# Footballing Legend George Best dies, aged 59 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 25, 2005, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footballing-legend-george-best-dies-aged-59/332690 "2005-11-25T16:10:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2005, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footballing-legend-george-best-dies-aged-59/332690/21 "2005-11-26T06:14:17Z")
> [@Imasquare](#): > > Well yes, he was an alcoholic. My mum is an alcoholic so I know second hand how hard it is for a true alcoholic to give up booze. Yeah, so they went to all the trouble and expense of giving him a new, healthy, organ just to have him try and burn it out again. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footballing-legend-george-best-dies-aged-59/332690/22 "2005-11-26T14:32:20Z")
George Best wanted to be remembered for his football. I’ll say that he was a great footballer, and when I met him briefly he was very nice. Not wanting to speak ill of the dead, I won’t say anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footballing-legend-george-best-dies-aged-59/332690/23 "2005-11-26T18:30:56Z")
> [@Subterraneanus](#): > > You’re grossly exaggerating, and I need no “cluing in” whatsoever. I saw the man play in person several times, and I grew up watching the film from the '60s. He was still in possession of most of his skills when I saw him play, and he was still incredible. He had simply worn out his welcome in the UK. > > Let me clue you in: quite a few footballers from the old First Division played quality football in the NASL long before they were “worn out” and “broken down.” For example, I had the distinct pleasure of watching Alan Hudson’s genius on a weekly basis for four years, and he was still world class at the age of 27. Perhaps you’ve heard of him: he was one of the last of the great English midfielders—you know, before you guys fully dedicated yourselves to the curious tactic of mindlessly banging the ball from one penalty area to the other. There was a time—even in England—when midfielders did more than simply monitor the flight of the ball overhead. > > “I love playing the English. As soon as you lose the ball, they give it right back.” — Johan Cruyff I exaggerate indeed, but mostly as a left-handed compliment to the man in the flower of his youth. Even so, it’s not just a question of wearing out his welcome but of allowing the excesses of his off-field life to interfere with his on-field prowess. Drinking and missed training would take their toll of anyone. Once the edge goes it’s hard to get it back, sporadic flashes of barely-credible brilliance notwithstanding. Hudson? Oh assuredly. But the rest of your swipe at the English I’ll gloss over, in the interests of a soft answer turning away wrath. A tribute thread isn’t the place for it. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footballing-legend-george-best-dies-aged-59/332690/24 "2005-11-26T20:27:55Z")
Some of his acid comments were priceless, and he could turn them out without second thought, it just came so naturally to him did the wit, and that was part of his charisma, a top class footballer who was articulate was and still is a rarity in English football leagues. I remember him talking avout Kevin Keegan who was at his peak and being compared to Best, ‘Kevin Keegan is the Julie Andrews of football’ ‘He is not fit to lace my drinks’ I would rate him as the equal of the very best, I wish he could have played in an international team that could have displayed his talent on the stage that it deserved, the world cup. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footballing-legend-george-best-dies-aged-59/332690/25 "2005-11-26T20:31:06Z")
I should maybe clear up one of those quotes. **Keegan on Best** He’s not fit to lace my boots **Best on Keegan** He’s not fit to lace my drinks ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footballing-legend-george-best-dies-aged-59/332690/26 "2005-11-26T22:21:32Z")
I think Billy Joe Keane said it best when he wrote about Best: “The sense that even though he knew he could beat any defender in the world with a swivel of his hips or a quick step with those dancing feet, the one thing he could never sidestep was a drink.” Greatest player ever to come from Europe and the second greatest player of all-time (imho) second only to Maradonna. He could score, dribble, pass, head and he was a ferocious tackler. Hard as nails. Wish I would have seen him live. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footballing-legend-george-best-dies-aged-59/332690/27 "2005-11-26T22:30:53Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Greatest player ever to come from Europe and the second greatest player of all-time (imho) second only to Maradonna. The funny part is that you say (imho) only when speaking of him perhaps being the second greatest player of all time and not the greatest from Europe ;). Best was amazing, but arguably, a case can be made for Cruyff and Beckenbauer. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2005, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footballing-legend-george-best-dies-aged-59/332690/28 "2005-11-26T22:48:23Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > The funny part is that you say (imho) only when speaking of him perhaps being the second greatest player of all time and not the greatest from Europe ;). > > Best was amazing, but arguably, a case can be made for Cruyff and Beckenbauer. Obviously this is a subjective issue but for the sake of argument I’ll give you my reasoning as to why I think George Best was the single greatest talent ever from Europe. Cryuff was technically brillaint. He had incredible vision, drop-dead first touch and an ability to put the ball anywhere. One of his weaknesess, however, was the fact that he would tend to drift in and out of games. Further, he couldn’t tackle to save his life so he was often a defensive liability. Beckenbauer was fast, tough and also had incredible vision. He had trouble beating men though (in fairness, that was rarely required in his particular style of play) and was always surrounded by other world-class players. Best had the touch and speed of Cryuff along with the hardness and vision of Beckenbauer. In my mind, that makes him more of a complete player than either of the two. Also, Best nutmegged Cryuff in Amsterdam so that’s enough for me 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/footballing-legend-george-best-dies-aged-59/332690.md?page=1)