How Good Was George Best?

Albert Bridge / George Best mural, Belfast / CC BY-SA 2.0

Born in 1946, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, George Best was one of the most naturally gifted British footballers to ever play the game. A Manchester United legend, he spent his youth career at the Red Devils and went onto play 470 senior appearances for them, scoring 179 goals.

In this article, we’re going to look at the reasons why Best was so talented, including his incredible ability to dribble, as well as the honours he achieved. All of these things, combined, mean that we’re discussing a legend of the beautiful game. Read on to learn more.

How Good Was George Best?

George Best was a brilliant footballer who played for Manchester United and won a selection of big trophies, including the 1968 Ballon d’Or. A tricky winger, his dribbling, speed, balance and agility were his most talked about traits.

Playing Style and Skills

George Best was not short of impressive traits. His playing style was truly unique, with the following traits being his most significant:

• Dribbling
• Balance, agility and speed
• Ambipedal
• Goal scoring prowess

Dribbling

Playing across the front line of Manchester United, Best played primarily as a winger, which enabled him to showcase his elite dribbling ability. Some pundits even claimed that he was one of the greatest dribblers in this history of football.

In his prime, Best would embarrass his opponents via his dribbling ability, making them twist and turn (and often fall over) in order to try and tackle him.

Enjoy a montage of George Best dribbles by watching the following video:

Balance, Agility and Speed

The traits that helped Best become a world-class dribbler were his balance, agility and speed. By having strong balance, he would easily be able to stay on his feet when he went on one of his mazy runs. Best’s agility meant that he could quickly change direction when dribbling, making it harder for opposition players to take the ball from him.

Moreover, George Best was a quick player. His speed made him an aggressive player who could carry the ball at an impressive pace. These traits combined meant that he was a defender’s worst nightmare.

Ambipedal

Although George Best was primarily right-footed, he could operate on both sides of Manchester United’s forward line, and this was because he was an ambipedal player. This means that he was technically two-footed, being equally dangerous with both feet.

This made him even more dangerous on the ball, as he was more of a goal threat. Some examples of other ambipedal players are Pelé, Zinedine Zidane, Glenn Hoddle, Santi Corzola, Ousmane Dembélé and Ivan Perišić.

Goal Scoring Prowess

Another brilliant trait of George Best’s was his goal scoring prowess. Having scored 251 goals in 705 professional appearances, Best was familiar with finding the back of the net. This is an impressive return for a player playing out on the wing.

Club History

Manchester United

George Best was best known for his time at Premier League powerhouses Manchester United. He spent 11 seasons at the club, playing in the first division, and scored 179 goals in 470 league matches.

He made his Manchester debut at the ripe age of 17, in 1963, playing in a 1-0 win against West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford. 

Post-Manchester United

Following his 10-year stint at Manchester United, Best had several short spells at 10 different clubs across the world before announcing his retirement in 1983. He played for the following 10 clubs during that time:

• Jewish Guild (1974)
• Stockport County (1975)
• Cork Celtic (1975/76)
• Los Angeles Aztecs (1976 & 1977/78)
• Fulham (1976/77)
• Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1978/79)
• Hibernian (1979/80)
• San Jose Earthquakes (1980/81)
• AFC Bournemouth (1982/83)
• Brisbane Lions (1983)

His most significant spell was for San Jose Earthquakes, where he scored 21 goals in 56 games. One of these goals was particularly special, with Best demonstrating his dribbling ability in trademark fashion.

During a match against former club Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Best dribbled in and out of 5 defenders before hammering the ball home past the goalkeeper. You can watch this goal here:

Honours

During his career, Best won all of his major honours whilst playing for Manchester United. He even won the coveted Ballon d’Or award in 1968, which is considered the best individual award in football. Here are the major honours he won during his time in the north-west of England:

• FA Cup – 1963
• 2x English Champion – 1965, 1967
• 2x English Super Cup Winner – 1965, 1967
• 1x European Champion Clubs’ Cup Winner – 1967/68
• English First Division Top Goalscorer – 1967/68 (28 goals)
• Footballer of the Year – 1968
• Ballon d’Or – 1968

Although George Best didn’t win anything on the international stage, his influence on Northern Irish football was significant. He unfortunately found himself in a team that lacked talent to compete with other nations, with Best considering his international career as being “recreational football“.

Nonetheless, he scored 9 goals in 37 appearances for his country, and his most famous “goal” was in fact disallowed. This happened during a match against England, where he made an example out of goalkeeper Gordon Banks. You can watch his disallowed effort below:

Challenges and Setbacks

Although Best was a one of a kind talent on the pitch, he faced some challenges and setbacks off of it. The main challenge he faced in his personal life was alcoholism, something which eventually resulted in his death at the age of 59.

He suffered with alcoholism for the majority of his life, and along the way faced many controversies because of it. His troubles with alcohol meant he was diagnosed with severe liver damage in March 2000. He required a liver transplant because of this, and had the operation in August 2002.

The operation was covered by the National Health Service (NHS) i.e. by public expenses, which was deemed incredibly controversial, as his alcoholism had led him to be in this state.

Conclusion

How good was George Best? A one of a kind player, the Northern-Irish winger was arguably one of the best dribblers to ever play the game. Having played the majority of his career at Manchester United, as well as winning the best individual prize in football, the Ballon d’Or, it’s safe to say that Best was a great footballer.

Unfortunately, a limited international career and an inconsistent domestic career has meant that Best has often become under-appreciated by critics and football enthusiasts alike. In addition, the controversies within his personal life have further cast a shadow on his legacy.

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