From the FA to UEFA and FIFA, there’s a naivety, a lack of knowledge and understanding and packed with people who are out of touch. – George Best
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.’ – George Best
I used to dream about taking the ball ’round the keeper, stopping it on the line, and then getting on my hands and knees and heading it into the net. When I scored against Benfica in the 1968 European Cup final, I nearly did it. I left the keeper for dead, but then I chickened out. – George Best
I even found it difficult to watch myself playing on TV because I couldn’t identify with the person on the screen. I couldn’t get to grips with it. It was as if it was all happening to someone else. – George Best
I’d have to be superman to do some of the things I’m supposed to have done, I’ve been at six different places at six different times. – George Best
I’m lucky that, despite all the bad press I’ve had over the years, the public still seems to like me. – George Best
Dave Mackay is my definition of a superstar. The man broke his leg three times, but wouldn’t be carried off. He walked off. – George Best
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. – George Best
The onus is on the managers to send out an attacking formation and to tell their players to be bold. – George Best
The nice thing is that when people come up to me, it’s the football they remember, not all the other rubbish. – George Best
I used to rush home to see ‘Match Of The Day.’ Whatever I was doing, I wouldn’t miss it. – George Best
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. – George Best
Football is big business – you can’t get away from it. But you have to separate that side from the playing. – George Best
Players today moan about the number of games, but when you’re young, you can’t play enough. – George Best
I rate Fabien Barthez and played with two great keepers in Alex Stepney and Harry Gregg. – George Best
I definitely don’t think that money can buy you love. It can buy you affection but certainly not love. – George Best
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. – George Best