George Best - brilliant 26-min interview (1984)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ก.พ. 2023
- This exceptional George Best interview hasn't been posted before, and no infringement intended. George Best was so much more than a football icon. The Irish kid from Belfast made world headlines, not just for his extraordinary football prowess but his off-field exploits, yet at the time of this interview in 1984 Best had been sober for a year. Disarmingly honest and polite (Best's father makes an appearance among others), George opens up on his personal battles with incumbent fame, proving self-aware and humble, a brilliant character and Irish legend.
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Uncle George was the greatest football player of all time.
Are u his Relation? Such a true Legend!!
Him and maradona my favourite
Legend and Genius
Never was a player more aptly named. An absolute genius.
Bear in mind, he used to get kicked by savage defenders and played on the muddy grounds of the day and he was pure magic. Can you imagine him playing now with the perfect pitches and the protection that forwards now get.
When George managed to stay away from the drink, he was such a softly spoken and humble bloke. Such a tragedy that alcohol had the last word on his life, but history will remember him as one of the greatest magicians in the history of the game. A footballing god who stands alongside Pele, Maradona and Messi. And to think he retired from the game at 26 before he reached his peak. Rest in peace, Georgie boy.
Absolutely correct
Cruyff
Loved Bestie to bits. He was sooo special and I mean special. A flawed genius and tied my United scarf on a stump or somert outside the stadium when he died in 2005.RIP George Best.
all alcoholics are nice people but the drink relives boredom its a kind of ocd , but the drink has its own problems when added to the mix
I was lucky to watch george, bobby and dennis down at southampton.
George Best, an Irish football legend.
REST IN PEACE.
All my family and parents from Belfast. George Best is the pride of here. True legend. But unique and special as a personality beyond the football. RIP
The most memorable thing I remember about George Best was when he came back after a long suspension in the early 1970s. United played Northampton Town in the FA Cup and I was watching the 4 oclock to 5 oclock BBC slot and the scores kept coming in. One minute Best had one, two, three, four, five ... by now it was getting ridiculous and then to top it all he got his sixth of the match. Of course George being George some of those goals were made and taken by him after using his amazing dribbling skills. Other facets of George's game that make him out as a 'great' were his abilities to head the ball and keep going after being fouled sorry I mean assaulted by opposition players.
Forget the prima donnas - Bestie was the GREATEST player to ever play the game in the UK- so special!
Er in the World no equal, what we must remember is that he plied his skills on poor pitches compared to the pampered footballers today
If you wanna go on about footballing ability, that’s all good. Best was far from a role model off the pitch. Cry about prima donnas as if George wasn’t in and out of legal trouble, drowning himself with the bottle, wasting a potentially INSANE career on the drink.
@@ikellama I’m talking about footballer’s feigning injury etc when I talk about prima donnas. Think how good he would have been if he didn’t drink 😂
In the WORLD never mind the UK
Quite simply the greatest footballer ever.
Back in the days when defenders were tough, no nonsense with their tackling:
Mackay, Harris, Hunter…George would often glide past them with his speed and balance.
I met him once, very pleasant and courteous man.
I met the great George Best in San Jose California before a San Jose Earthquakes game in the late 70s. He was very nice when he signed his Autograph and he then went out and won the game with the most sublime goal you will ever see. He was a genius and a .nice man to boot
God broke the mold after he made hi.m. God bless him in heavan
I recall my grandad telling me how he went on a works night out in Manchester, in the late 60s. In a nightclub somewhere, he and his mates, deciding the music was too loud for them, went downstairs to an empty little bar. There sat George, on his own with a pint and a whisky. They went across and spoke to him - he bought them all drinks and told them he just liked sitting by himself with a couple of drinks. Grandad said couldn't have been nicer to them. What a legend!
Thanks for this, Georgie Best is a legend, when he died Man Utd’s next game was away at West Ham, we asked the club that the whole ground should give him a rendition of Bubbles, they opted for a minutes applause…God Bless Georgie Best x
Has a Liverpool fan I must admit George Best was the Greatest Player that the UK ever produced without doubt.
I used to enjoy George Best's comments on football commentaries, he said it the way it was which was quite unusual, he was so good he could tell it the way he saw it. So charismatic, so sad what happened to him but he brightened people's lives.
sad?
he lived a hundred times more than the average sheeple...
George Best was a legend.😢💔🌹❤️🙏
Best player I ever seen.
Perhaps the last interview with George so sober and clear minded. Such a nice character and a footballer who comes along once a generation. It’s an awful shame he let the drink get to him in the end, it’s such a terrible disease.
Never ever be a character who shone as bright as George Best ❤
I love the way the media use phrases like, "drugs and alcohol," (as if alcohol wasn't a drug) and "after a well-deserved pint," etc., normalizing the use of his most dangerous drug of all.
Very good point.
Nowadays young players should be tested for drugs and alcohol.
Wank
What a lovely interview. I was lucky to see George play and his ability was unquestioned whoever you supported.
An older Red who saw him play in his heyday once described George to me as like watching a magician at work with all the talent possible, and the best on the planet for about three years.
He was the face of Cookstown sausages when I was a wein....George certainly crossed the great divide between us and them back in those dark days.
After the '68 European Cup.Final win, most of the Manchester United team were old and had achieved their dream. Instead of rejuvenating the team, built around Best, they persevered with the "over the top" old players. Best had to carry this team. He struggled with this burden. His form and personal life took a nosedive. He should have moved club at this time for the next challenge. I think he would have profited from such a move. He subsequently finished playing seriously very early. I believe looking back this must have added to his personal turmoil.
Well said mate. That's exactly what happened! And as far as I'm concerned he's still the greatest footballer I have ever seen and its not even close!
Next to Pele the greatest footballer that lived. RIP Georgie.
And Diego
Without doubt in the top 3 players of all time
I had the privilege of seeing him play in his heyday.always remember his cheeky goal in the 68 European cup final
George was the best
George fitted in with in with that exciting period of time the swinging sixties .both the sixties and George were made for each other😊⚽🌼
Today's young folk just don't comprehend how bloody good George was. The modern game today would be a training session for him, had he turned up 😂#BlessHim
💯 true
There's never been anyone like him since. I'm an Everton supporter, but like everyone else who watched football in those days, I was totally in awe of what he could do. A magician.
A much more physical game then too....
Great talent
George Best is one of the greatest players of all time if not the greatest YNWA
The best player the world has ever seen, can you imagine messi , Ronaldo, de bryne , who ever playing with the footballs the boots the pitches that George was playing in week in week out never injured like the cotton wool brigade now days are none of the above mentioned or players of today was no where near the great George best 👍
He drank himself into a retirement at 26. More pathetic than what you’re complaining about.
My idol as a young boy,all those decades ago,and I remember saying to my mother can you send my, pocket money,to george,simply the best
Its crazy how good he was for them to be making programmes about him like that even then! Its even more amazing to think he didn't have tv or internet to learn to play that way and no in Britain or Eire had so it just came from him. Genius
Saw George play a few times, the last time against arsenal in 1970. United lost 0-4, but George was still so good and deserved a better team to play with. United was ageing and his drink was slowing him down.
A beautiful soul
Saw bestie at cravan cottage early seventies.. no training over weight but … what a player!
First "mega" football star not to have the support of a "media team" to protect him as today's stars do. You have to take his life story in the context of the time he existed, which many youngsters cannot comprehend. He was undoubtably a true football genius - and handsome to boot, the first British superstar. Later stars had more guidance and protection.
Best by name. Best by nature.
Absolutely 💯
God Almighty bless Harry Gregg. A true gentleman and always a humble hero
He looks fresh, immaculate, happy, he would talk to everyone, what a difference nowadays when prem players have their head up their backsides
You say that as if he was an angel. Absurd amount of legal trouble and we all know how bad the drinking got. Forced himself into a pathetically short career.
Thanks for showing this, great interview with others as well. I would love to see Best and Stanley Mathews sit down together for an interview, two incredible talents with similar individual styles.
The young ones these days never heard of this genius playing on cow paddocks. Goat inmy book
Can’t be the greatest when you drink yourself into an extremely early retirement.
@@ikellama these days players get help off the pitch unfortunately when best played there wasn't any. !!!
Tragic to see what the bevvy did to him, a lesson for us all, but what an amazing player.
George Best - Legend RIP
Cruijff and Best are de best football players ever! R.I.P both
Yes
best player I ever saw
Thank you so much for posting this. Much appreciated ❤
You are so welcome!
So pleased I found this. Will search for 'All by nyself' and the one about his mother. Thank you for showing a touch of the real GB
At his peak , he was totally unplayable .
Even ‘Chopper Harris’ couldn’t stop him. 😉😉👍
@@SteveInskip That goal summed him up. The pace, the balance to ride the tackle and the clinical finish ....Galaxy class player .
@@wobblertv8083yeah LA Galaxy would sign him. He’s good. What team he play for? Maybe they sign him next season
Interesting hearing his comments about individuals being coached out of the game when we stand on the precipice of the very end of individuals post Ronaldo and particularly Messi. Media and fans alike obsessed with team/formations/stats etc. An eight year old in the playground is not inspired by this. It is individuals that do something that you cannot believe you just witnessed - like they were touched by something from another planet that sets your pulses going.
The greatest player ever.
Greatest? No absolutely not. A great one , for sure.
Greatest player ever for me too!
@@jamesgordon2805 r
An icon. RIP
Apart from the exception Best and top footballers, note the quality dress sense/respect for themselves and everyone else on show here. Not long ago in real terms but beyond the far distant past for most walking around today.
Brilliant interview with george best. I didnt know noel edmonds had a chat show. Or maybe i just cant remember becouse this was 38 years ago, i was age 11 when this came on. I didnt even know who george was! Where has all those years gone?
That comment is just a inner monologue with yourself 😂
Most naturally gifted and brilliant football player that was! Better than Pele and current modern lot
What a man that Harry Gregg was.
In the days when City and Utd players were friends. Oh accept Mike Doyle. Best was just superb shame we never had a GB Team in the olympics at the time!
Genius.
Best - The Best!
George best was the best rip
Mi illumini di immenso. Il migliore di ogni tempo. Rimarrai per sempre nel mio ❤. Riposa in pace caro Gerge 😢
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." (George Best)
Great to see an interview with Noel Cantwell.
What Noel Emunds knows about football woul d not fill much space but he does well here. He did his research
HE WAS AN AMAZING FOOTBALLER, HUMBLE MA, THE DRINK LIKE MANY OF THESE TALENTED MEN FINISHES THEM. GLAD GASCOIGNE SAW THE LIGHT. SO SAD GEORGE BEST DID NOT.
I saw George Best and Pat Crairand in Richmond Park inchicore when I was a kid sitting on Father's shoulder, Best had a navy blue suit on
The Alain Delon of football
It's interesting to hear that final part, where Harry Gregg states that players are too conditioned and essentially not 'real men'. It's the same thing that's argued today. Of course, you will get a George Best for each generation; we've had Ronaldo, Messi, and players like that. I think the 90's actually were an ideal balance of aggression and fair play. In Best's time it was still too savage; great players like him and Pele got cut down, and there was seemingly less concern for player welfare (heading those brick balls) and health (alcoholism which Best suffered from). The problem with football today is not that it is more safe, but that cheating has become more sophisticated and corporate tv have got their claws in it. That is what is ruining the sport. More money and investment has meant the game is improved in some areas, like player wellbeing, but its soul has been taken as it strives for perfection (VAR) and has become for business over fans.
It will be losing its popularity soon, only so much people can watch each team playing the same and every player plays the same and are more athletes rather then footballers
@@MrThedonhead It's hard to imagine it getting any more popular. Though the likes of Fifa care more about appealing to markets in Asia, America and Middle East where big investment can be found. So it even might grow more over there. It's become like a virtual game with betting. Some of the football is better though. Just a bit soulless.
I used to go past his house in Bramhall on the way to school - people crawling over walls, onto his roof - no wonder he suffered - wouldn't happen these days.
The sad thing is he got a 2nd chance off life and did not grab it
Sober ! God bless ya...
For the record Graham Williams FB at West Brom was only 5-8, paddy was smoking something !
Piers Morgan thinks Christian ronaldo is the GOAT, has he actually forgotten about George best?? 🤔, sorry Mr Morgan but this genius IS!!!!!
Alfredo Di Stefano - a one man team.
So was George Best....and Morgan knows nothing about football, just a upper class person intrigued by it
Matt Busby and Manchester United really let him down with not progressing the team, imagine if he had an alex Ferguson manager he could of had a career as good as rysn giggs and maybe even a as good as roy Keane
He let himself down with the drink
@@leesoulsby254 Just unfortunate to have a disease... Alcoholism is a disease..!!!
*Plough*
I love Manchester United are my favorite football
They're a football now?
@@spacelook9076 OMG. Today's fan.
Thanks for this. What was the programme called and when was it broadcast please?
i LOVE gEORDIE
its weird they talk about George Best like he wasn't there
Well it was filmed separately so he wasn't actually there
Simply The Greatest of All time was George. He was Keith Moon or Oliver Reed, in football Boots.
Shame he couldn't of worn the England shirt.
R I P George.
🐐
Nejlepší fotbalista všech dob!!¡!!!!
Best and Charlton the best I have ever seen
Edmonds.
Partridge would be furious.
Shame how alcohol was his demon and couldn't control it. Above all decent player and polite person
Roy Keane - "He was just doin' his job man. You're all living in cloud cuckoo land"
"when I die and they lay me to rest, i goin' on the piss with Georgie Best"
Stupid idea. You think dead people like booze?
George at his best, pardon the pun, lol.
No one can understand what demons he was trying to quieten with drink
The drink WAS the demon. He had an addiction and he couldn't beat it.
Alcohol took him to the grave.
George was simply the best 👌
He threw someone else's liver away
Jimmy jinky Johnstone the Celtic and Scotland player was best of all . A shear Entertainer was jimmy who had Norman Hunter not knowing where to turn in the European cup semi final v Leeds at Elland road . Jinky left Hunter wondering where the ball was as jimmys dribbling skills were best ever . Jinky Lord Of The Wing ..
Cookstown sausages and e for b and Georgia best on utv😁
Legenda na terenu i van njega avangardna licnost ispred vremena u kom je ziveo jedini koji mu je slican maradona kraljevo srbija
His words on alcohol.
His mother was an alcoholic she went to the local shop for her soup 😞😞 he bait his way in and said don't serve her they said piss off we are here to make money 💰💰 we will serve her 🍾🍾🍾
tony green left him on his arse
i think george would of been more comfortable not being there,
Is that a young Kathy Burke at 14.50?
Did he know Abu?
British greatest player of all time.Period. World top 3 ... Pele,Diego and him.
I would agree with that assessment.
@@peterfleming2061 now four, Lionel Messi included.