Web Quotableonline.com Frasescelebres.org Greatbookscollection.org

Sir Stanley Matthews, Order of the British
Empire|CBE (February 1 1915 - February 23 2000)
was a Football (soccer)|football player, often
regarded as one of the greats of the
England|English game. His nickname in England was
The Wizard of the Dribble and on the continent he
gained the name of The Magician.  Matthews retains
his reputation as one of the finest dribblers of
the ball in the history of association football.

Matthews was born in Seymour Street, Hanley,
Stoke-on-Trent and was the third of four sons. His
father, Jack Matthews (aka The Fighting Barber of
Hanley), was a renowned local boxer who fostered a
sense of discipline, determination and
sportsmanship that would serve his son well during
his long career. He attended St Lukes School.

A natural right-winger, he showed early promise
and played for England schoolboys against Wales.
He signed professional terms with Stoke City F.C.
in 1932. His international debut came in 1934,
scoring for the England national football
team|England side which beat Wales national
football team|Wales 4-0. Shortly after this, he
was condemned in the Daily Mail:

"I saw Matthews play just as moderately in the
recent inter-League match, exhibiting the same
slowness and hesitation. Perhaps he lacks the big
match temperament."

This would turn out to be a hugely mistaken
appriasal of the young man, embodied by his
hat-trick for 10-man England in a game against
Czechoslovakia national football
team|Czechoslovakia in 1937. 

In 1938, Matthews asked for a transfer, causing a
public outcry in Stoke. More than 3,000 fans
attended a protest meeting and a further 1,000
marched outside the ground with placards. Matthews
stayed.

The war interrupted his career, during which time
he served in the Royal Air Force and was stationed
near Blackpool. After falling out with Stoke, he
transferred to join Blackpool F.C. in 1947. His
link-up with Stan Mortensen was very profitable,
and Matthews won an FA Cup winners medal in 1953 -
a match dubbed the 'Matthews Final' despite
Mortensen's hat-trick, as many members of the
public willed him to finally win the one domestic
trophy that had eluded him in the finals of 1948
and 1951.

In 1950, Matthews only played in one Football
World Cup 1950|World Cup game (a 1-0 defeat
against Spain national football team|Spain).

In total, Matthews made 54 official England
appearances (as well as 29 unofficial wartime
appearances). He played his final England game in
1957; he remains the oldest player to have played
in an England shirt. His England career is the
longest of any player ever to play for the side,
stretching from his debut on September 29 1934 to
his last appearance on May 15 1957, almost 23
years later. His importance to the team is
exemplified by the post-war circumstances he found
himself in. He was excluded from the team for most
of the 1946-1947|47 season in favour of another
England great - Tom Finney. He returned to the
team in triumph, however, as England beat Portugal
national football team|Portugal 10-0. A year
later, he ran the Italy|Italian left-back ragged,
helping England to a 4-0 win in Turin.

At the Football World Cup 1954 in Switzerland,
England found themselves struggling, so Matthews
promptly switched to inside-forward, galvanised
the team, and helped it to a 4-4 draw.

In 1961 (aged 46) he rejoined his hometown club
Stoke City where he remained until the end of his
playing career, appearing in his final game on
February 6, 1965, just after his 50th birthday.
Also in 1965, his services to sport were
officially recognised when he became the first
football player to be knighted. He received a FIFA
Gold Merit Order in 1992.

After playing 698 games in the Football League,
Matthews finally retired and went to Malta, where
he coached Hibernians, also playing for them until
he was 55. He played for numerous local sides,
meaning that he was still running down the wing in
his 60s. He also coached in South Africa and in
Canada.

During his illustrious career he gained respect,
not only as a great player, but also as a
gentleman. This is exemplified by the fact that
despite playing in over seven hundred league
games, he was never booked.

There is a statue of Matthews outside Stoke City's
Britannia Stadium and another in the centre of
Hanley. The dedication on the former reads: 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.

==Trivia==

* When England beat Scotland 7-2 in 1955, the
40-year-old Matthews made five goals. Duncan
Edwards was making his England debut; when
Matthews made his, Edwards had not even been born.

==External Links==

*http://www.derbydeadpool.co.uk/deadpool2000/obits
/matthews.html Stan!
*http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFACup/History/Po
stings/2003/11/48415.htm The Matthews Final
*http://www.sirstanleymatthewsfoundation.com/ The
Sir Stanley Matthews Foundation

start box
succession box|title=European Footballer of the
Year|before=new creation |after=Alfredo Di
Stefano|years=1956
succession box|title=FWA Footballer of the
Year|Football Writers' Association Footballer of
the Year|before=new creation |after=Johnny
Carey|years=1948
succession box|title=FWA Footballer of the
Year|Football Writers' Association Footballer of
the Year|before=Jimmy Adamson 
 |after=Bobby
Moore|years=1963
end box