Jimmy Armfield
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Christopher Armfield | ||
| Date of birth | 21 September 1935 | ||
| Place of birth | Denton, Lancashire, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 1⁄2 in (1.79 m) | ||
| Playing position | Right back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1954–1971 | Blackpool | 569 | (6) |
| National team | |||
| 1956–1959 | England U23 | 9 | (0) |
| 1959–1966 | England | 43 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1971–1974 | Bolton Wanderers | ||
| 1974–1978 | Leeds United | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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James Christopher "Jimmy" Armfield, CBE, DL (born 21 September 1935 in Denton, Lancashire) is an English former professional football player and manager who currently works as a football pundit for BBC Radio Five Live. He played the whole of his Football League career at Blackpool, usually at right back. Between 1954 and 1971 he played 627 games in all competitions, scored six goals, and spent a decade as the club's captain. He also represented the England national team 43 times between 1959 and 1966, and captained them in 15 games. He was a member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning squad. After retiring from playing, Armfield managed Bolton Wanderers and Leeds United.
After Armfield's family moved to Blackpool from Denton, he was spotted in a practice match at Bloomfield Road by Tangerines manager Joe Smith. Armfield, who played on the left wing for that game, scored all of Blackpool's goals in a 4–1 victory. Impressed, Smith offered him a trial. On 27 December 1954, Armfield made his Blackpool debut at Portsmouth. Armfield recalled of the game: "That League debut at Fratton Park was not, I fear, a very conspicuous one for me. I found myself up against Gordon Dale, a very clever and strong winger with plenty of experience. He was far too good and we lost 3–0. Gordon really gave me the run-around, and I realised just how much I had to learn. They were a very good team in those days, and they scored a goal in about the first two minutes — and I hadn't touched the ball. We were three down after fifteen minutes."
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