Commentators were so good back then: "The goal of the year should be a results of exceptional individual or team skill and should show the a combination of power and finesse, and george best truly had both"
this definitely has to be george best's greatest goal beacause quite a lot of people thought george ruined his skills because of all the drinking, but when he scored this amazing dribbling goal during his spell in america at the age of 35, he proved those people wrong.
i've played professional football for 11 years, ive coached for 14 years all over the world. Overwhelmingly, when kids are asked who they want to play like, George Best wins by a long long way. Being good friends with Paddy Crerand, the man has told me that he inspired that whole tema during his tenure.
krazywu Calvo Abadin, Pm me on youtube and I can send you a photo of him and my dad, and then A photo of me and my dad to show you we look alike, Haters gonna hate get a life
I still have Bobby Charlton as the greatest player of all time and he scored incredible goals, but this goal by George is the greatest goal of all for me.
If a Latino player had ever, ever scored a goal like this they'd make him pope, then a saint and then celebrate for one thousand years. This is just the genius of George Best!
+Christian Malcher Because Messi can't do this! Messi is a complete disaster on the world stage. If he was s tennis player without a team to fall back on, he'd be called a 'choker' under pressure...and non-competitive because of it.
keithmckeith If you are talking about the Chile finals/Germany. HE WAS ARGENTINA he shouldn't be put down because the lost he was the only who was good in the final in all 3. Blame the rest of the team. #Messicomesbacktomorrow
I was at that game, and will never forget the goal. Watch it at full speed...it was really spectacular. George Best was one of the best ever. And remember, this was towards the *end* of his playing days!
extraordinary balance...like those dolls that bounce up no matter how often felled...best loved jinking around players and no one could do it like him.....like a butterfly, he hadn`t long...he brightened up our lives.
Just saw a "30 for 30" program on George Best. It's 2017, but I remember this goal being shown on local news back when it happened. Had to look it up here. God, this guy was something else.
This is an awesome goal. I was there too! George Best even said many years later that this was the best goal he ever scored. Who cares who the opposition was. That goal would have been great even in a youth game. And as far as those defenders being no name players as some people who know nothing of American soccer are suggesting...those defenders were all ex European league professionals.
George's dribble to score that goal was great and that reminds me of Uganda's Phillip Omondi (RIP) who was a maestro of dribbling defenders. It's a bit unfortunate that many people don't get exposure to African Football. Omondi was another phenomenal.
My Hero ! I have loved George best for as long as i can remember. Growing up in Manchester England in the 60s we were blessed with 2 great football Clubs. I was born a Red and I 1st saw him play when i was 10 years old . He was the greatest player ever to play at Old Trafford. So proud of him despite all the bad moves he made off the pitch. Loved him with all my heart . xx
I had the privilege of seeing him play for fulham once, against (my team, ahem) crystal palace.3-2 to fulham, he scored one of them. no matter which team he played for, against whichever opponent, he was still 'george best' - the greatest player there has been.
As for Best, he succeeded even in early 80's where the dynamic of the game quite evolved compared to 60's and is very similar to modern football. He was quick as light in his best years and is one of top 5 dribblers ever. If he would have played in recent years and wouldn't have suffered from alchoholism nobody would be even talking about Ronaldo or Messi
@@shainamlyngdohmawlong3300 He also played for Manchester United.Was European player of the year 1968.He was voted 5th in player of the century by FIFA.I recommend you watch some of the RU-vid videos.Cheers
I saw many great goals by the Tampa Bay Rowdies back in their NASL hayday but when I saw this goal it was the best ever.... the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers were a very talented team and Jan Van Beverin was a world class Goalkeeper, the box was jam packed with defenders, just an amazing goal by George Best.
really one of the BEST midfielders of the 20th century!!,its sad that he fell prey to drugs at the height of his career.... & could never concentrate on soccer again like before. he would have earned a lot more of fame if he represented england as his national team.....
He represented Northern Ireland and I'm sure that he was not eligible to represent England because his parent's and grandparents did not originate from there.
Best was always very ANTI drugs - he had no sympathy for anyone caught with them and threw customers out of his clubs for taking them. DRINK did for him!
Why is it sad? He's helping the sport grow in America and the publicity MLS has had since he's arrived has been amazing. NY Red Bull were drawing crowds of only 15,000 per game last season, but when Beckham and the Galaxy came to town, 65,000 attended that match. That's 50,000 more people than normal. Now if 5,000 of those people enjoyed themselves, come back to watch New York again and susequently become fans of the sport that is a tremendous success. You've just generated 5,000 new fans!
I saw him play in his prime between 66 and 70 and believe me he did that magic to destroy some of the best teams around at that time. And if you dont believe me, just ask anyone who saw him play at that time, he was unbelievable.
+jamie In all fairness the standard in of football in the USA was pretty hight with players like Pele Best and cruyff. A lot of pretty good players were playing there at the time all be it past their prime but still good enough to play at a high level.
SlippyFox there were a few mate. but just like the MLS now. every team has about 3 decent players and then 8 players who probably would not even be pro in another country
I have had the privelage as well as the pleasure of seeing Best, Law and Charlton play with Man United. Living in London I did not follow any particular team, but never missed an opportunity to see Man. United whoever they were playing. I was not alone, half the population of London wanted to do the same thing. Very few teams, if any, before or since had that wondrous magnetic appeal. If they were not the best team ever, they were most certainly the most popular
I'm a scouser & a Kopite. Like Man Utd or not - Georgie is still greatest British player ever -live with it and be glad if U saw him play. Man was a genius.
I was wondering which player could possibly be George Best because I couldn't make out any faces when the clip first started. As soon as Best touched the ball I was like "that's him!" and then with his footwork in the box, I was like "yep, that's classic Best!" Great clip - amazing player.
Million stories about George Best-Manchester United Legend. I like the one where he was staying in a Top-Class Hotel in London and the waiter went into his room with room service of Champagne and the finest foods. George was on the bed with the current "Miss World" the 4th/5th one he dated. Their was thousands of £;s lying on the bed and the Waiter said to George.... "Geotge, where did it all go wrong?"... George Best- R.I.P.
How hard could it have been for a talent like George Best to run rings around the unschooled defenders in USA.. poor fella almost fell over and still kept the ball - good no, better .. maybe, best, most defi up there with the cruyffs and peles of his time!!
Actually MLS didn't exist then. This was the NASL (North American Soccer League) which folded in 1984 when all the great players (Pele, Best, Cruyff, etc) retired and the league spent too much money and over expansion. The MLS began in 1996 and is nearing 12yrs now. George Best was one of the greatest footballers. RIP!
I grew up on football (soccer...) and that IS the best goal EVER, watch a slo mo of it, INCREDIBLE! This ain't no 40 yard screamer (they're 90% fluke) this is twisting up half of a team in their own penalty area, love ya Georgie
this looks like Bestie playing on Hackney Marshes against the sunday morning hangover boys! but i was privileged to see him in action around 70/71 & score a couple of brilliant individual goals... against decent opposition, in the old 1st division.
Same goes with Maradona. He SINGLE-HANDEDLY carried an average Argentina side to world cup triumph on the grandest stage at the very highest level in 1986. His goals and performances thorughout that tournament will never be emulated for another millenium. And all that goes without mentioning the fact that he carried an even worse Napoli team to seria A success in an era where the italian league was the most dominant in european football. Maradona's exploits wre nothing short of mind-boggling.
I was replying to Sweatydingleberry, I was not mocking him , just disagreeing and making the claim that down the line, some smart ass who never actually saw Messi, Henry, Ronaldo play as a kid will make the same remarks. I agree with you completely, and believe that players like Best would still make it in the modern game.
i would rather not say mate in light of recent comments on here but i've interviewed Paddy many many times, i was with Bestie in Barcelona in 99 when United won the european cup. God, i miss him.
Dont forget this was a long time back, he started the craze of football skill in actual game matches. Defenders back then didn't expect anything like this.
My wife worked with a mentally handicapped young bloke a few years back, who got that way because in a bar where Best and some cronies were, he got in the way while Best was playing pool, and one of the cronies hit this kid over the head with a pool cue. Brain damage. No acknowledgement of responsibility. This kid's life changed forever.
George Best as his name implies was the best. He could score, beat players at will, take a tackle (which the players of the modern era don't seem to able to do. Look at all the divers in the present day most of them would make Greg Louganis look like a novice.George was unique blessed with natural talent he was as the song goes "Simply the Best"
besty always played like this...even pele says he was the best player in the world..he didn't get the recommendation he deserved off fifa, as he never played in a world cup
In the US there had to be 21 referees in each game because of the high injury rate during games. Until 1985 American football referees had to be over 68 years old. Consequently, about every five minutes one referee broke down on the pitch. In this game here, seven referees already had a breakdown, the eighth lasted 34 seconds after Best´s goal.
It was because of people like George Best, Pele, Carlos Alberto, Johann Cruyff, Johan Neeskins, Giorgio Chinaglia, Seninho, Marinho, and Eusebio that kids in the United States have been playing soccer in the numbers they do today. The Donovans, Beasleys, Kellers, Friedels, Dempseys, and Adus owe a lot to these legends. We Americans aren't world-beaters yet. But we're coming. Underestimate us at your peril.
ONE OF THE BEST BEST FOOTBALLERS OF ALL TIME.You must be very young to think that.He is a good player who was made an icon by promotions.He would not compare to many british players of the past
@RelaxItsJustAFlare I didn't know George Best personally, so cannot judge his character. However it's good to know that not all English fans deny Maradona his status because of a hand ball, refreshing attitude man.
True story: Best was being considered for the Northern Irish squad that made the World Cup in 1982. Their manager saw an NASL match, thought the league quality was poor, so Best's form wouldn't be world class enough, so poor George was left off. Obviously: 1. the guy didn't see this match and 2. Best remains, along with Di Stefano, the best player to never get to the Big Dance.
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
In 30 years , somebody will make the same comments about modern stars. They will say how Messi, Ronaldinho, Henry, Ronaldo, etc would not survive their modern game.
Think about this, in 45 years , Messi will only be seen by younger people on highlights. Players like him , Zidane, Henry, Del Pierro, Oliver Kahn, will only be a distant past. That won't take away anything from those players, as to me there is no best player in football history. Rather it is a collection of the greatest of their generation. This allows for debates such as this. :)
My God, Best was too good for almost every defender on the planet - how easy must the American game have been for him? I'm surprised he doesn't have a beer in his hand.
