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A year ago today George Best his long battle against addiction. It was a kidney infection which lead to his death, which the injection which he’d had to help his body accept his new liver created.
It is a well debated topic over who the greatest footballer of all time. Pele himself once dubbed Best “the greatest footballer in the world”. Pele Good – Maradona Better – George Best is a popular slogan. Regardless of whether or not he was the best, his name always gets a mention when discussing the best players ever to live.
Team mate Sir Bobby Charlton spoke of Best at the time of his death, saying that he “made an immense contribution to the game, and enriched the lives of everyone that saw him play. Football has lost one of its greats, and I have lost a dear friend. He was a marvellous person.”
Talking of George can be a very controversial subject. Many people object to his praise because he spent so many years of his life as an alcoholic, and continued to drink after his liver replacement. We can look at players today and see how they can spoil themselves with drugs or alcohol, and how they are condemned. However, it was a different World when George was playing. A teenage lad leaving his sheltered life in Belfast behind, and moving to a country where he was soon dubbed “the fifth Beatle.”
This isn’t necessarily a defence of Best, but maybe more of an explaination. I’ve never been adored by the entire population, I’ve never had Miss World’s throwing themselves at me, I’ve never been invited to all the best parties around the World, I’ve never beaten an addiction… so I don’t feel I’m in a place to judge the man, who had a lifestyle and was treated like no one of our time.
It was announced this week that a statue of Best, Law and Charlton was to be placed outside Old Trafford on Sir Matt Busby Way.
Love him or hate him, there’s no denying George Best was one of the greatest, if not the greatest player the World has ever seen. The fans at Old Trafford will be sure to make their opinion on the man clear tomorrow afternoon through songs when they face Chelsea.