I can’t think of another player like him in the world. TheWrap: How would you describe George Best to someone unfamiliar with him?ĭaniel Gordon: He’s probably best described as football’s first pop superstar player. Read TheWrap’s interview with British filmmaker Daniel Gordon below. Despite having a successful liver transplant, he continued to drink and died in November 2005 from a lung infection and multiple organ failure.Īlso Read: ESPN '30 for 30' EP Believes 'Mike and the Mad Dog' Will Reunite One Day During a stint playing for the Los Angeles Aztecs, he bought a bar in Hermosa Beach, which aided his spiral into alcoholism that included accusations of stealing money to fund boozing, and a three-month prison sentence for DUI.
#30 for 30 football story professional#
Long before current sports icons such as Tom Brady, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo or LeBron James made the crossover from top athlete to pop culture personality, the Belfast native graced the covers of magazines, appeared in commercials, guest starred in films and TV shows, and was hunted down by paparazzi.įor all his accolades and unbelievable goals, Best never played in the finals of a European Championship or World Cup, and his lack of physical fitness due to heavy partying hampered his professional career. But the Northern Irish football icon was also one of the most troubled, haunted by demons that dominated his adult life and cut his career short.īoth sides of the Manchester United hero are captured in ESPN’s latest “30 for 30” film titled “George Best: All by Himself,” which premieres on ESPN Thursday night.ĭirector Daniel Gordon, who captured the horror and heartbreak of the soccer world’s biggest disaster in the 2014 documentary “Hillsborough,” heralds both Best’s historic performances on the pitch and the Shakespearean tragedy fueled by drink, depression and excess that engulfed his personal life.Īlso Read: ESPN the Magazine Body Issue Brought to Life in New TV Special To say that George Best was one of the most brilliant soccer players of all time is no exaggeration.