[Legend] George Best

[Tomtom]

sedikit foto-foto George Best.....enjoy

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[Anderstone]

Pele is Good
Maradona is better
George Best

[rondwisan]

tentunya sebelum beliau meninggal dunia nih ...
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[Q&A] George Best



Looking older than his 55 years, George Best shuffles slowly into the drawing room of a luxury hotel on the outskirts of Belfast dressed in casual clothes that seem to hang on his weak frame. He appears tired and frail, and is clearly still recovering from chronic health problems, exacerbated by alcohol, that nearly claimed his life last year.

His sharp wit, easygoing charm and ability to recount stories from his fascinating life are all still there. He is in fine form today, having driven down from his home in a remote corner of the province in a recently purchased Mini (“It’s his new toy,” says his wife, Alex), while the afternoon holds nothing more strenuous than a massage in the hotel’s leisure centre.

“I have never been happier,” he announces, “and I never thought I would be without playing football. I love my life at the moment, it’s almost close to perfection.”


You, Keith Moon or Oliver Reed. Who was the biggest hell-raiser?
If you consider how the other two ended up, they must have done a bit more hell-raising than me! I’m the only one still alive!

Back when you were a shag-magnet, did you ever feel empty or was it as awesomely good fun as I suspect?
[Laughs] Oh no, trust me, it was always good fun. That was one thing I never had problems with at all. How could I feel empty? I will always be grateful to have experienced the ‘60s and ‘70s. It was such an exciting time. The living was free and easy, and there were none of the diseases there are today. Life was about girls, a few beers, football, good music and being a shag-magnet! It was part of life and I loved every minute of it. I was never disappointed with sex. It’s like football – if you’re having a good game, you want to continue, and if you have a bad one, you just look forward to the next game!

Is there anyone who you think was a better footballer than you?
In a recent survey of Manchester United fans, I came runner-up to Eric Cantona as the club’s greatest ever player, but I think that was just the kids talking. If you had asked an older generation then I probably would have won. I have always been mentioned in the same breath as Cruyff, Pele and Maradona, and that’s without ever having played in the World Cup. It is a big compliment that these players themselves recognise me too. I remember seeing some footage of Maradona completely freaking out when they asked him how good I was, and then, of course, Pele said he thought I was the greatest ever player. I have always thought I was the best ever player – that’s the way you have to look at it. I have never looked at another player and felt inferior.

Why do you prefer blondes?
[Laughs] I really don’t, but my blonde girlfriends have always got more attention in the media. The fact that I named one of my clubs ‘Blondes’ probably added to the perception. I have actually had a few relationships with some dark-haired girls.

Did you ever feel guilty that United’s decline in the 70s started after you left?
No, I didn’t feel guilty. They went into decline for the simple reason that they didn’t have enough good players, and you can’t blame me for that! I didn’t buy the players! They replaced great players with ordinary ones, while passing up the opportunity to buy some excellent players like Alan Ball and Mike England. I also don’t think they had a good manager in Tommy Docherty. I did all I could but I didn’t have the players around me.

Who is the better player – Ryan Giggs or David Beckham? No fence-sitting!
Ryan Giggs because he is more exciting on the ball. Giggs gets me on the edge of my seat when he runs at defenders. David is a great player, you’d have to be mad to think otherwise, but I think he could do even better. He could score more goals for instance, and use his left foot more, but I suppose he doesn’t really need it.

Did Sir Matt Busby let you get away with too much?
Not at all. He was just like Fergie: if you stepped out of line, he would have a go at you, but he always did it behind closed doors. You have to remember that I was fined and dropped by him. The problem was he couldn’t live in my pocket. You just can’t do that with 20 players to look after.

Which of the current United strikers would you most liked to have played with: Cole, Solsjkaer, Yorke or Van Nistelrooy?
Well, it wouldn’t be Andy Cole. He’s a great player, but he seems a bit moody, like he’s not enjoying himself and it’s just a job to him. I like the way Dwight Yorke plays with a smile on his face. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spends most of his time on the bench, but looks wonderful when he comes on. However, if I had to pick one, it would be Van Nistelrooy. I think we would have linked up well. He is going to be a great striker at United and I look forward to watching him blossom. He’ll score loads of goals. I certainly hope he does anyway – he’s in my dream team!

Who is the greatest manager: Sir Matt or Sir Alex?
Well, I’m biased, as I played under Sir Matt for all those years. Sir Matt was not only a great manager but a truly great man. Fergie has his knockers, but I judge people as I find them and he has always treated me with a great deal of respect.

How would you have reacted if you had scored against United to send them down, like Denis Law?
Probably in the same way – I would have been absolutely sick about it, but I wouldn’t have been in that position as I could never have played for City! I know it was different for Denis as he had played at Maine Road before and he wanted to stay in Manchester where his family was settled. But Denis is a United fan at heart – he supports the club and his daughter, Diana, works there too. He tries to laugh it off, but he’s still gutted about that goal.

If you could do it all over again, what would you change?
Not a thing. I have had a great life. I didn’t want to go to prison, I didn’t want to get banned from driving and I didn’t want to get involved in the fights. But it’s all a learning process that you have to go through.

Are you afraid of dying?
I’m not afraid of it, but I don’t want to! I don’t have any fear of dying; I never have done. I’m even planning a parachute jump soon. My wife, Alex, has done one already, so I’m going to join her next time.

Why sometimes a beard but never a moustache?
I did have a moustache for a short while, but it looked awful. I have always been dubious about them. You either go the whole way or not at all. My one attempt at a moustache back in the ‘60s was terrible. I had it when I was opening a bakery and they made me wear a daft hat, so with that and the moustache I look dreadful. I saw the picture the next day and immediately shaved it off!

What is the worst rollicking Sir Matt gave you?
It would have to be the time he told me to settle down with a nice girl, but when I did he went absolutely mad! I got engaged to this girl after only knowing her for a few weeks, and I thought he would be pleased that I had followed his advice, but he went nuts! He said, “How can you get engaged when you’ve only known her a couple of weeks!” I thought, “Well, you told me to!”

Did footballers do drugs in the ‘60s and ‘70s?
Never. I didn’t see it going on at all. I actually spent one of my birthdays in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco and they were all on the wacky baccy. It wasn’t for me.

What is your biggest regret?
I missed a penalty against Chelsea at Old Trafford. It’s the only penalty I remember missing, so I wish I could take it again!

When did you first realise you might have a drink problem?
Only last year. I knew I had a problem, but there is a difference between knowing and admitting, and I would never admit it. I finally realised last year when I had to go into hospital after they literally had to pick me off the floor. Now, every three months, I have an implant of drugs in my stomach that stops me drinking, so even if I wanted to I couldn’t. It actually gets easier as time goes by.

Who was the best defender you played against?
There were two – Paul Reaney from Leeds and Sanchis from Real Madrid. They were both quick and liked to get stuck in.

Who is the most similar player to you playing now?
Giggsy is probably the closest because as soon as he gets the ball he goes at players. Giggs has been getting better and better in recent years and is undoubtedly at the peak of his career. Thierry Henry does the same, but he does it in the middle and now on the wing. Maradona used to do it – collect the ball, look up and go for goal.

Did you ever come to blows with a teammate?
No, I didn’t and I was probably one of the few who didn’t. We had a few fiery temperaments at United with Paddy Crerard and Nobby Stiles. You might get a smack on the training field, but you would be friends afterwards. Shake hands and get on with things – the man’s way of dealing with things.

What was your favourite ever game?
There have been so many. The most important was winning the European Cup in 1968, but my best personal performance was for Northern Ireland against Scotland in the ‘60s. We were expected to get slaughtered as the Scots had some great players, but we won 1-0. Everything I tried came off, and I would have had about four goals but the keeper had a great game. They still talk about that game now. For United, it would have to be our win against Benfica in 1966. I scored twice in 12 minutes and enjoyed a great night.

Why did you and Bobby Charlton not get on?
This is a bit of a myth. We get on really well now, it was just because we were very different when we were younger. We just didn’t mix at all. I was a single guy and he was a married man with a family. There was no real incident between us. I felt he could be a bit aloof, but then everybody did. We were never at each other’s throats, we simply didn’t go and have a pint together.

Would you ever kiss and make up with Tommy Docherty?
Never in a million years. He is a very dishonest man. I would love to give him a lie detector test on the reasons I left United. He still says that I turned up with a girl before a game. He still believes it. But I really don’t like dishonesty. He should put up his hands and say he was wrong, but he never will.

What is the story behind Billy Bingham asking you to play in the 1982 World Cup finals?
I was really fit at the time, playing weekly for an American team while also playing racquet ball for up to three hours a day. The problem was my American team were really awful, and Billy Bingham came to watch me in a tour game at Hibs and we got slaughtered. He was under a bit of pressure to pick me and I suppose he could justify leaving me out as what he had seen wasn’t very impressive. I wouldn’t have expected to play every game, but I wished he had just taken me as a member of the squad and thrown me on for 15 minutes, only so I could have played in the World Cup.

Do you think there could ever be an all-Ireland team?
I think there should be. They are both small countries and the only chance they have of doing something is if they combine forces. The fact that both of them have qualified for the World Cup in recent years has probably held them back as it has put both countries off creating an all-Ireland team. They do it in rugby and other sports, so why not football? Also, if it helps in some small way to resolve other problems then it should be encouraged. It would help bring about a sense of togetherness.

Do you regret playing so few games for Northern Ireland?
That was down to Manchester United more than anything. Northern Ireland’s games used to clash with United and I was withdrawn a lot of the time. If you think about it, I made my debut with Pat Jennings, who went on to win over 100 caps and I was stuck in the late 30s. So, yes, I do regret not playing more for them.

Do you wish you had been born an Englishman?
[Laughs] No, of course not! I would have loved to have played in the World Cup, but only for a Northern Ireland or even a Great Britain side.

The Neville brothers are rubbish. Please discuss…
I wouldn’t say they’re rubbish, but they’re certainly not my favourite players. They get caught out too easily. They must have something about them as Fergie and the England manager keep on picking them. But they are far from world-class, that is clear. There is a lot of room for improvement.

If you could make one apology, to whom would it be and about what?
The Northampton goalie, Kim Book, who I put six past in that FA Cup tie in the ‘60s. I met up with him recently and he said he still gets ribbed about it now. So, Kim, I’m sorry!

[Ucup Carrick]

happy birthday Georgie...
you always be a legend...

[kaikai]

Best of The Best...George BEST!!!

[rondwisan]

A sorry end to the Best party
MEN - July 06, 2010



The World Cup has exposed some of the less palatable sides of the modern-day, well paid, celebrity superstars. Rebellion in the France camp. Nicolas Anelka sent home.

Potential revolution inspired by John Terry among the England squad quelled immediately by the iron fist of Fabio Capello.

Accusations that some of the world’s elite in South Africa have been drained by expectation.

The finger has been pointed at some of the most famous names in the game that they’ve lost interest and the trappings of success have diluted their passion.

Football has become a circus and some of the Big Top entertainers are drowning in the champagne lifestyle.

It is nothing new.

Back in the summer of 1972 the fall of the United genius George Best was attracting as much publicity as that of any World Cup extravaganza of the day.

Best was football’s first pin-up icon – but at 25 his football world was falling apart.

Four years after becoming a European Cup winner with United and being honoured as the European Footballer of the Year, the sheen was starting to dull.

The Matt Busby era was over, Wilf McGuinness had come and gone as his successor and Frank O’Farrell was attempting to rejuvenate the fading Reds.

While Busby’s 1968 heroes were coming towards the end of their careers, Irishman Best, who captivated the world still wasn’t really in his prime.

But his soccer love affair was on the rocks.

Journalist John Roberts ghost wrote Best’s column for the Daily Express during the period when his illustrious top flight career was about to end.

Roberts, who was sports editor of the Stockport Express in the early 60s, was assigned the task of shadowing Bestie.

It was a job that was to take him around all Best’s Manchester pub and restaurant haunts, to the player’s all mod-cons pad in Woodford, where a bevy of girls called and his mates he known as ‘The Chaps’ would gather.

In a revised version of the 1970s book ‘Sod This, I’m Off To Marbella’ Roberts chronicled the glitz, glamour and graft of following the amazing George Best story.

Dummied

Roberts says that George “contrived to send me the wrong way almost as often as he dummied full backs” as he pursued him for his words for the newspaper column.

Ultimately, it was to take him to Marbella in May ’72 when Best quit football for the first time at the tender age of 26.

But at Christmas 1971 the shock that would stun football wasn’t on the horizon with O’Farrell’s United making a fist of it in the League Championship, despite whispers do the rounds that Best’s partying and other interests were affecting his game.

Roberts asked Best: “Would you ever think of leaving Manchester United?” Best replied: “A tricky question but the answer would depend on the situation. If, suddenly, the club began to struggle badly and I was offered the chance to move to a place where the chances of success were great and the set up better, I would have to consider it. Any player would.

“But if things are going well, as they are now, and I was told United were thinking of letting me go I would be sick.”

But with United’s New Year lead at the top of the division under threat Best soon went missing again and O’Farrell has to deal with the kind of fallout that Busby had had to face as pressure engulfed George.

In February ’72 Best confided in Roberts: “I’m sick,” when asked about his form and future.

Sick enough to leave Old Trafford?

“Yes, sick enough to want to move,” replied George. “I’ve got nothing against the management. It’s the team. It’s just not good enough. It’s just not going anywhere.

“I could go right through the team and find things wrong. People knock me when I’m not doing it, but when I’m not doing it who is?

“Brought along the right way Sammy McIlroy could be a great player in five years. But I can’t wait five years for Sammy to become a great player.

“Right now I’d go anywhere. Anywhere I thought there could be success.”

Finally in May ’72 Best had had enough. After a break in Majorca with United he has to return for international duty with Northern Ireland.

He returned to England in the early hours, called himself a taxi and haeded to Manchester airport looking for “the first plane anywhere”.

He ended up in southern Spain and on May 20 announced he had quit football.

Relax

“People can think what they like I have come here to relax for a few days,” said George.

“For two years I have not been able to sleep properly. I have gone to bed at 2am and got up two hours later just to have a drink in the hope it would get me off to sleep.

“It would take me nine months of very hard work to get even physically fit again. Now I am going away for six months – anywhere. I have finished completely with the Manchester scene.”
Best was in exile in the Spanish sun for 35-days.

Roberts remained posted in Majorca and eventually got a call to pass on a message to Best that Frank O’Farrell would like him to get in touch.

Best didn’t, but Roberts caught up with him later and Best asked him to pen a statement.

It read: “A short time ago I went away to make a decision and now I realise it was the wrong decision. I would like to go back and play for Manchester United.”

Best returns and is suspended by United for two weeks for breach of contract. It was a temporary reprieve and in December 1972 Best wrote to United to say he was finished with football.

United’s six-man board fires O’Farrell and tells George Best he will never play for United again – he did in season 1973-74, but then his Old Trafford career did end for good.

Roberts reflected on Frank O’Farrell’s comments at the height of the Best crisis.

“It is a great tragedy. Inside the club he is perfect. He trains well. He is likeable.

“All the trouble happens outside. Who is to blame? I suppose everybody. We build superstars and then knock them down. Perhaps it’s society. I don’t know,” said O’Farrell.

Roberts ended: George helped, but we certainly knocked him down.

Roberts delivered the original ‘Sod This, I’m Off To Marbella’ book to Best 1973. When he visited George to ask his opinion and to enquire if it was honest.

Best replied: “Oh yes it’s honest. You wouldn’t have got through the door if it wasn’t.”

The original form of the book was sold ‘under the counter’ in the Manchester United club shop because of its controversial nature.

Thirty seven years on the revised edition is as enthralling as it was when it was first written.

[Andi Istiabudi]

Memorabilia George Best Akan Dilelang
Dimas Ramadani



Liputan6.com, London: Medali serta berbagai trofi milik George Best akan dilelang secara umum. Salah satunya medali dari European Cup (Liga Champions) yang dimenangkan Best bersama Manchester United pada 1968.

Bonham, balai lelang penyelenggara, akan memulai proses lelang pada 10 Oktober berdasarkan inisiatif dari pewaris sah mendiang Best. Medali juara pertama MU di ajang kompetisi paling bergengsi di Benua Biru itu akan dilepas pada kisaran 90 ribu sampai 120 ribu pound. Medali tersebut merupakan replika, karena Best menghilangkan aslinya.

Best yang meninggal pada 25 November 2005 di usia 59 tahun merupakan merupakan salah satu pilar MU, tim Inggris pertama yang menjuarai European Cup. Pesepakbola legendaris itu meninggal setelah menderita komplikasi kesehatan, termasuk menjalani transplantasi hati, akibat sering mengkonsumsi minuman beralkohol.

Selain itu peserta lelang juga bisa mengajukan penawaran terhadap trofi Pemain Terbaik Inggris versi asosiasi jurnalis sepakbola yang dimenangkannya di tahun yang sama. Trofi ini berharga di kisaran 100 ribu pound. Total nilai dari pelelangan ini diperkirakan mencapai 270 ribu pound.

Best yang dilahirkan di Belfast, Irlandia Utara, membela MU sebanyak 470 kali dari 1963 sampai 1974. Sebagai seorang winger atau gelandang serang Best tergolong tajam dengan mencetak 179 gol. Setelah meninggalkan MU kariernya terus merosot teriring gaya hidupnya yang bak selebritas. Best pernah merantau ke Amerika Serikat membela Los Angeles Aztecs dan San Jose Earthquakes serta untuk Hong Kong Rangers. (DIM/Reuters)

Source : http://bola.liputan6.com

[sellamanyaunited]

Best-the belfast boy
pemain bola paling gahoel pas jamannya, gaya rambut menyerupai The Beatles (yg saat itu lagi booming) dan hidup bak selebritas.
tapi dilapangan perform nya baguuus ya?
sayang sih kebiasaaan jeleknya gak bisa ilang

[rondwisan]

George Best's collection of medals and trophies to be auctioned
MEN, Alice McKeegan - September 25, 2010



A collection of medals and trophies awarded to Manchester United legend George Best are going under the hammer.

Among the items will be the football icon's European Cup winner's medal from 1968, which is expected to sell for between £90,000 and £120,000.

Auctioneers expect the sale - which has been arranged by the executors of his estate - to raise in excess of £250,000.

Other items will include the Northern Ireland star's 1968 Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year trophy, predicted to fetch between £75,000 and £100,000 and a rare Faberge egg made to commemorate his role in the European Cup triumph.

It is one of only 68 produced and has been estimated at between £15,000 and £20,000. Other lots include his 2002 BBC Lifetime Achievement Award, estimated at between £5,000 and £8,000 and a replica of his 1968 European Cup medal which was made for Best when he briefly lost the original.

The Professional Footballers' Association had it made and it was modelled on the medal awarded to fellow United star Sir Bobby Charlton.

The Old Trafford favourite - hailed as one of the world's greatest players - died in November 2005 after a long battle against alcoholism.

He dazzled thousands of fans with his skills on the pitch but he is also remembered for his passion for women, booze, fast cars and fashion.

His public decline and often messy private life ensured he stayed in the headlines long after he hung up his boots. Best was given a lifeline liver transplant in 2002 but started drinking again and he died from multiple organ failure three years later.

Thousands of fans flocked to Old Trafford to pay their respects and many more lined the streets of his native Belfast to say their final goodbyes.

The lots will go under the hammer at Bonhams auction house in Chester on October 20.

The star item is expected to be Best's European Cup medal, presented to him after United triumphed 4-1 over a Benfica team that included Eusebio.

Best scored a goal in that game, which saw his team become the first English winners of the trophy.

The sale announcement comes just days after the M.E.N. revealed that United and England legend Nobby Stiles is selling his World Cup and European Cup winner's medals.

The 1966 World Cup medal is expected to fetch up to £150,000 and his 1968 European Cup winner's medal around £30,000 .

The hero of 1966 - famous during his playing days for his gap-toothed grin - is also selling his shirts and England caps, and will split the proceeds between his three sons. Born in Collyhurst, his items will go under the hammer at Convery Auctions in Edinburgh next month.

[theater of dream]

Ironi, menyedihkan dan memalukan, apa keluarganya ngga punya uang lagi sampai segitunya menjual sejarah ??
Apa ngga seharus nya Management United yang beli kan bisa di taruh di Musium ?