George Best: The Advent of a Global Football Star

That statement, however has never stopped the few who have made themselves into global icons. While David Beckham is currently the most famous of the few, few would argue the fact that George Best, Beckham's predecessor, was probably the first footballer to achieve it.

George Best: Superstar, Self-Proclaimed Playboy

His celebrity status aside, George Best is a legend in many ways: His extremely talented skills, plus his exploits with Manchester United, made him the perfect player on the pitch.

Off the pitch, however, George Best was a kind of enigma: Blessed with good looks and an amazing array of soccer skills, he wowed not only the football fans who come in throngs to Manchester United matches to watch him strut his stuff, he was what many would deem as the "chick" magnet.

Dubbed "the Fifth Beatle", he was Britain's most famous export after Liverpool's Beatles in the 1970s, and was well-known for his string of high-profile affairs and liaisons with extremely beautiful women.

In fact, Best was not shy to admit his love for Miss Worlds and Miss Universes. One of his most enduring stories involve that of a bellboy, who entered his hotel room with his breakfast, only to see Best in bed with Mary Stavin, the current Miss world, champagne, and thousands of cash won from a night's gambling. Seeing such an extraordinary opulent sight, the bellboy had allegedly lamented: "George, where did it all go wrong?"

Alcoholism

In those days, George Best was an oddity in the football world: There was hardly a precedence of a footballer achieving superstar status quite akin to a rock star.

There was a certain cockiness about it all: The attention and adulation heaped upon him was quite tremendous, and the stress factor may have finally driven him into the unsavory world of alcoholism.

Having developed a drinking player while as a player, he ran into trouble with the law on numerous occasions.

In 1984, he was imprisoned for drunk driving, as well as assaulting a policeman, spending Christmas that year in Ford Open prison, doing something he knew best: Playing football, albeit in prison colors.

Other drunken episodes including a drinking ban for 20 months in 2004, and allegations from his wife, Alex Best, that she'd been a victim of abuse from her husband.

Liver Failure: Death of a Football Icon

Best's drinking problems continued after his football career ended: In 2002, he had a liver transplant at King's College Hospital in London. In 2003 he was the focus of much criticism when, despite his transplant, he openly drank white wine spritzers and was accused of being selfish and having no regard for other people's feelings.

Despite repeated warnings from medical professionals, Best failed to curb his drinking habit, and on 3rd October 2005, he was once again admitted to hospital for alcohol-related problems.

Treatment continued, until 25th Nov 2005, when doctors could no longer sustain his failing organs, which led to his eventual demise.

A pity, that for a player of George Best's genius, he didn't have a father mentor in the shape of Alex Ferguson, the current manager of Manchester United, who would have kept him from straying into such dangerous, opulent paths.

Nonetheless, George Best remains an epic of his generation: A toast, to him, would ironically be the best tribute to the great Irish football player.