By Stuart Smith
November 25 2005

Former Manchester United player and boyhood Wolves fan George Best has finally lost his fight for life. Best, considered by Pele to be the greatest player who ever lived was 59.

George, hospitalised since October 1st passed away at Cromwell Hospital in London, succumbing to internal haemorrhaging and a lung infection from which there was no return. Likened to Van Gogh, he was a flawed genius whose silky skills captivated everyone lucky enough to see him play and mesmerised defenders unfortunate enough to be marking him.

 

Regarded as one of the most talented players of all-time, until his premature retirement at 27, George was renowned for his dribbling skills and memorable goals. He scored 180 goals in 465 appearances for Manchester United and was at the heart of the Red Devils side that won the 1968 European Cup. He leaves a son, Calum.

 

Always a controversial figure, George was born in Belfast on the 22nd May 1946. After playing schools football he joined Manchester United in 1961 after being spotted by their chief scout.

 

His League debut came against The Baggies in 1963 and scored his first goal in his next game. After 15 appearances he was awarded the first of his 37 caps for Northern Ireland. In 1964, he won an F.A. Youth Cup winners' plaque, scoring in the final. In 1965 he won his first Championship medal adding a second in 1967.

 

In 1968 United took on Eusebio's mighty Benfica in the European Cup Final at Wembley, rounding the keeper to give United an extra-time lead in a match they went on to win 4-1. He was already well known to Benfica having been instrumental in inflicting their first ever home defeat in European competition back in 1965 at the quarter-final stage of the European Cup, after which the portuguese press nicknamed him El Beatle

 

He scored 28 League goals in 41 matches in the 1967-68 season , finishing as The Reds top scorer, a position he held for the next 4 years as United finished runners-up in the League. His performances in that season won him both the Footballer of the Year and the European Player of the Year trophies.

 

In total, George made 361 League appearances for Manchester United scoring 136 goals. He also holds the record for the most goals by a United player in a single match, six against Northampton Town in an F.A. Cup fifth round in 1970. United won the match 8-2.

His career at United deteriorated during the 1970 as off-field problems and the pressures of superstardom took their toll. He walked out on the club on a number of occasions, finally leaving for the last time in January 1974.

 

George continued to play football for many clubs including Dunstable Town (1974), Stockport County (1975), Cork Celtic (1975), Fulham (1976-77), Hibernian (1979-80), Bournemouth (1983) and Brisbane Lions of Australia (1983).

 

George finished his playing days joining the likes of  Beckenbauer, Cruyff, Moore, Pele and Eusebio in the North American Soccer League, He played for L.A. Aztecs (1976-78), Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1978-79) and San Jose Earthquakes (1980-81) where he first met close friend and current Portsmouth owner Milan Mandric. He later made numerous guest appearances for teams in friendly, charity and testimonial matches.

 

Most recently he had been an advisor to Mandric at Portsmouth, frequently spotted in their director's box and appearing as a football pundit for Sky Sports.

 

They say the brightest flames burn twice as fast, and in Georges case that was never more true. He never lost his love of the game, and in my experience was never above giving younger fans the benefit of his knowledge and opinions on football.

 

George carried a donor card and his organs will be used to help others live.