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Alan Ball Jr.

Alan Ball
Alan Ball (cropped).jpg
Personal information
Full name Alan James Ball
Date of birth (1945-05-12)12 May 1945
Place of birth Farnworth, Lancashire, England
Date of death 25 April 2007(2007-04-25) (aged 61)
Place of death Warsash, Hampshire, England
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Playing position Midfielder
Youth career
1960–1961 Bolton Wanderers
1961–1962 Blackpool
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1960–1961 Ashton United 7 (1)
1962–1966 Blackpool 116 (40)
1966–1971 Everton 208 (66)
1971–1976 Arsenal 177 (45)
1976 Hellenic (loan) 4 (?)
1976–1980 Southampton 132 (9)
1978–1979 Philadelphia Fury (loan) 33 (5)
1979–1980 Vancouver Whitecaps 31 (10)
1980–1981 Blackpool 30 (5)
1981–1983 Southampton 63 (2)
1982 Floreat Athena (loan) 3 (2)
1982–1983 Eastern AA 12 (?)
1983 Bristol Rovers 17 (2)
Total 833 (187+)
National team
1965–1975 England 72 (8)
Teams managed
1978 Philadelphia Fury
1980–1981 Blackpool
1984–1989 Portsmouth
1989–1991 Stoke City
1991–1994 Exeter City
1994–1995 Southampton
1995–1996 Manchester City
1998–1999 Portsmouth
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Alan James Ball MBE (12 May 1945 – 25 April 2007) was a professional English footballer and football club manager.

Born in Farnworth, Lancashire, he was the youngest member of England's 1966 World Cup winning team and played as a midfielder for various clubs, scoring more than 180 league goals in a career spanning 22 years. His playing career also included a then national record £220,000 transfer from Everton to Arsenal at the end of 1971. After retiring as a player, he had a 15-year career as a manager which included spells in the top flight of English football with Portsmouth, Southampton and Manchester City.

Ball started his footballing career whilst still a schoolboy, playing for Ashton United, the team his father managed, amongst the hurly burly of the Lancashire Combination. He fell out with his headmaster over missing games for his Farnworth Grammar School team due to him signing and playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers.

After he left school, Wolves decided not to take Ball on. The midfielder then started training with Bolton Wanderers but they too decided not to give him a professional deal, as manager Bill Ridding said he was too small.

Blackpool signed him after Ball's father called in a favour with the coach, an old friend with whom he used to play. Ball was given a trial in September 1961 and was immediately signed up as an apprentice. He turned professional in May 1962, making his Football League debut on 18 August 1962 against Liverpool at Anfield in a 2–1 victory. At age 17 years and 98 days, he became Blackpool's youngest League debutant. On 21 November 1964, Ball scored his first hat-trick as a professional, in a 3–3 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage.


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