Posted: under Football's Greatest Players.
Tags: Belfast, European Footballer Of The Year, Fulham
Alan Webber asked:
George was born in Belfast in 1946. He played for Cregagh Boys Club in the city until he signed for Manchester United in 1963 where he made his debut against West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford where United won 1-0. He scored his first professional goal against Burnley two weeks later and continued to score regularly after that.
The next season, United won the league title, in no small part thanks to Bests efforts.
At the age of twenty, Best scored two goals against benfica in the quarter-final of the European cup and was hailed as the fifth Beatle by the press. Best went on to become the first megastar professional footballer, living a lifestyle more akin to that pop star than a footballer.
Best made 466 appearances for Manchester United in total before quitting in 1974. He had amassed a total of 178 goals.Over the next 10 years he played for a number of clubs in the United States as well as a period at Fulham and Hibs in Scotland.
He was capped 37 times for Northern Ireland, scoring 9 goals. One of those was perhaps the most famous of all his goals. England goalkeeper Gordon Banks was kicking out the ball but as he released it from his hands, Best managed to kick the ball first sending it over the keepers head towards goal. Best then knocked the ball into the open net.
In his career he won the English League twice, the European Cup, European Footballer of the year and Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year. Best is regularly cited as one of the greatest footballers ever, indeed his was the name given by Pele when asked who he thought was the greatest player of all time.
It is generally accepted that his problems with alcohol were to blame for the descent of his career. When asked about where he enjoyed playing football most, George replied that his time at Fulham had been great and that he also enjoyed Hibernian.
Dean
George was born in Belfast in 1946. He played for Cregagh Boys Club in the city until he signed for Manchester United in 1963 where he made his debut against West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford where United won 1-0. He scored his first professional goal against Burnley two weeks later and continued to score regularly after that.
The next season, United won the league title, in no small part thanks to Bests efforts.
At the age of twenty, Best scored two goals against benfica in the quarter-final of the European cup and was hailed as the fifth Beatle by the press. Best went on to become the first megastar professional footballer, living a lifestyle more akin to that pop star than a footballer.
Best made 466 appearances for Manchester United in total before quitting in 1974. He had amassed a total of 178 goals.Over the next 10 years he played for a number of clubs in the United States as well as a period at Fulham and Hibs in Scotland.
He was capped 37 times for Northern Ireland, scoring 9 goals. One of those was perhaps the most famous of all his goals. England goalkeeper Gordon Banks was kicking out the ball but as he released it from his hands, Best managed to kick the ball first sending it over the keepers head towards goal. Best then knocked the ball into the open net.
In his career he won the English League twice, the European Cup, European Footballer of the year and Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year. Best is regularly cited as one of the greatest footballers ever, indeed his was the name given by Pele when asked who he thought was the greatest player of all time.
It is generally accepted that his problems with alcohol were to blame for the descent of his career. When asked about where he enjoyed playing football most, George replied that his time at Fulham had been great and that he also enjoyed Hibernian.
Dean
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Feb 28 2008