Famous Sports Stars I Have Met
By Archie Quick
the
Exkle Fiori started
when he left one-way trek Chariton Athielle and went to play for the Genoese club Sam- padoria, South African born buit of Halian antecedents lie pocketed a lot of money, became Italy's World Cup centro-forward John Charies has no Roman background, Wetst
tiso the coni in Rhorkida he, but £10,000 was has his for the taking, and he made good with a capful goals on the Scandinavian tour of his Milan club, Juventus.
Եl:
of
On the managerial side Jesse Carver has vacilated between Milan, Rome, and Turin as well' es a pell with Coventry City, and the ex-Blackburn Rover has the right idea-he
moves
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, JULY 27, 1957.
BEGINNING THE STORY OF
STANLEY MATTHEWS-THE MIDDLE-AGED MIRACLE MAN OF
THE SOCCER WORLD
By TREVOR HILTON
You may be in Russia, or South America, or Australia, or South Africa, or the United States, or anywhere in Europe, the Middle or Far East, or India. You may, in fact, be in Timbuctoo. It matters not, because wherever you are there are two words which will be immediately recognised.
ime.
"Stanley Matthews"-a living legend, universally accepted as the greatest footballer of all He is variously known as the Wizard of Dribble, the Maestro, the Wonder Winger, the Soccer Sorcerer and a dozen other superlative tags.
on to his next club when s To me all are unnecessary. He some pletures of him in training, own side are on top of the is Stanley Matthews, and that demonstrating just what he did, world, and incidentally gets the reward of a fat "transfer fee.me implies every superlative as a clue to the way he keeps you can think of when it comes the demurred and suggested Very rich man Jesse, and when to describing all that is best in that we should include the rest I saw lum on a lightning visil soccer and the man who is the of the Blackpool players in the To England recently he told me complete master of all its he was on the move again--this
and crafts. Time from Roma Football Club another "up north".
Nol to bo outdone
1311!
arts plctures,
has For 25 years now, Stanley bren delighting crowds not only in Britain but all over the
Dodgin loft Faxginud, home world, and today he is still the beauty to climb
aboard
Latin band-wagon, and
biggest single draw in football;
come.
of
and from the way he is going former manager of Southamp- on it seems we could have the ton, Fulham and Brentford
15K fortune and privilege with Firmand in Genes. Now watching him for many years to that Cockney of Cockneys from Ecanonton. Tony Marçal, Was
For I think it can truthfully discovered that the roots of his Ice-cream selling father's linealated, incredible though it
moy
seem, that Stan, like B tree were in Italy, and he ant
vintage wine, improves
with Totenham Hotspur are all set to receive £7,000 and £33,000 P. Certainly when you watch him celing his way through D respectively
for the
highly defence, and baffling
the best prized services of tide wing-half. defendere in the world it is hard
HAPPILY MARRIED
to realise that he is 42 and is
TEAM SPIRIT
He felt it was bad for team spirit that in their presence we should
concentrate solely on
VIETESS
him; he pointed out that he was merely a uniwhat a unit-in the team and that any he bad was due to his colleagues. I pointed out that this time wo wanted to do a profile on Matthews only, not, on Black pool as well. Stanley saw our point but was clearly unhappy until he countered with a sug- gestion,
Would we mind getting fairly early, he asked, because
We could, e
would happily come down to the ground by players had arrived and then we could
· The Army made the world of / still making youngsters half his himself before the other
e lenk ancient by comparison. And yel, during all these years, I have et Rown Stanley the man to vary in any degree, His play has of course matured; his technique has improved all the time, as hes his ability to pace a game, and ho seems to
But the man himself has nol changed since he played his Ars! league game for his native Stoke at the tender age of 17. MONUMENTAL MODESTY
up
wa take whatever pictures we wanted. This way he tell It to his leam- would be fairtr
males.
Of course we agreed-but I wonder how many other stars
difference to Marcht. When he entered it as an eighteen-year- old he was typical of the hut dred of youngstors from North London area. Untidily dressed, long hatred, he touched to his job at White Hart Lane. In khaki he found himself; the pe constantly adding to jus de- would not only be to thoughtful transformation was remarkable, fence-bamboozling repertoire of their colleagues' re-lings, but He seemed to like the life, got But Stanley the nan
Cherulso so generous with their time, a lance-corporal's stripe. and changed at all, although out training is
To describe Matthews in tlurived on responsibility 50
practically impossi- much that he was appointedly his years may be show-be.
hair is
He has his own methode, caplain of the British Army re-
and Blackpool manager Joe presentative side. He is sup- peine grey at the temples
Smith never interferes In any way. He knows that Stan knows what he is doing and he has im- plicit fuith In his judgment. He has to worry about. If Stanley is is one player a manager never
The keynote to Stanley Mait- unlt, or feels that he is not hows the man is his monument-quile up to the standard which dressed; gone is the long bair al modesty, Net false modesty, shows him at his best, then he over his collar and he walks but the genuine modesty of a with a swinging stride, legacy man who enjoys what he is do of his National Service days. Ing, gives everything he has to
They are hunting through it, and is pleased when he Somerset House birth records successful. And, COLIATY to trace the tuilen side of his popular belief, Stan parentage, and it could be
qufel-spoken rod next time he kicks a ball in shunning the limelight to F Britain it will be for Italy great extent, but not shy. ngafrast Northern Ireland In Neither is he reticent about Belfast in the World Cup com-piring his views particularly on petilton next season! Playing, the question of footballers' play- of course, apakat present feaming and working conditions. He mate Danny Blanchilower.
per of Spurs, too, these days, and on the verge of the full international side after serving his apprenticeship through the Schoolboy, Youth, Under 23 and teams, Nowadays he is happily married, dapper-
the shy; rnodest,
Milers' Count
is
40
not
firmly believes that players should have a better' deaf and is an enthusiastic supporter, of the Players' Union, And don'i think he is only interested In seeing the maximum wage re- moved for if this were done he would certainly become the highest pald footballer in Eng- land straight away;
no, he is genuinely cager to see every player gelling a butter deal.
On the statistical side of run- ning the mile in 1957 only seven men this year have run the distance under four minutes. Only one to have done it twice this year was Derek Ibbotson, Allied to his modesty, there who also ran the fastest one is a thoughtfulness in his make- 3 minutes 57.2 seconds. Four up: a quality all too common in men this year missed the four- this blow-you-Jack-I'm-alright minute mile by a second or less days.
never | chiefly with his daughter Jean, Wimbledon his now approaching
standard, and his son Stanley Junior.
And just as when he was e small boy he practised dribbling around ericket stumps for hours on end, so in these later years he spends, many hours playing in the garden with a tennis ball with, his son, and to walch him conjuring with the ball is to see yet another Indication of his superlative skill, and to realise why it does not tarnish with the years,
says so, and Joe Smith has any cause solubt assessment.
Star always in training
Matthews Is Biterally months in the year;
for twelve he looks after his body with the thorough neas and ccre that a skilled engineer devotes to an intricate piece of machinery. He trains with a thoroughness, determina- tion and enthusiasm that would shame the majority of his Juniors and luferiors. One rea- eon why they are his inferiors, I remember once going along to watch the England team pre-
LONG WAY OFF International 23 paring for match; on this day a composite This, then, is the cried of the team drawn from London clubs man who has worn on England were to provide the opposition shirt 77 times-so far and has for a full-scale practice match. been honoured with the CBE by When I arrived in the club house the Queen the first playing
15
I heard the noise of a shower professional footballer to figure being used and I said with some in the Honours List. A man who
to England's team- almost certainly will be honour surprise
Walter Winterbottom: ed by the world when he re- manager
what goes on, have you fin-tires--which would appear to be ished already?"
n long way off yet for don't Waller grinned and answered forget that the old Welsh inter- "That's Stan."
national Billy Meredith played outside right for Manchester in A COLD SHOWER
a. semi-final at the age of 5O.
This is the man- Before going
who has out to play never had a foul given against Matthews took a cold shower him, and who has never pro- which stimulates his muscles tested against the highly im- and circulation, and so he supple when he starts, playing tactics ranging from
aginative-but slu fullle he does not have to warm up on pulling to rugby tackles which the feld, where a sudden burst early on in the game could easily have been used in an effort to
stop tim jar his muscles if they were
On the field that poker face slightly stiff, and before his cir-
never changes had begun
In success culation
to flow fature. Off the field he has 6 freely.
It is this care and concentra transfigures him and reveals him warm and ready amille which
him on top for so long Tennis possessor of a dry tion which have helped to keep
he kind, warmhearted, is his other love and he plays highly intelligent
wit-and continuously on the court in the "Next Article: Mesmerising the garden of his Blackpool villa, opposition.
shirt-
NAMESAKES
INSTRUCTIONS:*** FIll
in the spaces against each of the clues below with a word related to my life. The letters in. circles spell out mu name. Who am I?
BE SPECIFIC
fly
CATHAY PACIFIC
This survey
2 Stuf
R
IT
3 Protection
4 Weapons
E
IM
5 Guns
G Intention
7 Petrol ones?
& European slate
R
·
IN
To be stuck to
IN:
L
10 Fireworks for in-
stance
was
11 A shell is
Solution on Back Page
Four ran the mile in under four I can illustraie this very minutes in one race, ave on the simply. Some time ago I spent a same day, So for 24 mllers in weeke in Blackpool with the 1957 have run the distance in speelfe intention of preparing 4 minutes 5 accends or faster. an illustrated profile on Matt- Sydney Wooderson's best ever hews. As always he would have ranked him 21st in courteous and co-operative; but the world in 1957.
when I told him we wanted
THE
WEEKEND
GAMBOLS
It sounds as it George'
going to bring my breakfast up to me
•DAN DEE DAH
DA DEE
—MILES AND MILES)
OF HEART
FEEL ON. GEORGE ?^)
SURE
& Barry Appleby
Ha's very quiet,
"MORNING, DARUNG – I TRIED NOT TO WALZENOU WHILE II {WAS COOLUND MY BREAKFAST
34:7
YOU'RE LOOKUNG: PALE
[TING MORNING
SAFETY FIRST ALWAYS
Luxury
of
GIRARD PERREGAUX
is not beyond your
COOK BY
reach
SPORTRAIT.
"No,
stands a good chance accidentally sat .on his spikes at the
'off'
London Express Baguion,
Answers To Sports Quiz
1. Wilfred Rhodes. 2. 1030, Britain. 3. Croquet
4. Dorando. All have won Marathon..
the
the
othera Olymple
6. Budge Patty, Donald Budge, Donald Candy, Frank Parit-
er.
4. John Rhodes Cobb.
;
7. 1920,
Grelg.
Commander Louis.
8. Jim Thorpe, Américan base-
ball and football star.
9. Australia, Mr H. Meses was a late 19th century Test cricketer.
10. Fanny Blankers-Koen In
1948.
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