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Nobby Stiles
| Category: | Male Player |
| Year Inducted: | 2007 |
A Mancunian by birth who played for his beloved Manchester United, he wore glasses at school but contact lenses meant he could become a professional footballer. This tough tackling defensive midfielder, dubbed ‘The Assassin' by the Argentinean press, was perhaps the first in this country to play the holding midfield role, now common in the game. In famous Manchester United sides, he created the space that allowed the skills of Charlton, Best and Law to come to the fore, but he could also snatch a few goals himself. In 1966 for his country, his man-marking of Portugal's Eusebio is rightly seen as crucial to the team's progression into the final, for which the enduring image will always be of him dancing a joyful jig on the Wembley turf after England's World Cup victory. In Manchester United's 1968 European Cup victory over Benfica, his marking again of Eusebio was the key to the famous victory. With Sir Bobby he is still one of only two Englishmen to have won both the World Cup for his country and the European Cup with his club.