Kevin Keegan insisted that one Manchester United icon was better than Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff. Although both are considered to be two of the best players ever, the former England international insisted another individual impressed him more.
Keegan himself is regarded as a top talent. Adored by Liverpool supporters for his achievements in the 1970s, he is one of a select few British players to win the Ballon d'Or.
Having claimed individual honours, league titles and a European Cup, Keegan knows what it takes to be a legend of the game. But when it came to naming the best of the lot, he opted for a fellow British player.
The Best Player Keegan Faced
"What a player he was"
Kevin Keegan in charge of Newcastle United.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Keegan was asked to name some of the greats from his career. He named Liverpool legend Bill Shankly as the greatest manager he ever had, but when it came to his best opponent, he picked a player from the Merseyside club's fierce rivals, Man United.
That individual was, of course, George Best. The pair's careers briefly overlapped in the 1970s before the winger left the Red Devils in 1974, and that was all Keegan needed to put him above all others in terms of talent.
"Oh, I wanted so much to have his [Best's] ability and his skills. People ask me, “Who’s the best player you played against?” I played against Beckenbauer, he’s good. Cruyff, unbelievable. Maradona when he was 19, but I have to say Besty was the one."
Best was truly special. Hailed by Sir Alex Ferguson as "the greatest talent" British football ever produced, his exploits for United in the 1968 European Cup final were crucial to the Red Devils claiming the prize, and ultimately, to Best claiming the Ballon d'Or prize that year.
As the 60s drifted into the 70s, though, the Northern Irishman's career at Old Trafford slowly began to wind down, but Keegan's was only just getting started. He became the face of English football, a title which he inherited from Best, with him even receiving the United legend's former boot deal and newspaper column with The Daily Express. But he still massively respected the talent that came before him.
"I just loved him," Keegan added. "You have to remember I was up against him at a time when Man United were not a force. But what a player he was."
Best Called Keegan "Average"
Pair played each other five times
Although Keegan was full of admiration for Best and his achievements in his career, the United legend's most famous comment about his supposed successor didn't reciprocate the sentiment. In fact, he described the future England star as an average player.
"He's been very, very lucky - an average player who came into the game when it was short of personalities... He's not fit to lace my boots as a player."
Despite Best's comments, it would be Keegan who had the better record when the two played each other. In the five occasions when they met on the pitch, the Liverpool man won on three occasions, scoring once, while United only recorded a single victory.
Keegan would subsequently go on to enjoy a special career, in a similar vein to Best. In his six years at Anfield, he was a part of dominant dynasties under both Bill Shankly and then Bob Paisley. Having won three First Division titles and the European Cup with the Reds, he was then sold to German club Hamburg for a British transfer record.
It was in Germany where he experienced great individual success, claiming two Ballon d'Or awards while helping Hamburg claim a first Bundesliga title in 19 years. He also nearly helped them claim a European Cup in 1980, only to fall short against Nottingham Forest in the final.
Both he and Best are regarded as two of Britain's finest footballers to this day. Had their careers overlapped even longer, the rivalry between the two and their clubs could have been even more special.