Footballer, soccer legend

In April 1965 at the end of a season in which Manchester United had won the League Championship for the first time in twelve years, one of the new breed of “Busby Babes” was blooded in the white shirt of England - Nobby Stiles.

By then, Nobby Stiles was 22 years old and had played for the Under 23 side on three occasions, yet from the time of his first senior international appearance against Scotland, he became a virtual fixture in the starting eleven chosen by Alf Ramsey in the build up to the 1966 World Cup Tournament. In February 1966 he even wore the number 9 shirt in a friendly encounter with West Germany and scored the game’s only goal in a fixture more significant retrospectively for having been a dress rehearsal for the World Cup Final five months later.

Then with the ‘66 Finals in full swing, Nobby Stiles became a celebrity figure, battling performances endearing him to he England public via television coverage, while his toothless grin and the gleeful jig with which Nobby celebrated the winning of football’s greatest prize have stayed among the tournament’s most memorable images. Interestingly, after helping England defeat West Germany in that historic clash, Stiles went on to make only eight further appearances for his country, the last coming in April 1970 when he finished as he had begun - with a match against the Scots. During this period the tenacious midfielder suffered severely with injuries, yet the late 60’s, were not all struggle for Nobby Stiles, indeed in May 1968 he returned to Wembley to wear the number 6 shirt for Manchester United on one of the club’s most treasured evenings. For inspired by the attacking skills of Bobby Charlton and George Best, the “Red Devils” in uncharacteristic blue beat Benfica 4-1 after extra time to become the first English club to win the European Cup.

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