Born in Lancashire in 1945, midfielder Alan Ball is just 21 at the 1966 World Cup, the youngest player in the England side
The team beat Germany 4-2 to claim an historic win and lift the Jules Rimet trophy in front of the Wembley crowd
Having started his career at Blackpool, Ball joins Everton after the World Cup, and wins the league title with them in 1970
Arsenal manager Bertie Mee brings 26-year-old Ball to Highbury for a record fee of £220,000 in December 1971
After five years with the Gunners, Ball moves to Southampton in 1976, helping the Saints back to the First Division in 1978
Ball enjoys great success as manager at Portsmouth between 1984 and 1989, including promotion to the top flight in 1987
Southampton are in the drop zone when Ball returns in early 1994; he is hailed a hero after steering them to safety
He brings his passion for the game to Man City in 1995, but the club go down and he leaves at the end of the season
Ball is tempted back to Portsmouth in January 1998, and duly delivers final-day safety for the cash-strapped side
In 2000 he receives the MBE, but the world of football is saddened by his death seven years later at the age of 61
Tributes pour in for a man whose name will always be associated with England's most famous sporting victory
|
~RS~a~RS~International~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~47~RS~){kind=small}
E-mail this to a friend
