Goal.com Top 50 English Players: Alan Ball (11)

No.50 - John Terry
No.49 - Tony Currie
No.48 - Terry Butcher
No.47 - Gerry Hitchens
No.46 - Paul Ince
No.45 - George Camsell
No.44 - Wayne Rooney
No.43 - Jackie Milburn
No.42 - Roger Hunt
No.41 - Rio Ferdinand
No.40 - Wilf Mannion
No.39 - Frank Lampard
No.38 - John Barnes
No.37 - Nat Lofthouse
No.36 - Eddie Hapgood
No.35 - Chris Waddle
No.34 - David Platt
No.33 - Phil Neal
No.32 - Johnny Haynes
No.31 - Peter Beardsley
No.30 - Ray Clemence
No.29 - Ted Drake
No.28 - Michael Owen
No.27 - Raich Carter
No.26 - Colin Bell
No.25 – Frank Swift
No.24 - Paul Scholes
No.23 - Tony Adams
No.22 - Martin Peters
No.21 - Billy Wright
No.20 - Geoff Hurst
No.19 - Cliff Bastin

No.18 - Steven Gerrard

No.17 - Glenn Hoddle

Those two bookends contained plenty of chapter and verse in between however, as the late Ball is remembered fondly as one of English footballer's most vibrant and enduring characters.

After being turned away from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bolton Wanderers as an apprentice, Ball was given professional terms at Blackpool, making his debut aged 18 in 1962. His industry, graft and energy alerted the attentions of the England manager, Sir Alf Ramsey, who was in the process of painstakingly assembling a side capable of challenging for the Jules Rimet trophy on home soil. 

Ball made his England debut in 1965 against Yugoslavia and he was to go on to become a fixture in the line-up, despite his tender years.

Ramsey's 'Wingless Wonders' relied heavily on Ball's ability and willingness to shore up space in his own half as well as chipping in going forward. Perhaps these two traits were best evidenced in the World Cup final against West Germany at Wembley.

CAREER HIGHLIGHT 1966 World Cup winner

Ball's prominence in the World Cup win alerted bigger clubs to his undoubted talent, and he was snapped up by Everton for a fee of £112,000 in August 1966, a then record. It marked a the beginning of a curious career trajectory for Ball; he transferred to the FA Cup holders in 1966, 1971 and 1976 but never won the trophy himself. At Goodison Park, he had to content himself only with a final defeat in 1968 to West Bromwich Albion.

However, Ball finished top scorer for Everton in his first two seasons there and his stay on Merseyside did yield Ball's major domestic honour, the 1970 League Championship. At Everton, Ball formed part of the club's most fondly remembered midfield combinations, alongside Howard Kendall and Colin Harvey, and became known as the 'Holy Trinity'. 

The summer of 1970 was not to be a happy one for Ball. Defeat in the World Cup quarter-finals against Germany meant England lost their grip on the trophy and he tossed his commerative medal out of the hotel window in Mexico.

The following year, Everton sold Ball to Arsenal, double-winners the previous season, for a another record fee of £220,000. Arsenal could not retain the League Championship, however, and were ousted in the FA Cup final by Leeds United.

The famous side led by Bertie Mee was in decline, though, slugging it out around the lower reaches of the league until Mee's departure as manager in 1976. There was to be no place for Ball, having broken his leg in 1974, under the tenure of new manager, Terry Neill, and he was promptly shipped to Southampton.

At international level, too, Ball was foundering. Following Alan Mullery's lead, he was to become only the second England international to be sent-off; his indiscretion was a blatant knee to the groin of a Polish opponent in a World Cup qualifier in 1973. Ball missed the return leg at Wembley, in which England could only manage a draw. They failed to qualify for West Germany '74.

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His career at the top level had reached its dying embers, though, and despite captaining the Saints back to the top flight in 1978, Ball soon made a break for the nascent NASL. A spell with Philadelphia Fury preceded a successful stint with Vancouver Whitecaps, with whom Ball won the championship in 1980.

He returned to England, briefly managing Blackpool during an ignominious spell, before relocating again to Southampton in 1981. The side featured some of the stars of the English game, like Mick Channon and Kevin Keegan.

He represented Eastern AA of Hong Kong and Bristol Rovers before retiring after over 800 games in 1984. 

His managerial career could be described as chequered at best. Relative successes, such as promotion with Portsmouth in 1987 and finishing tenth with Southampton in 1995, were tempered with a string of relegations, including Portsmouth, Colchester, Stoke City and Exeter.

After briefly renouncing management, he was tempted back ito coaching the England team by Graham Taylor; from there he took up his position at Southampton and saved the side from almost certain relegation in 1994.

A spell at Manchester City was soured with the enforced sales of many of the club's top players and they were promptly sunk in 1996.

Ball retired from the game in 1999 after saving the club from relegation to the third tier while the south coast team were in financial dire straits.

After a successful jaunt as an after-dinner speaker, Ball died in April 2007 after suffering a fatal heart attack. His legacy is one that has perhaps informed best the never-say-die attitude embodied in English football. What he lacked in stature he more than compensated with his fighting spirit as a player, and is fondly remembered by former team-mates and foes alike. 

HONOURS

England

World Cup 1966

Everton

First Division, 1970

DID YOU KNOW: When Manchester City were relegated in 1996, they were under the impression that they needed only a draw against Liverpool on the last day of the season. When substituted striker Niall Quinn realised the miscalculation in the closing seconds of the game with his side playing for the draw, Ball had to try to inspire his strolling charges upfield for another goal. They failed to do so and went down.

Peter Staunton, Goal.com

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