George Best

Alright folks…Now I’m getting serious. I’m introducing all of you (or nobody, I don’t give two shits) to the best of the Best. George Best is one of the greatest soccer players ever. He was quick, smart, irish, and, of course, an absolute drunk & womanizer. Before I go on, gracias to el Rakow for showing me what’s Best. Let’s start with a few quotes from Georgie himself (and if these don’t grab your attention then just leave):

“I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.”

“I used to go missing quite a lot… Miss Canada, Miss United Kingdom, Miss World.”

[On David Beckham:] “He cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn’t score many goals. Apart from that he’s all right.”

“If I had been born ugly, you would never have heard of Pelé.”

“Pelé called me the greatest footballer in the world. That is the ultimate salute to my life.”

“I’ve stopped drinking, but only while I’m asleep.”

On Paul Gascoigne:] “I once said Gazza’s IQ was less than his shirt number and he asked me: ‘What’s an IQ?’”

On Paul Gascoigne:] “They say Paul Gascoigne is the new George Best but has he shagged three Miss Worlds?”

“Don’t die like me!” (reportedly the final message of George Best)

Best was a Northern Ireland footballer that not only played for Manchester United, but put the team on the World map. The guy had pace (on the field & off)…and believe me when I say that words cannot describe how impressive he was. Soccer player or not, anyone can appreciate this:[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nplemK3Y4ns]

An extremist in every way, Best was the original celebrity footballer. He makes Beckham look like a pussy. After quick soccer success at Manchester United he was dubbed “O Quinto Beatle” (The Fifth Beatle) by the press. He dated supermodels, drank surmountable amounts of booze, and showed wittiness comparable to Fletch himself.

Here’s a few quotes about George Best:

“The closest I got to him was when we shook hands at the end of the game.” (Northampton Town player Roy Fairfax, who had been marking Best when he scored six goals in an 8-2 FA Cup win for Man Utd in 1970.)

“He was able to use either foot – sometimes he seemed to have six.” (Sir Matt Busby)

“So George, where did it all go wrong?” (The hotel bellboy who delivered champagne to Best’s room and found him entertaining a scantily-clad Miss World on a bed covered with his winnings from the casino.)

“Maradona good; Pele better; George Best” (A banner near the Best family home in the Cregagh Estate on the day of Best’s funeral)

“From the second best player in the world” (On a signed football left as tribute to George Best by Pele

Did I mention George enjoyed a drink or two? Or forty? He spent time in prison for drunk driving (multiple times) and assaulting police. He announced publicly his bout with alcoholism and later underwent a liver transplant. And kept drinking. Best died at age 59 and alcohol was clearly the primary factor.

Hope you enjoyed the Best of this blog. RIP the Best footballer ever.

Hope you liked this one…sbs