When you think of football’s most talented players of all time, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi automatically spring to mind – but despite the common consensus that they are both up there with the best, Graeme Souness believes that a Manchester United legend possessed more ability.
During his playing career, the no-nonsense Scot could be seen disrupting engine rooms up and down the country, though his punditry career, which he embarked on upon following an array of managerial spells, has allowed him to be more expressive.
Never afraid to upset the applecart is Souness, who spent the majority of his career on Merseyside with Liverpool – but who, in the eyes of the 72-year-old at least, had more ability than two of football’s greatest ever players in Ronaldo and Messi?
Souness Named Player with More Ability than Messi and Ronaldo
Graeme Souness as a pundit for Sky Sports
Being in the same category as the pair is quite the task given how much they are both heralded for their overall contribution to the beautiful game, isn’t it? But nonetheless, Souness waxed poetic about none other than George Best, who is a true legend in the Old Trafford echo chamber.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Souness hailed the utter genius of the right-winger, claiming that he should be recognised alongside Messi and Ronaldo as being the greatest footballer of all time. “You can put George Best in anyone’s company. The reason he’s not being regarded as the greatest footballer ever – and I mean ever – is longevity,” he said.
“The reason I put Messi and Ronaldo at the top is because of longevity, not that they had more ability than George Best. They may not have had his ability.”
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The Northern Ireland international, who is widely regarded as one of the most skilful players in football history, won two First Division titles with the Old Trafford outfit in 1964/65 and 1966/67, while he also picked up the Ballon d’Or in 1968 when Manchester United beat Benfica in the European Cup final.
“He didn’t have the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo, who are going to end up doing it for 20 years, but if you are talking about a window when George Best was at his pomp over a three-year period and Messi, Ronaldo, Di Stefano and anyone else you want to throw into that, George might have been the best out of all of them.”
Souness continued by praising Best’s ‘bravery’ when coming up against tough-tackling opponents. “Then you factor in the bravery he would have had to have when people in those days had a licence to go out and be a thug, which doesn’t happen today."
An icon of the game, Best could go either left or right and his unpredictable nature when running with the ball made him an utter nuisance to defend. In fact, defenders always knew they needed to be at their best to contain the blistering winger.
A supreme talent, as alluded to, but Belfast-born Best – who could be compared to an artist by how he danced around opponents – was also known for his superstar charisma. They just don’t make players like the Northern Irishman anymore, do they?