The legendary George Best is considered one of the greatest footballers the game has ever witnessed.
In 1968, he became Northern Ireland’s first winner of the Ballon d’Or and third Manchester United player to claim the trophy following Denis Law in 1964 and Bobby Charlton two years later.
Still only 23-years old, Best had already enjoyed success at Old Trafford having won two league titles in Manchester.
Yet for all his unquestionable genius, the Irishman had even greater heights to reach and a continent to conquer.
The Belfast boy who became a man.
The Best In England
England midfield maestro Bobby Charlton was Best’s senior by seven years. The 30-year-old finished a close second to his Manchester United teammate in 1968’s Ballon d’Or.
Charlton was more than deserving of his runner up spot having played a crucial role in the club’s success during the 1967/68 season and scored a remarkable 20 goals from a central role!
But Best lived up to his name. The Irishman scored 28 goals in 41 league games as part of United’s dynamic frontline and ended up Division One’s joint top goal scorer alongside Southampton’s Ron Davies.
Best registered a career high of 32 goals across 55 games in all competitions with Manchester United finishing only two points behind eventual league Champions Manchester City.
They missed out on domestic silverware and crashed out of the FA Cup after a 1-0 defeat in their third round replay against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
Best was rightly recognised by those in the English game when he was named “Footballer Writers Association Player of the Year ” for 1967/68.
However, there remained one more challenge for the youngster to overcome.
The Best In Europe
Ten years on from the tragic Munich Air Disaster, Sir Matt Busby had masterfully rebuilt his Manchester United team from the ashes of the fallen Busby Babes.
His side now featured the likes of Denis Law and Bobby Charlton who along with Best would go on to become known as Old Trafford’s ‘Holy Trinity.’
Busby’s team had come so close to European glory only two seasons prior having been eliminated from the tournament at the semifinal stage vs Partizan.
But with George Best firing on all cylinders, the champions of England began their bid to reach the promised land, the European Cup firmly in his sights.
Best scored the second goal in the competition’s second round first leg against Sarajevo as United battled their way through to the later stages.
They advanced from the quarter finals to meet Real Madrid in the last four with Best netting the game’s only goal.
Facing Benfica in the final, he scored a 92nd minute goal to give United a 2-1 lead in extra time.
Further goals from Brian Kidd and Bobby Charlton sealed a 4-1 victory as the club won their first ever European title. It would be 31 years until they achieved it again.
Whilst Best generally maintained a high level of performance across the next four seasons, 1967/68 arguably remains his finest campaign in a red shirt.
During the early 70’s, United went into relative decline with Best failing to win another trophy whilst at Old Trafford.
In 1973, the Irishman left under a cloud of ‘celebrity overindulgence’ and issues of alcoholism – playing 470 games in Manchester and scoring 179 goals.
This Ballon d’Or would not only be his first but also his last. The best of Best the world would ever see.
1968 Ballon d’Or Top 20
| Rank | Name | Club(s) | Nationality | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Best | Manchester United | Northern Ireland | 61 |
| 2 | Bobby Charlton | Manchester United | England | 53 |
| 3 | Dragan Džajić | Red Star Belgrade | Yugoslavia | 46 |
| 4 | Franz Beckenbauer | Bayern Munich | West Germany | 36 |
| 5 | Giacinto Facchetti | Internazionale | Italy | 30 |
| 6 | Gigi Riva | Cagliari | Italy | 22 |
| 7 | Amancio | Real Madrid | Spain | 21 |
| 8 | Eusébio | Benfica | Portugal | 15 |
| 9 | Gianni Rivera | Milan | Italy | 13 |
| 10 | Jimmy Greaves | Tottenham Hotspur | England | 8 |
| Pirri | Real Madrid | Spain | 8 | |
| 12 | Antal Dunai | Újpest | Hungary | 7 |
| Willi Schulz | Hamburger SV | West Germany | 7 | |
| 14 | Georgi Asparuhov | Levski Sofia | Bulgaria | 6 |
| Albert Shesternyov | CSKA Moscow | Soviet Union | 6 | |
| 16 | Ove Kindvall | Feyenoord | Sweden | 5 |
| 17 | Flórián Albert | Ferencváros | Hungary | 4 |
| Sandro Mazzola | Internazionale | Italy | 4 | |
| Lajos Szűcs | Ferencváros | Hungary | 4 | |
| 20 | Johan Cruyff | Ajax | Netherlands | 3 |
| Gerd Müller | Bayern Munich | West Germany | 3 |
Trivia
The 1967/68 season was the only campaign in which George Best hit more than thirty goals.
Bobby Charlton’s most impressive season came in 1958/59, when as a 21-year-old he scored 29 goals in only 39 games across all competitions.
Yugoslavia’s Dragan Džajić enjoyed a truly incredible season, winning a League title, domestic cup and Central European cup whilst also helping his national side finish as runner-up at Euro 68.
