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Sign up for our email to enjoy your city without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush). In December 2006, the George Best Memorial Trust launched a fund-raising drive to raise £200,000 in subscriptions to pay for a life-size bronze sculpture of George Best. The aircraft was later used to carry Best's family across to the Manchester memorial service for Best. In March 2006, the airline Flybe named a Dash 8 (Q400) plane The George Best. The official new name and signage was unveiled to a gathering of the Best family and friends at the airport on 22 May 2006, which would have been his 60th birthday. Belfast City Airport was renamed George Best Belfast City Airport as a tribute to Best. Following his death, the George Best Belfast City Airport was named after him Former Northern Ireland manager Billy Bingham, international teammates Derek Dougan, Peter McParland, Harry Gregg and Gerry Armstrong and Denis Law were the first to carry the coffin to the base of the Stormont steps.
The National Football Museum noted that Best played in an era of muddy pitches and heavy tackling, yet appeared to "glide through opponents" and could play on either wing, as a forward, or behind a central striker. One of best's most memorable performances came in a 2–2 draw against Netherlands in a World Cup qualifier in Rotterdam on 13 October 1976; during the match, he famously nutmegged Cruyff. — 1974 World Cup winning West Germany captain Franz Beckenbauer on Best not playing at a World Cup. Those playing included Osvaldo Ardiles, Johan Neeskens, Pat Jennings and Liam Brady. He remained there until the end of the 1982–83 season, when he retired from football at the age of 37. He returned one last time to Easter Road in 1984, for Jackie McNamara's testimonial match ksi lucky wheel app against Newcastle United. In August 1982, he played 20 minutes for Scone Thistle against Scone Amateurs; the appearance fee he received helped to pay off an income tax bill. One infamous incident saw Best initially sacked by Hibs after he went on a massive drinking session with the French rugby team, who were in Edinburgh to play Scotland.
Best suffered from alcoholism for most of his adult life, leading to numerous controversies and, eventually, his death. A panel of seven academics, journalists and historians named Best among the group of people in the UK "whose actions during the reign of Elizabeth II have had a significant impact on lives in these islands and given the age its character". In 2007, GQ magazine named him as one of the 50 most stylish men of the past 50 years. Indie rock band The Wedding Present named their first album George Best and featured him on the cover wearing his red Manchester United kit. At the peak of his career in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Best advertised Cookstown sausages on television with the phrase "the Best family sausages".
Noord is the place for cutting edge art, so Nxt Museum – billed as ‘The home of art and tech’ – fits right in. Plus, if you fancy some throwback fun, there’s the vibrant ‘Arcade Paradise’ where you play on an array of euphonious games machines. Alongside that, the venue’s bar and restaurant – named Strangelove – is a chic place to chat about the picture you’ve just seen. Gorgeously designed (it’s situated in an old laboratory) and with four screens, LAB111 is an ideal place to unwind and catch a classic movie. The church has been beautifully preserved and offers brilliant insight into 17th-century life and religious persecution through the ages. A veritable fun palace that’s a riot of colour and sounds, it’s billed as a place to ‘let your inner child run free’ and take a break from the adult world.
Try Traditional Dutch Food At Zwaantje
Set in a striking building on Museumplein, it sits just around the corner from the Rijksmuseum and, with the Stedelijk nearby, forms part of Amsterdam’s cultural trifecta. Dedicated to the works of Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries, the Van Gogh Museum houses the largest collection of the artist’s work anywhere in the world. The exhibition is open all year round and guests can visit the ‘secret annexe’ the family stayed in. This 17th-Century canal house, where Anne Frank, her family and four others hid from the Nazis for two years, is now a museum and educational centre. Don’t miss the beautiful rose garden or the famous open-air theatre where, if you’re lucky, you might catch an impromptu show. Locals come here to run, cycle, play sports or chill, and there are plenty of activities for those looking to make a day of it. Amsterdam’s greatest, grandest, and most classical museum, with a huge collection of Dutch art dating back to the Golden Age. There’s not much difference between most operators, but it’s worth going on a longer tour that also heads out onto the IJ (the best ones are around 75 minutes).
Click ‘read more’ for our top recommendations. If that’s what you’re after, you’re better off going along during the day. If you’re here just to ogle outside windows with crowds of drunk tourists, we wouldn’t recommend it. It’s also party central for stag and hen-dos, and things get rowdy and continue until the small hours. Highlights this year include Skepta, Confidence Man, and DJ sets from legends like Sasha and Paul van Dyk, alongside panel talks on AI and the pressure facing nightlife. If you’re based in Oost, this giant park is the place to head for a relaxing walk, cycle or just some fresh air.
There’s also a tennis club, and when you’re done exercising, head to microbrewery Distillery ‘t Nieuwe Diep, bag a spot on the terrace and order a craft beer or ale. Daytime is taken up by community classes and art workshops, and there’s a table tennis bar in the backroom (plus a radio station in the basement). Nearly every exhibit encourages visitors to get involved – whether that’s creating electricity, playing with water, constructing objects or discovering how the human body works through interactive activities. The museum is a fundamental part of 17th century history, and a chance to see Anne’s words come to life. There’s a permanent exhibition on the life and times of Anne, and you can visit the cramped ‘secret annexe’ they called home. Oh and don’t worry if you’re not there at your exact time, they don’t mind. There’s over 8,000 bits of art and history on display, over 1 million objects, a small but mighty Asian collection, a Michelin-starred restaurant and a café on site. Whether you’re into art, music, food, or just slow wandering, this is a city that rewards curiosity at every picturesque turn.
Long before Beckham, he was Britain's first footballer as popular icon. Although the football pitch was his arena, Best was essentially a pop star—young, stylish, strikingly beautiful, possessed of a creative confidence that bordered on arrogance, and worshipped by young men and women alike. He was successfully defended when the case reached court in January 1973 by barrister George Carman QC, a close drinking companion of Best, as acknowledged in his book, Scoring at Half Time. In 2004, she alleged that Best was violent towards her at times during their marriage, an issue that was covered in Best's authorised 1998 biography Bestie in which Alex claimed that Best punched her in the face on more than one occasion. "In 1969 I gave up women and alcohol—it was the worst 20 minutes of my life."
His body left the family home at Cregagh Road, East Belfast, shortly after 10 am on Saturday 3 December 2005. During this, fans in every seat held aloft pictures of Best, which were given out before the match. British prime minister Tony Blair described him as "probably the most naturally gifted footballer of his generation, one of the greatest footballers the UK has ever produced". Best continued to drink and was sometimes seen at his local pub in Surbiton, London. At the end of July and start of August 2002, he had a successful liver transplant at the private Cromwell Hospital in London. In September 1990, Best appeared on the primetime BBC1 chat show Wogan in which he was heavily drunk and swore, at one point saying to the host, "Terry, I like screwing".
Formerly the HQ of Shell, it’s now home to an array of young music, advertising and events companies, plus a handful of bars and restaurants (and even a hotel). Refurbished as part of a drive to regenerate Noord, this 22-storey tower looms over the waterfront across the River IJ from Centraal. A former shipyard on the northern banks of the IJ, NDSM – reached by a free ferry from the back of Centraal – has blossomed into a cultural hotspot with a rich mix of arty events, bars and restaurants. If you’re visiting in warmer weather (when beer tastes best, in our opinion), grab a seat on the terrace and nibble on traditional Dutch bar snacks like boiled eggs and raw sausage. The nightly gigs are just one part of OT301’s charm. Best enjoyed at a leisurely pace, there are plenty of Instagram-ready hangouts here – this is old Amsterdam at its best – plus some charming spots to sit and watch the world go by. It’s one of the best family attractions in the city, especially for younger children.
Best caused a stir when he returned to the UK to play for the Scottish club Hibernian. Best was a success on the field, scoring 15 goals in 24 games in his first season with the Aztecs and named as the NASL's best midfielder in his second. He played only three league games, the others against Bohemians and Shelbourne, but despite attracting big crowds he failed to score or impress. During his short time there, he was the main draw attracting thousands of spectators to the matches. Frustrated with the club's decline, Best went missing in December to party at the London nightclubs. With 27 goals in 54 appearances, Best finished as the club's top-scorer for the sixth – and final – consecutive season.
In a 2015 interview, José Mourinho, then manager of Chelsea, named Best as the player from any era he would most like to sign, describing him as "amazing" and "30 years ahead of his time". He is regarded as one of the greatest players never to have played at a World Cup, being "hamstrung in World Cup terms by hailing from a global minnow". On 29 October 1984, Best played as a special guest for Reading against the New Zealand national team in a friendly game, alongside 1966 World Cup winner Martin Peters. His time with the "Cottagers" is particularly remembered for a match against Hereford United on 25 September 1976 in which he jokingly tackled his own teammate and drinking mate, Rodney Marsh. He returned to Manchester and spent two years as an amateur, as English clubs were not allowed to take Northern Irish players on as apprentices. He is regarded as one of the greatest players never to have played at a World Cup. A skillful dribbler, he is considered one of the greatest players of all time, along with being considered one of the most talented to play.
In the final Preston North End's Howard Kendall became the youngest ever player in a FA Cup Final – he shared the same birth date as Best. Manager Matt Busby then kept Best in the team; by the end of the 1963–64 season, he had made 26 appearances, scoring six goals. His first time moving to the club, Best quickly became homesick and stayed for only two days before going back home to Northern Ireland. In 1957, the academically gifted Best passed the 11-plus and went to Grosvenor High School, but he soon played truant as the school specialised in rugby union. After football, he spent some time as a football analyst, but his financial and health problems continued into his retirement.
I remember thinking George was going to go one way, but he dropped his shoulder and went the other, and by then I was already on the deck. United improved slightly under new boss Wilf McGuinness, but still only managed an eighth-place finish in the 1969–70 season. Facing six times champions Real Madrid in the semi-finals, Best scored the only goal of the home fixture with a 15-yard strike that Alex Stepney described as one of Best's finest goals. Yet the 1967–68 season was remembered by United fans for the European Cup win. Best scored twice against rivals Liverpool in a 2–0 win at Anfield and claimed a hat-trick against Newcastle United in a 6–0 home win on the penultimate league game of the season. The 1966–67 season was again successful, as Manchester United claimed the league title by four points. He had little faith in the United medical staff and so he secretly saw Glentoran's physiotherapist, who readjusted his ligaments in a painful procedure. However United failed to win any major honours in the 1965–66 season.