5 players who ruined their career with substance abuse

#2 George Best

George Best's alcohol issues curtailed his brilliant career

It’s almost hard to claim that George Best’s alcohol issues ruined his career, as nobody could ever label the maverick Irishman as a failure – he won the old equivalent of the Champions League with Manchester United in 1968 – the same year that he captured the Ballon d’Or – and won the old First Division title with United in 1964/65 and 1967/68. He’s also widely recognised as one of the greatest players of all time – some would even say the most naturally talented player ever.

But what could have been had he not had his issues with alcohol? It’s been claimed that Best was basically a functioning alcoholic for the majority of his adult life, which means he was likely even suffering during his peak years at Manchester United.

Best spent eleven seasons at Old Trafford, but in reality, he peaked in the late 1960’s, when he was just in his early 20s. By 1974 – at the age of 28 – his top-level career was largely over, primarily due to his off-field antics.

Had he been able to keep himself clean, who knows what he could’ve achieved? His natural talent seemed to know no limits – older fans still talk about him in awe today, and he retired in 1984 – way past his prime, but still only 37.

Had he been fit, he could easily have played for Northern Ireland in the 1982 World Cup and perhaps inspired them to go further into the tournament. As it was, his alcohol abuse meant that he only achieved a fraction of what he was capable of, and even more tragically, it also led him to pass away at the painfully young age of just 59.