Nobby Stiles
Famous for his toothless grin and
victory dance in the 1966 England World Cup victory, Nobby
Stiles was known as one of the "Hard men" that were commonplace in
the 1960's and 70's. An enthusiastic half-back he was extremely popular with
United and England fans alike, renowned for his hard, tough tackling, expert
skills at spotting potential danger and man marking.
Nobby was born in Collyhurst,
Manchester, also the birthplace of future team-mate Brian Kidd. As a young boy
Stiles had stood on the Stretford End and dreamt of playing for United. That
dream came true as after representing Manchester and Lancashire Schoolboys he
signed on amateur forms for Manchester United in September 1957. From 1960-71
he won two League Championship medals, a European Cup winner's medal and won
the World Cup in 1966.
In the 1966 World Cup Semi-Final and 1968 European Cup Final it was his job to
stop Eusebio, the legendary Portuguese striker. It
was done in a way which would appear cynical today but was perfectly acceptable
at the time as part and parcel of the game. Stiles was
successful on both occasions as he extinguished the attacking threat of
"The Black Panther".
However, there was much more to Nobby than just his
hard man image. It was his ability to read the game and excellent tactical
awareness that allowed the flair players like Best and Charlton to do their
stuff. His famous victory jig at Wembley in front of the television cameras
after collecting his winners' medal in the 1966 World Cup Final, showed his
love and excitement for the game of football.
