'My life was a great life'

George Best recently told Italy's best-selling weekly news magazine L'Espresso he had enjoyed a great life.

The magazine interviewed him in Monte Carlo before he returned to London's Cromwell Hospital where he died on Friday.

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"I could not have done more. Maybe I could have played football longer at a certain level, but I went to the United States, I was there for eight years and I had great fun there too.

"I did everything I set out to do. It's true, my friend, my life was a great life."

He recalled: "When I started England was a fantastic place. People started to have long hair -- even I did -- the music was fabulous, the fashion was marvellous and even English football wasn't bad.

"We won the European cups and every year a different team won the championship. Now there's just Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal. How boring ..."

Best recounted his debut for United in 1963, telling the magazine: "It was truly everything I had dreamed of in my life -- to play football with the best and Manchester United were the best. I remember every minute, every look."

Best added: "What I will never forget are the screams of the Manchester United fans. I walked through the tunnel and everything boomed in my head as I got closer the sound got louder.

"I was electrified. It was my day and in the end I didn't do badly. I remember that when I took the ball it never went backwards again."