Born in post war Belfast, Northern Ireland  on May 22^nd 1946 the eldest of six children born to Dickie and Ann Best, George spent much of his childhood  with his grandparents as his parents both had to work to make ends meet to support  their six children, George, Ian, Grace, Carol, Barbara, and Julie.

His father was a lathe turner for the ship building company Harland and Wolff and his mother worked at a local cigarette factory. Almost as soon as George could walk he had a ball at his feet and his passion for the game of football took root.

By the age of fifteen Best was discovered, and described as a genius, by Matt Busby’s scout, Bob Bishop on a visit to Belfast. By the age of seventeen he was making his debut for Manchester United Football Club and two weeks later in a game against Burnley, Best scored his first goal for Manchester Utd.

Best’s footballing characteristics where his pace, acceleration and his ability to score with both his left and right feet combined with his speed at outrunning defenders.  His position on the pitch was a winger. Domestically he played for Manchester United but was called up play for his country, Northern Ireland international matches.

His skills on the pitch gave him celebrity status in the clubs and bars of Manchester and it wasn’t long before his extravagant lifestyle and lack of coaching led to him having problems with his alcohol intake. The young man with the Beatle’s style hair cut and rock 'n' roll lifestyle soon saw his hard drinking taking its toll, his football career deteriorated during the 1970s and he announced his retirement in 1972. He returned to football the following year, but after playing for numerous clubs he finally hung up his boots in 1983.

With his playboy image and winning ways on the pitch, Best won himself many fans, despite his numerous escapades of public drunkenness, which occasionally took place on TV, his convictions for drunk driving and allegations of domestic violence he became the biggest football celebrity the United Kingdom had seen.

1978 saw Best marrying for the first time to Angie James with whom he had one son, Calum, who has recently been involved with Lindsay Lohan, model Caprice, Rod Stewart’s daughter Kimberly Stewart and Sarah Harding. By 1986 Angie had filed for divorce after giving up on Best’s drinking and playboy lifestyle. In 1995 Best was entering into his second marriage with a much younger, Alex Pursey. Best was also rumoured to have fathered children with two other women.

In 2000 a movie was made documenting Best’s life with the role of Best being played by John Lynch and Roger Daltrey playing his team mate, Rodney Marsh.

When George Best died, at the age of 59, 100,000 mourners turned out in the rain at his funeral for the closest thing to a state funeral Northern Ireland had seen for generations. One of the songs chosen for his funeral was The Beatle’s ‘The Long and Winding Road’, very appropriate as George was known as the "fifth Beatle. Millions more watched on television around the globe, to pay tribute to one of the greatest footballers the world had ever seen.

ABB