Best player you have seen live?

[Whatahoot 862]

John Charles, Bobby Moore, George Best, Messi....but above everyone else PELE.

[adelphi1867 1,644]

George Best, no brainer.

If he was alive to day Messi & Ronaldo would be cleaning his boots.

[Blatter 1,728]

Has to be the great Pele at Hillsborough in that friendly in the early 60's.We had a very fit team with a long ball style ( pitch was awful in Winter only the wings conducive to good football). Was there with my dad, South Stand terrace,loved the way Pele skipped through middle of the pitch to score even though it was against us.

[OxonOwl 7,035]

Pele but he wasn't at his best when I saw him.

 

Waddle, obviously

Edited March 29, 2016 by OxonOwl

[PortlandOwl 1,103]

Ardilles at Old Trafford in 1978ish. I'd never seen a player totally control a match like that before.

[Fedor 2,865]

Saw Platini, Maradona and Waddle in the same game. Lineker stole the show though.

[Mycroft 10,871]

George Best, no brainer.

If he was alive to day Messi & Ronaldo would be cleaning his boots.

 

Only to show him how to clean them.

[oh_weds_we_love_you 6,412]

Cristiano Ronaldo.

[EccOvOwl 337]

I went to the David beckham UNICEF match at old Trafford last year. All but zidane showed up.. At hillsborough I'd have to go with Peter Beardsley for Everton, Cantona and Scholes for Man U.. For us it's got to be waddle, walker and Hirst..

[Owl in Manc 114]

Davor Suker, he beat Peter Schmeical from the half way line at Hillsborough Euro96.

[BiggsyOwl 7]

Absolutely this. They beat us 4-2, Lineker scored a couple but Gazza was unplayable that day. Such a shame he never quite fulfilled his potential. He genuinely could have been one of the all time greats of world football he was that talented.

Also Bergkamp was absolute class every time i saw him. Proper player.

 

This for me to, will always remember this game pretty much down to Gazza's brilliance that day.

[daveyboy66 8,063]

Franz Beckenbauer against the Swiss at Hillsbro in 1966.

 

A mere 50 years ago yet I can still bring to mind how he effortlessly controlled the match from deep yet still managed to score 2 goals.  At the time and having watched us for about 5 years, I'd never previously seen a performance like it.

 

This and Lev Yashin as well at that world cup...but the two that are head and shoulders for me Pele and Best...if Best had played for any major country the pull to perform against the best in the world would have kept him in the game a lot longer

[torryowl 9,716]

seen pele but he wasnt fit and just strolled thru the game  so its george best for me ...........once saw him destroy us in a night game(1969).wednesday were all over man utd and best scored 2 brilliant goals to win the game for them .

[shandypants 7,809]

Absolutely this. They beat us 4-2, Lineker scored a couple but Gazza was unplayable that day. Such a shame he never quite fulfilled his potential. He genuinely could have been one of the all time greats of world football he was that talented.

Also Bergkamp was absolute class every time i saw him. Proper player.

 

 

I agree with this. Gazza had the potential to be one of the greatest ever but fvcckked it up. There was a period of time where no-one was near him.

 

 

Gazza 1990 just before the world cup I'd never seen a player like him before and haven't seen one since a genius of the highest order for a short time the best player on the planet no English man has ever done that

 

 

This for me to, will always remember this game pretty much down to Gazza's brilliance that day.

 

That's the game I have made my judgement against.  Gazza was something else! 

 

[oh_weds_we_love_you 6,412]

Davor Suker, he beat Peter Schmeical from the half way line at Hillsborough Euro96.

 

By half way line, I assume you mean inside the penalty area?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eegvYa4TAI

[londonowl 1,782]

Owen when he more or less made his debut against us in the mid 90s was unstoppable that day

I think you are thinking of a different game.

He made his debut towards end of '96/97 season and I think we were his second or third game. He never got half a yard out of Des Walker all day.

It was following season he came back and got 3.

[legendaryswan 1,828]

Has to be George Best,he was an absolute genius with a football,never seen anyone who could do the stuff George did,once saw Harris and McCreadie hammer his legs and he still got up and went past them both,stopped and went round em both again,he nutmeged both Cruyff AND Neeskins twice in the same game.

There were legends,and then there was George.

[ka58 1,924]

John Barnes. Magnificent footballer.

[Rogerwyldesmullet 1,868]

In terms of performance I want to mention Gazza against us one day at Hillsborough - we were decent - had Palmer and Sheridan I think but he absolutely ran the show and his control was so good no one could get close to him. I think we list 1:4 or summat.

I saw Pele at S6 but he want at his best so in terms of foreign talent it would have to be Platini whom I watched a lot in Italy. Sublime player who scored loads of goals from midfield.

Edited March 29, 2016 by Rogerwyldesmullet

[coopswfc76 2,406]

Waddle against West Ham and Beckham against Greece are two that stand out for me...plus Les Ferdinand for QPR can't quite remember who against but it was a complete forward performance.

Yes Beckham that day against Greece was outstanding.