World footballing legend George Best has died today, at the age of 59. He had been fighting with major illness for the past two months, and the former Manchester United and Fulham FC striker finally lost his battle for life, and died in hospital in West London at 12.55pm GMT on Friday.

George Best, born May 22, 1946 – Died 25th November 2005, was a former Northern Irish International footballer, who is mainly remembered for his time with Manchester United F.C. and widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

Best played for Manchester United between 1963 and 1974, with whom he won the the Football League Championship twice, in 1965 and 1967, and the European Cup in 1968. The same year, he was named European Footballer of the Year, and the Football Writers' Association Player of the Year.

He made a total of 466 appearances for Manchester United in all competitions, scoring 178 goals, including six in one game against Northampton Town. In 1974, the 27-year-old Best was sacked by Manchester United for his excessive drinking and persistent failure to attend training sessions and matches.

Over the next decade, Best drifted between several different football clubs. He travelled to the USA to play with the Los Angeles Aztecs returned to England for a spell in London at Fulham FC, played for Stockport County and Dunstable Town, and played north of the border with Hibernian. He returned to the USA to play with Fort Lauderdale and the San Jose Earthquakes, before finally returning to Britain to play with Bournemouth until he retired from the game in 1983 at the age of 37.

He was capped 37 times for Northern Ireland, scoring nine goals. He played mainly as a winger and was known for his astonishing dribbling skills, and pin-point passing.

Best has often been called the most naturally gifted player from the British Isles, eclipsed only by Pelé and Diego Maradona on the all time world stage. Maradona himself has frequently named George Best as his all-time favourite player, and with Pelé once saying that George Best was the best player he ever saw on the football field.

His talent might have been recognised more on the world stage had his National team (Northern Ireland) not been relative "minnows" on the world stage, having failed to qualify for any World Cup finals while Best was a player.

Although he never played in the World Cup finals, his influence in the world of football was massive, and we mourn the loss of one of the most naturally gifted football players ever to have graced the pitch. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

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