# George Best

All time

‘The only time I got near George Best was in the queue for the jacks’

How do you stop the best players on the planet weaving their magic? Garry Doyle spoke to the men who got up close and personal with George Best, Pele, Maradona, Rory McIlroy and Jonah Lomu.

20.3k

Jun 4th 2020, 12:00 PM

# best pals

George and Me: 'I owe him a great deal and couldn't pay him back over two lifetimes'

Bobby McAlinden first met George Best when they were both fifteen. They became team-mates, business partners and lifelong friends.

59.3k

Apr 5th 2020, 9:45 PM

# memory lane

John Dempsey: The King’s Road, Steve McQueen, and Chelsea and Ireland in the 1970s

Born in London to Irish parents, Dempsey was a member of the first Chelsea team to win the FA Cup, but found success harder to come by with Ireland.

16.6k

Jan 19th 2020, 10:00 AM

# Interview

'I was 13 or 14. I was growing up seeing all these people taking heroin and dying from it'

Ireland legend Olivia O’Toole reflects on her career and discusses the future of football in the country.

34.4k

Jun 9th 2019, 7:00 AM

# Legend

Photos: George Best statue unveiled in Belfast

Hundreds turned out for the unveiling of the statue for the Man Utd and Northern Ireland legend yesterday.

21.3k

May 23rd 2019, 9:03 AM

# rock 'n' roll soccer

'I was an apprentice down the shipyard so it was just a privilege to be on the same field': Cruyff and the Irishman

How Bill Irwin from the Ards Peninsula in County Down ended up playing with and against football’s biggest stars.

22.4k

Feb 28th 2019, 10:36 PM

# Red all over

George Best's chaos, his Cork boss and a club in crisis: when United last faced Huddersfield

The sides meet this weekend for the first time since March 1972.

18.5k

Oct 21st 2017, 1:00 AM

# column

Northern success always presents us in the south with a dilemma

Tommy Martin on Brexit, the Irish Open and how sport in Ireland is best served by the softest of borders.

18.9k

Jul 7th 2017, 12:08 PM

# George Best

'When I saw the tears in Busby's eyes, I realised the depth of their relationship and what George turned away'

Inside ‘George Best: All By Himself,’ an extraordinary, sobering look at the life and times of George Best.

24.7k

Feb 18th 2017, 7:10 AM

# The Belfast Boy

Trailer released for new George Best film set for Irish premiere this month

George Best: All By Himself hits cinemas on 24 February after screenings at the Dublin and Belfast Film Festivals.

7.3k

Feb 3rd 2017, 10:43 AM

# Interview

‘It’s a shame in life when a person looks at the colour of your skin and doesn’t like you’

Former West Ham star Clyde Best chats to The42 about being one of the first high-profile black footballers to play in the English top flight.

14.4k

Dec 26th 2016, 11:55 AM

# Legend

‘You start thinking about Best in a different way because you’re forced to look at him’

A lost film about the Manchester legend is showing in the IFI in Dublin tonight.

21.0k

Nov 6th 2016, 8:00 AM

# good reads

Tyrone's answer to George Best and the world's best gambler: the week's best sportswriting

Get yourself a cup of tea and make yourself comfortable, we’ve got some cracking articles just a click away.

10.0k

May 22nd 2016, 10:30 AM

# Anniversary

George Best's first TV interview: 'I've saved up about £700 and I'm hoping to get a car soon'

In 1964, the teenager had just made his debut for Manchester United and was on the cusp of super-stardom.

15.1k

Nov 25th 2015, 3:43 PM

# Anniversary

17 of the most memorable George Best quotes

It’s 10 years today since the United legend’s death.

178k

Nov 25th 2015, 8:40 AM

# Anniversary

'He hugged me, kissed me on the cheek and said 'Ken, it's great to see you''

Former Irish underage international Ken Fogarty played alongside and against George Best during the glory days of the NASL.

21.4k

Nov 25th 2015, 7:30 AM

# george who?

Man United 'fan' of 30 years appears on Soccer AM and has no idea who George Best is

But he instantly recognised Karel Poborsky.

17.0k

Nov 24th 2015, 7:35 PM

# Simply the Best

'Messi is probably the most similar psychologically to Best in how he reads the game'

Matthew Nolan says only one player could star in a movie similar to the ‘lost’ George Best one.

4.9k

Nov 24th 2015, 3:56 PM

# filthy

This George Best-esque Wrexham AFC goal from the lower leagues has just made our Sunday

Dom Vose slalomed his way past half of the Gateshead team before firing to the net.

8.7k

Nov 15th 2015, 5:07 PM

# Looking Back

A long lost George Best art film is being revived later this month

A new Irish score is set to be performed for the first time at the event.

4.0k

Nov 13th 2015, 5:11 PM

# Opinion

There's no room for 2 Irish legends in Juan Mata's all-time Man United XI

Eric Cantona, Bobby Charlton and Peter Schmeichel make the cut, however.

10.7k

Sep 18th 2015, 2:41 PM

# Stars

13 past big-name footballers who once played in the League of Ireland

Following Damien Duff’s move to Shamrock Rovers this week, we recall other big-name players who have played in the LOI.

11.3k

Jul 15th 2015, 9:00 PM

# Anniversary

It's 50 years since a teenage George Best and Man United took English football by storm

The late Northern Irishman’s 10 goals in 41 league appearances helped inspire the club’s title triumph.

3.4k

Apr 28th 2015, 1:02 PM

# Trivia

Quiz: How big a Manchester United fan are you?

Do you know the club inside-out like Alex Ferguson or are you as clueless as Robinho?

57.0k

Sep 12th 2014, 7:32 AM

# essential reading

George Best's time in Cork and the Louis Van Gaal dossier; the week's best sportswriting

Also, how Ferguson’s high school American football team are coping amidst the chaos.

4.8k

Aug 24th 2014, 7:20 AM

# good reads

27 sports books to spend your Christmas vouchers on

Featuring Jonny Sexton, George Best, Owen Mulligan and much more…

15.0k

Dec 25th 2013, 12:00 PM

# East Belfast

UVF mural with Martin Luther King quote replaces George Best tribute

Work on the painting was suspended earlier this month after community leaders intervened, but it has since been completed.

13.8k

Sep 24th 2013, 4:31 PM

# saffrons

22 signs that you’re an Antrim sports fan

Now with added AP McCoy and Willie John McBride.

10.0k

Jul 14th 2013, 9:35 PM

# conjecture

Opinion: David Beckham may have been a limited footballer, but he was still a credit to his sport

After the former Manchester United star announced his decision to retire yesterday, we assess his legacy.

3.8k

May 17th 2013, 9:00 AM

# George Best

Want to stay in George Best's childhood home?

The house that George Best grew up in is after being turned into a holiday home in Belfast.

3.4k

Aug 1st 2012, 6:30 AM

Good Morning

The 9 at 9 Good morning…here’s nine things to know today.

7.0k

Jul 31st 2012, 8:33 AM

Voices

Column: Youth drinking problem? Perhaps we should look at ourselves…

The Phoenix Park concert has highlighted the problem of young people and alcohol, writes Fiona Ryan – but the problems caused by parental drinking go largely unremarked.

Jul 12th 2012, 7:00 AM

Calls for all Ireland soccer team at Sinn Féin Ard Fheis

As the Republic of Ireland head for Euro 2012, there was plenty of support for the merging of Trap’s men with Northern Ireland at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis in Kerry yesterday.

4.9k

May 27th 2012, 7:45 AM

# Golazos

Going it alone: 10 of the best ever solo goals

There’s no ‘i’ in ‘team’, but there are plenty in ‘individual brilliance’.

1.3k

Apr 10th 2012, 10:00 PM

# Well read

The Sports Pages: some of the week’s best sportswriting

Joe DiMaggio, Dan Wheldon, the beauty of football and a real-life answer to The Wrestler: it’s an extra-special, double edition of our weekly round-up.

564

Oct 23rd 2011, 9:30 AM