Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Alan James Ball | ||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 12 May 1945 | ||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Farnworth, Lancashire, England | ||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 25 April 2007 | (aged 61)||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Warsash, Hampshire, England | ||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
1960–1961 | Bolton Wanderers | ||||||||||||||||
1961–1962 | Blackpool | ||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
1960–1961 | Ashton United | 7 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
1962–1966 | Blackpool | 116 | (40) | ||||||||||||||
1966–1971 | Everton | 208 | (66) | ||||||||||||||
1971–1976 | Arsenal | 177 | (45) | ||||||||||||||
1976 | → Hellenic (loan) | 4 | (?) | ||||||||||||||
1976–1979 | Southampton | 132 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
1978 | → Philadelphia Fury (loan) | 33 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
1979 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 31 | (10) | ||||||||||||||
1980–1981 | Blackpool | 30 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
1981–1982 | Southampton | 63 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
1982 | → Floreat Athena (loan) | 3 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
1982–1983 | Eastern | 12 | (?) | ||||||||||||||
1983 | Bristol Rovers | 17 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
Total | 833 | (187+) | |||||||||||||||
International career | |||||||||||||||||
1965–1975 | England | 72 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
1978 | Philadelphia Fury | ||||||||||||||||
1980–1981 | Blackpool | ||||||||||||||||
1984–1989 | Portsmouth | ||||||||||||||||
1989–1991 | Stoke City | ||||||||||||||||
1991–1994 | Exeter City | ||||||||||||||||
1994–1995 | Southampton | ||||||||||||||||
1995–1996 | Manchester City | ||||||||||||||||
1998–1999 | Portsmouth | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Alan James Ball MBE (12 May 1945 – 25 April 2007) was an English professional football player and manager. He was the youngest member of England's 1966 World Cup winning team and played as a midfielder for various clubs, scoring more than 180 league goals in a career spanning 22 years. His playing career also included a then national record £220,000 transfer from Everton to Arsenal at the end of 1971. After retiring as a player, he had a 15-year career as a manager which included spells in the top flight of English football with Portsmouth, Southampton and Manchester City.