Hagi VS Best

Have you considered an Andy Carroll v Puskas thread to run alongside this one?

Another person influenced by the English media obviously. Best was not as good as made out, again Hagi technically had a better all round game!

@Timeforchange

What about Pele, SAF, Law and Crerand who all described him as one of the greatest players ever. Pele raved about him.
Were they all influenced by the english media.

Hugh McIlvanney, generally recognised as one of the best sports writers, described Best as simply the best ever. Was he maybe influenced by the English media as well?

BTW that's the general consensus of players of his generation. Are they all wrong?

How many times would Pele have actually seen George Best play live?

Oct 8, 2013 -- 8:11PM, akabula wrote:

BTW that's the general consensus of players of his generation. Are they all wrong?

Are you saying it is the general concensus of players in Bests generation that he was the best ever?

It is not at all.

Stats suggest different, goals and honours.

He is not next to near best player of his generation.

I think it was his time at Jewish Guild, Stockport, LA Aztecs, Sea Bee, Hong Kong Rangers San Jose Earthquakes. Real massive clubs.


The guy was as stated overrated.

@JamDav    One of the best.
@Knight Rider  And how many times did those posting on this see Hagi Live? [:laugh:
@Timeforchange Ally McCoist scored more goals than Hagi. Does that make him the better player?

So you know better than Denis Law

@Akabula, nope, Ally McCoist was a striker, Hagi was an attacking midfielder . Anyone as you were stating it in jest. As one of the few players to play for Real and Barca just sit back and enjoy the best left peg we have ever seen.

I don't think anyone has scored as many classic goals from the distances he managed to do. Enjoy,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mTnWfbXk28

The best left peg we've ever seen? I think you'll find that belonged to James 'Stanley' Baxter aka Slim Jim.

@Knight Rider  And how many times did those posting on this see Hagi Live?

Well when I said live I include watching them on tv as well as in person.  I just meant watching them play a whole game, as opposed to highlight reels.

Hagi has played in the TV era so even a youngster like me has seen him play in Europe and at international tournaments.  I'm just genuinely interested when someone like Pele gives an opinion on how good George Best is, whether that is based on seeing him play a lot of times or just a cheap publicity soundbite?

I have no opinion on which is the better player btw.

Pele would have seen Best live when we used to have world select games. I'm guessing he must have seen enough of him to comment as I wouldn't associate Pele with cheap publicity soundbites.

Oct 8, 2013 -- 8:56PM, akabula wrote:

Pele would have seen Best live when we used to have world select games. I'm guessing he must have seen enough of him to comment as I wouldn't associate Pele with cheap publicity soundbites.

Pele regulary said those things about other player, he said the same about Eusebio.

They were publicity stunts as no doubt he thinks of himself as the best ever.

the best player ever in pele's opinion was his brazil teammate Garrincha.hagi and best both great players but not as good as either of these two.i would put hagi above best though,most top man utd players are overrated

Oct 8, 2013 -- 10:22PM, geos1 wrote:

the best player ever in pele's opinion was his brazil teammate Garrincha.hagi and best both great players but not as good as either of these two.i would put hagi above best though,most top man utd players are overrated

Nah the best player ever according to Pele is Pele.

garrincha was as good as pele imo ,he practically won the 62 world cup single handed

dontcha mean one-legged?

Wonder what today's press would have made of George Best?

"the 1970–71 season also ended without a trophy. Best began to get into trouble with his discipline: he was fined by the Football Association for receiving three yellow cards for misconduct, and he was suspended by United for two weeks after missing his train to Stamford Bridge so as to spend a weekend with actress Sinéad Cusack."

"In 1971–72. Highlights for Best included hat-tricks against West Ham United and Southampton, as well as a goal against Sheffield United that came after he beat four defenders in a mazy run.[47] However he was also sent off against Chelsea, was the subject of death threats, and failed to turn up for training for a whole week in January as he instead spent his time with Miss Great Britain 1971, Carolyn Moore"

"Best's last competitive game for the club was on 1 January 1974 against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road, which United lost 3–0.[54] He failed to turn up for training three days later and was dropped by Docherty, though he claimed Docherty was deceitful with him.[55] Best was arrested and charged with stealing a fur coat, passport, and cheque book from Marjorie Wallace, but was later cleared of all charges"

pele said nicky butt was the best player at 2002 world cup, his opinion is somewhat devalued



george best was a great player in an era and league where cloggers held sway

its so difficult to compare him to anyone today, but surely he would be worth more
than gareth bale




surely he would fit nicely into a team with hagi and messi

did best ever score 4 goals in a single game at old Trafford,has any man utd player ever scored 4 in one game at old Trafford?
southamptons ron davies did in the late sixties in a drubbing against the likes of best,charlton,law e.t.c

think Andy Cole did

when playing for Newcastle probably

cole scored  5 v ipswich for man utd, and 4 against newcastle for man utd

timeforchange is this thread a joke mate??!! because if not you've obviously never watched any footage of best actually playing or your just a mug. don't get me wrong hagi was a top class player but best was a genius albeit a flawed one. he was quicker than hagi, was by far a better dribbler(he used to beat people for fun probably half pissed as well on **** pitches!), had better balance and guile and scored every type of goal there is. the only thing hagi was better than best at was shots from distance but then so was le tissier didn't make him a better player though!

and don't play the honours card either because best actually WON a european cup scoring in the final as well as winning league titles in one of the big four championships not romania or turkey. hagi played for both barca and madrid and never won the bloody title! also best won the european player of the year award in 68 and came 3rd in 71 and hagi never got near that award at any time. it's about quality not quantity. best should be compared with pele, maradona and cryuff not hagi ffs!

safet susic better than both

i seem to recall a tv interview where best admitted he'd had a bet with his mates that he could go

through a whole game without touching the ball with one foot (not sure if it was right or left)

when asked if he won his bet he replied yes and i scored two goals

Hagi....l o l a good player but only the George bit has he got in common with Best..

Guts and Guile...Best had loads

Brilliant balance, two good feet, he could head well and tackle too...unlike Hagi..

Best was without doubt better than Cruyff, but Hagi was not...........

Bulging net IMO.

Yeah fair catch indeed.

Oct 9, 2013 -- 3:47PM, peckerdunne wrote:

Hagi....l o l a good player but only the George bit has he got in common with Best..Guts and Guile...Best had loadsBrilliant balance, two good feet, he could head well and tackle too...unlike Hagi..Best was without doubt better than Cruyff, but Hagi was not...........

George Best is not regarded by many to be better than Cruyff.

Maybe some people in the UK rate Best up there with the very best but that isnt the popular opinion around the world.

I wouldn't have swapped letissier for two George bests.to put best up there with pele and maradona is laughable

did best ever score 4 goals in a single game at old Trafford,has any man utd player ever scored 4 in one game at old Trafford?
southamptons ron davies did in the late sixties in a drubbing against the likes of best,charlton,law e.t.c

cole scored  5 v ipswich for man utd, and 4 against newcastle for man utd

Also Berbatov scored 5 against Blackburn about 3 years ago.

So we are agreed that Best was a wee bit overrated and Hagi underrated. Class act was Gheorghe.

stfu

how many man u players are underrated?,they always seem to  be made out to be a class above their true ability.

Best is in top 5 of all time .  Hagi is  not .  So its no debate . Anyone who saw them play more than a few times would laugh at the initial proposition .   Best was a natural genius  , certainly the best player produced in these islands since the sixties began . Plenty of footage of him , check it out anyone who doubts it .

As there are no "Majors" a la golf there can be no quantitive judgement figures and statistics  , and because you have 10 team mates their back up efforts are difficult to discount . Tiger would not ever have been world No 1 if the Ryder Cup was the only criteria .   Pele played on the best team of all time , how much of that was down to him is open to debate . Probably No 1 , but Maradonna and Best scored more spectacular goals .  But not over 1000 .

Probably best to leave it that both were brilliant, in Bests case , the best of his era , Hagi was among the best in his era .  Comparing eras is difficult as styles and team tactics change  , the best players always looked comfortable on the ball , always wanted the ball , Best and Hagi both met those criteria .

Hagi was a little genius but I think Best shades it. Best was mercurial and probably the 2nd best player these Isles have produced.

I completely disagree that best is in the top 5 of all time and so would nearly everyone else in the world apart from man u fans.

of course Best is not in the top 5 of all time. That's just ludicrous.

Pele
Maradonna
Best
Cruyff
Messi

Thats the top 5 for sure........no doubt at all.

no way more like
garrincha
pele
zidane
di Stefano
cruyff

Maradona good; Pelé better; George Best.

how many times was george best European player of the year?
1 less than cruyff,keegan,di Stefano,beckanbauer,rumminige,van basten,ronaldo and 2 less than platini
nuff said

2 season wonders

I was good, but nowhere near the top 5.

neither was Best.

I concur

Lots of people biased against George because of his lifestyle.

not me,my fav could outdrink outshag and outplay George,and he only had one leg
sadly also dead though

Can only be Slim Jim

you must be tripping akabula

Jim Baxter
To me when we're naming the best it's like betting without the favourite.

ZZ...Who put him up....left field or what....

you need to take off your blinkers,next you'll be saying beckham was worthy of 115 caps and giggs is world class

Just watch the little MAESTRO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mTnWfbXk28


If he was French, Dutch or Brazilian we would have said he was the greatest ever,

VIVA el commandente.

Nearly as good as Bobby Charlton

any one rating either in there top 5 players of all time is Romanian, irish or a man u fan.

only one player better than georgie , and that was maradona,

Best..my most fav ever...yep

arrogance and insouciance resulting in genius..

peace out George