Liam Whelan

Liam Whelan is one of the most promising players in history whose life was taken away when his team's plane crashed in Munich in 1958.

Trophies

Goals

102

Games

1952/53 Home Farm Dublin (IRL)

1953/58 Manchester United (ENG) 98 games, 52 goals

(English Premier League: 79 games, 43 goals)

(English Cup: 6 games, 4 goals)

(Charity Shield: 2 games)

(European Champion Clubs' Cup: 11 games, 5 goals)

With the National Team :

4 caps

(Friendly match: 1 cap)

(World Cup Qualifier: 3 caps)

1st cap: May 10, 1956 against the Netherlands (4-1)

Last cap: May 19, 1957 against England (1-1)

William Augustine Whelan

Born April 1, 1935 in Dublin (IRL)

Died February 6, 1958 in Munich (ALL)

Irish, Attacking-Midfielder, 1m78

Nickname: "Billy"

From Ireland to Manchester United

Liam Whelan was born on April 1, 1935 in Dublin, Ireland. He was one of 7 children. The son of a footballer for the Dublin Brunswick club, in his youth he played Gaelic games, winning a medal for Peter's of Phibsboro.

In 1953, when he was 18 years old and playing for the Home Farm club, he was recruited by Manchester United. He would become one of the greatest talents of the famous Busby Babes of the 1950s. He joined the youth categories of the Manchester team and was immediately noticed for his technical qualities.

An attacking midfielder with formidable finishing quality

He made his first appearance with the Manchester United first team during the 1954/55 season. He then proved that he was capable of playing at the highest level of English football. In 4 seasons, he played in 98 matches for 52 matches playing as an attacking midfielder, completely crazy statistics, particularly due to his incredible finishing quality.

During the 1956/57 season, he further increased his level and finished the season as the club's top scorer with 33 goals in all competitions, including 26 in the English championship. The club thus won its second English championship in a row while reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League.

The Munich Tragedy

Unfortunately for him, the rise of the phenomenal Bobby Charlton pushed the Irish player to the bench. Then came the 1957/58 season, during this season Manchester United traveled to Belgrade for the double confrontation in the European Champions Clubs' Cup. The player who is not a regular in the team did not want to participate in the trip because he had his wedding coming up, but he will be motivated to come by Matt Busby who wanted to keep the group together.

On the way back to England, by plane, he made a stopover in Germany in Munich to refuel the plane. But the flight conditions were not met, the pilot had to try several times to start the plane, during a third and final takeoff attempt, the pilot lost control of the plane which crashed into a fence and then a nearby house. The tail of the plane was torn off and the plane exploded.

Despite the intervention of the team's goalkeeper Harry Gregg who returned several times to save his teammates, Liam Whelan died in the accident, at the age of 22. He was never able to show his full potential, he still played 4 times for his country.