On this day: Born May 22, 1946: George Best, Northern Irish footballer

FILE PHOTO: Rain drops are seen on a portrait of the Northern Ireland and Manchester United soccer legend George Best, which has been left with hundreds of tributes, outside the Windsor Park soccer stadium in Belfast December 2, 2005. Thousands of fans are expected on Saturday to turn out to pay tribute to 59-year-old Best at his funeral at Stormont in Belfast. REUTERS/Jeff J Mitchell

But like many of those musicians, Best followed the path from glamour, freshness and excitement in the “Swinging Sixties” to become, in the 1970s, a troubled figure battling addiction. Best scored the brilliant second goal in Manchester United’s 4-1 extra time victory over Benfica in the European Cup final at Wembley as they became the first English team to win the competition.Yet rather than be a launching pad for a career that would put Best in the same category as Pele, Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff, 1968 turned out to be the peak of his achievements.

In today’s era, with players able to switch clubs almost on demand, Best may well have taken a different path and one of his contemporaries, Chelsea’s Alan Hudson, believes he wanted to switch to join the London side. That remains in the realm of alternative-history thought experiments but what Hudson is sure of is that Best was hurt by never playing at a World Cup.

CandiKelie My brother and I saw him at the Dell in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup in 1964. So, it was before his 18th birthday and clear he was already a great player. Bobby Charlton and the young Martin Chivers also played. Not Denis Law. He was suspended.

How's he going?

On this day....tomorrow

A great iconic player

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

In Ahmaud Arbery shooting, a George Zimmerman-style defense may resonate With Georgia jurorsThe killers of Georgia jogger Ahmaud Arbery may claim self-defense. An earlier case-—and a local prosecutor's memo—may provide defense fodder. This is just like the Zimmerman case where he 'murdered' Trayvon Martin. Just like it. Let's make this one go right. This is Georgia you're talking about...one can only imagine what a jury of one's peers looks like.
Source: Newsweek - 🏆 468. / 52 Read more »

Look back on Prince George and Princess Charlotte's cutest wedding momentsPrince George and Princess Charlotte's cutest wedding moments as pageboy and bridesmaid for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Princess Eugenie and Pippa Middleton
Source: hellomag - 🏆 24. / 68 Read more »

The Scientist Behind Some of the World's Best Coronavirus ImagesElectron microscopist Elizabeth Fischer has captured stunning images of the emerging viruses that cause Ebola, MERS, and now COVID-19.
Source: TIMEHealth - 🏆 121. / 63 Read more »

This Is the Best-Selling Cream Nurses Swear By for Their Overly Washed HandsThis is the best-selling cream that nurses swear by for their overly washed hands.
Source: InStyle - 🏆 103. / 63 Read more »

The 20 Best Romantic Comedies of All TimeRom-coms are engineered to be mood-boosters. Here's 20 to help you get through quarantine.
Source: ELLE Magazine (US) - 🏆 472. / 51 Read more »

The Best VR Headsets for BeginnersGet Your Head in the Game With These Four VR Headsets
Source: RollingStone - 🏆 483. / 51 Read more »