THE GREATEST STRIKE TRIOS
BEST, CHARLTON & LAW
Ever heard the one about the Englishman, Scotsman and Northern Irishman who walked into a football club and changed it forever? Manchester United fans know this is no joke.
Bobby Charlton came first, thrust into action just before his 19th birthday in 1956. The future Munich Air Disaster survivor was a thoughtful player with no favoured foot, an expressionist outside the penalty area with a long-range shot as striking as The Scream.
Denis Law was interested in punctuation only: the lethal forward buried any dropping ball within the area and plundered 29 goals in 1962-63, his first season at Old Trafford.
SOME STILL SEE THEM AS THE PERFECT BLEND OF PERSONALITIES AND TECHNICAL ABILITIES
And then there was George Best, whose defiant individualism extended through his whirlwind dribbling style. The wiry Belfast boy made his debut in September 1963 when he was promoted to the first team aged 17; Law and Charlton were already Old Trafford heroes, and young, chronically shy Georgie was eager to impress.
“I was in awe of Law,” Best revealed when picking his Perfect XI with FourFourTwo in 2005. “I used to disappear into a side room if I saw him coming down the corridor.”
Naturally, he picked Charlton, too. The trio first played together against West Brom in January 1964, with Best in particular running riot. All three scored, a portent of things to come. The United Trinity was born.
“Alex Elder [a West Brom defender] was a decent player but George destroyed him,” Paddy Crerand later told FFT. “I actually felt sorry for Alex. From then on, they couldn’t leave George out.”
United finished second in 1963-64. Law ended the calendar year holding the Ballon d’Or, his club – helped by the Scot’s 46 goals in all competitions – en route to a triumphant title the following May. Two years later the stage was Charlton’s: a World Cup and Ballon d’Or winner himself in 1966, with United halfway to regaining their title. Best
