George Best - Genius George will never be forgotten

THE death of soccer legend George Best marks the poignant end of an era that produced one of the greatest footballers the world has ever seen.

The Belfast-born player will be remembered as the scorer of some of the finest goals ever seen in the football arena.

Sadly, he will also be remembered as a man of high talent who virtually drank himself to death, a remarkable athlete who by the end of his comparatively young life was reduced to a shell by the ravages of alcoholism.

Unfortunately, the less attractive aspects of his lifestyle, boozing and womanising, are what many people under the age of 35 will associate with Best, rather than his stunning gifts as a football wizard and entertainer.

For every aspiring sports star, whatever the game, there are hard lessons to be drawn from his roller coaster life and times.

Considering his addiction to drink, it was hardly surprising Best’s doctor, Professor Roger Williams, was so critical of Britain’s new policy of allowing pubs to remain open all night.

Noted for his extraordinary resilience on the pitch, George Best remained surprisingly tough to the end. Although he was desperately ill, the 59-year-old continued to survive day after day after day in a London hospital. His sheer willpower kept him alive.

“Discovered” as a potential “genius” of the game, he burst on the scene at Old Trafford in the Sixties to become one of the finest footballers ever to don the Manchester United jersey.

Spoken of in the same breath as Pele and Maradona - and by Pele’s admission the best player he had ever seen - he was undoubtedly the most talented footballer ever to come out of Ireland.

Gifted to an astonishing degree, he became an idol for tens of thousands of soccer fans who, despite seeing him immersed in alcohol, will always remember him as their football hero.

The legend that was George Best lives on, and as long as football is played, he will never be forgotten by his fans.