George Best. De beste speler ooit zonder groot toernooi.

George Best
Born: 22 May, 1946. Belfast, Northern Ireland

International Caps 37
International Goals 9
Teams Manchester United, Stockport County, Cork Celtics, Dunstable Town, Los Angeles Aztecs, Fulham, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Hibernian, San Jose Earthquakes, Bournemouth, Brisbane Lions
Team Honours European Cup (1968)
League Division 1 (1965, 67)
Individual Honours Football Writers' Player of the Year (1968)
European Player of the Year (1968)

Tell me, Mr Best, where did it all go wrong? So, it is said, the man from room service inquired as he delivered vintage champagne to the former football genius in his suite at a plush hotel.
There was £20,000 in cash scattered on the bed which also contained the current Miss Universe.

In today's laddish world, the remark may seem laughable. Yet the waiter had a point. George Best had squandered one of the rarest and most precious football talents ever seen in favour of a self-indulgent merry-go-round of birds and booze.

He reached unimaginable heights with his outrageous skills in a career that lasted a mere six years at the top, before self-destructing into alcoholism, bankruptcy and jail.

To this day, Best maintains that nothing went wrong, that he just got bored with it all. The most he has ever conceded about that waiter's question is: "Perhaps he saw something I didn't."

But to see Best play in his prime was to be mesmerised by his dazzling ability. Few would argue that he is the most gifted footballer ever produced in the British Isles. There wasn't anything he couldn't do.

"He was quick, two-footed, beautifully balanced," his friend Michael Parkinson once wrote. "He could hit long and short passes with equal precision, was swift and fearless in the tackle and he reintroduced the verb 'to dribble'. He was as imaginative and whimsical in midfield as he was economical and deadly given a chance at goal."

He could also head brilliantly and he never shirked from defending when he had to. In short, he was the perfect footballer. But while he was Roy of the Rovers on the field, sadly he was Roy of the Ravers off it.

In those six magical seasons with United, he scored 115 goals in 290 games - six of them in one game! He won two League Championships, the European Cup and was voted European Football of the Year. Pele named him as his favourite player, which was remarkable considering Best's international career with Northern Ireland never allowed him the opportunity of appearing in the World Cup finals.

Best, then a charming, street-urchin of a lad, arrived in Manchester from Belfast in 1961 at the age of 15 with another young player called Eric McMordie. But the genius which was to beguile the football world nearly didn't get a chance to flourish. After just 24 hours at Old Trafford, Best and McMordie felt they had seen enough and fled back to Ulster. Best's father telephoned United's manager Matt Busby and within two weeks he was back at the club.

He turned professional in 1963 and made his debut that autumn at home against West Bromwich Albion who were then second in the League. Best had a fine game, giving West Brom's experienced full-back Graham Williams a roasting. One of his first moves was to show Williams the ball - and then he "nutmegged" him! United won 1-0 to keep them top of the table. Best had a hand in the goal, but he was replaced on the left wing for the next match by Ian Moir.

Yet there is a lovely story that years later Williams, the seasoned pro he had embarrassed, met Best and said to him: "Will you stand still for a minute so I can look at your face?" "Why?" asked Best. "Because all I've ever seen of you," explained Williams, "is your arse disappearing down the touchline."

Best was still finding it hard to settle in Manchester and, suffering from homesickness, took himself off to Belfast to spend Christmas with his family. While he was there the club got in touch. He was needed for Saturday's home game against Burnley who had thrashed United 6-1 at Turf Moor on Boxing Day.

Best, a might cheekily for a 17-year-old with only one League game under his belt, said he was available to play provided the club not only flew him to Manchester, but also back to Belfast immediately after the game. The club agreed. Perhaps that was the defining moment when the young Best realised he had made the big time - and that the big time meant you could indulge yourself with attention and demands.

United completely overturned that humiliating defeat, winning 5-1 and Best scored his first goal for the club. This time he was in the side to stay.

By January 1964, the great triumvirate of those golden days at Old Trafford was appearing in a match together for the first time. Law-Charlton-Best made their debut as perhaps the greatest combination in British football in the return match with West Brom at the Hawthorns. Conditions were bad and several players wore basketball shoes to combat the slippery surface.

United won 4-1 and, significantly, Law, Charlton and Best were the scorers, Law getting two. Best's goal is described by Graham McColl in his book, Manchester United in the Sixties, as the "best of the day."

"He took a neat pass from Law," wrote McColl, "angled himself clear of the West Brom defence and then squeezed the ball neatly between the posts from the tightest of angles."

It was typical Best flair that was to be repeated over and over again as he thrived at the heart of that incredible partnership.

The spectre of the Munich air crash in which eight of the Busby Babes had died in 1958 still hung over the club. Busby had said it would take five years to rebuild and recover - and it had, with the FA Cup being won in 1963 in a 3-1 victory over Leicester.

But what Best now offered was the catalyst to overcome those terrible memories. The team was playing football others could only dream about - and in Best they had found someone whose showmanship was so awesome that the Old Trafford crowds had a talisman to take away the pain. He didn't just beat defenders - he toyed with and tormented them.

Best was the direct heir of those tragic Babes - Roger Byrne, Tommy Taylor, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Geoff Bent, Eddie Colman, Billy Whelan and, of course, Duncan Edwards. And, incredibly, he was better than any of them.

But therein lay the crux of the Best problem. The expectancy, the pressures on him to perform at such a sustained level of greatness were so huge. He was, said the sportswriter David Miller, "fantasy brought to life." Yet those hopes were embodied in a character totally unsuited to deal with the demands on him. He was wayward and weak. And, in the end, the demons would win.

But at this point, in the spring of 1964, the glory years of vintage Best were emerging. United went so close to honours that season. They finished second in the League, reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup in their first season back in Europe since Munich.

In all three competitions, United had finished second best only to the eventual winners and in 1964-65 it would come right.

They played some fabulous football that season, inflicting a 7-0 defeat on Aston Villa and a 10-1 aggregate hammering of Borussia Dortmund in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (forerunner of today's UEFA Cup). Dortmund were no mugs. They won the West German cup that year and the European Cup Winners' Cup the following season.

United won the League Championship and were back in the European Cup. By now Best had become the first showbusiness footballer. He was receiving 1,000 fan mail letters a week. He was dubbed "the fifth Beatle" because, in the days when players had short hair, his mop resembled those of the pop group. The boutiques, modelling assignments and personal appearances business was booming for Best.

It took its toll. United's early season form was poor. After eight League games, they had scored just eight goals. These were the days of attacking football, when big scores were not unusual, and United's total was the second lowest in the division. Best was dropped.

He missed United's comeback match in the European Cup against the minnows HJK Helsinki. United squeaked the first leg away 3-2. Best was reinstated for the home leg. But the man who had replaced him on the left wing, John Aston, kept his place. Best would play at inside right.

As if he needed to prove something, Best had a blinder. This was the stage he needed. The glamour of the European Cup. He scored twice, one of them a beauty as he glided through the Helsinki defence. United won 7-0. They were on their way.

A 7-1 aggregate victory over ASK Voerwaerts followed next before a clash with mighty Benfica in the quarter-finals. United won the first leg 3-2 at Old Trafford, but would it be enough to take to Portugal? Benfica had never been beaten in 19 European Cup matches in the Stadium of Light yet United, in one of their best performances, were to clip the wings of the Eagles of Lisbon.

The final score was 5-1. It was a shattering defeat for Benfica. Their star player Eusebio was in his prime and he had been presented with the European Footballer of the Year trophy just before the kick-off.

Busby's instructions had been to keep it tight for the first 15 minutes and see how things went. With just 12 minutes gone, Best had scored twice - once with a header, and the second a moment of magic as he beat three men before shooting past the goalkeeper.

Afterwards, Busby turned to Best and said wryly: "You obviously weren't listening."

The semi-final marked a return to Belgrade to play Partizan in the first leg. United went down 2-0, Best injured a knee and missed the rest of the season. His team-mates won the home leg 1-0, but the adventure was over for another year. United finished fourth in Division One. Busby's dream of winning the European Cup would have to wait.

The summer of 1966 was dominated by England's success in the World Cup. For Best, however, it was a period of recovery after having a cartilage operation. The rest did him good. On the opening day of the season against West Brom, Best, now on the right wing, scored in the first minute. He was back.

With no Europe to distract them, United won the title in style, wrapping up the Championship with a 6-1 drubbing of West Ham. Everything was set for the all-important assault on the European Cup and this would be the year that dreams came true.

First, however, United undertook a remarkable overseas tour. It began in May in Los Angeles, went on to New Zealand, and finished at the end of June in Western Australia. It was an extraordinary preparation for a season that would begin in just six weeks time.

Significantly, one of those tour matches was against Benfica. United lost 3-1.

United beat Hibernian Valletta of Malta and FC Sarajevo of Yugoslavia in the first two rounds of the European Cup before meeting Gornik Zabrze of Poland in the quarter-finals. They took a 2-0 lead from the first leg to Poland where they had to play on a snow covered pitch. It continued to snow during the match and United went down 1-0. But they were through to the semis where they would face Real Madrid. Busby told journalists: " I feel this is our year."

United held only a fragile 1-0 lead as they went to the Bernabeau for the second leg against Real. Law was out with an injury and by half-time United were 3-1 down. It seemed as if the dream was dying again.

Somehow United stuck to the task and miraculously came away with a 3-3 draw. At last, they had reached the European Cup Final.

The night of May 29 at Wembley was to be the fulfillment of United's prized ambition. The Red Devils of Manchester against the Red Devils of Lisbon . . the old foes, Eusebio's Benfica.

Benfica were vastly experienced. They had played 52 European Cup ties, winning 29. United had played 32 and won 20. Benfica, who had already won the trophy twice, were appearing in their fifth European Cup Final in eight years. It was United's first. And in Eusebio, Benfica had the second highest goalscorer of all time in the competition with 36, topped only by the peerless Di Stefano of Real Madrid with 49.

Just after half-time, Bobby Charlton put United in front with a rare header. There were only nine minutes to the final whistle when United's defence left Graca unmarked and he stunned the crowd with an equaliser. United were tiring, Benfica coming on strong. With time running out, Eusebio twice had good chances to grab the glory. Each time he was foiled by Alex Stepney in goal. Benfica were overunning United and looked certain to get the winner. Then the whistle went. United had the chance to regroup before extra time.

It was then that Best took the game by the scruff of the neck. He received the ball with his back to goal. He drifted past his marker with a characteristic swivel, ghosted past the goalkeeper and struck the ball home. Sheer magic.

"I used to dream about taking the ball round the keeper, stopping it on the line and then getting on my hands and knees and heading it into the net," Best said later. "When I scored against Benfica in the European Cup Final I nearly did it. I left the keeper for dead, but then I chickened out. I might have given the boss a heart attack."

Brian Kidd, United's present-day assistant manager, headed the third goal and Charlton, United's captain and link with the team of Munich, scored the last for a crushing 4-1 triumph.

United, and Best, however, had reached their pinnacle. Best was voted European Footballer of the Year, but within twelve months the cracks were appearing.

Best was sent off for fighting in the World Clubs Cup against the South American champions Estudiantes of Argentina. United's League form was poor and they finished the 1968-69 season in eleventh place. They got as far as the semi-finals in the European Cup, but at the end of the season, Busby retired.

His successor as team manager was Wilf McGuinness, an Old Trafford veteran who had been in charge of the youth team. He didn't last long before Frank O'Farrell took over.

Best began to drift. Even the great Sir Matt had his problems with him, but the other managers just could not control him. Best began to drink more and missed out on training. He was on the slippery slope.

There were still magical days, however, when he achieved the seemingly impossible. Such as an FA Cup fifth round tie at Northampton in the winter of 1970. Best was returning after suspension and gave a complete exhibition of his unique skills. United won 8-2. Best scored six of them!

Such days were becoming rarer, however. More usually, Best was the subject of newspaper headlines featuring some drunken binge. By the end of that season it was over. He was only 25.

What followed was an extraordinary and speedy descent. He briefly re-appeared for United in 1973, but now he hawked his God-given talent to some distant outposts of the game. The genius that was Best turned out for Stockport County, Bournemouth, Fulham, Hibernian, Los Angeles Aztecs, Cork Celtic, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, San Jose Earthquakes, Dunstable Town, Brisbane Lions and Ford Open Prison.

That last team acquired his services courtesy of a drink-driving conviction and assault on a policeman.

Best's explanations are interesting. Whatever he lacked in self-discipline, he was never less than honest with himself. "I was born with a great gift," he said, "and sometimes with that comes a destructive streak.

"Just as I wanted to outdo everyone when I played, I had to outdo everyone when we were out on the town."

He once admitted that, when playing in America, he was living in a house by the sea. But as he had to pass a bar to get to the beach he never actually made it to the water.

And as Tommy Docherty said: "George was a fantastic player and he would have been even better if he'd been able to pass nightclubs the way he passed the ball."

Perhaps he never really matured. His former wife Angie, mother of his son Calum, said she couldn't look after two babies, so the older one had to go. Almost 25 years after his star burnt out, Best was voted the greatest British sportsman of all time by a panel of 1,000 journalists and sports personalities.

The irony is, as Michael Parkinson said, that "the only tragedy George Best has to confront is that he will never know how good he could have been."



Speler uit mijn top-5 ever lijstje. Net als Garrincha mijn nummer één slachtoffer van zichzelf, slachtoffer van de drank er overheen.

George Best ligt momenteel op de intensive care. Z'n nieren zijn beschadigd door de medicijnen die hij nam om z'n lever te herstellen. Hij bleef maar drinken. Ik heb het geluk gehad hem te zien spelen.
Een kruising van de techniek van Zidane en de snelheid van Owen. Unieke speler. De eerste rock 'n ' roller tussen de voetballers.




[ Bericht 0% gewijzigd door tong80 op 04-10-2005 19:09:07 ]

Een aanrader.

Kick

quote:

Op donderdag 6 oktober 2005 23:24 schreef heinl het volgende:
_{tvp, op school ofzo maar eens de op lezen}

Moet je echt doen.

Ja het gaat niet goed met één van de beste tien voetballers van de wereld ooit.

Bliksem weet je hoe goed ie was ?

We duimen voor hem.

Jeetje Golfert. Mooie foto.

Digger

Mooi eerbetoon aan hem bij de BBC vanmiddag.

Ik las het bij CNN

Zou ie weer gedronken hebben ?

SOCCER legend George Best lay dying in his hospital bed last night...and warned other not to make the same mistakes as him.

Brave Best, 59, asked for harrowing picture of his alcohol-wrecked body to be published in the News of the World (see today's paper) saying: "I hope that my plight will act as a warning to others."

He was painfully thin, with a deathly yellow pallor and his his sunken eyes are glazed with tears of regret.

Tubes led in and out of a bloodied and bruised skeletal body ravaged by the effects of a lifetime of boozing.

Last night, as the former Manchester United star battled a severe lung infection, his tearful friend Phil Hughes told us: "George could never beat his drink problem, but he told me, ‘I hope my plight can act as a warning to others'.

"He has lost so much weight he looks like a broken sparrow. He's shrunk from over 12 stone to barely seven stone and is just skin and bone.

"Taking the pictures was the most harrowing thing I have ever had to do. I have been friends with George for 25 years and been with him through all the great times and very bad times.

"But George wanted me to take the pictures as a warning to others about the dangers of excess drinking. And having discussed it with his family, they agreed to allow it to be published in the News of the World."

Shattered Phil's voice cracked with emotion as he described the heart-rending hours of deterioration leading up to George's admission into intensive care where he is on a life support machine.

"He looked terrible and was struggling so much to talk I had to get a speech therapist to help me understand him," said Phil, 45.

"His skin had started to turn yellow because his liver wasn't functioning properly. He had a catheter attached to his neck for the drugs they were putting into him.

"He was still struggling to eat even a spoonful of porridge and they were feeding him high protein supplements through his nose.

On Friday morning, Phil received a phone call from West London's private Cromwell hospital saying that George's condition had worsened. He was asked to see the doctors along with George's son Calum and his girlfriend Ros Hollidge.

"George was really struggling for breath but pleased to see us," said Phil. "Me and Ros got there first and tried to comfort him.

"We told him everything was going to be OK and the doctor and a senior nurse told us they were going to have to move him back into intensive care.

"George nodded and said, ‘Do it.' He remained so strong. But I felt like I was falling apart and Ros broke down.

"Ros kept kissing George on the cheeks as tears rolled down her face and told him everything would be OK.

"But we both feared the worst as the porters wheeled George away on his bed. When Calum go there he broke down in tears.

"I then went to intensive care with Ros and Calum and we all stood by George's bedside and told him how much we loved him.

"He squeezed my hand. He knew we were there for him. But his eyes looked blank, as though he didn't know what was happening.

"After they settled George at 6pm, one of the doctors came out to us and said, ‘The next two hours are critical'. He said the last thing thing they wanted to do was put him back on a ventilator because he would slip into a coma and possibly wouldn't come around.

"I phoned George's sister Barbara in Belfast and she asked if there was a need for her to come over and I said, ‘I think you should.'

"Those crucial two hours came and went and George was still there fighting. Yet his breathing was so bad they had to put him on a ventilator.

"It was such a huge blow after him battling back from the first infection he had and getting out of intensive care. We were all so hopeful for him then."

Last night George's sisters Barbara and Carole were at his side along with George's brothers-in-law, Norman and Alan, and his brother Ian. Other family members were also said to be flying in.

Professor Roger Williams—who oversaw Best's 2002 liver transplant and has treated him ever since—said the star had been put back on dialysis for his failing kidneys as well as being given oxygen for breathing.

Best was admitted to hospital on October 2 suffering from flu-like symptoms. He had a chest infection which had spread to his kidneys and other organs.

Best's former wife Alex, 33 said she was "devastated" by this latest grave setback.

Ik zag net de foto op tv.Heartbreaking.Kan hem niet vinden op het net.

Ik zie het Erasmusch m'n video loopt.


Altijd mooi in dat programma hoe ze oude helden blijven verteren/herdenken.

Ja Golfert. Dat wordt één van de eerste genieën van onze generatie die zal overlijden.

Geleden zegt ie nu zelf

Mewdelijden is wat anders als een triest gevoel bij een genie die zichelf tengronde heeft gericht.

Ja geniën zijn onpeilbaar Gunner. Curt Cobain en Jim Morrison haalden de 28 jaar niet eens.

Jeetje, wat een triest einde.

quote:

Op donderdag 24 november 2005 20:03 schreef Gunner het volgende:
hey tong, zo kan ik ook 130.000+ posts halen. nooit van de edit knop gehoord?

Lul niet man.Dit is als eerbetoon. Ga ergens anders lopen zeiken.

UNITED boss Sir Alex Ferguson paid tribute to George Best and admitted: "He has left us with a million memories, all of them good ones."

Ferguson put into words the feeling of all football fans at the death of the legendary United and Northern Ireland winger.

He said: "At this moment I just think of him as a player. It's those moments we will relish.

"My own particular memory of him is playing against Scotland at Windsor Park. Tommy Gemmill was one of the best full-backs in the world at the time George gave him the mother and father of all chasings. I will always remember that particular day.

"He was such a special player, a phenomenal player and I think I speak for everyone associated with Manchester United when I say he has left us with a million memories, all of them good ones."

The United chief added: "Some people are just born with a craft and leave an indelible mark on people's lives. The thing I remember, apart from his talent, was his courage.

"I can see him flying down the wing riding tackles from people like Ron Harris, Tommy Smith and Norman Hunter.

"They were serious guys - you didn't mess with them - and it was a time when you needed to be struck down by a tomahawk just to get booked, yet he rode all that.

"Every time he went down he got up again and just said 'Give me the ball'. That will stick in my mind forever."

United will ask West Ham to observe a minute's silence on Sunday.

A statement from United read: "George Best was one of the greatest footballers of all time.

"Naturally athletic, tough, confident and blessed with genius, his career was one of the brightest stars of its generation. His gifts were legendary.

"For the goals, the audacious dribbles and all the wonderful memories, Manchester United and its legions of fans worldwide will always be grateful.

"We feel a deep sense of loss but his spirit and his talent will live on forever."

Sir Bobby Charlton, a director at Old Trafford and a team-mate of Best's during his time at the club, said: "Manchester United's glorious history has been created by people like George Best.

"Anyone that witnessed what George could do on the pitch wished they could do the same. He made an immense contribution to the game, and enriched the lives of everyone that saw him play. It is a very sad day.

"Football has lost one of its greats, and I have lost a dear friend. He was a marvellous person and my thoughts are now with his family."

The club will open a book of condolence tomorrow morning at Old Trafford.

Birmingham boss ex-United captain Steve Bruce was among the first to pay tribute to George Best.

He said: "It is very sad. When you speak to people in Manchester, when they talk of the great players - and in my era it was Beckenbauer, Pele, Cruyff - then George Best always seems to come into the equation.

"In a lot of people's eyes he was the greatest British player ever. I remember Brian Kidd telling me repeatedly that he was on a different level to everyone else.

"If you look at his record at Manchester United, it is incredible. I think he scored 200 odd goals in 400 odd games. He was quite an unbelievable talent. It's an absolute shame, a tragedy."

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes the world did not see the best of Best.

He said: "I have not great [memories] of Best at that time, as I did not have access to TV. But I saw flashes and read a lot about him when I was a kid.

"What is amazing when you look back is that he stopped at 28.

"The best years of his career should have come from 28 to 32.

"You can't believe a player in the world stopping now - it would be like Thierry [Henry] stopping now."

Charlton boss Alan Curbishley was glad he had seen Best play.

He said: "There are a lot of people out there who know George Best in name only and would never have seen him.

"I know there is a lot of publicity surrounding him over the reason why he was ill, but football people know what he was about and those of us who were lucky enough to see him would know a little bit more.

"People like George Best, with ability like that, come along once upon a time - and we were lucky enough to see him and not a lot of people can say that.

"George Best was one of the greatest players ever seen."

Ex-England captain and Motherwell manager Terry Butcher described Best as a "footballing genius".

He said: "He is a true legend. He was a genius and all the great words you can think of apply to George.

"He was a footballing genius, a real world-class superstar.

"When you see those words mentioned these days they are somewhat diluted and take something from the greats like George.

"He was adored by other fans and people and will always be remembered."

Spurs coach Martin Jol added: "I thought he was one of the players in Europe who was special. He was a player who could beat three or four people and he was one of the best dribblers in the game.

"It is a big loss for British football. You would have liked to have seen a bit more of him. I mean Johan Cruyff played until he was 37 and even new generations knew him.

"Georgie Best was at his peak when he was 25 or 26 and then the problems started. I was at a testimonial match maybe 10 years ago at QPR and he played in that and he was still fine.

"You never lose your talent if you are that talented. It is about special talent and time on the ball and you can't train that, it is a gift of God and there's only a few players like that."


Dag Georgie.

Ik herinner me nog de WK-kwalificatiewedstrijd Nederland - Noord Ierland in de Kuip in 1976. Het was toen Cruijff tegen Best. Het werd 2-2 maar Best was de beste man van het veld. En kleine Tong had er een held bij.

Verdomme alle zenders behalve Ned-1 2 en 3 liggen hier eruit.

quote:

Op vrijdag 25 november 2005 16:44 schreef tong80 het volgende:
Ik herinner me nog de WK-kwalificatiewedstrijd Nederland - Noord Ierland in de Kuip in 1976. Het was toen Cruijff tegen Best. Het werd 2-2 maar Best was de beste man van het veld. En kleine Tong had er een held bij.

Bij Studio Sport zeiden ze net hetzelfde.

Idd Arcee tegenwoordig staan alle voetballers in de Privé. Hij was de eerste Beckham onder de voetballers. Maar laten we het over zijn voetbalkwaliteiten hebben. Hij was uniek als dribbelaar. Pele noemde hem de beste van z'n generatie. Hij staat bij veel kenners bij de top tien aller tijden.

Was mooi om te zien deze docu.

De muziek maakte het helemaal af

Schitterende beelden gisteren, ik hield het niet droog.

Wanneer is nu precies de begrafenis, ik lees twee dingen ook dat er zaterdag een ceremony is.

De BBC zal er wel rechtsstreeks bij zijn.

Stormont funeral for George Best

Thousands are expected to attend George Best's funeral
Football legend George Best is to be buried in Belfast on Saturday after a funeral service at Stormont.
It is expected to be one of the biggest funerals ever seen in Northern Ireland, with thousands of people expected to line the route to Parliament Buildings.

NI secretary Peter Hain agreed Stormont should be made available after an approach by the Best family.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and the club's chief executive David Gill will attend the funeral.

Best's agent Phil Hughes said he would fly to the city with the former NI international's body on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, NI Sports Minister David Hanson has said he has not ruled out calling the proposed new Northern Ireland sports stadium after George Best.

Mr Hanson said it would take time before a final decision would be made but he said it was important that Best was remembered in an appropriate way.

The funeral cortege will leave the Best family home in the Cregagh area of east Belfast at 1000 GMT on Saturday. It will then go along a three mile route through east Belfast to Stormont.

Once there, it is thought there will then be a mixture of a public and private ceremony for the world famous footballer.


It is expected to take place in the Great Hall inside Parliament Buildings and be relayed to those outside by a public address system.


Funeral service will take place at Parliament Buildings


Many sporting stars, including team mates from Manchester United's European Cup winning side of 1968, together with current representatives of the club, are expected to attend.


DUP East Belfast MP Peter Robinson said Stormont was chosen because the size of the estate would allow the public to take part in the service.


After the service, the cortege will go to Roselawn Cemetery where Best will be buried beside his mother.

There will then be a gathering for family and friends of the famous player at a Belfast hotel.

There are to be other memorials too, the 60s singer Don Fardon hopes a re-release of his 1972 song Belfast Boy can become the Christmas number one.

"Whatever they decide to do, whether they decide to erect a stature, wherever, whatever the proceeds of the record are I shall make a decent contribution towards that," he said.

Prayers were said on Sunday in churches across Northern Ireland, after Best, who had been ill with a serious lung infection since October, died on Friday.

Manchester United players and fans were among those paying tribute to the footballer ahead of their first match since his death.


There was a minute of applause before their game against West Ham. His former United team-mate Sir Bobby Charlton thanked them for showing respect.

On Saturday, a minute's silence was held at Irish League matches in honour of the east Belfast man.

The Irish rugby team wore black armbands for their match against Romania in Dublin as a mark of respect.

Hundreds of people also queued to sign a book of condolence for the former star at Belfast City Hall.


Fans have been leaving tributes outside Best's boyhood home

Floral tributes have been left at the Best family home on the Cregagh estate in the east of the city and flags are flying at half-mast in the borough of Castlereagh.

Best was made a Freeman of the Borough in 2002.

The CIS Cup Final between Glentoran and Linfield scheduled for next Saturday has been put back to 10 December because of the funeral

Mooi verhaal. Ik herinner me die wedstrijd nog goed, hij was idd weergaloos goed op dat moment.

Ik moest even slikken nadat z'n zoon dat gedicht voor had gelezen.

quote:

Op zaterdag 3 december 2005 12:25 schreef Royal_Flush het volgende:
Staan gewoon 'n half miljoen(!) mensen langs de kant.Dat zegt toch genoeg.....

Dat is 1/3de van de totale Noord-Ierse bevolking

En weer moest ik slikken. Het gedicht was trouwens niet van de zoon zelf, maar een vrouwelijke fan had gevraagd of ie het voor wilde lezen.