Billy Meredith

Billy Meredith (1903)

William Henry "Billy" Meredith (born July 30, 1874 in Black Park, Chirk , Wales , † April 19, 1958 in Withington , Manchester , England ) was a Welsh football player and one of the best players in the early days of British football. He was also known by the nickname "Welsh Wizard" and "Old Skinny" due to his stature. For the Welsh national team , he was used in 48 games. He also ran a sports shop on St Peter's Square in downtown Manchester.

Career

Meredith grew up in the northeast of Wales in Black Park, in the town of Chirk , and later worked in the local coal mining industry as a leader of a pit ponies ( "pit pony").

After his first career stints in Chirk and Northwich Victoria , Meredith joined Manchester City in October 1894 for an unspecified transfer fee . There he made his debut against Newcastle United in the same month and lost 4-5. In the following week, however, his first step towards legend came in Manchester when he scored two goals in the first city ​​derby against Newton Heath (later Manchester United ). This immediately gained a large following and from then on attracted a large number of spectators whenever he played in a public game.

Meredith's career at Manchester City then suffered a setback in 1905 when he was suspended for 18 months on charges of bribery.

He moved to Manchester United in May 1906 and was used for the first time on January 1, 1907 in the 1-0 win over Aston Villa . In the following years he also became a crowd favorite with local rivals. The dribbling winger ostensibly resembled the later Éric Cantona due to his controversial personality , but more like George Best or Ryan Giggs in terms of style of play and technical skill , the latter inheriting the nickname "Welsh Wizard" from Meredith many years later. Meredith returned to Manchester City after the First World War in 1921, where he - including his fad of playing with a toothpick in his mouth - was to remain active until the old age of 47. In 1924 he was able to score again in the FA Cup against Brighton & Hove Albion and completed his last game in the Cup semi-final against Newcastle United at the age of 49 years and 245 days. This makes him the oldest player who has ever played in an FA Cup match. Overall, Meredith came to 390 games and 150 goals for Manchester City.

In 1926, Billy Meredith played himself as a coach in the black and white film "The Ball of Fortune" . The film was directed by Hugh Croise based on a novel by Sydney Horler. In addition to Meredith, James Knight, Mabel Poulton and Dorothy Boyd also played .

Billy Meredith died in Withington, Manchester in 1958 at the age of 83.

After many years of neglecting Meredith's footballing legacy, the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) and the Football Association of Wales agreed to honor the pioneering player with a new tombstone , which was finally unveiled at a special celebration together with Billy Meredith's 94-year-old daughter.

Meredith was also inducted into the Hall of Fame at the City of Manchester Stadium , now home to Manchester City. In 2009, sporting goods manufacturer Nike honored Meredith with the 2009/2010 kit for Manchester United. Meredith had designed a shirt with a large red V on the chest for the 1909 cup final against Bristol City 100 years earlier .

Web links

• Billy Meredith in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Player Profile on: stretford-end.com, accessed on February 14, 2016
2. ^ Appearances of Wales National Team . The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website , accessed February 14, 2016
3. ↑ ^{a b c d} Robin Turner. Welsh footy star Billy Meredith is the inspiration for new ManUtd V-shaped kit . From: walesonline.com on July 30, 2009, accessed February 14, 2016
4. ↑ ^{a b} Profile ( Memento from December 16, 2012 on WebCite ). Manchester United Official Website , accessed February 14, 2016