George Best vs Daniele De Rossi: Stats Compared
Winger / Forward, Northern Ireland (born 1946, retired 1984) · Central Midfielder, Italy (born 1983, retired 2019)
When George Best and Daniele De Rossi are mentioned in the same breath, opinions rarely stay quiet. Separated by their years at the top, each defined the football of their own generation. George Best finishes with 214 career goals from 616 games — a 0.35 strike rate — against Daniele De Rossi's 65 from 700 at 0.09 per match. Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, George Best is credited with 0 and Daniele De Rossi with 60. The honours ledger favours George Best with 5 major trophies (1× European Cup (1968)) against Daniele De Rossi's 3 (1× FIFA World Cup (2006)). George Best belonged to the post-war golden age, dominating with a explosive quality; Daniele De Rossi rose in the modern era with a creative edge. Their routes to the top were distinct: George Best built his reputation across Manchester United, Fulham, others, peaking around 1968, while Daniele De Rossi reached his defining level around 2013 after spells with Roma. Picking between them says as much about the picker as the players.
187 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.”
A one-club legend and 2006 World Cup winner, De Rossi embodied Roma's midfield for nearly two decades, combining ferocious tackling with a superb range of passing.
“A commanding, technically excellent deep-lying midfielder who mixed hard tackling with elegant long-range distribution.”
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× FIFA World Cup (2006)
- 2× Coppa Italia (2007, 2008)
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
- 2001 Professional debut for Roma
- 2006 Won FIFA World Cup with Roma
- 2007 Won Coppa Italia with Roma
- 2013 Reached the peak of his powers at Roma
- 2019 Retired after a final spell at Roma
- Finished his career with 65 goals in 700 appearances and 3 major honours. Finished his career with 65 goals in 700 appearances and 3 major honours.
The verdict
The numbers give George Best the lead — a narrow margin, courtesy of a sharper goalscoring record.
George Best edges it (a narrow margin)
