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Museum Object. Sir Stanley Matthews' shirt from the 1953 FA Cup Final - the 'Matthews Final' (from the Priory Collection) Supported by Ken Poole. |
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Sir Stanley Matthews
| Category: | Male Player |
| Year Inducted: | 2002 |
Profile by Robert Galvin, the author of Football's Greatest Heroes, the official book of the National Football Museum Hall of Fame:
Record crowds flocked to grounds for a glimpse of the most famous and revered footballer in the world: Stanley Matthews, the ‘Wizard of the Dribble'.
The first Footballer of the Year, in 1948, the first European Footballer of the Year, in 1958, Matthews was knighted in 1965, the first time the honour was bestowed upon an active footballer.
After being mesmerised by his skill for 90 minutes at Wembley in 1956, Nilton Santos shook him warmly by the hand. ‘Mr Matthews,' the Brazil full-back said, ‘you are the king.' Pele once described Matthews as ‘the man who taught us the way football should be played'.
Recalling his excitement before playing against him at Wembley in 1953, Ferenc Puskas, the Hungary captain, said: ‘We were in awe of him and England . Matthews was a giant in our eyes.'
Six months earlier, Matthews made headlines around the world when, at the age of 38, and at the third time of trying at Wembley, he finally fulfilled his great ambition: to win a FA Cup winner's medal.
Willed on by millions of neutrals watching on television, Matthews inspired Blackpool 's dramatic recovery from 3-1 down against Bolton Wanderers. ‘In the last 15 minutes Matthews had Wembley crowd for the very first time standing on the seats on the frontiers of hysteria,' recalled Sir Stanley Rous, the FA Secretary.
Even though Stan Mortensen scored a hat-trick for Blackpool that day, the match, inevitably, has gone down in history as ‘The Matthews Final', much to his frustration; Matthews argued that his team-mate deserved the epithet.
A fitness fanatic, Matthews enjoyed extraordinary longevity. Famously, he was still playing First Division football for Stoke City at the age of 50. His career spanned not only Second World War but football eras: from Dixie Dean to George Best.
Twenty-three years after making his England debut, he won the last of his 54 caps at the age of 42 in 1957. ‘The selectors dropped him too soon,' Billy Wright said. ‘Just his name on the team sheet had given us a psychological advantage.'
Such longevity was the result of his remarkable dedication. His daily routine as a Blackpool player was always the same: up at dawn, a cup of tea, then the short drive to the beach. Later on, there'd be a four-mile run, followed by a cold shower.
His discipline extended to diet: breakfast was toast and cereal. For lunch, it was salad and crispbread. On Mondays he eat nothing, to ‘detoxify my body'.
All his training was geared to developing and then maintaining his renowned acceleration over 20 yards. In his forties he still had the speed off the mark to get away from defenders half his age.
‘Stan would bring the ball squarely to me so that I would never know whether he would go inside or outside,' Joe Mercer said. ‘He would lean so far that it was obvious that he had to go that way, but his balance is so perfect he could then sway away and go the other way.'
Though defenders knew exactly what to expect, it made little difference anyway. Johnny Carey, the Manchester United full-back, likened the experience of marking Matthews to ‘playing against a ghost'.
After making his debut for Stoke in 1932, relations between player and club would gradually deteriorate, culminating in a transfer request. On hearing these rumours, several thousand people turned up at a protest meeting. Their message to the board was unequivocal: ‘Don't Sell Matthews.'
On this occasion, the dispute was settled and Matthews stayed. By 1947, however, Matthews was determined to leave, and after a protracted campaign he persuaded the Stoke directors to sell him to Blackpool , a leading club at the time. There was more to it than just football: Matthews, ever the shrewd businessman, also owned a hotel near the beach.
A native of the Potteries, Matthews returned to Stoke in 1961, helping the club win promotion back to the First Division in 1962-63, before finally hanging up his boots in 1965. Puskas and Lev Yashin, the great Soviet goalkeeper, carried him from the field on their shoulders at the end of his testimonial.
Matthews was by now something of a national icon, and no player before or since has had such drawing power. In 1947-48, Arsenal, Sunderland, Manchester United, and Aston Villa all recorded their highest attendance of the season against Blackpool . At Everton 72,000 turned up. There was nothing at stake; it was down to Matthews.