Sir Stanley Matthews

Sir Stanley Matthews

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.