Danny Blanchflower was ranked as the greatest player ever in Spurs history by The Times in 2009.
28 Facts About Danny Blanchflower
2.
Danny Blanchflower played as a defensive midfielder at right half and was known particularly for his accurate passing, his ability to dictate the tempo of the game and his inspiring leadership.
3.
Danny Blanchflower became a respected football journalist and, later, a football manager.
4.
Danny Blanchflower was born on 10 February 1926 in the Bloomfield district of Belfast, the first of five children born to John and Selina Danny Blanchflower.
5.
Danny Blanchflower's mother had played as a centre-forward on a women's football team.
6.
Danny Blanchflower was educated at Ravenscroft public elementary school and was awarded a scholarship to Belfast College of Technology.
7.
Danny Blanchflower left early to become an apprentice electrician at Gallaher's cigarette factory in Belfast.
8.
Danny Blanchflower joined the Air Raid Precautions and in 1943 lied about his age to join the RAF.
9.
Danny Blanchflower's younger brother Jackie was a Northern Irish international footballer and played for Manchester United before his playing career was ended by injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster of February 1958.
10.
Danny Blanchflower was voted FWA Footballer of the Year in 1958 and 1961.
11.
Danny Blanchflower was the first Northern Irishman to achieve a half century of caps when he played against Wales in 1962.
12.
On 4 December 1957 he captained the Northern Ireland team against Italy in Belfast, in a bad tempered game that came to be known as the "Battle of Belfast"; Danny Blanchflower attempted to keep the peace as the game turned nasty.
13.
Danny Blanchflower finally announced his retirement as a player of 5 April 1964 at the age of 38, having played nearly 400 games in all competitions for Spurs and captained them to four major trophies.
14.
In 1965, Danny Blanchflower briefly came out of retirement to play for Durban City.
15.
Danny Blanchflower played three times for the club in the National Football League.
16.
When Nicholson resigned from the club in 1974 however, Danny Blanchflower found himself being passed over in favour of Terry Neill, and subsequently left the club himself.
17.
Danny Blanchflower became manager of Northern Ireland for a brief spell in 1978, and was then appointed as Chelsea boss.
18.
Danny Blanchflower was one of only a handful of players to have been awarded the title of FWA Footballer of the Year on two occasions, winning in both 1958 and 1961.
19.
Danny Blanchflower was one of many signatories in a letter to The Times on 17 July 1958 opposing 'the policy of apartheid' in international sport and defending 'the principle of racial equality which is embodied in the Declaration of the Olympic Games'.
20.
Danny Blanchflower hosted editions of the BBC's Junior Sportsview in 1959 and ITV's Junior Criss Cross Quiz in the mid 60s.
21.
Danny Blanchflower was the colour commentator for the CBS television network broadcasts of National Professional Soccer League matches in the United States in 1967.
22.
Anton Weinberg's 1985 Channel 4 documentary film The Keller Instinct featured an appearance by Danny Blanchflower, who spoke approvingly of his late friend musicologist Hans Keller's advocacy of inventive, tactically creative football.
23.
Danny Blanchflower retired from his position as a writer for the Sunday Express in 1988.
24.
Danny Blanchflower was eventually placed in Woodlands Nursing Home, Staines.
25.
Danny Blanchflower died there from pneumonia on 9 December 1993, aged 67.
26.
Danny Blanchflower was buried nearby at St Jude's Cemetery, Englefield Green.
27.
Danny Blanchflower was honoured in his home city of Belfast with an Ulster History Circle plaque recognising his outstanding achievements in the world of sport.
28.
The Danny Blanchflower Playing Fields in East Belfast, owned by Belfast City Council, was named after him.