George Best's mesmerising ability brought fans to their feet, but his silky skills also impacted profoundly on his home in Northern Ireland.

His son Calum told yesterday how the Catholic and Protestant communities were united by their appreciation of his father's football during the worst of the Troubles.

Calum (28) was in Dublin yesterday to mark the fourth anniversary of his father's death by unveiling a wax model of the former Manchester United winger at the National Wax Museum.

George died when he was 59 years old following a life ravaged by alcoholism, and Calum recently presented a documentary about how children are affected by having an alcoholic parent.

In Brought Up By Booze, Calum told how his father had turned violent during an alcohol-fuelled session.

“I was aged about 15 or 16 and I showed up as he went on a massive bender. I was waiting for him to come in and when he got home he was completely wrecked and started yelling: ‘You are not my son — you are not mine'.

“He then grabbed me by the throat and gave me a solid hit to the head which knocked me to the floor. What affected me the most was knowing that my father had the potential to be a really great father figure. In the morning when he was sober he was such a loving, kind, generous person.”