Shrine to Best grows at ground

MANCHESTER was a city in mourning last night as thousands of football fans paid tribute to George Best.

An adopted son of the city, Best arrived as a shy Belfast teenager and became a football legend playing for Manchester United.

At Old Trafford under the shadow of a statue Sir Matt Busby, the man who nurtured his talent, a makeshift shrine to Best was growing steadily as hundreds of fans, many in tears, came to pay their respects.

Janet Welding, from Stretford, Manchester, laid flowers and a poster of her idol.

"He is up there now with Sir Matt and the Busby Babes. It has been a very difficult day. It was still a shock to hear he had gone."

Her husband Keith added: "As a boy I used to hang around outside the ground waiting for George to come out to get his autograph. He never refused. He was just such a nice bloke and the best footballer the world has ever known."

Scott Pash, from Birmingham, now living in Manchester, laid roses at the shrine.

"He is the best player to come out of this country. It was expected but still very sad. We need to remember him for what he did for football," he said.

Local radio phone-ins were jammed with people sharing treasured memories of the player who made the city his home in the sixties.

In times when footballers were less shielded from their fans, and less pampered, Best became a fixture in Manchester, opening a boutique, part owning a nightclub and becoming a celebrity attraction in the city's nightlife.

Barmaids, taxi drivers and fans swapped anecdotes of how proud they were to have met George Best.

All praised his kind nature and his generous spirit despite his superstar status.

Ian Honey, from Salford, said: "Millions of fans will be sad today. My Dad saw him play when we won the European Cup against Benfica. He always used to say, 'By God that Best was a good 'un no one has ever come close to him."

As a steady stream of fans arrived at Old Trafford the shrine continued to grow as more and more laid flowers and tied-up scarves, flags and shirts to railings.

Many of the flowers carried cards, other tributes were scrawled on United shirts.

One said simply, "Thanks for the memories Georgie, RIP", another, "Loved and never forgotten."

Among the red, white and black of United's club colours were many green Northern Ireland shirts, and also scarves from Carlisle, Stockport and Bury.