Manchester United legend George Best would have turned 64 on Saturday and to mark the occasion, teenagers from the estate where he grew up will take on a team from the Manchester United Foundation in a memorial match.The game is being played at Tillysburn Park is the second leg of the tournament to raise funds for the George Best Foundation.
Barbara McNarry, George Best’s sister and secretary of the George Best Foundation said: “It’s nearly five years since George’s death and I’m deeply touched that interest in him and his football achievements is as strong as ever. The Northern Ireland teenagers had a marvellous time in Manchester whose people have always been very generous in supporting the foundation. We look forward to repaying the hospitality and are confident that this will become an annual event”
The match is a joint initiative between the George Best and the Manchester United Foundations which aims to use the football club’s success and standing to educate, motivate and inspire young people to build a better life for themselves. John Shiels, chief executive of the Manchester United Foundation said it was “privilege” and “dream come true” for his players to visit the birthplace of one of football’s most iconic characters.
A Life In Quotes
- I might go to Alcoholics Anonymous, but I think it would be difficult for me to remain anonymous – 1980
- I don’t drink every day, but when I do it’s usually for four or five days on the trot –1979
- I’ve lost a lot of friends at a very young age, yet I was the one they kept saying wouldn’t make 30, then 40, then 50. And I’m still here – 1995
- Footballers today are millionaires by the time they’re 22 or 23. More and more of them are going out and looking for something to give them a buzz outside football, be it gambling, drugs or booze. I got my buzz from playing. Players now have a groin injury for months and months and I often think they don’t really give a toss whether they’re playing or not because they’re getting paid anyway. I’d give all the champagne I’ve ever drunk to have played alongside Eric Cantona in a big European match at Old Trafford – 1997
- It’s a pleasure to be standing here. It’s a pleasure to be standing up – On being made Footballer of the Century, 1999
- People always say I shouldn’t be burning the candle at both ends. Maybe they haven’t got a big enough candle – 2003
- Because I saw an advert on the side of a London bus inviting me to “Drink Canada Dry” – On going to play for Vancouver Whitecaps
- Well, I suppose that’s the knighthood fucked – After being sent to prison in 1984 for drink driving
- It had nothing to do with women and booze, car crashes or court cases. It was purely football. Losing wasn’t in my vocabulary. When the wonderful players I had been brought up with – Charlton, Law, Crerand, Stiles – went into decline, United made no real attempt to buy the best replacements. I was left struggling among fellas who should not have been allowed through the door. It sickened me that we ended up being just about the worst team in the First Division – On the disenchantment that led him to retire
- They’ll forget all the rubbish when I’ve gone and they’ll remember the football. If only one person thinks I’m the best player in the world, that’s good enough for me. All the bad times cannot wipe away the good memories, and despite all the ups and downs, when I look at my life as a whole, it is impossible for me not to feel blessed. – From his autobiography, Blessed.
Have a drink George, wherever you may be – Football will never forget you
