The Hindu : Sport / Football : George Best is no more

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Saturday, Nov 26, 2005

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George Best is no more

LONDON : George Best, the dazzling soccer icon of the 1960s and 70s who revelled in a hard-drinking playboy lifestyle, died on Friday after decades of alcohol abuse, hospital officials said. He was 59.

"After a long and very vigilant fight, Mr. George Best died this afternoon in the intensive care unit at Cromwell Hospital," the hospital in London's west said in a statement. He was put on life support on Saturday, and his condition deteriorated sharply Thursday.

Best played 37 times for Northern Ireland, which was never able to qualify for the World Cup during his international career that spanned 13 years from 1964 to 1977.

Regarded by many as the greatest player to come from the British Isles, he was a member of Manchester United's European Cup winning team in 1968, the year he was named European Footballer of the Year. He scored 180 goals in 465 appearances over 12 years for United.

He also played in the North American Soccer League, scoring 54 goals in 139 games for the Los Angeles Aztecs, Fort Lauderdale Strikers and San Jose Earthquakes.

Despite the lack of international success, he was the first footballer to attract a worldwide following because of his good looks, his mercurial talent and the fact he played for a team that was an integral part of the Swinging Sixties. — Agencies

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