52 Facts About Billy Meredith

William Henry Meredith was a Welsh professional footballer.

Billy Meredith was considered one of the early superstars of football due to his performances, notably for Manchester City and Manchester United.

Billy Meredith won each domestic trophy in the English football league and gained 48 caps for Wales, for whom he scored 11 goals and won two British Home Championship titles.

Billy Meredith's favoured position was outside right, and his key skills were dribbling, passing, crossing and shooting.

Billy Meredith played for Chirk, before joining Northwich Victoria in 1892.

Billy Meredith's career took off when he signed with Manchester City in 1894 and turned professional in January 1895.

Billy Meredith helped to set up the Players' Union, which was a fore-runner of the Professional Footballers' Association.

Billy Meredith returned to Manchester City in 1921 at the age of 47 and played a further 32 games before retiring in 1924, making him the oldest ever player for City, United and Wales.

Billy Meredith later ran the Stretford Road Hotel and helped to coach the short-lived Manchester Central.

Billy Meredith was born in 1874 in Chirk, a small mining town in Denbighshire, Wales, just south of Wrexham.

Billy Meredith started work at Black Park Colliery as a pit pony driver at the age of 12.

Billy Meredith's family were Primitive Methodists, and Meredith himself remained a lifelong teetotaller.

Billy Meredith's work allowed him to take Meredith to watch professional teams such as Everton.

All the Meredith brothers played football, but Sam, two years older than Billy, was the first to make an impression.

Billy Meredith left Chirk to attempt a professional career, and went on to play for Stoke City as a full-back.

Billy Meredith made his debut for the Chirk first team in September 1892.

Billy Meredith formed a solid understanding with inside-right William Owen, a former Wales international.

The club won just three league matches; Billy Meredith featured in each win.

Back at Chirk, Billy Meredith gained his first honour as part of the team that beat Westminster Rovers to win the 1894 Welsh Cup.

Billy Meredith played for Wrexham in 1894, sharing his talents between them, Chirk and Northwich Victoria that year.

Bolton Wanderers full-back Di Jones, a former Chirk player, spoke with him about a possible move, but Bolton secretary JJ Bentley felt Billy Meredith was too inexperienced and his frame too slight.

Billy Meredith played in both meetings between the clubs that season.

Billy Meredith continued to work at the pit for at least a year, commuting back and forth for matches.

Billy Meredith was appointed club captain in his second season at the club, aged just 21.

Billy Meredith provided Gillespie with many crosses into the box, picking up numerous assists as Gillespie outscored Billy Meredith by 19 goals to 12.

Billy Meredith acted as a mentor for the slightly younger Gillespie, steering him away from drinking sessions by taking him along on fishing trips.

Billy Meredith claimed 30 goals in 34 games, including hat-tricks against Grimsby Town, Loughborough, Darwen and Barnsley.

Billy Meredith finished the season with just seven goals in 35 appearances.

Billy Meredith played Sammy Frost at half-back, who was able to win the ball and bring Meredith into the play, and signed outside-left Frank Booth to balance the attack.

Billy Meredith was transfer listed in May 1906 after he claimed that he had only attempted to bribe Leake on the orders of manager Tom Maley and that illegal payments were common practice at Hyde Road.

In May 1906, while still serving his ban, Billy Meredith moved to Manchester United.

Billy Meredith returned from suspension on 1 January 1907, and marked his debut at Bank Street with an assist for Sandy Turnbull to score the only goal of the game against Aston Villa.

Billy Meredith dropped Meredith to blood a young Jackie Sheldon.

Billy Meredith instead claimed to be baffled as to why his teammates refused to pass to him during the game.

Billy Meredith won 12 caps in the 1890s, but was forced to miss six games as his club would not let him play in games that clashed with league fixtures.

Billy Meredith was actually chosen by the selectors for 71 consecutive matches, but only made 48 appearances as his clubs regularly refused to release him for international duty.

Billy Meredith was able to avoid injury throughout his career, despite the extremely physical nature of the game during the period.

Billy Meredith's "gimmick" was to chew on a toothpick during matches, and this unusual trait was picked up on by cartoonists of the time.

Billy Meredith was an extremely accurate passer and crosser of the ball.

Billy Meredith's dribbling and crossing gave him a large advantage over rival wingers, who relied solely on speed to beat opposition full-backs.

Billy Meredith had to deal with extremely physical defences, and was often boxed into the corner of the pitch by as many as four players.

Billy Meredith organised the first meeting of the Players' Union in December 1907.

Billy Meredith had previously been involved with the Association Footballers' Union, the first attempt by football players in England to organise a trade union.

Billy Meredith resumed league football in November 1909, bemoaning his view that "many players refuse to take things seriously and continue to live a kind of schoolboy life".

Billy Meredith married Ellen Negus in 1901, and the couple had two daughters.

Billy Meredith ran businesses throughout his career, with little success, and was declared bankrupt in July 1909 after his outfitting shop was damaged by fire.

Billy Meredith starred in the 1926 picture The Ball of Fortune, playing himself as a football trainer; the film received generally positive reviews.

Billy Meredith's son-in-law, former City captain Charlie Pringle, was a player.

Billy Meredith retained a passion for football, and spent much of his retirement discussing the game with former colleagues and regulars at his hotel, the Stretford Road Hotel, which he ran from 1930 to 1945.

Billy Meredith rarely missed the chance to attend a Wales game in the 1920s and 1930s.

Billy Meredith died in Withington, Manchester in April 1958 at the age of 83, and was buried in Southern Cemetery, Manchester.

Billy Meredith is honoured in the hall of fame at the City of Manchester Stadium.