George Best (1946-2005)

George Best

O garçom entra no quarto com uma garrafa do champanhe mais caro do hotel no balde de gelo e duas taças. Sobre a cama encontra o maior ídolo da história do futebol britânico, o inimitável George Best. De um lado do jogador estão espalhados 20 mil libras esterlinas, cash. Do outro lado está deitada a Miss Mundo daquele ano.

Best está bêbado, só para variar. O garçon serve o champanhe, e pergunta: “Diga-me, mister Best, onde foi que tudo deu errado?”

Best deu 50 libras esterlinas de gorjeta ao garçom e nenhuma resposta. O problema era o tédio, o mesmo tédio que ele sentia ali, naquela cama, cercado por dinheiro e uma das mais belas mulheres do planeta. Sua frase mais famosa fala por si só: “Eu gastei a maior parte do dinheiro que ganhei com bebida, mulheres e carros velozes. O resto eu desperdicei”.

Best nasceu em Belfast, capital da Irlanda do Norte, em 22 de maio de 1946. Era tão fanático por futebol quando criança que dormia com uma bola na cama. Aos 15 anos deixou Belfast para treinar no Manchester United. Em 1963 estreou como profissional. E sua fama de jogador “perfeito” se espalhou.

Mal comparando, era uma espécie de Garrincha irlandês, que não se contentava em driblar, mas fazia questão de deixar os adversários com cara de bobo. O amigo Michael Parkinson assim descreve a arte de George Best: “Ele era rápido, chutava com os dois pés, lindamente equilibrado. Podia acertar passes longos e curtos com precisão igual, era ágil e destemido na marcação, e reinventou o verbo driblar. Ele era criativo no meio do campo assim como era econômico e mortal se tivesse a chance de marcar um gol”.

Marcou 178 gols em 466 jogos no seu clube do coração, o Manchester United. Seis deles numa única partida. George Best reinou no Manchester United (ao lado de Denis Law e Sir Bobby Charlton) com sua cara de galã de cinema e cabelo de astro do rock. A imprensa inglesa começou a trata-lo com a mais alta honraria daquele tempo: “o quinto Beatle”.

Trecho do livro Mortos Vivos do Futebol, disponível pela Amazon.

George Best (1946-2005)

The waiter enters the room with a bottle of the hotel's most expensive champagne in an ice bucket and two glasses. On the bed he finds the greatest idol in the history of British football, the inimitable George Best. On one side of the player are 20 thousand pounds sterling, cash. On the other side lies that year's Miss World.

Best is drunk, just for a change. The waiter serves the champagne and asks: "Tell me, Mr. Best, where did it all go wrong?"

Best gave the waiter 50 pounds sterling as a tip and no answer. The problem was boredom, the same boredom he felt there, in that bed, surrounded by money and one of the most beautiful women on the planet. His most famous quote speaks for itself: "I spent most of the money I earned on drink, women and fast cars. The rest I wasted." Best was born in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, on May 22, 1946. He was such a football fanatic as a child that he would sleep with a ball in his bed. At the age of 15, he left Belfast to train with Manchester United. In 1963, he made his professional debut. And his reputation as a “perfect” player spread.

Roughly speaking, he was a kind of Irish Garrincha, who was not content with dribbling, but made a point of making his opponents look foolish. His friend Michael Parkinson describes George Best’s art as follows: “He was quick, a two-footed shot, beautifully balanced. He could hit long and short passes with equal accuracy, was agile and fearless in marking, and reinvented the verb to dribble. He was creative in midfield as well as economical and deadly if he had the chance to score a goal.”

He scored 178 goals in 466 games for his beloved club, Manchester United. Six of them in a single match. George Best reigned supreme at Manchester United (alongside Denis Law and Sir Bobby Charlton) with his movie heartthrob face and rock star hair. The English press began to call him the highest honor of the time: “the fifth Beatle.”

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(Excerpt from the book The Living Dead of Football, available on Amazon. In Portuguese)