I watched the impish Best skip across quagmire pitches with a rain soaked leather ball, pursued by the hard men of the day. The best efforts of Norman (Break Your Legs) Hunter, Ron (Chopper) Harris or Tommy Smith could not stop him. I once had the great privilege to spend an evening in the company of George & his wife Alex. A truly humble man who was a genius with a ball at his feet.
He was the best player in the world then , playing on awful heavy ,quagmire like pitches , wearing great clog like football boots that were cumbersome and uncomfortable and trying to play with a ball that was ridiculously hard and heavy and almost impossible to spin and swerve. And on top of that he had almost no protection from referees , he was kicked and fouled constantly and play was allowed to go on. Imagine him today playing on beautiful , sleek perfect , flat football pitches , wearing light , comfortable state of the art football boots , playing with a football that is incredibly light and responsive to the touch and being given protection from the referee so that players are not allowed to just hack into him anymore. He would be totally unplayable and a dream to watch. Defenders wouldn't have a clue how to handle him . He would be priceless.
And imagine the tools he could have had at his disposal in the modern day. The video reviews, the sports science, advances in nutrition, psychotherapy, etc. all to improve performance. I would love to see players with that raw talent play today, they would be something special.
Titty Milk I get what you’re saying, but I think with the same tools that today’s players had growing up, best would have still been one of the greats. To become a legend, you need to be mentally special, not just physically special. Best had so much self-belief and confidence. I think those traits would have taken him to the top even today.
Bit of an exaggeration. I played on those pitches and wore the boots. They were not "quagmires" nor did we wear "clogs" and the balls were not too bad either. There was a actually a " George Best " side laced boot ( not a success) but it was a pretty light weight slimline piece of kit. I don't know where these ideas came from that the 60's pitches were like "farmers fields" but its entirely mistaken. Maybe not quite up to today's standards but not THAT bad.
Me and my mate watch man Utd home and away in the sixties and seventies and Best was and is the BEST footballer that I ever saw my mate allways said it was Duncan Edwards I never saw Duncan.Play
not only was George one of the best players of all time but he was the hardman not the so called hardmen cowardly fouling him they were in georges words just dirty bastards George stayed on his feet if he could no laying on the floor screaming r I p george
George Best You are a Fantastic Football player You are the Best George Best Good bye the Belfast boy World legend Maradona Cruyff Pele George Best is the Best Danny van Strien Holland Europe
If George best had got the protection that messi gets from referee today who knows the skills he would have displayed especially with the great pitches and lighter balls Pele said you had to trip him to stop him I was only 12 when he won United the the European cup I've never seen a better player
Most retarded comment ever. Messi is the most fouled player ever. He gets up even after a brutal tackle from behind. Best never had the motivation to continue playing at the top level. He lost his way. No matter what generation or pitches he plays on we cannot be sure if he would be great or just another drunk
George Best You are a Fantastic Football player you are the best George Best Good bye The Belfast Boy word Legend Maradona Pele Cruyff George Best is the Best
Best by name..Best by nature..taking into account the state of the pitches..the hatchet men defenders then and the heavier ball..George Best is/was the best in the world!!👹
trini..obviously you need to go to specsavers and not a true football fan..he obviously didn't play in the world cup because n.ireland we'rnt good enough..or perhaps you're too thick to realise that..now crawl back under that stone where you came from..knobhead!👹
Wiry, quick, and strong and deceptively fast. He is on my all time 10 field players to also include Pele, CR7, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Maradona, Cruyf, Beckenbauer, Landrup, and Francisco Marinho Chagas.
@@tigerarmyrule Indeed it was.I always say to people that Messi is the best player I've ever seen but the football today has no comparison to the past with what talented players had to put up with.Would Messi have scored so many goals in the past?No,because like Best and other talented players he would have been kicked to the ground.
@@suffern63 I totally agree. Messi is magically talented but there is no way he would have those goals back in Best's days. The massively talented Cruyff who is one of the greatest in history found it difficult to score in Spain...hacked fouled, pulled dragged, every game. Bestie the same. Stud first tackles from behind were common.Would Messi score in every game in England in the 1960s or Spain in the 1970s? No chance. I say that as a huge huge fan of Messi who is withoutargument the best player in the world....but Best would thrive and score bagfulls in today's Liga.
It was still the case even in the 90’s with only a few notable exceptions like van der Sar. It’s quite incredible how drastic the progress in that aspect was over the past 2 decades.
RM not up to much and not averse to putting the boot in. Always a sign of a team not confident in their ability. Best a great player, but not his best game apart from assisted header that led to goal. But,he was closely targeted as a threat and you can see him exasperated at being heavily fouled at times.
That says a lot about the quality of English football....and it shows....won fuck all since that goal that wasn't in '66...( with the exception of the under 17's World Cup last year )
@@trini2830 The quality of the England team hasn't declined, the quality of the rest of the world has improved. Even Brazil, Germany and Italy now struggle against lesser teams. England won the U21 Euros in 1982 and 1984 and the U17 Euros in 2010 and 2014. England won both the U20 World Cup and the U17 World Cup in 2017.
@@golden.lights.twinkle2329 With respect mate I do disagree...In the Continent and in Sth America quality under 17's/18's/19's/20's are already playing for the senior side. No British team has won anything of significance since '66 at national side level and that reflect where they're at...At club level things are a bit different, with between 7-9 foreign players per team. PS: A team that selects the likes of McGuire deserves all the shite they do get !
Definitely. There are some interviews of his teammates where they say how difficult it was to adjust to him at first - you had to understand, for example, that you could (and should) make a run even if he was currently turned away from you and seemingly couldn't see you or make a pass to you. Because he could and he would. His vision and ability to make a creative pass was just fantastic, even though he had never fully recovered after his imprisonment.
I saw him two times live.....my first ever match at Tottenham where he seemed to have more time than anyone else on the ball and when United were a pretty ruthless machine; then at the end at Fulham where he was embarrassingly better than anyone.
George's lack of control and wasted passing (against Europe's best) as evident on this video would probably cost him a regular place in todays top teams. But, as well as his close incredible ball control he could head a ball as well as anyone, he could , and would tackle and his work rate was superb. So he was the complete football player.
The "wasted passing" wasn't Best fault, it was the much more vertical style of playing that caused it... coaches back then weren't obsessed by control and players were allowed to make their own decissions. I've seen recently the legendary argentinian coach Cesar Luis Menotti answering the question about intelligence of today's players, and he responded disapointed with the lack of good decisions and initiative of modern players. Out of coaches commands they got lose. That's why they make less mistakes. They just obey orders. And that's why players like Best are so rare nowadays An then pitches... even the 3rd division pitch where my town's team plays nowadays is at least equally good as the best pitches back then. The leather ball and the boots made everything less accurate too
He was a top player for a short while. From 1967 to 1972. Way too short to rank amongst the top six, to seven players of all time who did for over ten to 15 fifteen years. The ball control & skills of the greatest South American players like Pelé, Di Stefano, Maradona, Ronaldo (Brazil), Messi, I'd rank over him & Cruyff was the best player, Europe ever produced. Add in the brilliant CR7 & his longevity to do it at the highest level for over twelve years & you've got. The top seven players, the game as seen.
ARE YOU FORGETTING 64 TO 67 . THOSE WERE GREAT BEST YEARS! I know i watched him every week in the 60s home and away! The greatest player I ever saw! Dont care what anybody says! A level above the very best!
@tigerarmyrule On an aesthetic front. I find Cruyff more balletic than Best. Cruyff moved & waltzed through defenders like a gazelle. The legendary Rudolph Nureyev was a massive fan of Cruyff. Said he could have been a dancer. So beautiful & graceful off motion was Cruyff. Here's an article on the subject: www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/johan-cruyff-the-balletic-genius-who-changed-football-a6951636.html%3Famp But like you said. Aesthetics is a personal thing.
@@johnpacino007 I admire your careful analysis and your football knowledge. Before watching "Best vs. ... " games of his touches I thought he would have been one of the very best ever. I think he has been overrated , probably by the media being clouded by his SuperStar Lifestyle. Most games I've watched of him , he has been quite poor, bad passes, often running down blind alleys trying to dribble everyone then losing the ball. The oft repeated quote comes to mind... Maradona - good. Pele better. George - Best. In no universe was George Best as good as O Rei and Don Diego. I think he was several levels below them.
Yes, 4-3 on aggregate. Apparently Madrid's three goals weren't worth filming! I was in the scoreboard end at Old Trafford for the first leg and watched Best score the only goal.
@@ianthomas5955 How many people can actually say that? A lot of us would dream to see Sir Matt Busby and the Legends in any one of those major games. A lot of us were not even a twinkle in our fathers eyes in those days. GGMU.
@@ianthomas5955 And the great Bill Foulkes veteran of the 58 semi final Munich Disaster team getting the winner to put us in the 68 final👍 How poetic the united story is.
Took his lumps and carried on. Watching Italian or Brazilian players writhing in agony after a dirty look these days makes me want to puke. Cheating sissies!
Great teams are made up of 11 great players but its individual genius that win the games.Look at Gazza a great player but was crowded out a lot because teams knew he was Englands only great player in the tea,ms that he played in for England.
For a team to win a top tournement it takes a whole team of good players , look at cantiona at united he could do nothing all through the match then a touch of genius he wins the match for you.Now take Gazza when he played for England, he was surrounded by very average players so other teams always cramped him out , not much room to do his magic but at club level he had great playes around him so his gen ius stood out
Best was a brilliant player. But even he and Bobby Charlton said Di Stefano of the great Real Madrid side that won 5 European cups in a row was the greatest player ever.
Very true. And he had the ball taken of him enough. And on them standards and this showing he was not in the same league as Christiano Ronaldo. But A genius on his day!
@@davis7099 your wrong about the boots puma and continental boots where on the Market in the early 60s I bought A pair of puma for £5.12+6p A fortune then. As much as I loved Best todays game + players are much more fitter + faster on that performance it makes you wonder would he get on the bench these days?
@@davis7099 Most of his matches weren't recorded. The best ones on film are: Best vs Benfica 1966 Best vs Benfica 1968 Best vs Scotland 1968 Best vs Northampton 1970 Best vs Spain 1970 Best vs West Ham 1971 The rest of the other recorded games. He just flitters, in & out of games.
Can people not see what I’m saying, everything is rushed back then, a lot of mistakes and no organization, yea George was great back then but if he was to play in today’s game he wouldn’t be a top player
Best, Best, Best but not absolutely the best in this game considering the fact that this RM team did not even man mark him like the way it was then played. Too many failed dribbles, wayward passes, did not create opportunities for himself and relatively weak shots for someone considered the best.
You gotta love the player if not the man. But in loving the awesome attacking player he was we have to be honest and recognize he was a shit defender, and really shit by today's standard but hey, he destroys today's Neymar standard of players milking the lightest contact. Best ploughed through, winced, hobbled and clutched his shins and ankles three dozen times without going to the ground and without complaining. Best should always be remembered for his football. And despite going off the rails with fame and fortune it's fair to say there was also a good man. Always a legend on my field
wrong mate not shit by todays standard the ball the pitches fouls that today would have been straight red cards crowd abuse then and many more things all todays top players would have found to do what George did
ok I have suffered from dyslexia never stopped me making a good living b ut you must be the only person on line to put the words George best a shit in the same sentence you must think david james joe hart were better goalkeepers than Gordon banks because of todays standards
@@georgemoore4139 You're a shame! You're not dyslexic but rather slightly illiterate - probably raised on a cell phone amidst our outrage culture. It's likely impossible for you to recognize flaws that rock your narrow perspective. An honest conversation with you is clearly not possible. As I stated George Best was an awesome attacking player with rarely matched skills who ploughed through tackles that would destroy many of today's contemporaries (aka. Neymar!) BUT none of that dismisses the reality that he WAS a shit defender both then and certainly by today's demands of attacking midfielders. He was suckered into the very same moves he humiliated defenders with. He was easy enough to beat if 'you' had the ball on the run, but give him the ball and you're fucked! A better, brilliant defensive-capable example of another world-class United attacking midfielder is the one and only Paul Scholes. Scholes was a dream machine and likely one of the most underrated players ever... in the world. Scholes was sublime skill, uncanny distribution, dribbling balls into the net and whacking vollies from 25 yards, game smarts, dogged determination, unlikely to pull a 'Neymar' and if you by chance had the ball Scholes would have you both. He attacked like George Best and he defended like Roy Keene. I absolutely cannot say about Scholes that he was a shit defender. Rooney had it... once... for a brief beautiful moment. He could attack and distribute like Best and Scholes and defend like Scholes and Keene, and he was our English bulldog riding tackles, getting hit, getting up and getting the ball between the posts from 3 yards or 30. Rooney could have been better than Best as an anywhere on the park player but again... he gave us magic briefly then lost his way and his game despite breaking United records. Nuances Mr. Moore, nuances. And a little honesty and a little less outrage go a long way. Call me out, call me wrong but do it by actually making a case after first reading what I actually write. ps. Beckham was a better distributor, better shooter and better defender than Best :)
no mate you said shit by todays standards must have forgotten what the person who wrote the article for you stated the players you mentioned were great players never would deny it ive been polite and cannot understand what you class as outrage beckham was a great player as for George going off the rails he had an illness which must have tortured him that's not going off the rails has for honesty I have struggled with dyslexia and spent many hours trying to improve that leaves me open for people who don't think George had an illness through their ignorance REALLY SHIT BY TODAYS STANDARDS read it again
@@georgemoore4139 I'd attempt to answer if I truly knew what you were saying. You actually begin with a fallacy... I said Best was a shit defender then and shit by today's standards. The rest I don;'t care to clarify. Except, sincerely, good luck working through your personal issues but such has NOTHING to do with your arguments or lack thereof. Gotta go. Thanks for playing. Just wish I knew what game you're playing!
He was very good but not the best ever. If he had been he would not have stayed at Man Utd, he would have joined Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan or Inter Milan.
I would agree that he was not the best ever, but this particular argument is, to say the least, a bit weird. The biggest argument against his claim would be his short career - he reached an incredible peak but ultimately failed to keep up with his partying and drinking.
Joseph Aguilar . That's just silly. Not all the best players at the time wanted to leave their first clubs. It was not like it is today where most players are just money grabbing machines. Take a look at Bobby Moore from the same period . He is arguably the greatest defender who ever lived ( Pele thought he was ) and Bobby stayed at Westham his whole effective career until he was too old to play for them anymore. He could have gone to any club in the world at his peak but he didn't want to .Also another point to ponder which not many people know about is that Juventus once offered 4 times the world record transfer fee for Westhams Geoff Hurst , and Westham practically just laughed at the offer as they knew he was irreplaceable. Can you imagine what players like Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton and George Best himself would have been worth ? Plus don't forget that Manchester United won the European Cup with George and were arguably for a time the best and most famous club in the World. So why would he want to leave ? Also he loved the life in nearby London, England as at that time it was the only place to be. The swinging sixties and all that. Plus George was never a greedy man , not like today's so called superstars .
@@choppy249 Bobby Moore the greatest defender who ever lived ? ! What are taking ? ! He wasn't in the class of Beckenbaur ,Baresi , Maldini , Costacurta, Rudi Krol ........I could go on. Pele just said whatever the media wanted to hear depending on which country he was being interviewed in.
@@davis7099 So what? One of the most average players ever seen. He had 3/4 good years but only in UK. In those days there were players who were far superior to him everywhere in Europe, including East Europe at that time! He was a clown with and without the ball and only remembered because of his lifestyle rather than his skills. Average player. Now, get the fuck out of here.
Perfect ball control, clever one-touches, abundant imagination… perfect player
No matter what team you support George Best was a fantastic football player and come across as a great bloke 👍
One of the Greatest Of All Time.....
I watched the impish Best skip across quagmire pitches with a rain soaked leather ball, pursued by the hard men of the day. The best efforts of Norman (Break Your Legs) Hunter, Ron (Chopper) Harris or Tommy Smith could not stop him. I once had the great privilege to spend an evening in the company of George & his wife Alex. A truly humble man who was a genius with a ball at his feet.
no not hardmen georges words dirty bastards
Legend of football in sport.
@@richardgoode4761 truly the greatest player ever
@@eric-yy2cq Agree.
You lucky bastid! Would have loved to have met George. I suppose I will one day ;-)
BEST WAS THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD
Your correct take care )
A fantastic reminder of how brilliant, brave and tough George was.
dead on mate
He was and still is my sporting hero and a lovely man
not to mention the new style balls . that thing is like a brick compared to modern equipment
@@phililpb The ball weighed the same, except if it got wet.
George & Bobby could play with either foot with such ease
His balance and sheer natural ability with the ball is unsurpassed. Brave. , notice no shin guards.
That's not brave, it's stupid.
@@golden.lights.twinkle2329, brave comment had no relevance to lack of shinnies.
Or magic sponges!
He was the best player in the world then , playing on awful heavy ,quagmire like pitches , wearing great clog like football boots that were cumbersome and uncomfortable and trying to play with a ball that was ridiculously hard and heavy and almost impossible to spin and swerve. And on top of that he had almost no protection from referees , he was kicked and fouled constantly and play was allowed to go on. Imagine him today playing on beautiful , sleek perfect , flat football pitches , wearing light , comfortable state of the art football boots , playing with a football that is incredibly light and responsive to the touch and being given protection from the referee so that players are not allowed to just hack into him anymore. He would be totally unplayable and a dream to watch. Defenders wouldn't have a clue how to handle him . He would be priceless.
choppy249 back then he was great, if he played today he wouldn’t be able
And imagine the tools he could have had at his disposal in the modern day. The video reviews, the sports science, advances in nutrition, psychotherapy, etc. all to improve performance. I would love to see players with that raw talent play today, they would be something special.
Titty Milk I get what you’re saying, but I think with the same tools that today’s players had growing up, best would have still been one of the greats. To become a legend, you need to be mentally special, not just physically special. Best had so much self-belief and confidence. I think those traits would have taken him to the top even today.
Bit of an exaggeration. I played on those pitches and wore the boots. They were not "quagmires" nor did we wear "clogs" and the balls were not too bad either. There was a actually a " George Best " side laced boot ( not a success) but it was a pretty light weight slimline piece of kit. I don't know where these ideas came from that the 60's pitches were like "farmers fields" but its entirely mistaken. Maybe not quite up to today's standards but not THAT bad.
@@rnstoo1 I think you looking thro rose tinted glasses? The pitches were awful most of the time!
Great video... thanks for the upload 👍
Me and my mate watch man Utd home and away in the sixties and seventies and Best was and is the BEST footballer that I ever saw my mate allways said it was Duncan Edwards I never saw Duncan.Play
not only was George one of the best players of all time but he was the hardman not the so called hardmen cowardly fouling him they were in georges words just dirty bastards George stayed on his feet if he could no laying on the floor screaming r I p george
George the greatest player that ever lived
there'll never be another Geordie Best
at 3:29 Best tries the nutmeg at Gento and fails and immediately Gento tries a rabona and fails 🤣
that's a legendary duel there between 2 geniuses 😍
Nice find 🙂
The greatest player to play the game, never wore shin pads. Imagine him on today's pitches he would be priceless!!
certainly up there mate
I’d have to disagree, he’s a great player now but there’s no organization and he’s never be a top player today too many mistakes back then
@@tittymilk5979 But with proper training in today's game best would shine when he dribbles the ball.
@@tittymilk5979 load of shite. Natural skill is good no matter what generation.
@@tittymilk5979 hahahahahahahahahaha, quite simply 1 of the most hilarious things iv heard, EVER
More George Best please 😎
George Best
You are a Fantastic Football player
You are the Best
George Best
Good bye the Belfast boy
World legend
Maradona Cruyff Pele
George Best is the Best
Danny van Strien Holland Europe
If George best had got the protection that messi gets from referee today who knows the skills he would have displayed especially with the great pitches and lighter balls Pele said you had to trip him to stop him I was only 12 when he won United the the European cup I've never seen a better player
Most retarded comment ever.
Messi is the most fouled player ever. He gets up even after a brutal tackle from behind.
Best never had the motivation to continue playing at the top level. He lost his way.
No matter what generation or pitches he plays on we cannot be sure if he would be great or just another drunk
@@suyezlee6650 you have just showing your football intelligence RIGHT there ,lee ,if I was you delete now lee ,ya DOPE
Messi gets protection?? That's a new one.
He was so fit!
Look how they celebrate
George Best You are a Fantastic Football player you are the best George Best Good bye The Belfast Boy word Legend Maradona Pele Cruyff George Best is the Best
Best by name..Best by nature..taking into account the state of the pitches..the hatchet men defenders then and the heavier ball..George Best is/was the best in the world!!👹
exactly
Yeah...I remember him in the ......World Cup...!!! Had a blinder....!!! LMFAO
trini..obviously you need to go to specsavers and not a true football fan..he obviously didn't play in the world cup because n.ireland we'rnt good enough..or perhaps you're too thick to realise that..now crawl back under that stone where you came from..knobhead!👹
@@mickfoskett6629: Too far away from Maradona..Messi...Ronaldo ....Neymar or Gerrard.....
@@trini2830 Those guys would have been allowed to carry his boots.
Wiry, quick, and strong and deceptively fast. He is on my all time 10 field players to also include Pele, CR7, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Maradona, Cruyf, Beckenbauer, Landrup, and Francisco Marinho Chagas.
Plain as day how much more athletic the opposition were. Our drinking culture has denied us lots of success over the years
Very good Point.you can see the difference in speed and movement between the two teams.
Not only that but drink shortened many careers well before their time.
I wish Bestie had played for West Ham.⚒
GEORGE IS fantastic¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡
what does his name tell you? BEST
A star
Thanks
WOW! Best was really a very talented player.
And Real Madrid played dirty af
No dirtier than any team at the time. It was a different game.
@@tigerarmyrule Indeed it was.I always say to people that Messi is the best player I've ever seen but the football today has no comparison to the past with what talented players had to put up with.Would Messi have scored so many goals in the past?No,because like Best and other talented players he would have been kicked to the ground.
@@suffern63 I totally agree. Messi is magically talented but there is no way he would have those goals back in Best's days. The massively talented Cruyff who is one of the greatest in history found it difficult to score in Spain...hacked fouled, pulled dragged, every game. Bestie the same. Stud first tackles from behind were common.Would Messi score in every game in England in the 1960s or Spain in the 1970s? No chance. I say that as a huge huge fan of Messi who is withoutargument the best player in the world....but Best would thrive and score bagfulls in today's Liga.
@@suffern63 he wouldnt even be a pro footballer back then, he had to take growth pills to get where he is today
@@jonesy1589 That's true
3:15 who is this guy?
Manuel Sanchís, father of Manolo Sanchís.
Goalkeepers in the UK in the day, all they did was hoof it..prehistoric even then.
It was still the case even in the 90’s with only a few notable exceptions like van der Sar. It’s quite incredible how drastic the progress in that aspect was over the past 2 decades.
If only Northern Ireland could unearth a player like this today
1:58 - 2:09; 5:42; 7:27... 👏👏👏
RM not up to much and not averse to putting the boot in. Always a sign of a team not confident in their ability. Best a great player, but not his best game apart from assisted header that led to goal. But,he was closely targeted as a threat and you can see him exasperated at being heavily fouled at times.
Very sad that today there are very few British players playing in British teams.
That says a lot about the quality of English football....and it shows....won fuck all since that goal that wasn't in '66...( with the exception of the under 17's World Cup last year )
@@trini2830 The quality of the England team hasn't declined, the quality of the rest of the world has improved. Even Brazil, Germany and Italy now struggle against lesser teams. England won the U21 Euros in 1982 and 1984 and the U17 Euros in 2010 and 2014. England won both the U20 World Cup and the U17 World Cup in 2017.
@@golden.lights.twinkle2329 With respect mate I do disagree...In the Continent and in Sth America quality under 17's/18's/19's/20's are already playing for the senior side. No British team has won anything of significance since '66 at national side level and that reflect where they're at...At club level things are a bit different, with between 7-9 foreign players per team. PS: A team that selects the likes of McGuire deserves all the shite they do get !
One eye on the ball the other on his shins.
Dirty bastards trying to kick him off the park.
well said
Messi, ronaldo hybrid.
Real Madrid Dominated 90 minutes, But Best Made difference.
2 assists for Best.
If you watch this a few times you realise how his thinking was so far ahead of his teammates.
Definitely. There are some interviews of his teammates where they say how difficult it was to adjust to him at first - you had to understand, for example, that you could (and should) make a run even if he was currently turned away from you and seemingly couldn't see you or make a pass to you. Because he could and he would. His vision and ability to make a creative pass was just fantastic, even though he had never fully recovered after his imprisonment.
I saw him two times live.....my first ever match at Tottenham where he seemed to have more time than anyone else on the ball and when United were a pretty ruthless machine; then at the end at Fulham where he was embarrassingly better than anyone.
I remember he scored 6 goals in one of these, I am sure it was a European cup match.
I think that was the FA Cup tie when Man U won 8-2 and Best scored 6.
They kicked him all the time.
Driblava muito
George's lack of control and wasted passing (against Europe's best) as evident on this video would probably cost him a regular place in todays top teams. But, as well as his close incredible ball control he could head a ball as well as anyone, he could , and would tackle and his work rate was superb. So he was the complete football player.
The "wasted passing" wasn't Best fault, it was the much more vertical style of playing that caused it... coaches back then weren't obsessed by control and players were allowed to make their own decissions.
I've seen recently the legendary argentinian coach Cesar Luis Menotti answering the question about intelligence of today's players, and he responded disapointed with the lack of good decisions and initiative of modern players. Out of coaches commands they got lose. That's why they make less mistakes. They just obey orders. And that's why players like Best are so rare nowadays
An then pitches... even the 3rd division pitch where my town's team plays nowadays is at least equally good as the best pitches back then. The leather ball and the boots made everything less accurate too
He was a top player for a short while. From 1967 to 1972. Way too short to rank amongst the top six, to seven players of all time who did for over ten to 15 fifteen years. The ball control & skills of the greatest South American players like Pelé, Di Stefano, Maradona, Ronaldo (Brazil), Messi, I'd rank over him & Cruyff was the best player, Europe ever produced. Add in the brilliant CR7 & his longevity to do it at the highest level for over twelve years & you've got. The top seven players, the game as seen.
ARE YOU FORGETTING 64 TO 67 . THOSE WERE GREAT BEST YEARS! I know i watched him every week in the 60s home and away! The greatest player I ever saw! Dont care what anybody says! A level above the very best!
@tigerarmyrule On an aesthetic front. I find Cruyff more balletic than Best. Cruyff moved & waltzed through defenders like a gazelle. The legendary Rudolph Nureyev was a massive fan of Cruyff. Said he could have been a dancer. So beautiful & graceful off motion was Cruyff.
Here's an article on the subject: www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/johan-cruyff-the-balletic-genius-who-changed-football-a6951636.html%3Famp
But like you said. Aesthetics is a personal thing.
@@johnpacino007 I admire your careful analysis and your football knowledge. Before watching "Best vs. ... " games of his touches I thought he would have been one of the very best ever. I think he has been overrated , probably by the media being clouded by his SuperStar Lifestyle. Most games I've watched of him , he has been quite poor, bad passes, often running down blind alleys trying to dribble everyone then losing the ball. The oft repeated quote comes to mind... Maradona - good. Pele better. George - Best. In no universe was George Best as good as O Rei and Don Diego. I think he was several levels below them.
@@johnpacino007 Cryuff was a much better passer and football brain.
@@phylstaunton2176 To my mind also. That's an uncontestable fact. Cruyff's orchestral plays, are without peers.
Phenomenals player Best! !! Genial mutant of skills and driblingns! !! The ten fifa players! !
This was the 1st leg !!
No, it wasn't. This is the 2nd leg at Santiago Bernabeu. It's easy to check as Law played in the 1st one.
No, it was indeed the 2nd leg. The first leg was at Old T. United won 1-0 with Best whacking in the winner.
No final score then , can I presume United won ?
Yes, 4-3 on aggregate. Apparently Madrid's three goals weren't worth filming! I was in the scoreboard end at Old Trafford for the first leg and watched Best score the only goal.
@@ianthomas5955 How many people can actually say that? A lot of us would dream to see Sir Matt Busby and the Legends in any one of those major games. A lot of us were not even a twinkle in our fathers eyes in those days. GGMU.
@@ianthomas5955 And the great Bill Foulkes veteran of the 58 semi final Munich Disaster team getting the winner to put us in the 68 final👍
How poetic the united story is.
Not his Best game.
No pun intended
IDK....seems to loose the ball more often than not.
Took his lumps and carried on. Watching Italian or Brazilian players writhing in agony after a dirty look these days makes me want to puke. Cheating sissies!
The best who destroy Real
100 percent Irish
I don`t know how good you think he is but it takes a Team not just one man.
Great teams are made up of 11 great players but its individual genius that win the games.Look at Gazza a great player but was crowded out a lot because teams knew he was Englands only great player in the tea,ms that he played in for England.
I dont agree i think if you have the best player on the pitch you stand the best chance of winning the game
For a team to win a top tournement it takes a whole team of good players , look at cantiona at united he could do nothing all through the match then a touch of genius he wins the match for you.Now take Gazza when he played for England, he was surrounded by very average players so other teams always cramped him out , not much room to do his magic but at club level he had great playes around him so his gen ius stood out
Best was a brilliant player.
But even he and Bobby Charlton said Di Stefano of the great Real Madrid side that won 5 European cups in a row was the greatest player ever.
Gave the ball away numerous times and terrible crosses 🤨
Well that was a pretty underwhelming performance ...not very good crossing/shooting/dribbling/passing or even basic control at times ...
Thanks. My thoughts exactly.......
Very true. And he had the ball taken of him enough. And on them standards and this showing he was not in the same league as Christiano Ronaldo. But A genius on his day!
@@davis7099 your wrong about the boots puma and continental boots where on the Market in the early 60s I bought A pair of puma for £5.12+6p A fortune then. As much as I loved Best todays game + players are much more fitter + faster on that performance it makes you wonder would he get on the bench these days?
@@davis7099 Most of his matches weren't recorded. The best ones on film are:
Best vs Benfica 1966
Best vs Benfica 1968
Best vs Scotland 1968
Best vs Northampton 1970
Best vs Spain 1970
Best vs West Ham 1971
The rest of the other recorded games. He just flitters, in & out of games.
He lost the ball quite a lot. More ability than Ronaldo but not Messi level overall
@God is Here Best couldn't win the European Cup without Charlton and Stiles lol
Heavier pitches heavier ball ruthless heavy tackles with minimum referee protection.
Messi wouldnt survive👎
@@daveglynn748 Yeah, I mean lesser players than Messi not only survived but thrived, but Messi wouldn't..
Can people not see what I’m saying, everything is rushed back then, a lot of mistakes and no organization, yea George was great back then but if he was to play in today’s game he wouldn’t be a top player
Some very cynical challenges by the Spaniards.
Nowadays, i think his talent would be more or less like Griezmann's one.
More like a prime ribery
Maybe a third division player
😂
Talkin shite again eh!
Best, Best, Best but not absolutely the best in this game considering the fact that this RM team did not even man mark him like the way it was then played. Too many failed dribbles, wayward passes, did not create opportunities for himself and relatively weak shots for someone considered the best.
You gotta love the player if not the man. But in loving the awesome attacking player he was we have to be honest and recognize he was a shit defender, and really shit by today's standard but hey, he destroys today's Neymar standard of players milking the lightest contact. Best ploughed through, winced, hobbled and clutched his shins and ankles three dozen times without going to the ground and without complaining. Best should always be remembered for his football. And despite going off the rails with fame and fortune it's fair to say there was also a good man. Always a legend on my field
wrong mate not shit by todays standard the ball the pitches fouls that today would have been straight red cards crowd abuse then and many more things all todays top players would have found to do what George did
ok I have suffered from dyslexia never stopped me making a good living b ut you must be the only person on line to put the words George best a shit in the same sentence you must think david james joe hart were better goalkeepers than Gordon banks because of todays standards
@@georgemoore4139 You're a shame! You're not dyslexic but rather slightly illiterate - probably raised on a cell phone amidst our outrage culture. It's likely impossible for you to recognize flaws that rock your narrow perspective. An honest conversation with you is clearly not possible. As I stated George Best was an awesome attacking player with rarely matched skills who ploughed through tackles that would destroy many of today's contemporaries (aka. Neymar!) BUT none of that dismisses the reality that he WAS a shit defender both then and certainly by today's demands of attacking midfielders. He was suckered into the very same moves he humiliated defenders with. He was easy enough to beat if 'you' had the ball on the run, but give him the ball and you're fucked!
A better, brilliant defensive-capable example of another world-class United attacking midfielder is the one and only Paul Scholes. Scholes was a dream machine and likely one of the most underrated players ever... in the world. Scholes was sublime skill, uncanny distribution, dribbling balls into the net and whacking vollies from 25 yards, game smarts, dogged determination, unlikely to pull a 'Neymar' and if you by chance had the ball Scholes would have you both. He attacked like George Best and he defended like Roy Keene. I absolutely cannot say about Scholes that he was a shit defender. Rooney had it... once... for a brief beautiful moment. He could attack and distribute like Best and Scholes and defend like Scholes and Keene, and he was our English bulldog riding tackles, getting hit, getting up and getting the ball between the posts from 3 yards or 30. Rooney could have been better than Best as an anywhere on the park player but again... he gave us magic briefly then lost his way and his game despite breaking United records.
Nuances Mr. Moore, nuances. And a little honesty and a little less outrage go a long way. Call me out, call me wrong but do it by actually making a case after first reading what I actually write.
ps. Beckham was a better distributor, better shooter and better defender than Best :)
no mate you said shit by todays standards must have forgotten what the person who wrote the article for you stated the players you mentioned were great players never would deny it ive been polite and cannot understand what you class as outrage beckham was a great player as for George going off the rails he had an illness which must have tortured him that's not going off the rails has for honesty I have struggled with dyslexia and spent many hours trying to improve that leaves me open for people who don't think George had an illness through their ignorance REALLY SHIT BY TODAYS STANDARDS read it again
@@georgemoore4139 I'd attempt to answer if I truly knew what you were saying. You actually begin with a fallacy... I said Best was a shit defender then and shit by today's standards. The rest I don;'t care to clarify. Except, sincerely, good luck working through your personal issues but such has NOTHING to do with your arguments or lack thereof. Gotta go. Thanks for playing. Just wish I knew what game you're playing!
He was very good but not the best ever. If he had been he would not have stayed at Man Utd, he would have joined Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan or Inter Milan.
I would agree that he was not the best ever, but this particular argument is, to say the least, a bit weird. The biggest argument against his claim would be his short career - he reached an incredible peak but ultimately failed to keep up with his partying and drinking.
Joseph Aguilar . That's just silly. Not all the best players at the time wanted to leave their first clubs. It was not like it is today where most players are just money grabbing machines. Take a look at Bobby Moore from the same period . He is arguably the greatest defender who ever lived ( Pele thought he was ) and Bobby stayed at Westham his whole effective career until he was too old to play for them anymore. He could have gone to any club in the world at his peak but he didn't want to .Also another point to ponder which not many people know about is that Juventus once offered 4 times the world record transfer fee for Westhams Geoff Hurst , and Westham practically just laughed at the offer as they knew he was irreplaceable. Can you imagine what players like Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton and George Best himself would have been worth ? Plus don't forget that Manchester United won the European Cup with George and were arguably for a time the best and most famous club in the World. So why would he want to leave ? Also he loved the life in nearby London, England as at that time it was the only place to be. The swinging sixties and all that. Plus George was never a greedy man , not like today's so called superstars .
You can rule out all those Italian teams for a start, mate. Foreign players were banned from Italy in those days.
@@HarmsFootball CRAP!
@@choppy249 Bobby Moore the greatest defender who ever lived ? ! What are taking ? ! He wasn't in the class of Beckenbaur ,Baresi , Maldini , Costacurta, Rudi Krol ........I could go on. Pele just said whatever the media wanted to hear depending on which country he was being interviewed in.
Best was so overated
100% the most overrated player of all time.
Average player.
@@davis7099 So what? One of the most average players ever seen. He had 3/4 good years but only in UK. In those days there were players who were far superior to him everywhere in Europe, including East Europe at that time! He was a clown with and without the ball and only remembered because of his lifestyle rather than his skills. Average player.
Now, get the fuck out of here.