Editing Peter Osgood (section)

==Playing career==
===Chelsea===
Osgood had a previous trial with Arsenal, but said that he tore the papers up because he was happy playing for Windsor and working on building sites, and didn't fancy the travel.<ref name=":0" /> Osgood was signed in February 1964 by [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] as a junior and made his debut as a 17-year-old in the [[Football League Cup|League Cup]], scoring both goals in a 2–0 win against [[Workington A.F.C.|Workington AFC]] on 16 December 1964. The buzz surrounding the tall, skilful teenager's goalscoring for the club's reserves – 30 goals in 20 games going into that month – was already immense, and he soon became a regular first-teamer.

Following an end-of-season tour of Australia during which Osgood scored 12 times in eight games, the centre-forward's next senior match was the 22 September 1965 4–1 victory over [[AS Roma]] in the [[UEFA Cup|Inter-City Fairs Cup]] (a violent encounter dubbed "the Battle of the Bridge"). A run in the league followed, bringing seven goals, including one involving a 60-yard run past a number of [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]] players.

The teenager was soon hailed as a possible late call-up for [[Alf Ramsey]]'s [[1966 World Cup]] squad, having been included in the original 40-man squad announced in April 1966, but he was not included in the final 22.

A broken leg suffered in a challenge by [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]]'s [[Emlyn Hughes]] in the [[Football League Cup|League Cup]] on 5 October 1966 seriously curtailed his progress, and he missed Chelsea's first-ever [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley]] [[FA Cup]] final on 20 May 1967. Chelsea lost to Tottenham Hotspur 2–1. This was a major disappointment for Osgood, but after he returned from the injury his abilities were recognised by new manager [[Dave Sexton]] playing him often as a midfielder, notably wearing the number 4 shirt for most of the 1968– 69 season (reference page 70  'Ossie – King of Stamford Bridge' written with Martin Knight and Martin King ), but it is as a goalscoring centre-forward that he is best remembered. He was given the nickname "the Wizard of Os".

In total, Osgood made 289 appearances for ''The Blues'', scoring 105 goals. He was one of only nine players to score in every round of the [[FA Cup]] (and, to date, the last to do so), helping Chelsea to victory in a replayed final against [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]] in 1970. He scored Chelsea's equaliser in the second game at [[Old Trafford (football)|Old Trafford]] with a diving header from [[Charlie Cooke (footballer)|Charlie Cooke]]'s chipped pass twelve minutes from full-time; his side eventually won [[FA Cup Final 1970|2–1]].

In 1971, Osgood was part of the Chelsea team which lifted the [[Cup Winners' Cup|European Cup Winners' Cup]], defeating [[Real Madrid]] 2–1 in a replay in [[Athens]] after the original tie had finished 1–1, with Osgood scoring Chelsea's goal in that game. In the replay he scored again, the second goal to put Chelsea 2–0 up, as they went on to win 2–1. In 1972, he scored for Chelsea in a major cup final for the third consecutive year – this time the [[Football League Cup|League Cup]] – though they lost 2–1 to [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]]. Chelsea declined as a major force thereafter, but Osgood continued to score regularly; his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsxtaUuN7co volley] from outside the area against [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] in the FA Cup quarter-final was voted BBC goal of the season in [[1972–73 in English football|1972–73]]. As a young player in the 1960s, Osgood enjoyed the trappings of fame, boozy nights out, gambling and owned a racing greyhound called Railroad Billy.<ref name=":0" />

===Southampton, Norwich and return to Chelsea===
Following a series of disagreements with manager [[Dave Sexton]] over his lifestyle (during which supporters picketed [[Stamford Bridge (stadium)|Stamford Bridge]] to demand he stay) Osgood, along with several of his teammates, was dropped from the squad and placed on the [[Transfer (football)|transfer list]]. He was sold to [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]] in March 1974 for a club-record £275,000. During his time on the south coast, he won the FA Cup again in 1976 after a [[FA Cup Final 1976|1–0 victory]] over [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]]. He left Southampton in November 1977, shortly before the club were promoted. He scored 36 goals in 161 games for the Saints. Towards the end of his career, he also had a brief loan spell at [[Norwich City F.C.|Norwich City]].

Osgood signed a US $90,000 contract with the [[Philadelphia Fury (1978–80)|Philadelphia Fury]] on 12 December 1977. High taxes were the primary reason for his departure from England.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1977/12/13/archives/sports-news-briefs-flames-obtain-macmillan-in-6player-nhl-deal.html "Sports News Briefs," ''The New York Times'', Tuesday 13 December 1977.] Retrieved 22 January 2023.</ref> He returned to Chelsea in December 1978 following a disappointing stint in the United States with the Fury where he scored only one goal in 23 matches for a team which also included [[Alan Ball, Jr.|Alan Ball]] and [[Johnny Giles]]. On his return to [[Stamford Bridge (stadium)|Stamford Bridge]], the club were in deep decline and facing a [[relegation]] battle. He again scored on his debut to put his team ahead, though Chelsea still lost 7–2 to [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]]. He stayed with the club for the rest of the season before retiring in December 1979.

===England===
In spite of his talent and goalscoring prowess, Osgood's England career was surprisingly limited, with England manager [[Alf Ramsey]] apparently disapproving of his playboy [[lifestyle (sociology)|lifestyle]]. As a result, he only won four international [[Cap (football)|caps]], without scoring.<ref>{{cite web 
|url=http://www.thefa.com/England/MensSeniorTeam/Archive.aspx?p=335544
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20110606230418/http://www.thefa.com/England/MensSeniorTeam/Archive.aspx?p=335544
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=6 June 2011
|title=Peter Osgood
|publisher=The FA 
|access-date=15 September 2009}}</ref> Osgood made his [[England national football team|England]] debut in February 1970 in a 3–1 win over [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]]. He was a member of the [[Football World Cup 1970|1970 World Cup]] squad, making two appearances against [[Czechoslovakia national football team|Czechoslovakia]] and [[Romania national football team|Romania]] as a substitute.