Player Duels: Bobby Charlton v. George Best

Barney Corkhill's Player Duels is back for another edition! In this series I pit two players against each other, and ask the readers who was better! To vote, simply leave a comment!

Today's duel sees two of the greatest legends of English football, and two of Manchester United's greatest ever players, go head to head—Bobby Charlton and George Best.

Charlton is arguably the greatest player England has ever produced, Best is undoubtedly the greatest Northern Ireland have ever produced. But who was better?

Bobby Charlton

For 20 years, Man Utd fans saw Charlton's attacking instincts and thunderous strike, something which made him one of the best midfielders in English history. One of the Busby Babes, and a survivor of the Munich Air Disaster, Bobby Charlton was one of the main players Matt Busby built his team around.

He had a fantastic goal-scoring record for both club and country, and wonderful longevity. Overall in his career his stats are 277 goals in 834 games, which included a record-breaking amount of goals at Manchester United, a record which still stands today.

His international record is equally as impressive, with 49 goals in 106 caps, making him one of a handful of English centurions and their highest ever scorer. He was part of England's 1966 World Cup winning team, and was named European Player of the Year the very same year. He came runner-up in the two following seasons.

George Best

Maradona was good. Pele better. George Best. His pace, balance, acceleration, finishing, and ability to beat players with ease made him a quantity not seen before, or since, in English football, perhaps with the exception of Garrincha.

As with Charlton, his goal-scoring record is highly impressive. He has 204 goals in 579 appearances, including performances which guided United to their first ever European Cup.

In 1968, the year of the European Cup success, he pipped Charlton to the European Player of the Year award. At international level, Best was always carrying a mediocre team, and only won 37 caps, scoring nine goals.

So, ladies and gentlemen, what are you going to go for—Charlton's longevity or Best's quality? Leave a comment to vote!

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