1968 George Best signs for English football boot brand Stylo Matchmakers:
Following International sensations Pele and Bobby Collins, in 1968 George Best puts pen to paper signing with Stylo Matchmakers. Stylo Matchmakers sales began to skyrocket with over 1 million shoes sold. George Best even designs and creates his own line of fashion with the brand. This was trailblazing at the time and led the way for how footballers worked with brands.
Stylo Matchmakers soon became the biggest British football boot brand and went head to head with the German giants. George Best became the world’s first celebrity sports star and football’s original pin-up poster boy.
One of the most iconic footballers of all time, George Best was a Manchester United player with an extraordinary skill – and style. He captivated his fans with his talent and flair on the pitch, earning him the nicknames “El Beatle”. It is no wonder that Portuguese supporters called him ‘El Beatle’ as he had such a profound impact on 1960s and 1970s culture in England. Best remains one of the most talented players to ever grace a soccer field. His death at age 59 left many stunned but also found new respect for this global icon who will always be remembered as El Beatle.
Best had forged a deadly partnership with Denis Law and Bobby Charlton at Manchester United, the two other ‘United’ greats and reached the zenith of his career when he led his club to a European Cup triumph. Whilst at the top of his game, George was influencing millions of young footballers around the world to get their own pair of Stylo Matchmakers football boots.
George Best’s celebrity fame went global having played a considerable role in helping Manchester United to two league titles and a European Cup by the age of 22, also claiming the Ballon d’Or and becoming the youngest-ever Footballer of the Year winner.
Signed to Stylo Matchmakers in 1968 at the Playboy Club in London, George Best then went on to wear a number of Stylo Matchmakers’ earliest designs. Back in the sixties, football boots had traditionally been all-black and any additional detail had always been limited, until Stylo Matchmakers built in their signature black/white designs that went on to become world famous.
Best played some of his greatest football in a classic all-leather design, today we call the Heirship Sixty Eight. This design has two white stripes that run down each side of the boot. Aside from Best, this football boot was also popular with other 60’s superstars including the first million pound player Trevor Francis and the legendary winger of Liverpool FC, Steve Heighway.
Since it’s original sixties design, this boot has been modernised and remastered using the best of 2020 football boot technology for a lightweight, comfortable and stylish football shoe.
