George once said of himself "I was born with a great gift, and sometimes that comes with a destructive streak".
This destructive streak manifested itself early on in George's career. With his good looks, impeccable style and women falling at his feet, his pop star lifestyle quickly overtook his career as a footballer. But ultimately the alcohol and wild nights spent partying would shorten his career and lead to severe health problems later on.
After leaving Manchester United in 1970 he turned out for a number of clubs and enjoyed a productive period in the USA. Although not as fit as he was in his prime his incredible skills were still undisputed.
In late 1976 he returned to England and along with Bobby Moore turned out for Fulham, playing 42 games in two seasons and scoring eight goals.
In 1979 he made a scoring debut for Hibernian. At the time the club was lucky to attract 8,000 to the gates but on the day George made his debut, over 20,000 fans turned up - just to say years later, "I was there!"
The humour that followed George throughout his career continued at Hibs. In a game against Rangers George was constantly abused by the visiting fans who at one point threw a few beer cans in his direction. When he went to take a corner, George simply picked a can up and seemed to take a drink from it. The abuse stopped to be replaced by laughter at both ends of the stadium.
His last game for Hibernian was a 2-0 win against Falkirk after which he returned to the United States and the San Jose Earthquakes.
In 1983 George finally ended his football career with Bournemouth, although he did go on to play in numerous charity and friendly matches.
In the 1990's he established himself as a successful sports commentator with Sky Sports and a popular after dinner speaker.
In December 2001 he received an honourary doctorate from Queens University and in April 2002, Freedom of the Borough of Castlereagh.
During this time George's health took a turn for the worst, as years of heavy drinking finally resulted in severe liver damage. A liver transplant in 2002 gave new hope but its success was to be short lived. Once again personal problems drove George back to the bottle and this time he was unable to beat it.
On 1st October, 2005, George entered the Cromwell hospital in London with flu-like symptoms. Over the next weeks, his condition deteriorated and on 25th November, surrounded by his close family and friends, he lost his battle for life.
In keeping with his wishes, George came home to Belfast for the very last time and was buried beside his mother in Roselawn cemetery. One hundred thousand people lined the streets and the grounds of Stormont to say a fond farewell to their greatest local sporting hero and millions more around the world watched as a legend was laid to rest.
In the years and months leading up to his death, George was passionate about raising funds for liver research. Alcohol addiction was something that he himself could not conquer but he was determined that he would do all he could to prevent others from following the same path. Through the Foundation, set up in his name, his wishes can now be fulfilled. As George, reflecting on his own liver transplant and on pledging his support to raise funds, said "This is one way to say thank you to everybody."
Greg Dyke, former BBC Director once said of George; Forget about the rest of his life. He was the most wonderful player. He could do things that no one else could do.
