News about George Best

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT BARLOW: Jimmy Rimmer reaches out a hand and apologises for the state of his grip. 'Like the hands you see in horror films,' he says drily, running a finger along some of the artificial joints. 'It's not pretty is it? That's plastic in there, and that, and that's been frozen,' explains the 76-year-old former Manchester United, Arsenal and Aston Villa goalkeeper. 'At least I'm still alive,' he laughs. 'They only gave me two days to live, you know.' This seems like a good place to start. Rimmer was living in Vancouver when he suffered a heart attack, collapsing as he climbed out of his Jeep on a routine trip to the bank.

IAN HERBERT: Sometimes, amid the waves of data and analysis which seem to drown contemporary football, you wonder whether there is still space for the genuinely unexpected. The player who arrives out of a clear blue sky and delivers to a level no-one foresaw. It was like that with George Best, called up to the Manchester United first team for a home match with West Bromwich Albion 61 years ago, and such a bag of nerves that Matt Busby listed him as 'reserve', to preserve him from stage fright, when scrawling out the team-sheet in ballpoint. The then 17-year-old was convinced that this selection, in the days before substitutes were used, must be some kind of punishment. He made his debut, of course - and so invincibly that Busby later wondered aloud whether what he observed had been a dream. A manager never really knows until the white line is crossed and the first whistle blown.

Gatwick was the worst airport in the UK for flight delays last year, an investigation has found. Departures from the West Sussex airport were an average of nearly 27 minutes behind schedule in 2023, according to analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data. The airport, which is the second-busiest in the UK, was badly affected by air traffic control (ATC) staff shortages across Europe last year, and repeatedly suffered the same problem in its own control tower. Gatwick said in a statement it is 'working closely with our airline partners to improve on-time performance'.

IAN HERBERT and SIMON JONES: There have been moments in the recent history of collisions between Manchester United and Liverpool, where grace under pressure from a promising young talent was all it took to prevail. This week, a teen Phil Thompson made his Liverpool debut for Bill Shankley's Old Trafford and almost immediately discovered George Best running toward him. Not bad for a replacement who had come on for John Toshack in an unaccustomed No 10 role. Shankham's players were imbued with such self-confidence. United's struggling under Frank O'Farrell after Sir Matt Busby stepped away, fielded Bobby Charlton and Denis Law, but the team lost 3-0. On Sunday, it is not a completely different dynamic.

It's not just the teeming number of people photographed in a photograph taken before Fulham's Chelsea appearance in August 1965 - boys hanging from the floodlight pylons and perched on a ledge in front of its ornate lattice ironwork - but the general impression that it was a place for the entire spectrum of society. Men in ties and jackets blend in with the younger crowd, while flat caps that would have dominated such a scene ten years ago are largely absent, there is a sense that match-going has never been stratified. Everyone had the same experience, including the solitary woman caught in photographer Patrick Larkin's photo. There was no company experience for those who had dressed so thoughtfully for Fulham's second game of the season, which they lost 3-0. The photograph is an eternity away from the computer-generated photographs of Fulham's new Riverside Stand, which include an outdoor swimming pool,'skydeck' with views of the Thames, and two Michelin star restaurants, which form part of 'The Gourmet Experience.' The Riverside Stand's ostensibly costly 'cheap seats' are already prohibitive. It was £160 to watch the Manchester United game from a vantage point earlier this season. A ticket with pool access and deck access? It's just that it doesn't bear thinking about.

Millions of people around the world will be wearing shamrock hats and wearing emerald to celebrate St Patrick's Day on Sunday, from dying the river green in Chicago to a parade on Sydney's streets. Millions of people from the Irish diaspora will drink a pint of Guinness in the United Kingdom, while others in the United Kingdom would go to a pub to get a pint of Guinness. One out of nine pints in London now accounts for one in nine pints, with Europe seeing an unprecedented 19 percent increase last year. But where is the best place to sip on a pint? Femail reveals the best spot to indulge in the Irish dry stout.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary former Manchester United boss, celebrated a double at Cheltenham on Thursday, with colleagues toasting victories at the annual festival. Protemps Handicap Hurdle was a 25-1 shot before Prohibition triumphed in the Ryanair Chase at odds of 17-2. Victory in the Ryanair Chase paid him £218,398, which included a £66,000 purse for the Perpets Handicap Hurdle. His double took home a stunning 246/1 score.

Though some people are becoming more vocal, Miss World's tradition - at least for now - lives on. Eric Morley's 1951 creation of the Festival of Britain, a contest that was officially launched in the United Kingdom, was branded by the term Festival Bikini Contest. In fact, the event's primary aim was to advertise the bikini, a relatively recent addition to the fashion market, and it was reportedly the newspaper that dubbed the tournament, which at the time was considered by some to be rather immodest, 'Miss World.' The pageant introduced a new tag: Beauty With a Purpose in 1980, in an attempt to combat this. The additional challenges of intelligence and personality assessments were put to the participants. However, this was not enough for the BBC to continue broadcasting the event, ditching it in 1984, after which it was moved to other channels including ITV, Thames Television, Sky One, and Channel 5. 'I think these contests no longer warrant national air time,' BBC1 controller Michael Grade said when he stopped the show.'I believe these contests no longer warrant national air time.' They are an anachronism in this day and age of equality and conflict that is on the march.' Here's FEMAIL looks at what happened to some of the contestants after they were crowned in the controversial competition.

IAN HERBERT: No one is expected to see the word 'Swindon Town' in the quarter-final line-up for the FA Youth Cup, given that the club isn't wealthy, languishes in the bottom half of League Two, and has seen Manchester United and Sunderland play in the tournament so far. However, history will be on their side as they qualify for a semi-final place on Thursday, as the country's only Category 3 Academy team left in the tournament. They were pitted against a Manchester United team with George Best, David Sadler, and Jimmy Rimmer in their ranks, just 60 years ago. It was a challenge too far, but Swindon have a hope that they will make it to the semis for the first time in their history.

The 85-year-old feminist, who is best known for her tumultuous views in recent years, told The Louis Theroux Podcast that men still don't believe their wives need to have a name. She also talked about how she used to drink in the same Manchester pub as George Best - and every woman in the room, including her, adored him. Germaine Greer, a left-hand on the Louis Theroux podcast, is captured on the right. Inset top: Louis Theroux, inset bottom: George Best)

Fans of Manchester United are worried about the worst after Erling Haaland scored five goals as Man City defeated Luton Town 6-2. Since returning from a foot injury that barred him from playing more than a month between December and January, the Norwegian striker had only scored three goals in seven appearances. However, he was back to his barnstorming best as Man City went wild on Tuesday night.

Exclusive INTERVIEW BY RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: Sir Gareth Edwards has found something to cheer about within his sadness. There have been too many days like this for him lately, but he is focusing on an amusing memory of Barry John. That was simple, since there are so many, and it has also been tough, because Edwards just didn't see it coming on Sunday, when John's family learned a true great had died aged 79. This pair took a step that neither anticipated in the majority of their lives. Edwards was colder than that one.

Adrian Doherty's tragic death didn't have a lot of column inches. The 26-year-old fell into a canal in The Hague, Netherlands, and spent a month in a coma before fading away on June 9, 2000. With England's build-up to Euro 2000, the newspapers in England were much too occupied. It was an England team featuring David Beckham, Paul Scholes, and the Neville brothers - the ones who made it to Manchester United. However, Doherty would have surely have been in the Old Trafford folklore as a result of fate.

CONOR BREELEY AT THE VITALITY STADIUM: Conor Bradley of Liverpool looks at the truth. Coaches at Anfield adore him, while compatriot Carl Frampton has even used him in the same sentence as George Best. Bradley hasn't looked out of place in a team full of heavyweights over the past two weeks, in which he has started Liverpool's last two games against Fulham and this potentially difficult ride to Bournemouth.

Ronaldo has selected who he thinks the eight greatest players of all time are. Ronaldo Nazario, 47, had a glittering career from 1993 to 2011, playing for Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and AC Milan, while still scoring 62 times in 98 games for Brazil. The former footballer of his generation is one of the most popular footballers of his time, and he has since attempted to play football for Real Valladolid in Spain and his boyhood Brazilian team Cruzeiro.

A trio of extraordinary tweets from new Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada have appeared, in which he mocks the Red Devils. United are likely to appoint Berrada - of rivals Manchester City - as their new CEO, according to Mail Sport, a step that is being seen as a major coup. His arrival is believed to have been prompted by Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS team, who are to assume responsibility for football after taking a 25 percent stake in the club. The club has a 55% interest.

After a one-day trial in Majorca a week ago, the 42-year-old son of late footballer George Best (pictured leaving court in Spain last week) was found not guilty yesterday. Prosecutors in Spain said that they did not do enough to persuade them Calum had compelled his suspected criminal to put her hand down his shorts and into his penis as she said in her court testimony. They criticized the tourist's interpretation of events as lacking 'external corroboration,' and wondered why a female friend with her at the time and a security guard who said she had been waiting for help from were not summoned to appear.

If convicted, the reality television legend and son of legendary footballer George Best was facing a prison term of up to three years. Following his one-day trial last Tuesday (JAN 9) in the Majorcan capital Palma, he had been warned he might have to wait up to three months for the verdict. But today, he learned he had been cleared of any wrongdoing. The three trial judges' decision to exclude him is reported to have been unanimous. It was not immediately clear if Spanish state prosecutors would appeal.

After a one-day trial in Majorca on Tuesday, Spanish prosecutors found that a three-year prison term was the right punishment for the reality television star and only son of legendary footballer George Best. Jaime Campaner, a 42-year-old defence lawyer, told the three trial judges they should acquit him after Best claimed he did nothing wrong and had flown to the island 'to clear his name.' According to today, well-placed sources said the judges could pronounce their verdict and sentence if they convict him in three weeks in a 'best-case scenario', but nearly five times longer in a 'worst-case scenario.'

Following appearances on major television shows including SAS: Who Dares Wins, Celebrity Love Island, and Celebrity Go Dating, Calum Best, the son of legendary footballer George Best, owes the taxman a whopping £85,625 in unpaid corporation tax and VAT. He had previously said that he disliked appearing in reality television shows, adding that in 2017: 'I wouldn't be doing f***ing reality television if I didn't have to do it.' I'm a guy who needs to survive.'

After George Best's son Calum sexually assaulted her at Wayne Lineker's beach club, the British holidaymaker told a Spanish court today she was left in'shock and tears.' After kissing her and saying, 'I've got something for you, close your eyes,' she said, 'I've got something for you.' Before she managed to refuse her hand, inform a friend, and raise the alarm with security staff at the O Beach club in Ibiza, the woman said she was dismissed. 'The security man asked if he was one of Wayne Lineker's acquaintances and when I replied "yes," he laughed, told me he wasn't going to call police.' The woman made her shocking claims at Calum Best's child assault trial on Tuesday in the Majorcan capital Palma, where Spanish state prosecutors ordered that if convicted, he be sentenced to three years in prison.

Following an arrest at a notorious Ibiza beach club, reality TV star and only son of football legend George Best has been summoned to court. If the three trial judges convict him as guilty, Spanish state prosecutors have requested the maximum sentence - three years in prison. The 42-year-old, who is now the chairman of Dorking Wanderers FC's women's team, is denied any wrongdoing and is expected to protest his innocence on the stand. Calum, the woman who won Celebrity Love Island with Bianca Gascoigne in 2006 and has appeared in two series of Celebrity Big Brother, was arrested in April 2022 for an incident that was never made public at the O Beach Club at the time.

MATT BARLOW: Oueens Park Rangers were London's best team, and they'd agreed to a contract with George Best on the day of what would be his last appearance in English football's top flight. Manchester United boss Tommy Docherty had welcomed his assistant Gordon Jago and QPR chairman Jim Gregory for pre-match pleasantries in the manager's office at Loftus Road on New Year's Day 1974. Jago and Gregory talked about moving for Best after he had been transfer-listed by United in the previous season, and now is available for £300,000 after going AWOL.

Jeff Powell of the Daily Mail - six words that have characterized our friend and colleague's life as the most influential sports writer of his time. Today at the paper, he has been with the newspaper for longer than any reporter ever, back pages or front; we're lucky that our own master craftsman, king of the major exclusives, has been named in the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE). But the royal distinction - all the more surprising for Jeff, who was forced to fight his way out of East London's post-war poverty - will not be restricted to this office, but it will ring like a peel of bells in hundreds of homes where the Daily Mail is carried - will be heard.