Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Man of the Match: Alan Ball Jr. 1945-2007

It's always sad when a legendary footballer dies. And when you were a vital component of an equally legendary squad--say, the English team from '66 who won the World Cup against West Germany--it's even sadder.

I wasn't even born yet when the Three Lions raised the Jules Rimet trophy for the first and so far only time.... I've watched that color footage over and over again in an attempt to time travel back to Wembley, wondering what it must have been like to witness such a feat. I can only imagine.

The stocky midfielder, who was the youngest player on the '66 team, also played for numerous clubs, including a short stint with the Vancouver Whitecaps back in '79-'80.

I guess Mr Ball died not long after watching the Man U v AC Milan match last night. There are certainly worse ways to go....

You can read more about the flame-haired legend here and here.

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