Soccer Superstars Codexery

George Best

Northern Irish footballer, European Footballer of the Year 1968.

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Regarded as one of the sport's all-time greats, Best was particularly noted for his exceptional dribbling ability.[1]

Life and work

At age 15, he was discovered in Belfast by Manchester United scout Bob Bishop, who sent a telegram to manager Matt Busby reading: "I think I've found you a genius"[2] He never played in the finals of a major tournament due to a combination of the team's performance and his lack of fitness in 1982.[3] Richard "Dickie" Best and Anne Withers had their first child, George, in Belfast, and he grew up on the Cregagh estate located in the eastern part of the city.[4] Across an 11-year period, Best netted 179 goals from 470 appearances for Manchester United, and for five straight seasons he was the club's leading league goal scorer.[5]

For Northern Ireland's national team, Best earned 37 caps from 1964 through 1977, finding the net nine times.[3][6] His lavish way of living caused numerous personal difficulties, especially alcoholism, a condition that plagued him for the remainder of his life.[7] Following his playing days, Best worked for a period as a football pundit, yet he continued to face financial troubles and health issues even after retiring.[7]

What the cited sources add

The BBC Sport article "Was Georgie the Best?" notes that Pele himself once dubbed Best "the greatest footballer in the world"[8] The same source states that Best's greatness was something that could not be quantified.[8] The Bleacher Report article quotes Pele calling Best the greatest player ever to play the game.[9] The Guardian article "The Long Goodbye" reports that Best sold his 1968 European Footballer of the Year trophy at auction in October 2003.[10]

The BBC News article "Best: Decline of the golden boy" states that Best walked out of top class football in 1972 aged just 26.[11] The same article points out that Best's time with Northern Ireland stands in contrast to his successful club career, as he only played 37 times for his country and scored nine goals.[12]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "George Best" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Was Georgie the Best?", BBC Sport, 25 November 2005; "The 50 Greatest Soccer Players of All Time", Sports Illustrated, 2024-10-18; Safin, "Seven Most Naturally Gifted Footballers Ever", Bleacher Report, 18 March 2009; Football, "13 of the best quotes on George Best: 'It was paradise watching him play'", Planet Football, 22 May 2023 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "George Best" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McGinty, "Best coming to the end of his life", The Scotsman, 25 November 2005; "George Best", Talk Football; Cadwallader, "Best too small and light for local club as teen", Tiscali News, 25 November 2005 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "George Best" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "George Best", 1 November 2012 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "George Best" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Family, friends and team-mates: they were there with George until the very end", The Independent; 'George Best: All by Himself'. BBC, 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2025 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "George Best" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Reliving the Dream: The Triumph and Tears of Manchester United's 1968 European Cup Heroes. Random House, (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "George Best" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Was Georgie the Best?", BBC Sport, 25 November 2005 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "George Best" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gordon Burn, "The Long Goodbye", The Guardian (London), 25 November 2005; "Best: Decline of the golden boy", BBC News, 14 June 2005 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. "Was Georgie the Best?", BBC Sport, 25 November 2005. facts only, no text reused. news.bbc.co.uk
  9. Safin, "Seven Most Naturally Gifted Footballers Ever", Bleacher Report, 18 March 2009. facts only, no text reused. bleacherreport.com
  10. Gordon Burn, "The Long Goodbye", The Guardian (London), 25 November 2005. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
  11. "Best: Decline of the golden boy", BBC News, 14 June 2005. facts only, no text reused. news.bbc.co.uk
  12. Townsend, "The fleeting career but eternal brilliance of George Best", TheseFootballTimes, 7 February 2015. facts only, no text reused. thesefootballtimes.co

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article George Best (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Career statistics and honours

Club

ClubSeasonLeagueCupLeague CupContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Manchester United1963–64First Division17472—2000266
1964–65First Division411072—112005914
1965–66First Division31953—64114317
1966–67First Division42102010—004510
1967–68First Division412821—93105332
1968–69First Division411961—62205522
1969–70First Division37158682—005323
1970–71First Division40182162—315122
1971–72First Division40187563—115427
1972–73First Division1940042—00236
1973–74First Division1220000—00122
Total3611374621259341183474181
Dunstable Town1974–75SL Division One North000000——00
Stockport County1975–76Fourth Division320000——32
Cork Celtic1975–76League of Ireland300000——30
Los Angeles Aztecs1976North American Soccer League2315———102415
Fulham1976–77Second Division3262032——378
1977–78Second Division1020000——102
Total4282032——4710
Los Angeles Aztecs1977North American Soccer League2011———522513
1978North American Soccer League121————121
Total3212———523714
Fort Lauderdale Strikers1978North American Soccer League94———51145
1979North American Soccer League192————192
Total286———51337
Hibernian1979–80Scottish Premier Division1333000——163
1980–81Scottish First Division400020——60
Total1733020——223
San Jose Earthquakes1980North American Soccer League268————268
1981North American Soccer League3013————3013
Total5621————5621
AFC Bournemouth1982–83Third Division500000——50
Brisbane Lions1983National Soccer League4000———40
Career total574204522130113411196705251

International

National teamYearAppsGoals
Northern Ireland196462
196561
196610
196710
196811
196940
197041
197164
197220
197310
197400
197500
197620
197730
Total379

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
114 November 1964Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne, SwitzerlandSwitzerland1–01–21966 FIFA World Cup qualification
225 November 1964Hampden Park, Glasgow, ScotlandScotland1–02–31964–65 British Home Championship
37 May 1965Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern IrelandAlbania4–14–11966 FIFA World Cup qualification
423 October 1968Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern IrelandTurkey1–14–11970 FIFA World Cup qualification
521 April 1970Wembley Stadium, London, EnglandEngland1–11–31969–70 British Home Championship
63 February 1971GSP Stadium, Nicosia, CyprusCyprus3–03–0UEFA Euro 1972 qualification
721 April 1971Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern IrelandCyprus2–05–0UEFA Euro 1972 qualification
83–0
94–0

Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: George Best (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In what year was George Best born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1946.

2. In what year did George Best die?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 2005.

3. In which place was George Best born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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