The Manchester United and Northern Ireland footballer, George Best, will forever look the city he called home as a new statue is to be placed on top of the George Best Hotel, which is set to open in November.
Best, known for his skills on the pitch and calls for an end to sectarianism, is a local hero for many in the north of Ireland, both Catholics and Protestants alike.
Rooftop statue of Manchester United legend George Best to look down on Belfast from new hotel https://t.co/7WxY1DgK5e pic.twitter.com/2ublisGFGr
— Belfast Telegraph (@BelTel) July 18, 2018
According to the Belfast Telegraph, it is called ‘The Beautiful Belfast Boy’, which will be placed on the rooftop of the hotel at the back of the City Hall.
This installation, which is a project being worked on by Lawrence and Katie Kenwright’s Signature Living Hotel Group and George Best’s family, is set to commemorate the legendary footballer and his legacy.
“He was a beacon of hope and inspiration,” said Best’s sister, Barbara McNarry.
The hotel will feature several donated pieces of memorabilia from the legendary soccer star, such as replica European Cups, paintings of himself, and a shirt signed by those who attended his funeral.
️⚽️ Playing the game... ️⚽️#georgebest pic.twitter.com/QwMAnF1R4P
— George Best Hotel (@georgebesthotel) June 20, 2018
Chairman Lawrence Kenwright stated: “I cannot think of a more fitting tribute than to have a statue of this iconic footballer erected on the rooftop of this magnificent building.
“To have George Best looking down on Donegal Square and City Hall is an acknowledgement of how important the people and the great city of Belfast meant to him and how much he loved the people.”
Kenwright went on to say that Best was a source of hope for people across the whole island of Ireland, north and south.
“George Best was once quoted as saying - ‘When I say Ireland I mean North and South, to met its all the same, I see no division’.”
Read More: George Best memorabilia discovered
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