Wilf Mannion
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Statue outside the Riverside Stadium of Middlesbrough F. C. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wilfred James Mannion | ||
| Date of birth | 16 May 1918 | ||
| Place of birth | South Bank, Middlesbrough, England | ||
| Date of death | 14 April 2000 (aged 81) | ||
| Place of death | Teesside, England | ||
| Playing position | Inside-forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1936–1954 | Middlesbrough | 341 | (99) |
| 1954–1956 | Hull City | 16 | (1) |
| 1956–1958 | Cambridge United | ||
| – | Poole Town | ||
| – | Earlestown FC (Player/ Manager) | ||
| National team | |||
| 1946–1951 | England | 26 | (11) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Wilfred "Wilf" James Mannion (16 May 1918 –14 April 2000) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward,[1] making over 350 senior appearances for Middlesbrough. He also played international football for England. With his blonde hair, he was nicknamed "The Golden Boy".[2][3]
Early life
Mannion was born on 16 May 1918 in South Bank, the son of Irish immigrants Tommy and Mary Mannion, and one of 10 children.[3]
Middlesbrough
He joined his local team Middlesbrough F.C. in 1936 and went on to make 341 Football League appearances for them, scoring on 99 occasions.[4]
Mannion fought in France and Italy during World War II.[1]
At the end of the 1947–48 season he wanted a transfer, but Middlesbrough refused. In protest he did not play for them for much of the following season but he eventually backed down and started playing for Middlesbrough again.[5]
England International
He was capped on 26 occasions by the England national football team between 1946 and 1951, and his final appearance came on 3 October 1951.[6] He was a member of the England squad for the 1950 FIFA World Cup.[7]
Later career
After initially retiring as a player in 1954, Mannion subsequently joined Hull City. However, the Football League suspended him for articles he had written,[7] and he left to play non-league football with Poole Town.[4] He also had an unsuccessful spell as manager of Cambridge United.[5]
After football
He was eventually awarded a testimonial match by Middlesbrough in 1983, alongside former Boro and England colleague George Hardwick.[3]
Mannion died on 14 April 2000 at the age of 81.[5]
In 2004 it was announced he was being inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame at the National Football Museum.[8]
References
- 1 2 English Hall of Fame Profile Archived 15 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ N. Varley (2002) Golden Boy: A Biography of Wilf Mannion, Aurum Press Ltd, ISBN 1-85410-879-4
- 1 2 3 "The Original Golden Boy: The Wilf Mannion Story". This is the north east. communigate.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
- 1 2 Football League Career Stats at Neil Brown
- 1 2 3 Brian Glanville (15 April 2000). "Wilf Mannion". Obituary. The Guardian. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
- ↑ "England's Players - Mabbutt to Murphy". England Football Online. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
- 1 2 "Wilf Mannion 1936-54". Middlesbrough FC. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ↑ "Hero duo get footballing honour". BBC. 4 November 2004. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
External links
- Profile at Spartacus Educational
- Wilf Mannion at National-Football-Teams.com
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