Middlesbrough: £100k swoop from Yorkshire rivals remains a real bargain: View | OneFootball

FLW takes a look back at the Boro career of "Gorgeous" George Friend, how he became a club legend, and one of Middlesbrough's biggest bargains.

An iconic victory celebration, a trademark left-footed chop, a champion of Teesside and one of the finest left-backs in Middlesbrough's history; Boro's 2012 capture of George Friend for £100k remains one of the club's biggest bargains.

Upon being signed in 2012 for a reported £100k fee from then League One side Doncaster Rovers, Friend joined a Middlesbrough side that was trying to emerge from the darkness in which the Gordon Strachan era had cast the Riverside Stadium into.

Club legend Tony Mowbray was now at the helm, and thanks to a far better navigation of the transfer market than his predecessor, "Mogga" was able to recruit a number of future stars to his squad.

Over the next eight years, Friend would forge a legacy as one of Middlesbrough's most well-loved players, with his character both on and off the pitch crafting a relationship with Boro supporters that very few have ever been able to do.

Football League World takes a look back at Friend's Boro career, how he became a club legend and adopted Teessider, and why he is undoubtedly one of Middlesbrough's greatest left-backs.

George becomes fan favourite on Teesside

Players don't always become an instant hit with supporters, but that certainly wasn't the case with Friend and Middlesbrough fans.

Indeed, he won the Community Player of the Year in his debut 2012/13 season, and in an interview from the time with Teesside Live, Friend said: “I’m not from the area but I’ve felt welcome and have settled in very quickly.

“There’s a lot of good people around Teesside and the North-east who are very passionate about their football. I’ve also met lots of people who are passionate about helping the community. The part I play is only a small part compared to the people who have dedicated their lives to helping the community on Teesside.”

From the moment he arrived in the North East to the day he left, Friend threw himself into the Teesside community.

Whether it be through countless amounts of charity work across the region, or simply by making a concerted effort to stop for pictures and autographs with every adoring fan, at every opportunity he took the chance to show how much respect and admiration he had for Boro supporters.

So deep was his affection for the Riverside faithful, Friend made sure to perform his ritual of three leaping cheers in front of the South Stand after every home win, a type of unique and personal show of passion for the club that hasn't really been seen to the same extent before or since.

Performances on the pitch help cement his place in Middlesbrough folklore

It wasn't just the class act that Friend was which won the hearts of Middlesbrough supporters, his displays at left-back in a Boro shirt were some of the best the Riverside crowds had seen for many a year.

Players like Franck Queudrue may well have been more technically gifted than Friend, but seldom have Teessiders observed a left-back play with as much passion, fight and desire as Friend did - and he certainly didn't lack ability either.

Deploying what would become his trademark left-footed chop to cut in from the left would somehow work on any defender, in any situation, every single time.

Make no mistake either, Friend was as gentle and as warm a human being as you'll find off the pitch, but once the "Gorgeous George" stepped over the white line, he was as fierce and ferocious a defender you could have the misfortune of going up against as an attacker.

Friend became a rock at the back during Boro's promotion-winning 2015/16 season, whilst also driving forward with the ball at any given opportunity.

Displaying just how much of a quality player he was, Friend made 24 Premier League appearances for Middlesbrough in 2016/17 season, registering an average match rating of 7/10 - per FotMob.

Friend would leave Middlesbrough as a free agent in 2020, joining Birmingham City.

Friend was everything Boro fans want in a player

Supporters of most clubs - especially ones such as Middlesbrough - demand those who play for their club to wear the shirt with a clear and obvious understanding of how much it means to people. Not just in regard to their passion for their club, but in terms of the hard work they put in during the week just to be able to go to the match on the weekend.

Friend didn't just show an understanding of that, what he showed was an intimate knowledge of both the size of Middlesbrough Football Club, and performed in a manner that demonstrated his obligation to himself to give everything he had for the people of Teesside and their shirt every time he wore it.

Friend's name wasn't a familiar one to Middlesbrough supporters when he first walked through the Riverside Stadium doors, but after exiting through them for the final time - as a player at least - in 2020, Boro fans felt as if they'd lost a piece of their family.

But Teesside captured his heart, and he captured the hearts of Teessiders, with Friend making numerous references to how much he misses the area in the years since he left the football club.

Boro didn't just get a bargain from purely a footballing perspective, they received an adopted son who will forever be unable to walk Middlesbrough's streets without being stopped for photos, autographs, handshakes and hugs alike.

A true Middlesbrough legend on and off the pitch, and probably the best £100k the football club has ever spent.