What was the best moment in your career?

In 1963, when I was 17, the Manchester United manager Sir Matt Busby asked me if I would like to sign professional forms. They were one of the biggest clubs in the world, with players such as Denis Law and Bobby Charlton, and I was overwhelmed. And then to be part of the European Cup-winning squad in 1968 was fantastic. I don’t think you can get any better than that. I played two games in the cup run, against Sarajevo in Yugoslavia and Gornik in Poland. I thought I would play in the final against Benfica at Wembley. Like everybody else you think you are going to get picked [but I wasn't]. To win it was fantastic and to get a medal was fabulous. We believed we could win the cup with world-class players, and with George Best, Law and Charlton, it was our best chance.

What was the worst moment of your career?

I had to give up my football career because of a bad leg injury at the age of 25. I was told it was either give up or end up in a wheelchair. It was a knee injury against Leeds United when Johnny Giles tackled me. Playing at the greatest club in the world and fighting very hard to get into the team, I couldn’t believe what had happened to me. But it was great while it lasted. To finish in that way was heartbreaking. The second-worst moment was when we played AC Milan in the European Cup semi-final at the San Siro in 1969 and I got sent off. Kurt Hamrin, who played for Sweden, spat at me and I should not have retaliated. Spitting at a fellow professional was new at that time. I turned round and smacked him on the chin and unfortunately was sent off.

What was the best thing about being a player in your time?

The freedom we were given on the field. We got instructions from Sir Matt but he left a lot of it up to us how we performed. Wherever we went we got cheered simply because we played the game the way it was supposed to be played.

Who was the best player you came up against?

The most difficult opponent was Leighton James of Burnley. He was quick, strong and had tremendous ability. I was sent off at Burnley when the referee said I had kicked James. The ref made a mistake because I missed him completely. The greatest player I faced was Jimmy Greaves of Tottenham. He was a great guy. I marked him at White Hart Lane and humped him all over the park. After the game, we shook hands and had a drink. He was fantastic.

Who was the best manager you played under?

Sir Matt Busby, a wonderful man. The stars had so much respect for him and I never heard a bad word said against him in the 10 years I was at United. When he said something in the dressing room it was done: end of story. You don’t come through the Munich air crash like he did without having something special.

What was your best George Best moment?

When we were 15 years old, we were playing at The Cliff, our training ground. We were playing for the B team, there was a wee bit of snow on the pitch and there were quite a few people watching. At half-time, George said to me, ‘Fitz, give me the ball, I’m going to beat everybody in their team and smash the ball in’. I said, ‘George, that is an impossible thing to do’. ‘No,’ he said, ‘it will waken the crowd up and warm them up’. So at the kick-off, I kicked the ball to him and he beat every player in the opposition and smashed the ball in the goal. We kept on talking about that goal for years and years.

What is the best thing about the game today?

The players are much quicker but they get away with murder — you aren’t allowed to tackle anybody.

WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

I am 63 years old and live in Aberdeen. I am a self-employed wine merchant and work for a friend. I work from home, selling any type of wine to hotels, golf clubs and anybody who enjoys good wine. It is imported from all over the world. New World wines are getting very popular but my favourite tastes are still French. The company is called Jens Peter Kunert and we will be very busy from now until Christmas. I haven’t put on any weight since I stopped playing football. I had a hip operation about six weeks ago and now go for walks, and hope to play golf again by the end of the year. It is my second hip operation. I have had two hip operations and one knee operation so I have only got one to go: that’s my head.