Five reasons why Best was a genius
George Best, who would have turned 80 on May 22, is remembered for his extraordinary football career and lasting legacy. His skills and flair on the pitch have led many to consider him one of the greatest players of all time. Comparisons are often drawn between Best and modern stars like Lionel Messi, highlighting his unique talent in a challenging era for football.
- ▪George Best's career highlights continue to resonate with fans more than 40 years after he last played.
- ▪Former player Sammy McIlroy noted that Best's dribbling and scoring ability were comparable to Lionel Messi's.
- ▪Best was known for his resilience on the field, often taking rough treatment from opponents without backing down.
2 outlets in our directory ran this story. All of the coverage we found sits in one bucket: centre. That one-sidedness is itself worth noticing.
- ▪ Five reasons why Best was a genius — BBC Sport
Yahoo Sports files mainly under sports. We currently carry 16,488 of its stories.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/five-reasons-why-best-genius-054247128.html","headline":"Five reasons why Best was a genius","datePublished":"2026-05-19T05:42:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-19T05:42:47.000Z","keywords":["Manchester United","George Best","Sammy McIlroy","Ron Harris","Northern Ireland","Lionel Messi","Mike England","England","Scotland","West Ham"],"description":"George Best would have been 80 on 22 May.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Yahoo Sports.