The early life of George best and career from 1946 to 1973 by Karl hynes.

George Best was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 22 May 1946.

His dad worked as a lathe operator in the Harland and Wolfe shipyard,

and his mum worked in a tobacco factory. She was the stricter parent and

That George got the occasional slap if necessary. However George wasn’t a bad child, he went to Church occasionally and had a group of friends that were the same.

As soon as Bestie could walk the only enjoyment he got was by kicking

A ball. His father Richard (Dickey) best knew if George Best wasn’t in sight he would be on the nearest field with his tennis ball and his mates.Dickie Best

Had played as an amateur up to the age of thirty six but he did nothing professionally and as a result wasted his undoubted talents. George on the other hand learned his early skills playing street Football (a thing that has vanished from the lives of children).

George won a scholarship to a Grammar school, Grosvenor High,

but lost his place, and was sent to a secondary school.

He was not academic, and his father hoped that he would take

up a trade. Printing was the preferred option.

Like most Irish children he went to local matches but his real desire was to play in the professional English league. His talents where spotted and he was flown across the Irish Sea to join Manchester United in 1961. The great adventure has started from playing in the streets of Belfast to playing for the English giants. He stayed in Manchester with a landlady, Mrs.Fullaway for many years. There were signs of trouble on how George can handle his fame and wealth when he blew his small amounts of money on drink, nightclubs and chasing woman.

At first best’s talents where unnoticed, but that all changed when he went to play Chelsea in The 1964-65 season and tore them apart. He caught the eyes of the reporters of the national press. His wonderful balance, his sprinting pace, his great close control all combined to make him almost unbeatable. Although he was great on the ball he tended to go on his own and go for glory which sparked a notable fall out with Bobby Charlton, who disliked George’s way of playing and indeed his lifestyle.

During his early career he had many successes. George best was part of the team that won the football Association youth cup in 1964, and were League Champions in the season 1964/65 and 1966/67.They also were European cup winners in 1968.He made 361 league appearances , scoring 137 goals . He also played in forty-six F.A cup competitions, and played for Northern Ireland thirty-seven times.

With his success fame and wealth followed. By 1970 for instance, he was the owner of a number of men’s clothes shops. They sold the latest fashion and some of sixties fashion. He was making lots of money from this as well.

However, it became really obvious that George Best was throwing it all away. Before he knew it his life was falling apart. He couldn’t handle the pressures his life was making on him. He started to fall out with the manager and team of Manchester United bye missing a number of training sessions and turning up late to matches. After he left Manchester United in December 1973, he tried to make a come back to lower teams in England, Scotland and the United States.

Leaving Manchester United was a disaster because he became more unstable. Somewhere within 1970 and 1973 his drinking had turned into alcoholism. One major thing that had affected him deeply was what happened to his mother. His mother never touched alcohol till past her forties, but at forty-three she had an unexpected pregnancy. She suffered post-natal depression and looked as if all she wanted was a share of the good times with her son. But then she became an alcoholic like her son and died at the age of 54 and was described as a large victim of George Bests fame. While she was sick George was unable to visit her, he has said to be feeling guilt ever since this failure.

His long line of girlfriends was ended when he married Alex Pursey in July 1995. He divorced his first wife Angela James, which he married in January 1978, he had a son Calum Milan, born in 1981

Between numbers of women according to his stories. These included Mary stavin -a Miss world- Sinead Cusack.

From then Best still remained visible through celebrity appearances such as a Sky Sports pundit, opening restaurants , featuring in Football magazines.

Apart from this work he worked his mind on crosswords and quizzes. He was presented with other awards since he was voted Irish Footballer of the year in 1967. He won Sky Sports TV award for greatest sportsman and total sportsman magazine voted him ‘Greatest Sportsman of All time’.

But his feelings of guilt were not gone and the death of Sir Matt Busby in 1994 didn’t make things any better.

Since the rise of the professional sportsman in the early nineteenth century,

Sport has been a route out of poverty for many of the working class boys.

A classic example the book gave me was the Irish-American boxer John L. Sullivan in the 1880s, whose career as a boxer a great deal of fame in America and Europe. He was worth millions at the height of his career,

Eventually died in poverty and obscurity. The joy and delight given to millions by a sportsman’s skill, but once they turn old that doesn’t provide for them anymore. But the influence these figures made over their followers is an ever growing one. Sport has become rivalry by other means, and these are the natural hero’s of the modern age. Best’s benefit game in Belfast in August

1988 brought in 25,000 fans and bagged £110,000. This was the repayment for what he had given his native place, especially an epic match against Scotland in October 1967, which he called ‘my game for Belfast’. For that reason there will always be small Irish boys ambitious enough to try and be better than Best.