England World Cup hero Nobby Stiles has died at the age of 78 after a long illness.
The former Manchester United, Middlesbrough and Preston midfielder passed away on Friday.
Stiles won the World Cup with England in 1966 and was also part of the Manchester United side which became the first English club to win the European Cup two years later, when they beat Benfica in the final at Wembley.
He won a total of 28 caps for England – the fewest of any of the World Cup-winning side.
Stiles is best remembered for his performance in the semi-final against Portugal, nullifying the prolific Eusebio, and for the pictures of him dancing on the pitch with the World Cup.
Stiles, born in Collyhurst in 1942, started his career at United and made almost 400 appearances for the club over an 11-year period.
When he retired from playing he went on to manage Preston and West Brom, and enjoyed a three-year stint coaching the Vancouver Whitecaps. But he admitted that his time in charge of the Baggies had brought on a bout of depression and he walked away from top-level management.
Stiles went on to work as a youth team coach at United, where he helped bring through the so-called Class of ’92.
After suffering a stroke and prostate cancer, Stiles was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
His England career spanned just five years, with his sole goal coming in a friendly against West Germany during the build-up to the ’66 World Cup.
More to follow…
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3mFS2Ll
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