May 22nd, the day of the Champions league final, was what would’ve been the 64th birthday of one of the greatest of all time, the first real “superstar” of the game – George Best. When I saw a few videos of El Beatle on YouTube, I simply couldn’t believe the amount of skill that he had, the brilliant body balance, the fantastic technique and most of all, just that bit of magic that made him ‘El Beatle’!
I watched a documentary called ‘George Best – footballing genius’ and was floored, to say the least. The amount of skill he possessed was out of the world. Back in the day, the hair was longer, the shorts shorter. The ball was made of heavier and the pitch was no manicured carpet but was rather a not-so-healthy combination of grass and slush. But despite these conditions, one stood above the rest. His name was George Best.
Now I’ve seen Messi play and a lot of Maradona clips. Both absolutely great footballers but having seen George Best, I can safely say that he is right up there amongst them. Sir Matt Busby once said, ‘He’s got the greatest natural talent in a footballer I have ever seen.’ Now that has to count for something.
The amount of abuse he was subjected to in terms of hard tackles, potentially career ending, and the appallingly minuscule amount of protection the referees offered him make his brilliance all the more, well, brilliant! If even half of those tackles went in today’s game, there’d be an avalanche of red cards.
He did have his problems with the bottle but on the pitch, it was pure magic. He did things the only way he knew how – magically! He was a stand out and left people wanting more; much more and left his legacy on the world of football.
Sir Matt Busby once said, ‘We’ve had our problems with the wee fellar but I prefer to remember his genius.’ In what turned out to be one of his final interviews before his death in 2005, Best said, ‘When I’m gone, forget all the rubbish. Remember the football. If one person in the world thinks that I am the best, that’d do for me.’
In the argument of who was the greatest footballer ever, there are 2 names that are oft repeated; an amazing Argentine and a brilliant Brazilian. Yet the ultimate truth lies on a mural in Northern Ireland that reads:
Maradona good, Pele better, George Best!
It sums up perfectly Man United’s #7 a real genius of football.
