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Sir Stanley Matthews

Sir Stanley Matthews
Stanley Matthews(1953 FA Cup Final).jpg
Matthews lifting his 1953 FA Cup Final winner's medal to the sky, so that his deceased father could see it
Personal information
Full name Stanley Matthews
Date of birth (1915-02-01)1 February 1915
Place of birth Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
Date of death 23 February 2000(2000-02-23) (aged 85)
Place of death Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position Outside right
Youth career
1930–1932 Stoke City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1932–1947 Stoke City 259 (51)
1947–1961 Blackpool 379 (17)
1961–1965 Stoke City 59 (3)
Total 697 (71)
National team
1929 England Schoolboys 1 (0)
1934–1956 The Football League XI 13 (2)
1934–1957 England 54 (11)
1939–1946 → England wartime team 29 (2)
1947–1955 Great Britain 2 (0)
Teams managed
1967–1968 Port Vale
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE (1 February 1915 – 23 February 2000) was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the British game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing football, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year awards. Matthews' nicknames included "The Wizard of the Dribble" and "The Magician".

Matthews kept fit enough to play at the top level until he was 50 years old. Matthews was also the oldest player ever to play in England's top football division and the oldest player ever to represent the country. He was also an inaugural inductee to the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 to honour his contribution to the English game.

He spent 19 years with Stoke City, playing for the Potters from 1932 to 1947, and again from 1961 to 1965. He helped Stoke to the Second Division title in 1932–33 and 1962–63. Between his two spells at Stoke he spent 14 years with Blackpool, where, after being on the losing side in the 1948 and 1951 FA Cup finals, he helped Blackpool to win the cup with a formidable personal performance in the "Matthews Final" of 1953. Between 1934 and 1957 he won 54 caps for England, playing in the FIFA World Cup in 1950 and 1954, and winning nine British Home Championship titles.


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