When Manchester United legend George Best signed for Hibs it would be fair to say he was in the twilight of his career.
Yet the Northern Ireland great was still capable of moments of genius and lit up several games while gracing Scottish football in 1979 and 1980.
It seems there was one team he especially enjoyed playing against, though, showing he still had plenty of football left in him as he rolled back the years against Dundee.
Best won a couple of man of the match awards in three outings against the Dees, while his solo goal in March 1980 is still revered as the stuff of legend down Easter Road way.
In his prime, Best was the most feared player in all of Europe, and his talents — both on and off the field — were legendary.
Best was 27 when he played his final competitive match for Manchester United on New Year’s Day 1974, when he was sacked by United’s manager, Tommy Docherty, after a long series of alcohol-related disciplinary breaches.
He played a handful of games in South Africa, three for Stockport County and another three for Cork Celtic before he went to LA Aztecs in the summer of 1976.
The move allowed him a couple of seasons with Fulham, alongside Rodney Marsh and Bobby Moore, while continuing to spend the English close season with the Aztecs.
Best moved on to Fort Lauderdale Strikers before signing for Hibs on a pay-as-you-play deal on November 16 1979.
His debut for Hibs, away to St Mirren, drew 13,670 fans.
He gave a good account of himself and got on the scoresheet at the death, but still couldn’t save Hibs from losing 2-1.
One infamous incident saw Best briefly sacked in February 1980, after he went on a massive drinking session with pop star Debbie Harry and the French rugby union team, who were in the city to play Scotland.
Best was reinstated and back in the side when Hibs came to Dens on March 15 1980.
Before kick-off Best was engulfed by pitch-invading youngsters looking for his autograph and he obliged by accommodating every request for his signature.
He wore the number 11 shirt and showed some fine touches in the early exchanges, before Dennis Corrigan opened the scoring for Dundee on 16 minutes.
Best typically brought the game to life on 61 minutes when he scored with a header from a cross by Ally MacLeod, but he was deemed to be in an offside position.
Dundee would run out 3-0 winners thanks to late goals from Jim Shirra and Iain Ferguson.
This didn’t stop The Sunday Post from handing Best the man of the match award.
Dundee could only watch as George Best displayed ‘brilliance’
Best’s greatest moment at Easter Road also happened to be against Dundee when he scored a wonder goal on March 25 1980 during what was virtually a one-man show.
Best charged from the halfway line and dummied four Dundee defenders in the box before he sent a left foot shot low past Ally Donaldson to open the scoring.
The 33-year-old set up his team’s second goal just before the break with a magnificent pass for winger Willie Murray to race on to and stick the ball past Donaldson.
The Courier reported: “With only around 5,000 at this bottom of the table clash last night, George Best probably collected more cash than the opposing club.
“But on this showing George was worth every penny of his high wages.
“In the first half he dominated the play with brilliance seldom seen in Scottish football.
“He scored one super goal, laid on another and inspired and cajoled Hibs to a standard far removed from the bottom of the table.
“It was Hibs’ happiest 45 minutes for a long time and in that spell the points were sewn up.
“Dundee, who have often played better, fought all the way in the second half and could still feel a bit peeved that they had to be the victims of this best of Best.”
Daniel Smith from The Dee Archive said the Tuesday night masterclass from Best was arguably his finest performance in a Hibs shirt during his 325 days in Edinburgh.
“In the first half he dominated the play with ‘brilliance seldom seen in Scottish football’ was how The Courier described George Best’s performance that day,” said Daniel.
“The main headline was: ‘Brilliant Best Puts Dundee in Deep Trouble’.
“He did.
“During my research and adding match profiles to The Dee Archive, I was surprised to read various match reports involving George Best when Dundee took on Hibs.
“In each of the three games that he played against us, he still showed the flashes of the brilliance that made him a household name – even if it wasn’t the type of performance that he regularly produced at his peak.
“His final match against Dundee took place the season after both clubs had suffered relegation and it happened at Dens Park on September 9 1980.
“Again, even if he was missing the pace that had terrorised defences in England, he showed flashes of brilliance and rolled back the years with what was described as the perfect pass to lay on the winner in a 2-1 victory for Hibs.
“The Courier headline was: ‘Touch of Best Downs Dundee’ and for someone that was just a twinkle in the sky at the time, it only reinforces the belief that George Best still had it in him when he played in Scotland.
“Even if the fitness wasn’t there anymore, Best still had the ability when he had the ball at his feet to produce moments of brilliance.”
Best went for a beer after the game
Best returned to the US to play for the San Jose Earthquakes but missed out on the chance to play for Northern Ireland at the 1982 World Cup finals at the age of 36.
Best said: “The problem was my American team were really awful, and Billy Bingham came to watch me in a tour game at Hibs and we got slaughtered.
“He was under a bit of pressure to pick me and I suppose he could justify leaving me out as what he had seen wasn’t very impressive.
“I wouldn’t have expected to play every game, but I wished he had just taken me as a member of the squad and thrown me on for 15 minutes, only so I could have played in the World Cup.”
He put the World Cup disappointment behind him and came back to Dundee in October 1982 to make a guest appearance at the club’s open day at Dens Park.
He pulled on a Dundee shirt and played a five-a-side match and took part in a Superstars competition that included haggis-hurling and wellie-throwing.
His guest team went on to win the five-a-side competition, defeating the hosts Dundee 4-2 in the final, before he enjoyed a few cocktails in the bath after the match.
Best also made guest appearances for Arbroath Vics, Perthshire side Scone Thistle and Motherwell in August 1982 before signing for Bournemouth in March 1983.
He hung up his boots in 1984 and fought a public battle against alcoholism until his death at the age of 59, on November 25 2005, after creating memories to last a lifetime.
Especially against Dundee where his his showman act still sparkled.
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