IT was reportedly George Best's decision to allow himself to be photographed on his deathbed because he wanted the picture to act as a warning to young people of the dangers of excessive drinking.

If that is the case, it was a very brave thing to do. It cannot have been easy for someone who will be remembered as one of the most handsome of men to be shown to the world as a gaunt shadow of himself.

But the tragic demise of one of the world's greatest football talents must be a graphic lesson to youngsters, particularly as we are in the era of binge drinking and entering the age of 24-hour pub opening.

There is no doubt that he had no-one but himself to blame for his downfall. He had been given a second chance through a liver transplant but he did not have the strength to overcome his alcoholism.

That deathbed photograph was a truly terrible image. The man who had thrilled so many with his genius, lying in hospital, hooked up to medical machines, his skin turned to yellow and his eyes robbed of their famous twinkle.

But, as Best's life ebbed away last night, we prefer to remember him in his prime: with flowing black hair, his body perfectly balanced, with a ball at his feet, ready to mesmerise opponents with the drop of a shoulder and a scurrying surge of pace.

Don't think of him as a dying man, wasted and ravaged by sickness. Think of him as the glorious, beautiful sporting talent who became one of the most famous names on the planet.