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Goal.com's Top 50 English Players: Stanley Matthews (3)
Goal.com's top 50 countdown of the greatest English players has reached the top three - and at number three is one of the most famous footballers of all time, the legendary Sir Stanley Matthews, Wizard of Dribble...
Jun 29, 2009 1:30:04 PM
No.50 - John Terry
No.15 - Alan Shearer
No.14 - Paul Gascoigne
No.13 - David Beckham
No.12 - Dixie Dean
No.11 - Alan Ball
No.10 - Peter Shilton
No. 9 - Gary Lineker
No. 8 - Duncan Edwards
No. 7 - Kevin Keegan
No. 6 - Jimmy Greaves
No. 5 - Tom Finney
No. 4 - Gordon Banks
Stanley MATTHEWS
Born: 1 February 1915, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
England: 54 caps, 11 goals
Clubs: Stoke City, Blackpool
Stanley Matthews was football's first global superstar, a modest but mesmerising English talent who was as famous in Accra as he was in Accrington, as revered in Rio as in Rotherham. He raised the profiles of two unfashionable clubs - Stoke City and Blackpool - in a career that spanned a staggering 33 years and was punctuated by an unprecedented string of firsts.
Matthews became the first Footballer of the Year when the English Football Writers' Association introduced their prestigious award, and then the first European Footballer of the Year. He was the first player to be immortalised by having an FA Cup final named after him, and the first to be knighted while still plying his trade on the pitch.
He was also the first to appear in the First Division beyond his 50th birthday. And in an era when the commercialisation of football was still in its self-conscious and somewhat innocent infancy, his was the first name that marketeers sought to endorse their products. Inevitably, too, Matthews was an inaugural inductee to the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002, in recognition of his unique contribution to football.
This was a man who made his England debut in 1934 as a 19-year-old, and was still playing for his country 23 years later at the age of 42. A man who produced his finest hour on the pitch when he was 38, and who was still influential enough to help his team win promotion to the top-flight ten years after that.
His astonishing longevity owed much to an understanding of, and dedication to, a nutritional and fitness regime that was light-years ahead of its time.
But above all there was the talent. Stanley Matthews was not just 'The King of Soccer' and 'The Ageless Wonder'; he was also 'The Magician' and 'The Wizard of Dribble'. Pele described Matthews as "The man who taught us the way football should be played"; yet few could play it quite like Matthews.
Deceptively frail-looking and slightly bow-legged, the twin components of his greatness were a dizzying change of pace and the ability to keep the ball under the control of his seemingly magnetic feet. It was a combination of balletic balance that left opposing full-backs wrong-footed and bewildered in his wake as he made for the by-line.
He was the ultimate provider, a master of the assist, retaining possession until choosing his moment to deliver the ball to a well-placed team-mate. Matthews would teasingly invite a tackle, then drop his shoulder and, with a deft sleight of foot, whip the ball away and be off down the right-wing. Defenders knew the trick was coming, but were seemingly powerless to counter it, like children convinced they know which hand the sweet is in, but always finding it empty.
Famously, during an England international against Italy in 1948, with his team leading 4-0, Matthews dribbled the ball to the corner flag and, while waiting for his marker to catch up, pushed his hair back in place and wiped his hands on his shorts. Many in the crowd believed he'd actually pulled out a comb to tidy himself up before eluding another toiling challenge. The tale added to his mystique and was swiftly woven into the Matthews legend. But in fact Stan had too much respect for the game to showboat.
It was a respect instilled in him during his upbringing in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, by his father, Jack, a featherweight boxer of local repute. 'The Fighting Barber of Hanley' taught his four sons (Stan was the third) the importance of sportsmanship, discipline and perseverance. Stan applied the lessons to his football and was soon playing for England schoolboys against Wales.
His promise was obvious and he joined Stoke City in 1929 at the age of fourteen, signing professionally in 1932. Two years later he was debuting for England, scoring as Wales were beaten 4-0.
His impact at Stoke was such that he quickly became the biggest star in English football. It was said his presence in the team would add 10,000 to the gate as people flocked to see his wizardry. Stoke finished fourth in 1936 - their highest-ever placing - and in 1937 Matthews hit a hat-trick for England in a 5-4 win over Czechoslovakia. When he asked for a transfer in 1938, there was a public outcry in the Potteries. Some 4,000 protested at meetings and marches; they got their way when Matthews withdrew his request.
His career was soon disrupted, though, by the outbreak of war, which saw Matthews serve in the Royal Air Force while guesting when he could for the likes of Blackpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Rangers, and representing England in 29 unofficial wartime internationals.
When the conflict was over and League football resumed in 1946-47, Stoke went close to capturing the First Division championship. They needed to win their final game at Sheffield United to clinch the title but lost 2-1, handing the crown to Liverpool and finishing fourth themselves. However, a month earlier the relationship between Stoke and Matthews had hit troubled waters, and against the fans' wishes, he had been sold.
Many think it cost the Potters the title, but Stoke's loss was Blackpool's gain. The Seasiders' manager, Joe Smith, asked Matthews, 32, if he could manage another couple of years. A vegetarian and teetotaller, Stan's fitness was exceptional, and the transfer went through for £11,500 on 10 May 1947.
At the end of his first season with Blackpool, Matthews was playing in an FA Cup final. He finished on the losing side against Manchester United, but was named inaugural FWA Footballer of the Year, which softened the blow. Three years later he was back at Wembley, again tasting the disappointment of defeat as Newcastle United triumphed.
Then, in 1952-53, Blackpool reached the final again. At 38, with a winner's medal having eluded him twice, Matthews had the public willing him on. But Bolton Wanderers weren't sticking to the script and led 3-1 with 30 minutes to go. Then Matthews seized the game by the scruff of its neck.
Unhinging the Bolton defence with a series of mesmerising runs, swerves and feints, Matthews provided the centres from which Stan Mortensen completed his hat-trick, then jinked his way down the right wing once more to lay on a dramatic late winner for Bill Perry. Blackpool had won the Cup 4-3, and despite Mortensen's treble, the match was immediately dubbed 'The Matthews final'. Stan was undoubtedly the competition's most popular winner.
When England beat Scotland 7-2 in 1955, Matthews, 40, created five of the goals. And in 1956 he helped Blackpool achieve their highest-ever League finish of second, winning the first-ever European Footballer of the Year award (Ballon d'Or) the same year. During the Fifties his fame spread globally as Matthews travelled between English domestic seasons to appear in exhibition matches around the world.
Having helped create the most successful era in Blackpool's history, Matthews rejoined Stoke City in 1961. Their gates rose from 9,000 to 36,000 and in 1962-63 he helped them win the old Second Division Championship. That season, at 48, he was also voted FWA Footballer of the Year for the second time.
He remained at his hometown club until the end of his playing career, appearing in his final First Division game on 6 February 1965, just after his 50th birthday. It was his first game for a year because of a troublesome knee injury, but he set up Stoke's equaliser, and in April was knighted for services to sport.
The injury persuaded him to retire at the end of the season, though he later claimed he quit too early. He'd played 795 League and FA Cup games and scored 81 goals, providing countless more assists. His testimonial in April 1965 attracted 35,000 people who saw a 10-goal thriller against a World XI including Lev Yashin, Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo Di Stefano.
He briefly managed Port Vale before moving to Malta, and played his final competitive game in 1970 at the age of 55 for FC Hibernia, whom he was also coaching. He continued playing for numerous local sides and was still jinking down the wing into his 60s, coaching 'Stan's Men' in Soweto, South Africa, and turning out in a charity match at Grangemouth in 1981, when he was 66.
Sir Stanley Matthews died in February 2000, three weeks after his 85th birthday, and his ashes were buried beneath the centre circle of Stoke's Britannia Stadium. There is a statue of Matthews in the centre of Hanley, and another outside the Britannia, whose dedication says: 'His name is symbolic of the beauty of the game, his fame timeless and international, his sportsmanship and modesty universally acclaimed. A magical player, of the people, for the people'.
HONOURS
FA Cup winner - 1953 (Blackpool)
Football League Second Division championship winner - 1962/63 (Stoke City)
Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year - 1948, 1963
European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d'Or) - 1956
CBE - 1957
OBE - 1965
FIFA Gold Medal Order - 1992
English Football Hall of Fame - 2002
DID YOU KNOW... That Brian Clough said of Sir Stan: "I grew up in an era when he was a god to those of us who aspired to play the game. He was a true gentleman and we shall never see his like again." And Berti Vogts said, "It is not just in England where his name is famous. All over the world he is regarded as a true football genius." And that Gianfranco Zola said, "He told me that he used to play for just twenty pounds a week. Today he would be worth all the money in the Bank of England."
Graham Lister, Goal.com
No.49 - Tony Currie
No.48 - Terry Butcher
No.47 - Gerry Hitchens
No.46 - Paul Ince
No.45 - George Camsell
No.44 - Wayne Rooney
No.43 - Jackie Milburn
No.42 - Roger Hunt
No.41 - Rio Ferdinand
No.40 - Wilf Mannion
No.39 - Frank Lampard
No.38 - John Barnes
No.37 - Nat Lofthouse
No.36 - Eddie Hapgood
No.35 - Chris Waddle
No.34 - David Platt
No.33 - Phil Neal
No.32 - Johnny Haynes
No.31 - Peter Beardsley
No.30 - Ray Clemence
No.29 - Ted Drake
No.28 - Michael Owen
No.27 - Raich Carter
No.26 - Colin Bell
No.25 – Frank Swift
No.24 - Paul Scholes
No.23 - Tony Adams
No.22 - Martin Peters
No.21 - Billy Wright
No.20 - Geoff Hurst
No.19 - Cliff Bastin
No.15 - Alan Shearer
No.14 - Paul Gascoigne
No.13 - David Beckham
No.12 - Dixie Dean
No.11 - Alan Ball
No.10 - Peter Shilton
No. 9 - Gary Lineker
No. 8 - Duncan Edwards
No. 7 - Kevin Keegan
No. 6 - Jimmy Greaves
No. 5 - Tom Finney
No. 4 - Gordon Banks
Stanley MATTHEWS
Born: 1 February 1915, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
England: 54 caps, 11 goals
Clubs: Stoke City, Blackpool
Stanley Matthews was football's first global superstar, a modest but mesmerising English talent who was as famous in Accra as he was in Accrington, as revered in Rio as in Rotherham. He raised the profiles of two unfashionable clubs - Stoke City and Blackpool - in a career that spanned a staggering 33 years and was punctuated by an unprecedented string of firsts.
Matthews became the first Footballer of the Year when the English Football Writers' Association introduced their prestigious award, and then the first European Footballer of the Year. He was the first player to be immortalised by having an FA Cup final named after him, and the first to be knighted while still plying his trade on the pitch.
He was also the first to appear in the First Division beyond his 50th birthday. And in an era when the commercialisation of football was still in its self-conscious and somewhat innocent infancy, his was the first name that marketeers sought to endorse their products. Inevitably, too, Matthews was an inaugural inductee to the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002, in recognition of his unique contribution to football.
 |
His astonishing longevity owed much to an understanding of, and dedication to, a nutritional and fitness regime that was light-years ahead of its time.
But above all there was the talent. Stanley Matthews was not just 'The King of Soccer' and 'The Ageless Wonder'; he was also 'The Magician' and 'The Wizard of Dribble'. Pele described Matthews as "The man who taught us the way football should be played"; yet few could play it quite like Matthews.
Deceptively frail-looking and slightly bow-legged, the twin components of his greatness were a dizzying change of pace and the ability to keep the ball under the control of his seemingly magnetic feet. It was a combination of balletic balance that left opposing full-backs wrong-footed and bewildered in his wake as he made for the by-line.
He was the ultimate provider, a master of the assist, retaining possession until choosing his moment to deliver the ball to a well-placed team-mate. Matthews would teasingly invite a tackle, then drop his shoulder and, with a deft sleight of foot, whip the ball away and be off down the right-wing. Defenders knew the trick was coming, but were seemingly powerless to counter it, like children convinced they know which hand the sweet is in, but always finding it empty.
Famously, during an England international against Italy in 1948, with his team leading 4-0, Matthews dribbled the ball to the corner flag and, while waiting for his marker to catch up, pushed his hair back in place and wiped his hands on his shorts. Many in the crowd believed he'd actually pulled out a comb to tidy himself up before eluding another toiling challenge. The tale added to his mystique and was swiftly woven into the Matthews legend. But in fact Stan had too much respect for the game to showboat.
It was a respect instilled in him during his upbringing in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, by his father, Jack, a featherweight boxer of local repute. 'The Fighting Barber of Hanley' taught his four sons (Stan was the third) the importance of sportsmanship, discipline and perseverance. Stan applied the lessons to his football and was soon playing for England schoolboys against Wales.
His promise was obvious and he joined Stoke City in 1929 at the age of fourteen, signing professionally in 1932. Two years later he was debuting for England, scoring as Wales were beaten 4-0.
His impact at Stoke was such that he quickly became the biggest star in English football. It was said his presence in the team would add 10,000 to the gate as people flocked to see his wizardry. Stoke finished fourth in 1936 - their highest-ever placing - and in 1937 Matthews hit a hat-trick for England in a 5-4 win over Czechoslovakia. When he asked for a transfer in 1938, there was a public outcry in the Potteries. Some 4,000 protested at meetings and marches; they got their way when Matthews withdrew his request.
CAREER HIGHLIGHT
 The 1953 Matthews final |
When the conflict was over and League football resumed in 1946-47, Stoke went close to capturing the First Division championship. They needed to win their final game at Sheffield United to clinch the title but lost 2-1, handing the crown to Liverpool and finishing fourth themselves. However, a month earlier the relationship between Stoke and Matthews had hit troubled waters, and against the fans' wishes, he had been sold.
Many think it cost the Potters the title, but Stoke's loss was Blackpool's gain. The Seasiders' manager, Joe Smith, asked Matthews, 32, if he could manage another couple of years. A vegetarian and teetotaller, Stan's fitness was exceptional, and the transfer went through for £11,500 on 10 May 1947.
At the end of his first season with Blackpool, Matthews was playing in an FA Cup final. He finished on the losing side against Manchester United, but was named inaugural FWA Footballer of the Year, which softened the blow. Three years later he was back at Wembley, again tasting the disappointment of defeat as Newcastle United triumphed.
Then, in 1952-53, Blackpool reached the final again. At 38, with a winner's medal having eluded him twice, Matthews had the public willing him on. But Bolton Wanderers weren't sticking to the script and led 3-1 with 30 minutes to go. Then Matthews seized the game by the scruff of its neck.
Unhinging the Bolton defence with a series of mesmerising runs, swerves and feints, Matthews provided the centres from which Stan Mortensen completed his hat-trick, then jinked his way down the right wing once more to lay on a dramatic late winner for Bill Perry. Blackpool had won the Cup 4-3, and despite Mortensen's treble, the match was immediately dubbed 'The Matthews final'. Stan was undoubtedly the competition's most popular winner.
When England beat Scotland 7-2 in 1955, Matthews, 40, created five of the goals. And in 1956 he helped Blackpool achieve their highest-ever League finish of second, winning the first-ever European Footballer of the Year award (Ballon d'Or) the same year. During the Fifties his fame spread globally as Matthews travelled between English domestic seasons to appear in exhibition matches around the world.
Having helped create the most successful era in Blackpool's history, Matthews rejoined Stoke City in 1961. Their gates rose from 9,000 to 36,000 and in 1962-63 he helped them win the old Second Division Championship. That season, at 48, he was also voted FWA Footballer of the Year for the second time.
He remained at his hometown club until the end of his playing career, appearing in his final First Division game on 6 February 1965, just after his 50th birthday. It was his first game for a year because of a troublesome knee injury, but he set up Stoke's equaliser, and in April was knighted for services to sport.
The injury persuaded him to retire at the end of the season, though he later claimed he quit too early. He'd played 795 League and FA Cup games and scored 81 goals, providing countless more assists. His testimonial in April 1965 attracted 35,000 people who saw a 10-goal thriller against a World XI including Lev Yashin, Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo Di Stefano.
 |
Sir Stanley Matthews died in February 2000, three weeks after his 85th birthday, and his ashes were buried beneath the centre circle of Stoke's Britannia Stadium. There is a statue of Matthews in the centre of Hanley, and another outside the Britannia, whose dedication says: 'His name is symbolic of the beauty of the game, his fame timeless and international, his sportsmanship and modesty universally acclaimed. A magical player, of the people, for the people'.
HONOURS
FA Cup winner - 1953 (Blackpool)
Football League Second Division championship winner - 1962/63 (Stoke City)
Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year - 1948, 1963
European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d'Or) - 1956
CBE - 1957
OBE - 1965
FIFA Gold Medal Order - 1992
English Football Hall of Fame - 2002
DID YOU KNOW... That Brian Clough said of Sir Stan: "I grew up in an era when he was a god to those of us who aspired to play the game. He was a true gentleman and we shall never see his like again." And Berti Vogts said, "It is not just in England where his name is famous. All over the world he is regarded as a true football genius." And that Gianfranco Zola said, "He told me that he used to play for just twenty pounds a week. Today he would be worth all the money in the Bank of England."
Graham Lister, Goal.com
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