Quotes from George Best

I used to rush home to see 'Match Of The Day.' Whatever I was doing, I wouldn't miss it.

There isn't a single player I would pay to watch. You can say Thierry Henry, he's a fabulous striker, with pace and power, but a great entertainer needs to have charisma, too. Does he have charisma? No.

I was 19 or 20 when The Beatles were at their peak, and I was coming up to the peak of my career, too. I was also the first footballer to have long hair, and that's how I got my nickname 'the Fifth Beatle.'

People say you have to hit rock bottom, and, I can tell you, almost dying is as rock bottom as it gets.

Dave Mackay is my definition of a superstar. The man broke his leg three times, but wouldn't be carried off. He walked off.

Football is big business - you can't get away from it. But you have to separate that side from the playing.

If you make up your own mind, you can only blame yourself.

When I look back on my life as a whole, it is impossible for me not to feel blessed.

I became a beach bum.

One reason I don't want to play in England again is because we don't have any personalities.

I got my buzz from playing.

That's what children do - throw food. That's not fighting. We were real men. We'd have chinned them.

I definitely don't think that money can buy you love. It can buy you affection but certainly not love.

I spent a lot of money on booze, birds, and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.

Pele called me the greatest footballer in the world. That is the ultimate salute to my life.

Pain is temporary, glory...lasts forever!

In 1969 I gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life.

I've stopped drinking, but only while I'm asleep.

There are good players, there are great players, and there are those few at the pinnacle - the Peles, Cruyffs and Maradonas.

I'm lucky that, despite all the bad press I've had over the years, the public still seems to like me.

In England, when an athlete gets to the top, we do our best to destroy him.

At the start of the season, there are 16 teams in the top division looking behind them, making sure they avoid relegation. The fear starts in the boardroom, comes down to managers and through to players. The fans sense it.

When I was playing, there were always lots of teams in contention for the league - Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Leeds. Every week was a big game and a big battle.

I was probably the first footballer ever to have a pop-star profile, and my agent was right when he said we could put my name on stair rods and sell them to people in bungalows.