George
Best's career burned brilliantly for a few blessed seasons in the 19605
and he could, perhaps should, have played longer. But by the time his
playing days had petered out messily, the Irishman had already proved
himself the most naturally gifted footballer United had ever seen. You
could go further and say he was the most talented player Britain has
ever known and not hear much dissent. It is one of the received wisdoms
about Best that he frittered away his talent, but that seems a harsh
verdict. It is true that he did not hang around until his mid-30s,
plodding along to pick up the pay-cheques and the plaudits reserved for
long-serving old pros. But Best packed enough achievement into his time
at United to last several careers.
He
was pretty much a spent force at the top level long before his soth
birthday - but he could look back on a career that featured 470
appearances and 179 goals for United; a European Cup winner's medal, two
Championships, 37 international caps and a European Player of the Year
award. He was United's top scorer of the season four times and in
1967/68 was the joint-leading scorer in the First Division with 28. It
all adds together to make a decent haul of honours for a man whose
top-flight career ended so prematurely. You cannot measure Best's worth
just in terms of medals. He was an artist who happened to use a ball and
a rectangle of grass rather than brush and canvas, and it w a tragedy
that his genius also bore the seeds of his own destruction. It was
Best's fate that the only opponent he could never elude was drink, but
his place in the pantheom is reserved for all time in spite of his
unfortunate demise. Pele, many people's choice as the best ever, said
simply, 'George Best was the greatest footballer in the world.' It will
do as an epitaph.
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