As we are about to begin the mayhem and uber expenses of the World Cup in order to finance Trump’s next FIFA gold “Peace Wanker of the Universe” award, I am reminded of gentler times when both fans and players came from humbler origins. Back in the early sixties I was a student at Manchester Art School and a big fan of Manchester United. Then came the Swinging Sixties, along with Georgie Best, long regarded as the world’s most naturally talented player, who also became something almost unheard of at the time, a footballer who was as famous for his lifestyle as for his performances on the pitch at Old Trafford.
With his long hair, movie-star looks, and unmatched, always attacking style of play, the press treated him more like a rock star than an athlete. After United won the European Cup in 1968, his fame exploded. Hanging out with models, entertainers and socialites he was frequently photographed in fashionable clubs and restaurants.
Before Georgie, footballers were generally expected to be modest working-class professionals. Many later football celebrities —from Beckham to Ronaldo — followed the path that Best pioneered. However, his glamorous lifestyle came with a downside. He was a notorious piss artist, reputed to be drinking six bottles of wine every fucking day! I once saw him in a Manchester late night drinking club at two AM one early Saturday morning. He was with two good-looking birds and so drunk he could hardly stand up. Twelve hours later I watched him score a hat trick at Old Trafford!
It all eventually caught up with him and after years of heavy alcohol consumption his liver was fucked and he developed advanced liver disease. In July 2002, he received a liver transplant but his health deteriorated in the years following and he died on November 25, 2005, at age 59. When asked about his drinking, he replied “I am not an alcoholic. I am a drunk. Alcoholics go to meetings.” In another interview when he was asked what happened to all the money he had earned, he answered, “I spent a lot of money on booze, girls and fast cars. The rest I just pissed away.” He should have switched to a career in advertising!
