An excerpt from the book 'Excursions in my mind' (Athena Press, 2008)

Football legend George Best of Northern Ireland and Manchester United died on 25th November 2005, at the age of fifty-nine. I must confess that I hadn’t heard of him until I got to UK for my studies. In the few months between my arrival in September 2005 and his death, there was so much about him in the news, especially as his problems with alcohol lead to his hospitalisation. The entire British population followed each visit to the hospital with a lot of trepidation for his fate.

George Best is touted as one of the best footballers of all time, mentioned in the same breath with Pele and Maradona.

George Best was discovered by Manchester United scout, Bob Bishop, at a very early age of 15. Bob subsequently sent United's manager Sir Matt Busby a famous telegram, "I think I've found you a genius".

Best then joined Manchester United in 1961 and turned professional in 1963 in his debut game against West Bromwich. He scored for United in his second appearance. He went on to play 466 games for United between 1963 and 1973, scoring 178 goals. With Sir Bobby Charlton and Denis Law, forming a famous attacking trio, Best helped United to league championships in 1965 and 1967, and the European Cup in 1968, scoring in the final match. In that year, Best was awarded the European player of the year at the age of twenty-two. George won thirty-seven caps with Northern Ireland, scoring nine goals. He, however, walked out on United in 1974, aged only twenty-eight!

Maradona himself has frequently named Best as his all-time favourite player. Pelé once stated that George Best was the best player he ever saw play and named him as one of the 125 best living footballers in his 2004 FIFA 100 list.

Off the field, George was known for his playboy lifestyle. According to the BBC, George Best will be remembered for two things: on the pitch – for his dazzling skills; off the pitch – for his champagne lifestyle. His lifestyle degenerated into alcoholism, bankruptcy, a prison sentence in 1984 (for drunk-driving, spending Christmas in prison) and eventually a liver transplant. In 1994, he infamously appeared on a live-chat show drunk! In 1998, he had to leave the Chelsea flat he had lived in for the previous thirteen (13) years, £70,000 in mortgage arrears. In his autobiography, Blessed, Best acknowledges his difficulties with alcohol, describing it as the only opponent he was unable to beat.

In his own words, he spent 90% of his money on women, drink and fast cars; the rest he wasted. A hotel waiter, seeing Best once in a sorry state, was reported to have exclaimed, "Mr Best, where did it all go wrong?" But it was only some years later that Best observed: "Perhaps he saw something in me that I didn't."

In the many tributes that have flowed since the death of this football legend, people have talked about his football, of course (!), but I have been more interested in the tributes about his personality, stripped of the alcoholism and the “champagne lifestyle”. Those who had personal contact with him talk of his humility, and the fact that despite his fame, he could really go an extra mile to talk with people and make them feel at ease. A lady who was his barber wrote about the day George Best came to her charity event, a promise she never thought he would keep.

Best’s team mate, Sir Bobby Charlton, commenting after his death, said: “We at Manchester United have learned from our experiences with Eric Cantona, we had to treat him differently, make allowances. If, instead of being hostile to George, which I was, we had learned a bit his way and tried to help him, who knows?”

I lost my big brother, Nana Damoah (as we called him at home) in August 2005, aged forty-one. Zibo (his nickname) was both an interesting and irritating fellow! He was a smart guy who could trick you into giving him your last dime! The family had issues with him, we thought he should take life more seriously! His usual response was “Life begins at forty!” When I was in Secondary school form three in 1988, he took my 1,200 cedis, and never paid back! We laughed over it in later years, but I guess it taught me to be wary of him! There were other personal issues I can’t discuss. However, Zibo was one of the most affable and generous guys I have ever met. When he had money, he could buy drinks and goodies for all his friends and just blow the money! He loved his siblings and friends and went the extra mile for us. However, his siblings (including me) dwelt more on his failings more than his strengths. At his funeral, I wept because I thought I hadn’t made enough allowances for him. Where is he now for me to do that?

I wish that my Daddy would stop smoking, for instance. I have prayed for many years that he comes to a saving knowledge of Christ. I wish many things could be transformed. But any of my friends who have seen and talked to my Dad would testify that he is a great guy, a really warm fellow. He is called Bombay in my holy village, by all and sundry, including his grand-children! I choose to dwell on his strengths and enjoy him whilst he is here with me. I choose to love him for who he is and be there for him, regardless. He is my Daddy and I love him.

We have a tendency to dwell on the ‘dark’ sides of the people, especially those who are tagged by society as ‘bad nuts’. But a God who will create a totally and perfectly bad human being is not like the God I serve. Every person has a good side. The problem is that we don’t search hard enough.

The lesson of George Best’s life is a lesson for me, and for you, I hope. I choose to dwell on the fun and love he brought to his fans and those who knew him personally. Life is passing by and we should not look back and say, “If only I had been good to him/her.” The time to dwell on the greener side of the mountain is now, the time to relate with people through the lens of their strengths is today. If you search hard enough, you will see the best side of the George Best around you!

Source: Nana Awere Damoah

Author, Through the Gates of Thought / Excursions In My Mind

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