George Best had more farewells than Frank Sinatra including his last game for Manchester United, sadly a 3-0 defeat at Queens Park Rangers on New Year’s Day 1974, the bleary goodbye to Fulham three years later, a hat-trick of champagne swansongs in the US in the late 70s and early 80s – to name but a few. But the two most poignant moments came in his home city of Belfast. The final occasion for which he pulled on a pair of boots more or less in earnest was his testimonial match at Windsor Park on August 8, 1988. Sir Matt Busby was in the crowd, Ossie Ardiles, Pat Jennings and Liam Brady were on the pitch, George scored twice… and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. He was Northern Ireland’s most beloved son, still an incorrigible waif aged 59 when he died. Sir Alex Ferguson struggled to contain his emotions while slate-grey skies wept outside the cathedral for ‘the beautiful boy of the beautiful game.’
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 18:16:45 +0000
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