Once upon a time in East Belfast a young footballer from the Cregagh estate was turned down by his local club, Glentoran FC. He was told he was too small to ‘make it’. That young player was George Best and he went on to become one of the greatest players the world has ever seen.
George Best captivated audiences on and off the pitch. On it, he did the impossible and made it look easy, off it he was idolised by men, women and children, football supporters and those who had no interest in the game at all. Those privileged enough to have seen him play ‘live’ tell of the beauty of his football and how they’ll never forget seeing the magic he created. Most of us have to make do with grainy footage from the 1960s and 70s to see just how special this player was.
The goal that never was against England
Long before the days of Beckham and Rooney, ridiculous wages, wall to wall Sky Sports footage, players living in their own little worlds surrounded by a ring of steel and going down at the slightest touch (and sometimes no touch!) there was proper football and George Best. George Best played at a time where the state of the art facilties we see in the Premiership weren’t even a distant dream, when tackles resembled GBH and when the pitches were a mess but he stood out from the rest. Imagine George Best playing in the Premiership today with all the facilities on offer!
George Best is best known for his time at Manchester United where he became an icon all over the world. Perhaps his most famous moment came in 1968 when he won the European Cup with the club and was named European Player of the Year. United played Benfica in that game and won 4-1. Earlier in the competition Best’s local club, Glentoran FC came up against Benfica. In one of the clubs most famous games the Glens drew 1-1 with Eusebio inspired Benfica at the Oval in Belfast before becoming the first team to go out of the competition based on the away goals rule when they drew 0-0 at the Estadio da Luz in the return fixture. A story I’ve heard at the Oval from some of the older guys goes that when the Glens played Benfica at the Oval George Best was in the Main Stand watching, they like to think that Manchester United winning the Cup with the help of Best was George’s revenge for them sending the Glens out of the Cup.
George Best playing for the Glens, 1982
1968 European Cup
Best did eventually don the red, green and black of Glentoran in a friendly against Manchester United in 1982. The game at the Oval was to celebrate Glentoran’s centenary. George’s football career took him to clubs in South Africa, the USA, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Austrailia. Best also won 37 Northern Ireland caps and produced some wonderful displays in the green shirt, unfortunatley he never got to perform on the biggest stage – the World Cup.
George Best had an unimaginable talent and character but he battled the demons of alcholism which sadly contributed to his death at just 59 on November 25th 2005, five years ago today. His off the pitch antics were much publicised and criticised but as he wanted he’s remembered for his football. George was brought home and buried in Roselawn in the Castlereagh hills which overlook the Cregagh estate where it all began for him. His funeral was held at Stormont and over 100,00 people lined the route from his home in Burren Way to Parliament buildings to say goodbye to a local legend who put our wee country on the map for a good reason.
Mural in the Cregagh
Derek Doogan, Gerry Armstrong and Billy Bingham carry Best's coffin into Stormont
Maradona good, Pele better, George Best.
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