Nobby Stiles dies aged 78
The former Manchester United player had prostate cancer and advanced dementia. His family had often been critical of how badly the world cup winner had been let down by the football world in general. Stiles was a tuff little man from Harpurhey in Manchester which was and is the most deprived part of the city. Even fellow world cup winner, Jackie Charlton had written in his autobiography how he had been afraid of Stiles.
Stiles is the seventh member of the England team that started the 1966 World Cup final against West Germany to die, after captain Bobby Moore, Alan Ball, Ray Wilson, Gordon Banks, Martin Peters and Jack Charlton.
At club level, Stiles won two English league titles and the 1968 European Cup during an 11-year career with Manchester United. He was of course also instrumental in England’s 1966 world cup win. After a vicious tackle earlier in the tournament the football Authorities had asked England manager, Alf Ramsey to leave Stiles out of the team. Ramsay, to his credit, refused.
After retiring as a player he moved into management with Preston between 1977 and 1981, then had a brief and unsuccessful spell in charge at West Bromwich Albion during the 1985-86 season.
Tributes quickly filled social media following news of Stiles’s death, with the Manchester mayor Andy Burnham describing him as “Quite simply one of the greatest-ever Mancunians”.
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