GEORGIE BEST ONLY WORTH £5?

George Best is to be immortalised on a million commemorative £5 bank notes, it was announced today. The Ulster Bank is to issue the limited edition notes as a tribute to the footballing genius next month to mark the first anniversary of his death.

The celebration of one of Northern Ireland's best-known sporting heroes will feature George Best in both his Northern Ireland and Manchester United strips.

Finalised artwork for the note was unveiled at the bank's Belfast headquarters by chief executive Cormac McCarthy.

“At the outset of this project we wanted to ensure that, in celebrating the life of this legendary footballer, we paid fitting tribute to his contribution to football in Northern Ireland and beyond.

“We wanted to make it possible for fans throughout Northern Ireland and further afield to own their very own piece of unique George Best memorabilia.”

“By selecting the most affordable note denomination, five pounds, we have tried to make the notes as widely accessible as possible.

“This is the first time that Ulster Bank has commissioned a commemorative bank note and by limiting the print run to a million notes, we feel this makes the initiative even more significant.”

At the same time, the bank said that in keeping with its continuing community investment programme, it was making a donation to the George Best Foundation to support the promotion of cross-community contact through participation in football.

The £5 George Best notes will be available from mid-November and are expected to be snapped up by fans - with few actually going into general circulation.

The notes will then be available to purchase at any Ulster Bank branch in Northern Ireland from November 27.