George Best vs Gary Lineker: Stats Compared
Winger / Forward, Northern Ireland (born 1946, retired 1984) · Striker, England (born 1960, retired 1994)
George Best and Gary Lineker represent two answers to the same question: how do you define a great? Separated by their years at the top, each defined the football of their own generation. Career output puts George Best at 214 goals in 616 games, with Gary Lineker at 330 in 567. Reliable assist tallies simply do not exist for large stretches of their careers, leaving creativity to the eye rather than the spreadsheet. George Best departs the game with 5 major pieces of silverware, including 1× European Cup (1968); Gary Lineker with 9, including 1× Copa del Rey (1988). Across the post-war golden age and the 1980s respectively, their clinical and clinical styles captured the spirit of very different footballing times. The wider career context matters too: George Best peaked around 1968 after representing Manchester United, Fulham, others, while Gary Lineker's defining level came around 1986 across Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham. Greatness, in cases like this, is rarely a zero-sum affair.
162 words · comparison angle: era
Player profiles
Northern Irish winger and Manchester United icon; Ballon d'Or winner in 1968 after helping Manchester United win their first European Cup.
“A balance-perfect winger who combined dribbling flair with an eye for goal and a rock-star aura.”
Gary Winston Lineker (born 30 November 1960) is an English sports broadcaster, businessman, and former professional footballer who played as a striker. Regarded as one of the best players of his generation and one of England's greatest players, Lineker is the only player to have been the top goalscorer in England with three clubs: Leicester City, Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur. He also played for Barcelona in Spain, and won 80 caps for England.
“A model penalty-box striker whose timing and finishing were almost never wasted.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 1× European Cup (1968)
- 2× English First Division (1965, 1967)
- 2× FA Charity Shield (1965, 1967)
- 1× Copa del Rey (1988)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1963 Manchester United debut aged 17
- 1965 First English First Division title
- 1968 European Cup winner and Ballon d'Or winner
- 1968 Joint top scorer in the First Division
- 1972 Brief retirement then return to Manchester United
- 1974 Left Manchester United
- 1984 Made final professional appearances in the United States
- 1978 Established himself at Leicester City
- 1982 Reached his defining peak
- 1986 Delivered a landmark season
- 1994 Retired from professional football
The verdict
Weighing production, silverware and profile, the two finish within a whisker of each other. Call it a respectful draw — greatness of this calibre resists a single winner.
Too close to call — a respectful draw
