41 Facts About Nobby Stiles

Norbert Peter Stiles was an English professional footballer.

Nobby Stiles played for England for five years, winning 28 caps and scoring one goal.

Nobby Stiles played every minute of England's victorious 1966 FIFA World Cup campaign.

Nobby Stiles spent the majority of his club career for Manchester United, spending eleven years at Old Trafford, where he became renowned for his tough tackling and ball-winning qualities.

Nobby Stiles is one of only three Englishmen, alongside Bobby Charlton and Ian Callaghan, to have won both the World Cup and European Cup.

Nobby Stiles had short spells with Middlesbrough and Preston North End.

Nobby Stiles grew up in Collyhurst, a working-class district of North Manchester, attending the local St Patrick's Catholic School.

Nobby Stiles was born in the cellar of the family home during an air raid, the son of Charlie, a manager of an undertakers' parlour in a family business, and Kitty, who supplemented the family income working as a machinist.

Nobby Stiles supported Manchester United and his talent was swiftly recognised when he played for England Schoolboys at the age of 15.

Nobby Stiles achieved a childhood ambition when, in the same year, the club he supported gave him an apprenticeship in September 1959.

Nobby Stiles became significantly bald at a young age and sported a dramatic comb-over.

Nobby Stiles was severely short-sighted, and needed strong contact lenses when playing, and wore thick spectacles off the field.

Nobby Stiles was given his debut as a full back in October 1960 against Bolton Wanderers.

Nobby Stiles's simple passing game and fearless ball-winning skills saw his swift conversion into a "holding" midfield player of a type now a feature of all top teams but still a rarity at a time when forward lines consisted of five players and the midfield was restricted to covering half-backs.

Nobby Stiles began to make more frequent appearances in the seasons ahead and won the First Division title in 1965.

In 1967, Nobby Stiles won his second League championship medal with Manchester United, but greater club honours were to come.

Nobby Stiles kept his place for eight of the next nine internationals, scoring the only goal in a Wembley win against West Germany along the way, and by the time Ramsey confirmed his 22, it was thought likely that he would be in England's starting team for the World Cup.

Nobby Stiles won his 15th cap as England kicked off the competition with a goalless draw against Uruguay and maintained his place as the uncompromising hardman playing ahead of the back four and making sure there was space and time for the likes of Charlton ahead of him.

Ramsey publicly defended Nobby Stiles, being sure that the tackle was mistimed rather than malicious.

Nobby Stiles's tactics, despite the criticism they provoked from some, were effective; Eusebio's only major contribution was a late penalty, in a match where both sides were considered to have played attractive football in a good spirit with few fouls, and England progressed to the final.

At the final whistle, Nobby Stiles did a spontaneous jig with the Jules Rimet Trophy in his hand while holding his false teeth in the other.

Nobby Stiles played in the next four internationals, but was deemed to have performed poorly as England lost to Scotland at Wembley in 1967 and was dropped by Ramsey.

Nobby Stiles was selected for the England squad which contested the 1968 European Championships, but the holding role in midfield had been taken by Tottenham Hotspur's Alan Mullery.

Nobby Stiles was recalled for the otherwise meaningless third place play-off game against the Soviet Union, but it was clear that despite his misdemeanour, Mullery was now Ramsey's first choice.

Nobby Stiles played just once for England in 1969 and twice in 1970.

Nobby Stiles was selected by Ramsey for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, but only as Mullery's understudy, and not only did he not get a kick during the competition as England surrendered the title in the quarter-final, he never played for his country again.

Nobby Stiles returned to Preston to serve as manager from 22 July 1977 to 1 June 1981.

Nobby Stiles joined the exodus of ageing and semi-retired European players to the NASL in 1981, to become coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps, spending three years at the Canadian club.

On 29 September 1985, Nobby Stiles took over as manager of West Bromwich Albion; however, he was sacked the following February after the side managed only three wins under his leadership, and this was his final stab at management.

Nobby Stiles later revealed his struggle with depression while in the job, finding it tough to cope with working in the Midlands and the daily commute from Manchester where his family lived.

In 2000, Nobby Stiles was awarded an MBE after a campaign by sections of the media who highlighted that five of the 1966 team had never been officially decorated for their achievements.

Nobby Stiles duly joined Alan Ball, Roger Hunt, Ray Wilson and George Cohen in collecting his award.

Nobby Stiles's wife was a sister of Johnny Giles and they were introduced to each other around the time they were teammates at Manchester United.

Nobby Stiles' son John was a footballer, playing for Shamrock Rovers in Dublin and Leeds United in the 1980s.

Nobby Stiles was a devout Catholic throughout his life, and even tried to attend mass on the day of the World Cup final.

In 1968, Nobby Stiles released his first autobiography, Soccer My Battlefield; his second, After the Ball, followed in 2003.

Nobby Stiles sold the medals so that his family could benefit from the proceeds.

On 24 November 2013, it was announced that Nobby Stiles was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and in 2016, it was announced that he was suffering from advanced dementia.

Nobby Stiles was too ill to attend a celebration dinner to mark the 50th anniversary of England's 1966 World Cup win.

Nobby Stiles's brain was donated to the FIELD study conducted by Dr Willie Stewart into the link between dementia and a career in professional football.

Nobby Stiles was one of five England players from the 1966 World Cup final who died from or suffered from dementia.