- Title: UK/FILE: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: SIR STANLEY MATTHEWS CELEBRATES 80TH BIRTHDAY
- Date: 1st February 1995
- Summary: UNITED KINGDOM (FILE) FILE OF MATTHEWS SCORING GOAL MATTHEWS PLAYING FOR ENGLAND MATTHEWS PLAYING IN 1953 CUP FINAL FOR BLACKPOOL MATTHEWS COLLECTS F.A. CUP
- Embargoed: 16th February 1995 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: STOKE, ENGLAND, UK
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: People,Sports
- Reuters ID: LVAC1FNXQUTNPMWR8UH0K5JXQZU
- Story Text: Sir Stanley Matthews turned the clock back more than 40 years as he clutched the FA Cup winner's medal he thought he would never see again and said: "I feel as if I'm in dreamland." Looking sprightly enough to give a legion of left-backs fresh nightmares, England's finest player celebrated his 80th birthday in Stoke on Wednesday (February 1), truly acclaimed by the world of football.
Best wishes poured in from the football federations of Italy, Germany and France, from UEFA, FIFA and the Olympic Committee; Stan was inundated with presents.
But none matched the surprise from the Football Association and Littlewoods Pools - a replica of the 1953 FA Cup winners' medal from the game remembered as "The Matthews Final".
Won at the age of 41, after two previous Wembley failures, Sir Stan admitted: "Somewhere over the last 40 years it was lost. I don't know who I have to thank to have the medal back but it was my life's ambition to win this, from when I was a very young boy." That ambition took him through a 33-year career, which was celebrated in his home town. Hungary's Puskas, Barcelona's Kubala and Yugoslavia's Stankovic led the overseas guest list.
World Cup winners Sir Bobby Charlton, his brother Jack, Ray Wilson and goalkeeper Gordon Banks were there, as were the Charles brothers, John and Mel, Tom Finney, Wilf Mannion and Tottenham duo Eddie Bailey and Bill Nicholson.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was joined by Gary Lineker, Gary Mabbutt, Chris Waddle, Don Howe, Billy Bingham, Lou Macari, Bryan Hamilton and Terry Neill, while chief executive Graham Kelly headed a large Football Association contingent.
In a professional playing career that spanned four decades Matthews became one of the most popular players in history.
Matthews made his English League debut for Stoke City, his local team, at the age of seventeen. At nineteen he was a regular in the England team. He went on to win 54 international caps, and would have earned many more had it not been for the Second World War.
In 1947 he moved to Blackpool, playing for them in three FA cup finals. He was on the losing side in 1948 and 1951 but finally got the winners medal he desired in 1953, Coronation year, when his superb performance led to the match being remembered as the 'Matthews Final'. With only half an hour to play, Blackpool were trailing 3-1 to Bolton. However, Matthews then turned on a devastating display. He mesmerised the Bolton defence, laid on three goals, and enabled Blackpool to win 4-3.
In 1956 he became the first winner of the European Footballer of the Year award. He returned to Stoke from Blackpool in 1961, and played league football despite being well into his forties. The transfer fee was 3,500 sterling (5,250 US dollars) with Matthews' share just one hundred and sixty pounds.
Remarkably, he continued playing league football for Stoke until he was 50. That same year, 1965, he became the first professional footballer to be knighted.
Following his retirement he served as general manager for English league club Port Vale for three years and later coached in Malta and South Africa.
He has recently returned to live in the Stoke area and will be honoured by the club with a special birthday party at nearby Trentham Gardens.
He says " If I have one regret it is that i hung up my boots too soon. I really feel I could have played until my mid-fifties. " - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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