Best made 470 appearances for Manchester United in all competitions between 1963 and 1974, scoring 179 goals. Over the next decade, he fell into a quick decline, bouncing through clubs such as South Africa, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, Scotland, and Australia. He died in January 2013 at the age of 68.
Best played in South Africa during his career, making four appearances for Transvaal before returning to England where he ended up playing for Belfast Celtic. The Irish newspaper the Evening Telegraph reported at the time that Best had received a contract from Scottish club Aberdeen, but this never came to pass and instead he joined English side Everton.
While in South Africa, Best also took part in a series of tests to determine his interest in rugby. Despite being offered a contract by South African side Transvaal, he turned them down because he was more interested in playing football.
Best's family is from Northern Ireland and he was born in Derry. He grew up there until he was eight when he moved with his family to England. They settled in Belfast where Best began his professional career with local team Glenavon. In 1958, he signed with Manchester United as one of the world's most coveted young players.
He remained with the club for ten years and during that time helped the team win the league title in 1968.
He was the club's top scorer for three consecutive seasons from 1964–65 to 1966–67, and was also named Player of the Year on three occasions.
He was born on January 29, 1945 in Stretford, Lancashire, England and died at age 54 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was diagnosed with leukaemia in November 1974.
Best started his career as a teenager at local side Manchester United before joining Irish side Distillery in 1959. After one season with Distillery, he moved back to England and joined London based side Queens Park Rangers in 1962. In just over one year with QPR, Best helped the team win the English Second Division title. He returned to Manchester United after being offered a contract by manager Matt Busby.
Besides playing football, Best became well-known for his aggressive style of play which included many clearances and shots on goal. This led to him being nicknamed "The Blade of Light". He was also known for his skill with a knife and fork while eating meals. During his time at Man United, Best won four league titles, two FA Cups and one European Cup/Champions League trophy.
With 718 appearances for Manchester United, Paul Scholes ranked third all-time. Manchester United's Peter Schmeichel made 398 appearances. Eric Cantona appeared in 185 games and scored 87 goals for Manchester United. He was also the club's first captain who was not British or Irish. American John Harkes was the first captain.
In addition to United, Scholes has played for Leyton Orient and Stoke City. His career started in 1995 when he joined Manchester United as an 18-year-old from Crewe Alexandra. He became one of the most important players for the team over the years and left the club in 2013. Since then, he has been working with the youth team at Old Trafford.
Scholes has won several awards throughout his career including PFA Young Player of the Year in 2001 and Premier League Player of the Year in 2010. He is also the only player to have been voted player of the year by the Professional Footballers' Association twice.
After retiring from playing in 2013, Scholes took up a role with the club's media department. He is currently employed as a matchday ambassador.
Of all his achievements, perhaps what makes Scholes special is that he has always been honest about his talent and worked hard to improve it.
During the 1966-67 season, he guided the team to another league championship. He was voted European Footballer of the Year in 1968, and he assisted United in becoming the first English team to win the European Cup. Best scored a total of 178 goals in 466 appearances with United.
After retiring as a player in 1975, he took over as manager of the club and led them to their second European Cup in 1980. He continued to work with United until he died in 2013 at the age of 70.
Best's career with United is even more impressive when you consider that he suffered from multiple sclerosis. However, he never let this hinder him from playing or training with the team.
He made his debut for United on August 31, 1964, in a 3-1 victory over Leeds United at Old Trafford. At the time, manager Matt Busby had no intention of using Best as a striker; instead, he used him primarily as a central defender. But after two years away from the game because of his illness, Best returned to action and went on to become one of the most prolific scorers in Premier League history.
Currently, Sir Bobby Charlton is the highest scoring player in Premier League history. He has 80 goals to his name during his career. However, if we include Best's final season with United, then he reaches 100 goals faster than anyone else.
Best, George
| Titles and season | |
|---|---|
| 1965 | Manchester United |
| 1x English FA Cup winner | |
| 1963 | Manchester United |
| 1x Top scorer |
Despite this, he managed to make 466 appearances for Manchester United, where he played some of his greatest football. George Best was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on May 22, 1946. George has been a fan of soccer since he was a child, and he used to play for his local Cregagh club. He made his professional debut at the age of 18 for Manchester United against Leeds United in the 1964-65 season. After making 26 appearances that season, he went on to become one of the most prolific scorers in European football with 51 goals.
Best won the Golden Boot as the top scorer at the 1966 World Cup with five goals, and he also won the award the following year at the 1967 European Championships. In 1969, he was named Footballer of the Year by The Observer newspaper. That same year, he ended his career after breaking his leg during a match vs Newcastle United.
After ending his playing career, Best worked as a coach at several clubs including Manchester United, where he led the team to their first English Premier League title in 1991. He died in August 2014 at the age of 62 after being diagnosed with cancer.
George Best played in several positions for Manchester United including forward, midfield, and defense. He is considered one of the best forwards in the history of the game.
After retiring from playing football, Best worked as a coach at Manchester United and other clubs before becoming involved in business activities.
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