1976–77 Football League|1976–77]]
|[[Football League Second Division|Second Division]]
|32||6||2||0||3||2||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||37||8
|-
|[[1977–78 Football League|1977–78]]
|Second Division
|10||2||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||10||2
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!42!!8!!2!!0!!3!!2!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!47!!10
|-
|rowspan="3"|Los Angeles Aztecs
|[[1977 North American Soccer League season|1977]]
|North American Soccer League
|20||11||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||5{{efn|name=nasl-p}}||2||25||13
|-
|[[1978 North American Soccer League season|1978]]
|North American Soccer League
|12||1||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||12||1
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!32!!12!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!5!!2!!37!!14
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983)|Fort Lauderdale Strikers]]
|[[1978 North American Soccer League season|1978]]
|North American Soccer League
|9||4||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||5{{efn|name=nasl-p}}||1||14||5
|-
|[[1979 North American Soccer League season|1979]]
|North American Soccer League
|19||2||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||19||2
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!28!!6!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!5!!1!!33!!7
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Hibernian F.C.|Hibernian]]
|[[1979–80 Scottish Football League|1979–80]]
|[[Scottish Football League Premier Division|Scottish Premier Division]]
|13||3||3||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||16||3
|-
|[[1980–81 Scottish Football League|1980–81]]
|[[Scottish Football League First Division|Scottish First Division]]
|4||0||0||0||2||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||6||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!17!!3!!3!!0!!2!!0!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!22!!3
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1988)|San Jose Earthquakes]]
|[[1980 North American Soccer League season|1980]]
|North American Soccer League
|26||8||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||26||8
|-
|[[1981 North American Soccer League season|1981]]
|North American Soccer League
|30||13||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||30||13
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!56!!21!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!56!!21
|-
|[[AFC Bournemouth]]
|[[1982–83 Football League|1982–83]]
|[[Football League Third Division|Third Division]]
|5||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||5||0
|-
|[[Queensland Lions FC|Brisbane Lions]]
|[[1983 National Soccer League|1983]]
|[[National Soccer League]]
|4||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||4||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!574!!204!!52!!21!!30!!11!!34!!11!!19!!6!!705!!251
|}

{{notelist}}

=== International ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/nil-recintlp.html |title=Northern Ireland – Record International Players |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723152603/http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/nil-recintlp.html |archivedate=23 July 2018 |website=RSSSF |accessdate=19 March 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{NFT player|18004|accessdate=}}</ref>
|-
!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="14"|[[Northern Ireland national football team|Northern Ireland]]
|1964||6||2
|-
|1965||6||1
|-
|1966||1||0
|-
|1967||1||0
|-
|1968||1||1
|-
|1969||4||0
|-
|1970||4||1
|-
|1971||6||4
|-
|1972||2||0
|-
|1973||1||0
|-
|1974||0||0
|-
|1975||0||0
|-
|1976||2||0
|-
|1977||3||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total!!37!!9
|}

:''Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Best goal.''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by George Best<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.11v11.com/players/george-best-21480/ |title=George Best Football Player Statistics |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813195738/https://www.11v11.com/players/george-best-21480/ |archivedate=13 August 2020 |website=11v11 |accessdate=29 August 2020 }}</ref>
|-
!scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Venue
!scope="col"|Opponent
!scope="col"|Score
!scope="col"|Result
!scope="col"|Competition
|-
|align="center"|1
|14 November 1964
|[[Stade Olympique de la Pontaise]], [[Lausanne]], Switzerland
|{{fb|Switzerland}}
|align="center"|1–0
|align="center"|1–2
|[[1966 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 5|1966 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|-
|align="center"|2
|25 November 1964
|[[Hampden Park]], [[Glasgow]], Scotland
|{{fb|Scotland}}
|align="center"|1–0
|align="center"|2–3
|[[1964–65 British Home Championship]]
|-
|align="center"|3
|7 May 1965
|[[Windsor Park]], [[Belfast]], Northern Ireland
|{{fb|Albania|1946}}
|align="center"|4–1
|align="center"|4–1
|1966 FIFA World Cup qualification 
|-
|align="center"|4
|23 October 1968
|Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland
|{{fb|Turkey}}
|align="center"|1–1
|align="center"|4–1
|[[1970 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4|1970 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|-
|align="center"|5
|21 April 1970
|[[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]], London, England
|{{fb|England}}
|align="center"|1–1
|align="center"|1–3
|[[1969–70 British Home Championship]]
|-
|align="center"|6
|3 February 1971
|[[GSP Stadium (1902)|GSP Stadium]], [[Nicosia]], Cyprus
|{{fb|Cyprus|1960}}
|align="center"|3–0
|align="center"|3–0
|[[UEFA Euro 1972 qualifying Group 4|UEFA Euro 1972 qualification]]
|-
|align="center"|7
|rowspan="3"|21 April 1971
|rowspan="3"|Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland
|rowspan="3"|{{fb|Cyprus|1960}}
|align="center"|2–0
|rowspan="3" align="center"|5–0
|rowspan="3"|UEFA Euro 1972 qualification
|-
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|3–0
|-
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|4–0
|}

== Honours ==
'''Manchester United'''
* [[Football League First Division]]: [[1964–65 Football League First Division|1964–65]], [[1966–67 Football League First Division|1966–67]]
* [[FA Community Shield|Charity Shield]]: [[1965 FA Charity Shield|1965]], [[1967 FA Charity Shield|1967]]
* [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]]: [[1968 European Cup Final|1968]]

'''Hibernian F.C.'''
* [[East of Scotland Shield]]: 1979–80

'''Northern Ireland'''
*[[British Home Championship]]: [[1963–64 British Home Championship|1964]]<ref>[https://www.irishfa.com/news/2020/april/ni-hall-of-fame-george-best-football-genius NI Hall of Fame: George Best - football genius] Irish Football Association. Monday 20 April 2020</ref>

'''Individual'''
* [[Football League First Division]] top scorer: [[1967–68 in English football|1967–68]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/engtops.html |title=League Leading Goalscorers |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013012652/http://rsssf.com/tablese/engtops.html#English |archivedate=13 October 2018 |accessdate=28 November 2015 }}</ref>
* [[FWA Footballer of the Year]]: [[1967–68 in English football|1967–68]]
* [[Ballon d'Or]]: [[1968 Ballon d'Or|1968]]; third place [[1971 Ballon d'Or|1971]]
*[[FA Cup|FA Cup top scorer]]: [[1972 FA Cup Final|1971–72]]<ref>[https://www.worldfootball.net/scorer/eng-fa-cup-1971-1972 FA Cup 1971/1972 Scorers] WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 5 May 2025</ref>
*''FUWO European Team of the Season'': 1968,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fcc-supporters.org/fuwo/files/FUWO%201969/FUWO%201969%2002.pdf |website=FCC-Wiki|title=FUWO 1969|access-date=23 April 2024 }}</ref> 1969<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fcc-supporters.org/fuwo/files/FUWO%201970/Fuwo%201970%2002.pdf |website=FCC-Wiki|title=FUWO 1970|access-date=23 April 2024 }}</ref>
* ''Rothmans Golden Boots Awards'': 1970, 1971<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/1969-70-british-team-of-the-season.1794502/ |website=BigSoccer |date=31 July 2011 |title=1969-1970 British Team of the Season |access-date=17 April 2024 }}</ref>
*''Sport Ideal European XI'': 1971<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com/preview/1972/01/01/pagina-9/975653/pdf.html |website=Mundo Deportivo|title=Sport 1971|access-date=4 June 2024 }}</ref>
* [[PFA Team of the Year|PFA Team of the Year Second Division]]: [[1976–77 Football League|1977]]
* [[Football League 100 Legends]]: 1998
* Honorary doctorate from [[Queen's University Belfast]]: 2001<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/1709558.stm|title=Best receives honorary degree|date=13 December 2001|access-date=13 May 2016|publisher=BBC|archive-date=11 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611031615/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/1709558.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Freedom of the City|Freeman]] of [[Castlereagh (borough)|Castlereagh]]: 2002<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4475276.stm|title=Stormont funeral for George Best|date=28 November 2005|access-date=13 May 2016|publisher=BBC|archive-date=4 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004161122/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4475276.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Inaugural inductee into the [[English Football Hall of Fame]]: 2002<ref name="HOf">{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/halloffame/george-best |title=George Best 2002 Hall of Fame |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920204015/http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/halloffame/george-best |archivedate=20 September 2016 |publisher=National Football Museum |accessdate=25 December 2017 }}</ref>
* [[BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award]]: 2002
* [[UEFA Jubilee Awards]] – [[UEFA Jubilee Awards|Northern Ireland's Golden Player]]: 2003
* [[UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll]]: No. 19<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/171606.pdf|title=Zinedine Zidane voted top player by fans|website=[[UEFA]]|publisher=UEFA|access-date=9 January 2017|archive-date=16 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016100521/https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/171606.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[FIFA 100]] (world's greatest living players: 2004)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/3533833.stm|title=Fifa names greatest list|publisher=BBC|date=4 March 2004|access-date=30 April 2018|archive-date=30 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430063848/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/3533833.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Golden Foot]]: 2005, as [[Golden Foot#Award legends|football legend]]
* [[PFA Merit Award]]: 2006
* [[FWA Tribute Award]]: 2000
* [[English Football Hall of Fame]]: 2002
* [[FIFA Player of the Century]]:
** FIFA internet vote: No. 20
** FIFA Magazine and Grand Jury vote: No. 5
* [[World Soccer Magazine|World Soccer]] The Greatest Players of the 20th century: No. 8<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/best-x-players-of-y.html |title=World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231035356/http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/best-x-players-of-y.html#ws100 |archivedate=31 December 2015 |accessdate=28 November 2015 }}</ref>
* [[Ballon d'Or Dream Team]] (Bronze): 2020<ref>{{cite web |title=The other two Ballon d'Or Dream Team XIs: Zidane, Cruyff, Iniesta, Di Stefano... but no Casillas |url=https://www.marca.com/en/football/international-football/2020/12/14/5fd7bc8522601d53598b45b2.html |website=[[MARCA]] |date=15 December 2020 |access-date=15 December 2020 |archive-date=15 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215113120/https://www.marca.com/en/football/international-football/2020/12/14/5fd7bc8522601d53598b45b2.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Biographies ==
* ''Bestie'' (co-written with Joe Lovejoy),
* ''The Good, The Bad and The Bubbly'' (with Ross Benson)
* ''Blessed: The Autobiography'' (with Roy Collins)
* ''George Best: A Celebration'' (Bernie Smith and Maureen Hunt)
* ''Scoring at Half Time'' (with [[Martin Knight (author)|Martin Knight]]).
* ''Hard Tackles and Dirty Baths'' (with Harry Harris)
* ''George Best: A Memoir'' ([[Michael Parkinson]])

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

'''General'''
* {{cite book|last=Best|first=George|title=Hard Tackles and Dirty Baths: The Inside Story of Football's Golden Era|year=2005|publisher=Ebury |isbn=0-09-190608-3}}

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons category|George Best}}
* [http://www.georgebest.com/ Official website]
* {{WorldFootball.net|george-best}}
* {{NFT player|id=18004}}
* {{FIFA|46539}}{{Dead link|date=February 2025}}
* [http://www.stretford-end.com/united-articles/george-best-legend.html George Best Player Profile]
* [https://nationalfootballmuseum.com/halloffame/george-best/ English Football Hall of Fame Profile]
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards
| bg    = gold
| fg    = navy
| list1 =
{{1976–77 Football League Second Division PFA Team of the Year}}
{{1976 NASL All-Stars}}
{{1977 NASL All-Stars}}
{{1978 NASL All-Stars}}
{{1980–81 NASL Indoor All-Stars}}
{{1981 NASL All-Stars}}
{{Ballon d'Or recipients}}
{{FWA Footballer of the Year}}
{{English First Division top scorers}}
{{FIFA 100}}
{{UEFA Jubilee Awards}}
{{Golden Foot Legends Award}}
{{Ballon d'Or Dream Team}}
{{Football League 100 Legends}}
{{FWA Tribute Award}}
{{English Football Hall of Fame}}
{{BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Portal bar|Biography|Association football|Northern Ireland}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Best, George}}
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[[Category:BBC Sports Personality Lifetime Achievement Award recipients]]
[[Category:Expatriate sportspeople from Northern Ireland in South Africa]]
[[Category:Best family|George]]