Belfast's devil

15 years ago, George Best died. The best player in the history of British football

In the mid-90s, at the Sheremetyevo-2 airport, a group of English tourists, waiting for their flight, gathered at a small TV. Watching the plot in an incomprehensible language, Shakespeare's compatriots shook their heads and sighed. After all, everything was clear without translation. “The legendary footballer of the Northern Ireland national team and Manchester United was arrested for beating a man committed in a drunken state,” the announcer said. The physiognomy of an unshaven peasant flickered on the screen, whom the police tried to trample into the car. They did it as badly as a quarter of a century ago by the defenders who tried to keep the attacking midfielder on the approaches to the gates ...

... 1968. Wembley stadium. Champions Cup final. "Manchester United" - "Benfica". Extra time. Best picks up the ball in the center of the field and goes to the Portuguese possessions. The stands are roaring. George rushes the kolun without any problems, mockingly winds Umberto and Zhasinto, calls the goalkeeper Enrique, deftly straightens him and calmly rolls the “spotted” into the net. It was a star hour of a 22-year-old Best, which after half an hour will raise the prestigious trophy to the London sky.

In that season, the Devil is recognized as the coolest and the foggy Albion and in Europe, giving the Golden Ball.

In fact, his career then flowed to sunset. Of course, for several years he efficiently ran for the Mankunians, becoming the best scorer of the team. But football gradually sailed into the third plan.

George decided to trade his name by laying the path to the business industry. He opened the fashion house in Manchester (by the way, in 2007 GQ magazine included Best in the list of 50 most stylish people in 50 years), a travel agency, and a restaurant. And - he settled in other "turbulent" flights. At secular parties and in nightclubs, Goleador spent all free and not free time. The bars replaced him with a penalty area. He applied to the circle much more thoroughly than to the ball, and forgot about training. Once, having walked not childishly, the Striker did not even appear at the collection of a national squad, preparing for the most important fight with the USSR national team.

With his alcoholism, he flaunted: “I drank everything, I always drank, drank everywhere ...” They say that Best could not stand the test of fame and big money (he received about 2,000 pounds a week). But this is not so. The player was not going to refuse the joys and charms of life, changing cars and girls in love with him as football teams. By the way, it was George who turned into one of the first “wanderers” in the hetras: in 10 years he lit up in 16 teams. Is it a joke, until the mid-80s, the aging sex symbol toured the weak clubs of America, Hong Kong and Scotland.

... A black guy was born in Belfast. Father was turning at the factory, the mother worked in a tobacco factory. It is noteworthy that just the same mother, a short period of the North Irish hockey team on the grass, and pushed her son to sports. At the age of seven, Georgik put on the form of a children's team, striking everyone with dribbling and cunning. He honed his skill in a peculiar way: he took a tennis ball and knocked on iron garages before dark. Eyewitnesses claimed to be minted with little round, preventing him from falling to the ground, he could be up to half an hour.

The Scout of Manchester Bob Bishop, having noticed a child prodigy, sent a telegram to coach Mat Basby with the words: “I found a genius!”

At fifteen, the Best moved to Old Trafford. Huge hopes were laid on him. Indeed, in 1958, the aircraft with the famous football players "United" crashed at Munich airport. And since then the team has not won anything.

George began to justify advances and his last name right away. In the main composition, he made his debut, barely signing a professional contract, and already in the second performance was noted on the scoreboard. He came off in full, masterfully fooling enemy defenses. Maradona himself said that the nimble Best inspired him, as he "created real magic."

The talented merryman will lead the “red devils” twice to the championship, regularly entertaining the audience with unique tricks. For example, he could easily remove Butsu and give a pass, as they say, a naked leg. All England went crazy with his lightning -fast finites and hairstyles. In the late 60s, when most football players preferred an army haircut, the gambling beast grew patches. And after Manchester United defeated the owners of Estaduu da Lush in Lisbon, and George created a double, one of the local newspapers called the 19-year-old circus-man El Bitlo. The nickname glued.

The Fifth Beatle did not care how many defenders in front of him.

He easily gained speed and, as if by train, technically “left” from everyone. Once Graig Williams from West Bromvich, who took a west, will come up to him and say: “Son, let me look at your face. In the game, I saw only your ass, and then from below, since I myself sat on my own ... ”Other opponents“ threw ”promised to tear their feet to tear off the George if he again tested his slalom pranks with them. However, the Best, which perfectly owned the rhythm of the movement, started even more from such threats and again forced the “bones” to feel knocked down. And, oddly enough, he was very offended when he was considered an individualist. “In each gole I have only been shocked by 20 percent belongs to me. Understand that I will make my branded race, my partners must do all the draft work for me, ”the king of improvisation emphasized.

He left Manchester in his style - sharply and unexpectedly. Upon learning that he was not declared the game, he sent everyone and everything to Offside and left the club, for which he spent 466 matches. Incredibly, but the fact: after his dismissal, United will wait for the next champion's title for 20 years. Then, it is a hand on the heart, no one really spared about his act. Drinking shattered the psyche of the British Garrinchi (another nickname of the Best), which produced 179 goals, to the limit. In his last "devilish" seasons he gave monstrous concerts. He, dissatisfied with some episode, should not have pulled the ball out of the arbiter’s hands, spit into an opponent, start a fight and just launch a lump of dirt into the offender.

Disqualification and fines did not act on George, irrevocably lost the roof. And he, unfortunately, did not think to press the brake.

Fulkham fans still recall the "Besson" season in the second division. With their friend and drinking companions, Rodney Marsh, they performed their direct duties quite tolerably. But if during the game they became bored, they began to take the ball from each other under the laughter of the audience and the perplexed glances of the enemy.

He finally tied with the English funny beast in 1983, giving one match to the Australian “Osborne Park”. Not a week will not pass, as he will put all Scotland-Yard on his ears, screaming from law enforcement officers throughout London in an insole drunk. For a car racing with an attack on a policeman he was awarded three months of rest behind bars. Although in captivity, Georje again had to lace the boots and sweat a little for the prison team “Ford Prizon”. Having been released, Best was the first thing to go and for 50 thousand dollars sold one of the newspapers a story about his 90-day adventures.

... In 2002, an uncontrollable showman underwent a liver transplant operation. However, the "yellow" card did not scare him. He continued to pour extravagantly over the edge. Several times he was arrested for Mordobia and other drunken "Skoda", for a long time deprived of his rights. It seemed that the Best purposefully moved to the next world. He sold part of his awards from the hammer. “When I die, it will be good if my family remains a house on the island, not the cups locked in the pantry,” Jordge explained that he explained that he was not able to show off at the World Cup. But to break there with the national team of Northern Ireland was, in fact, unrealistic.

His heart ceased to fight on November 25, 2005. The official reason is an overdose of immunosuppressants, with which the unique scorer abused alcohol. The death of Best introduced changes to the work of the English parliament: Tony Blair began a meeting with an appeal to the nation, calling the football player the property of Great Britain. The farewell ceremony was broadcast by all the country's sports channels. Belfast has never seen so many tears.

And only the former Manchester United striker Eric Canton, who was huddled in the style of the legendary hero of the 60s, managed to joke the devilishly: “In heaven, the Best will probably rush into the solo passage from his favorite right flank, will circle the Lord, playing the left defender, and will find a stunning ball from 30 yards. I want him to reserve a place in his team. George Best. And not the Lord God. "