Alan Ball

Alan Ball is a legend of many English clubs, including Everton with whom he won the English championship, he is also the youngest of the 1966 World Champions.

Trophies

222

Goals

1033

Games

1960/61 Ashton United (ENG) 7 games, 1 goal

1962/66 Blackpool (ENG) 126 games, 44 goals

(English Premier League: 116 games, 40 goals)

(English Cup: 5 games, 1 goal)

(English League Cup: 5 games, 3 goals)

1966/71 Everton (ENG) 254 games, 80 goals

(English Premier League: 208 games, 66 goals)

(English Cup: 22 games, 6 goals)

(English League Cup: 13 games, 4 goals)

(Charity Shield: 1 game)

(European Champion Clubs' Cup: 6 games, 3 goals)

(UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 4 games, 1 goal)

1971/76 Arsenal (ENG) 218 games, 52 goals

(England Championship: 177 games, 45 goals)

(England Cup: 29 games, 7 goals)

(England League Cup: 12 games)

1976 Hellenic (AFS) (Loan) 4 games

1976/80 Southampton (ENG) 161 games, 11 goals

(England Championship: 132 games, 9 goals)

(England Cup: 17 games, 2 goals)

(England League Cup: 12 games)

1978/1979 Philadelphia Fury (USA) (Loan) 33 games, 5 goals

1979/80 Vancouver Whitecaps (CAN) 31 games, 10 goals

1980/81 Blackpool (ENG) 38 games, 5 goals

(English Premier League: 30 games, 5 goals)

(English Cup: 2 games)

(English League Cup: 3 games)

(Anglo-Scottish Cup: 3 games)

1981/83 Southampton (ENG) 73 games, 2 goals

(English Premier League: 63 games, 2 goals)

(English Cup: 1 game)

(English League Cup: 3 games)

(UEFA Cup: 6 games)

1982 Floreat Athena (AUS) (Loan) 3 games, 2 goals

1982/83 Eastern AA (HGK)

1983 Bristol Rovers (ENG) 17 games, 2 goals

With the National Team :

72 caps, 8 goals

(Friendly matches: 29 caps, 6 goals)

(World Cup qualifiers: 3 caps)

(World Cup: 8 caps)

(Euro qualifiers: 16 caps, 1 goal)

(Euro: 1 cap)

(British Home Championship: 20 caps, 2 goals)

1st cap: 9 May 1965 against Yugoslavia (1-1)

Last cap: 24 May 1975 against Scotland (5-1)

Alan James Ball Jr.

Born on 12 May 1945 in Farnworth (ENG)

Died on 25 April 2007 in Warsash (ENG)

English, Attacking-midfielder, Central-midfielder, Right-midfielder, 1m68

A very talented young man

Alan Ball was born on May 12, 1945 in Farnworth, England. Not selected in the Wolverhampton and Bolton Wanderers clubs because of his small size, he played at Ashton United before being recruited by Blackpool in 1962 and thus began his professional career when he was 17 years old. His first professional match will be a Liverpool - Blackpool at Anfield in August 1962.

Alan Ball was an attacking midfielder but he also played a lot in the central midfield position with a few appearances as a right-midfielder. A player with an impressive cardio, he does not hesitate to chain runs throughout the matches, he is a willing and determined player.

The Everton Legend

His positive determination on the pitch led the player to join the English national team in 1965 and he played his first match for his nation 3 days before his twentieth birthday. With the status of a young British star, he was recruited by Everton in 1966. Alongside Colin Harvey and Howard Kendall, he formed one of the finest midfielders of the time and in the history of the Premier League. Their trio was named "The Holy Trinity". During the 1969/70 season, he won the English championship.

In 1971, Alan Ball joined Arsenal for 220,000 pounds, this period was a dry spell for the London club. He stayed at the club for 5 years before joining Southampton in 1976 where he stayed until 1980. It should be noted that Alan Ball often joined clubs that had just won the FA Cup, a trophy he would never win.

A leading figure in English football in the 1960s and 1970s

But there is no doubt that the player's popularity abroad is based on his presence in the English national team. With a long international career (10 years, 72 games played for 8 goals), he will have marked the 1966 World Cup by playing 4 of England's 6 games and providing an assist in the final, he then became world champion at 21 years old.

The rest of his career with the English selection will be marked by the decline of the team with an elimination in the quarter-finals at the 1970 World Cup. Then on June 6, 1973, England lost its qualifying match for the 1974 World Cup against Poland 2-0. Alan Ball went crazy and received a red card. In 1975, he became the captain of the Three Lions before never being called up to play for the team again.

In 1978, when he was 33, he left for the USA, then Canada before returning to England and spending a period in Hong Kong. He ended his career in 1983 when he was 38.