Quite often when discussing some
of the greatest soccer players of all time, the question comes up “who was the
best ever?” Tough question when
you consider the choices; Pele, Messi, Maradona. My friends from the British Isles always come up with one
name, George Best. Now to be
honest as an American when I first heard the name I had no idea who he
was. Over the years I have been
educated by my more learned friends about this soccer genius whose flame burned
out way too young. When George was
at the height of his career there was little opportunity for us Yanks to watch
the greats play (except on PBS- Soccer Made in Germany or the occasional match
on Wide World of Sports).
George was simply
brilliant on the pitch and certainly showed a great deal of flair off the
field. Best once state, “I spent
90% of my money on women, drink and fast cars, the rest I wasted.” Great comment until you learn the rest
of the story like how even after a controversial liver transplant to replace the
one he had destroyed by overindulging for years on alcohol and then continued
to drink until his premature death just a few years ago.
Alcoholism destroys
people. Not just the ones damaging
their own bodies but they do a lot of damage to their family and friends along
the way. No matter how much we
love them or they love us their addiction takes over and their priorities get
twisted into an almost unravel-able knot.
As an athlete your
body is your greatest asset and a gift.
Why would you do something that would destroy your ability to perform at
your best and could result in a myriad of possible negative outcomes? As one who has lost a number of people
close to me to addiction I simply ask you to take care of yourself. George Best’s sister and brother-in-law
created a foundation to help research and find solutions to alcoholism after
his death: www.georgebest.com.
For Dad, Uncle Bob,
Uncle Ardell, Uncle Keith, Uncle Robert Jackson and of course George Best. We lost you all way too early.
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