Can anyone identify this footballer?

[philmophlegm]

Comments

[wellinghall]

Billy Wright?

[philmophlegm]

Not a bad guess. From roughly the same part of the country and roughly the same time as Billy Wright. And they played the same position.

But no, try again.

[wellinghall]

*puts thinking cap on*

[philmophlegm]

OK, some clues:

He was born in Dudley.

He was playing under-15s football when he was 11.

When he made his professional debut, on the 4th April, 1953, he became the youngest player ever to play in the old First Division.

When he made his England debut, on the 2nd April 1955, he became England's youngest ever player.

He was a wing-half (defensive midfielder in modern terminology) but talented enough to play any outfield position. In one England under-23s game, he played centre forward and scored six goals.

His club manager called him "the best player in the world".

His assistant manager said of him "When I used to hear Muhammad Ali proclaim to the world he was the greatest, I used to smile. You see, the greatest of them all was an English footballer named XXXXXXXXXX."

[the_marquis]

Born in Dudley eh?

[the_marquis]

Perchance a Man Utd player who heard the final whistle on a plane from Munich?

[philmophlegm]

Very good, although actually he played two weeks of injury time after the crash.

More later...

[philmophlegm]

The footballer in the picture is Duncan Edwards, of Manchester United and England