‘George Best was a close friend' – Eamon Dunphy reveals Man Utd ‘journey' & how lifestyle left him ‘unable to pay rent'

The Irish Sun

06-05-2025

EAMON DUNPHY revealed smoking and discos led to his short stint at Man Utd going to the dogs.
The former Republic of
Ireland
international, 79, joined
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Eamon Dunphy opened up on his time at Man Utd
Credit: Cody Glenn / SPORTSFILE
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He revealed he was good friends with George Best
Credit: Joe Bangay/He never managed to play for the first team, and went on to play for York City,
Dunphy opened up on his experience at
And he revealed that despite the tenure being short-lived, he was able to
strike
a bond with Man Utd all-time great
He said: "I was at
Law
.
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"George was a very close friend of mine and a bright guy.
"He was very quiet. George could sit on the coach for hours and say nothing but if you went to a disco with him, the girls were crazy.
"He loved girls and he loved - it killed him in the end - the fame and the adoration.
"He was kind of the fifth Beatle, they dubbed him in the papers. He was very good looking.
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"He had a kind of quiet way about him, a bit of mystery. We were good pals. We used to go dancing together."
Dunphy went to Manchester at the age of 15 at a time of flux in the club's storied
history
.
Irish comedian Gary Cooke blows fans away with musical impression of Eamon Dunphy
Two years earlier, in 1958, 23 people - including eight members of the team - died in the Munich Air Disaster.
Among the players who perished was Liam Whelan, who also played for Ireland.
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Ten years later, three after Dunphy left the club, the Red Devils won the first of their three European Cups.
Among those who starred for the team that season were George Best, Denis Law, and
The side that faced
And Dunphy believes the
tragedy
and the decade that followed elevated the 'Busby Babes' onto another level of iconography.
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He added: "To go to Manchester United from
Dublin
was a dream.
"I went there in 1960, two years after the Munich air crash where eight of the team died.
"They were a great team. They were champions and they were young.
"Manchester United was a very big deal in Manchester and here too because one of those players, Liam Whelan, was an Irish international and a great player.
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"That team made Manchester United famous around the world and the tragedy of the Munich air crash, or as it is called now the Munich Air Disaster, it elevated Manchester United into iconic status."
LIFESTYLE OF SPORT
The former
One was the club's ability to draw the best and brightest, while the other was his lifestyle.
He admitted: "In 1960, they had the pick of the best young players around the British Isles so I knew what I was going into.
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"It was tough. I was there for five years but I never developed the upper body strength you need to be a top class player, mainly because I was
smoking
.
"I was out all night at discos.
"Another friend, Barry Fry, who is well known to Irish people, we used to go to the
dogs
maybe every night of the week sometimes.
"I remember losing all of my wages on the Thursday which was payday and staying out all night because I wasn't able to pay my rent.
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"I got bronchitis and the night watchman let me stay in his hut."