Ronaldo vs Best

Last week's superb free-kick by Ronaldo against Portsmouth got the pundits going. Ronaldo has now scored almost as many goals as George Best in his best-ever season for Man Utd. So, who's better: Ronaldo or Best?

The arguments for Best are pretty persuasive. 137 goals in 361 games for United, over more than a decade (1963-74). Furthermore, he weaved his magic on muddy pitches, the likes of which are hardly seen in today's Premier League (except at Wigan), with a heavy ball and against vicious tackling from the likes of 'Chopper' Harris. Players in the 1960s received far less protection than today's star strikers. Remember all that talk about Jack Charlton's 'little black book'? Crucially, Best had to play more games each season: 22 clubs in the First Division meant 42 games in the league, plus FA Cup replays (no penalty deciders then) and, of course, no rotation. In those days players were expected to turn out every week. By comparison, today's top players have it pretty cushy. 'Sunshine breaks,' protected by referees, no messing around in the Carling Cup. And, finally, though Best played his early years in the great Busby team of the mid-1960s, he played his last years for a United team in decline.

But the argument is not quite as one-sided as it may seem. Firstly, defenders today are fitter and faster than forty years ago. Then they were often chosen because they were big and strong (and sometimes mean). Think of Jack Charlton at Leeds or big Ron Yeats at Liverpool. Secondly, in today's Premiership Ronaldo is playing against not just the best British defenders, but also some of the best players from Europe, Africa and South America, Toure, Carvalho, and William Gallas among them. Thirdly, the real test of a player's greatness today is not how they perform in the League or FA Cup, but how they perform in Europe. No one remembers (or cares) that George Best never played in an FA Cup final but his great performances against Benfica in 1966 and in the European Cup-winning match in 1968. These two performances at his heyday, on the big stage, are the final proof of his greatness. Ronaldo may have scored in an FA Cup Final but what is held against him is that he was outplayed by Kaka in the semi-final against AC Milan last year. It will take more than a great free-kick against Portsmouth to make up for that.