George Best
Overview
 
George Best was a professional footballer from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

, who played for Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

 and the Northern Ireland national team
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...

. He was a winger whose game combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders. In 1968, he won the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 with Manchester United, and was named the European Footballer of the Year. When fit, he was an automatic choice for Northern Ireland, but he was unable to lead them to World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

 qualification, despite being capped
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...

 37 times and scoring nine goals.

In 1999, he was voted 11th at the IFFHS European Player of the Century election, and 16th in the World Player of the Century election.
Quotations

"Pain is temporary, glory...lasts forever!"

"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."

"In 1969 I gave up women and alcohol. It was the worst 20 minutes of my life."

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

[When W:Michael Parkinson|Michael Parkinson asked how soon before kick-off George had made love:] "Half time!"

"I've stopped drinking, but only while I'm asleep."

[On Paul Gascoigne:] "I once said Paul Gascoigne|Gazza's IQ was less than his shirt number and he asked me: 'What's an IQ?'"

 
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