Billy Meredith

1890/92 Chirk (GAL)

1892/94 Northwich Victoria (ENG) 11 games, 5 goals

1894/1906 Manchester City (ENG) 362 games, 134 goals

(English Premier League: 167 games, 48 ​​goals)

(Play-offs: 4 games, 1 goal)

(English Premier League: 172 games, 81 goals)

(English Cup: 19 games, 4 goals)

1906/21 Manchester UTD (ENG) 335 games, 36 goals

(English Premier League: 303 games, 35 goals)

(English Cup: 29 games)

(Charity Shield: 3 games, 1 goal)

1921/24 Manchester City (ENG) 32 matches, 1 goal

(English Premier League: 28 matches)

(English Cup: 4 matches, 1 goal)

With the National Team :

48 caps, 10 goals

(British Home Championship: 48 caps, 10 goals)

1st cap: March 16, 1895 against Ireland (2-2)

Last cap: March 15, 1920 against England (2-1)

William Henry Meredith

Born July 30, 1874 in Chirk (GAL)

Died April 19, 1958 in Manchester (ENG)

Welsh, Right-Winger, 1m75

Nicknames: The Welsh Magician, The Wizzard of dribble, Old Skinny

Billy Meredith was born on July 30, 1874 in Chirk, Wales. With incredible speed, his football was largely based on 1-on-1 situations where he beat his opponent by dribbling. Known for playing with a toothpick between his lips during matches, he used to dribble past several opponents before delivering magnificent crosses.

Nicknamed the "Welsh Magician", he began his first-team career in 1890 in his hometown but his career took an incredible turn in 1894 when he joined Manchester City. There, he became "The King of Dribble".

Preferring to dribble and cross rather than score, the Welsh player will still score more than 100 goals for Manchester City and become the club's first legend. He scored his first two goals for the club against Newton Heath (currently Manchester United). It was the very first Mancunian derby in history, won by Manchester City thanks in particular to the Welsh Magician's double.

In a modest team in the English championship, Meredith won the English second division championship title twice with Manchester City. And while he played in the English second division, he was considered one of the best players playing in the country.

His adventure with Manchester City ended in a sad way. The player was at the heart of a corruption case, in fact, he had offered 10 pounds to Alec Leake, an Aston Villa player to lose a match. The player was then banned from British football for 18 months. However, the sentence was overturned after 1 year. And he returned to the field with the rival: Manchester United. He was then 32 years old.

Having been a miner during his childhood, at Manchester United he was paid 4 pounds per week, which was equivalent to 3 times the salary of a miner. The adventure at Manchester United began perfectly and the player quickly became an idol of the club, considered one of the first legends of the club.

Right winger and despite his age, he always retained incredible speed, but it was his dribbling that dazzled supporters across the country. He is considered the first master of dribbling. With Meredith, Manchester United took on another dimension and won its first English championship in its history in 1908 as well as its first Charity Shield by beating Queens Park Rangers 4-0. The following year, he won the first FA Cup in Manchester United's history by beating Bristol City 1-0 in the final.

Billy Meredith was the man of longevity, he stayed at the club until 1921, when he was 46 years old. He then joined Manchester City, which was in the English Premier League. And he stayed there until 1924 before retiring at the age of 49. He is still the record holder for the oldest player to have played in an FA Cup match, as he played in a semi-final against Newcastle United when he was 49 years and 245 days old.

But the Welsh winger is also a legend of his nation, as between 1895 and 1920 he was a Welsh international, an international career that lasted 25 years and saw the player play 48 times for his country. His last international match was against England on March 15, 1920, when he was 42 years and 229 days old.

- Inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2007

- Inducted into the Manchester City Hall of Fame

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