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Soccer

George Best

1946 to 2005

FIFTH BEATLE

Manchester United magician whose dribbling made him football's first pop-star winger.

George Best memorial photo
George Best archival photo
George Best archival photo

1

Ballon d'Or

1968

1

European Cup

1968 United

2

League titles

Widely cited

United

Club icon

Old Trafford

Manchester United

1963 to 1974

Biography

George Best starred for Manchester United, winning the European Cup in 1968 and the Ballon d'Or the same year. His brilliance and turbulence made him one of the game's most compelling figures.

Born1946-05-22, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Died2005-11-25, London, England
NationalityNorthern Ireland
PositionWinger / Forward
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)

Career statistics

Club career (era-labeled)

Ballon d'Or1
European Cup1
ClubManchester United
Peak year1968

Career timeline

  1. 1963

    United debut

    Breaks through at Old Trafford.

  2. 1968

    European peak

    Wins European Cup and Ballon d'Or.

  3. 1974

    United exit

    Leaves after a turbulent final stretch.

  4. 2005

    Passed away

    Died November 25, 2005.

Achievements and awards

  • Ballon d'Or (1968)
  • European Cup (1968)
  • English league titles (widely cited)

Legacy

Best made football glamorous without losing the street dribble. United folklore still runs through his boots.

Career statistics

Club career (era-labeled)

Ballon d'Or1
European Cup1
ClubManchester United
Peak year1968

Achievements and awards

  • Ballon d'Or (1968)
  • European Cup (1968)
  • English league titles (widely cited)

Career timeline

  1. 1963

    United debut

    Breaks through at Old Trafford.

  2. 1968

    European peak

    Wins European Cup and Ballon d'Or.

  3. 1974

    United exit

    Leaves after a turbulent final stretch.

  4. 2005

    Passed away

    Died November 25, 2005.

Legacy

Best made football glamorous without losing the street dribble. United folklore still runs through his boots.

Images

Separate photo slider. Wikimedia Commons licenses shown on each slide.

George Best. Romance of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.djvu
1 / 4

License: Public domain. Source

Sources

Research record: .orchestrator/research/legends/george-best.md. Career totals are widely published league or Hall of Fame figures and should be read with competition and era labels. Image credits appear under the Images tab. Video links open third-party YouTube pages.