Billy Whelan
| Billy Whelan | ||
| Personnel | ||
|---|---|---|
| Surname | William Augustine Whelan | |
| birthday | April 1, 1935 | |
| place of birth | Dublin , Ireland | |
| date of death | February 6, 1958 | |
| Place of death | Munich , Germany | |
| position | Half-striker | |
| Juniors | ||
| Years | station | |
| Home farm | ||
| Manchester United | ||
| Men's | ||
| Years | station | Games (goals) 1 |
| 1953-1958 | Manchester United | 79 (43) |
| National team | ||
| Years | selection | Games (goals) |
| 1956-1957 | Ireland | 4 ( 0) |
| 1 Only league games are given. | ||
William Augustine "Billy" (or "Liam") Whelan (born April 1, 1935 in Dublin , † February 6, 1958 in Munich ) was an Irish football player . The half-forward was one of Manchester United's "Busby Babes" in the 1950s and was one of eight players at the time who were killed in the Munich plane crash.
Athletic career
Shortly after Manchester United had signed Whelan from Irish club Home Farm in 1953 , the latter was used as a replacement for the injured John Doherty in the final of the FA Youth Cup . There he scored a goal straight away, both in 7-1 in the first leg and 2-2 in the second leg against the Wolverhampton Wanderers offspring . The young Liam, who was then called Billy in Manchester, was immediately one of the most promising talents in English football and he was so pleased at a youth tournament in Switzerland that an offer from Brazil was even rumored there.
In the first team he gave on March 26, 1955 against Preston North End (2-0) his debut in the top English division and from then on he became a constant in the half-forward position. On the surface, his movements seemed awkward or awkward at times, but he was endowed with a strong gaming intelligence. He preferred to sneak behind his opponents and then showed himself to be very accurate near the goal (also with his back to the goal). His rate of just over one goal in two games was above average for an offensive player who was not in the forefront chasing goals. He scored 33 goals in 53 competitive games in the 1956/57 season, making a significant contribution to the second English championship of "United" - the year before he had contributed four goals to the first league title of his career. The personal highlight for him at the beginning of 1957 was his performance in the European Cup against Atlético Bilbao , when his spectacular goal to make it 3: 5 in Bilbao after a solo run was a kind of spark for advancement, as the second leg was won 3-0.
During the 1957/58 season, Whelan, who had played four senior internationals for Ireland between 1956 and 1957, lost his place to his good friend Bobby Charlton . Nonetheless, when it came to an abrupt end in February 1958, he was still forecast to have a good sports career. After the quarter-final second leg of the European championship competition against Red Star Belgrade , he was one of the passengers on the plane that crashed in Munich. At the age of 22, he was one of the youngest of 23 fatalities.
Title / Awards
- English Championship (2): 1956 , 1957
- FA Charity Shield (2): 1956, 1957
- FA Youth Cup (1): 1953
Web links
- Statistical data from the Post War English & Scottish Football League AZ Player's Database
- Billy Whelan in the barryhugmansfootballers.com database. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
- Profile page of Soccer-Ireland.com
Individual evidence
- ^ Ponting, Ivan: Manchester United Player by Player . Hamlyn, London 1998, ISBN 0-600-59496-3 , pp. 30th f .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Whelan, Billy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Whelan, Liam; Whelan, William Augustine |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Irish soccer player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 1, 1935 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Dublin , Ireland |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 6, 1958 |
| Place of death | Munich , Germany |