George Best – Revered at Old Trafford, envied by other
clubs, admired by players, fancied by the fans. One of the Holy Trinity at Manchester United,
Best- described by Bob Bishop as a genius- has shaped and been part of the
glorious history of Manchester United.
His playing days came to an end before I was born, but the legend of
George Best has endured the test of time. I have tried to watch the limited
videos of him playing that was available and I have never been more fascinated
by any player. Undoubtedly he was one of the best at that time, though I believe
he was the best. For, such is the way people talk about his game that you can
feel he was the greatest. He himself had
the confidence (or arrogance as some might perceive it) to say in an interview,
“I actually think I was the greatest player of all time, I just didn’t play
long enough at the top”!!!! Sadly for a
career that started at 17 and peaked at 22 came to a low at around 28 when he
left United, leave everyone wondering “What
might have been” had he not succumbed to alcohol. The fact that he never
fulfilled his genius is a scary thought considering how much he achieved
without doing so. But such was his character that he never had any regrets
about his career. As he himself put it in the same interview, “I was lucky I
had 11 great years. It was 11 more than lot of others ever had!!!”.
Football’s first ever Superstar, “El Beatle”( nicknamed so
by the Portuguese press when he singlehandedly destroyed Benfica in the
European Cup) was a phenomenon who along with Sir Bobby and Denis Law gave
United some glorious memories and infinite joy.
With a regret that I never lived in his era, I dedicate this to George
Best, the Genius from Belfast !!!! This
weekend marks 50 years since you made your first ever appearance for Manchester
United.
As they all say, Pele good, Maradona better, George BEST
!!!!!!!!!!!! Indeed……..
No comments:
Post a Comment