Editing Stanley Matthews (section)

==Playing career==

===Stoke City===
[[File:Wills card matthews.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|Matthews on a football card in 1939]]

[[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]], [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]], [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]] and [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]] were all rumoured to be interested in Matthews in the wake of his appearance for [[English Schools' Football Association|England Schoolboys]].<ref name=page24/> The Stoke City [[Manager (association football)|manager]] [[Tom Mather]] persuaded Matthews' father to allow Stanley to join his club's staff as an office boy on his 15th birthday for pay of [[Pound sterling|£]]1-a-week.<ref name=page24>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=24}}</ref> Matthews played for Stoke's [[reserve team]] during the [[1930–31 Stoke City F.C. season|1930–31]] season, coming up first against [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]]. After the game, his father gave his usual realist assessment: "I've seen you play better and I've seen you play worse".<ref name="page 31">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=31}}</ref>

Matthews played 22 reserve games in [[1931–32 Stoke City F.C. season|1931–32]], shunning the social scene to focus on improving his game.<ref name="page 31"/> In one of these games, against [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]], he attempted to run at the left-back and take him on with a deft swerve as the defender committed himself to a challenge, rather than follow the accepted wisdom of the day which was first to wait for the defender to run at the attacker – his new technique "worked a treat".<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=32}}</ref> The national press were already predicting a bright future for the teenager, and though he could have then joined any club in the country, he signed as a professional with Stoke on his 17th birthday.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=33}}</ref> Paid the [[maximum wage]] of £5-a-week (£3 in the summer break), he was on the same wage as seasoned professionals before he even kicked a ball. Despite this, his father insisted that Matthews save this money and only spend any winning bonus money he earned.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=39}}</ref> He made his first-team debut against [[Bury F.C.|Bury]] at [[Gigg Lane]] on 19 March 1932; the "Potters" won the game 1–0 and Matthews learned how physical and dirty opponents could be – and get away with it.<ref name="page 44"/>

After spending the [[1932–33 Stoke City F.C. season|1932–33]] pre-season training intensely by himself (as opposed to playing golf with his teammates), Mather selected Matthews in 15 games, enough to earn him in a winners medal after Stoke were crowned [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] champions, one point ahead of [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]].<ref name="page 44">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=42}}</ref> On 4 March 1933 he scored his first senior goal in a 3–1 win over [[Potteries derby|local rivals]] Port Vale at [[The Old Recreation Ground]].<ref name="page 44"/>

He played 29 [[Football League First Division|First Division]] games in [[1933–34 Stoke City F.C. season|1933–34]], as Stoke secured their top-flight status with a 12th-place finish.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=46}}</ref> Matthews added a [[Staffordshire Senior Cup]] winners' medal in 1934.<ref name = "Rochester">{{cite web | url=http://www.rocesterfc.net/Staffs%20Senior%20Cup/History%20%26%20Stats.htm | title=THE STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTY F.A. SENIOR CHALLENGE CUP | publisher=Rochester FC | access-date=11 July 2021 | archive-date=19 November 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119163448/http://www.rocesterfc.net/Staffs%20Senior%20Cup/History%20%26%20Stats.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> He continued to progress in the [[1934–35 Stoke City F.C. season|1934–35]] campaign and was selected by [[The Football League]] for an Inter-League game with [[Irish League representative team|the Irish League]] at [[The Oval (Belfast)|The Oval]], which finished 6–1 to the English.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=52}}</ref> His England debut followed, and so did a further game for the Football League against the Scottish League.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=64}}</ref> Stoke finished the season in 10th place.

In [[1935–36 Stoke City F.C. season|1935–36]] Matthews continued to improve, adding the double body swerve technique to his increasing arsenal of tricks.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=72}}</ref> Largely out of the international picture, he put in 45 games for the "Potters" as Stoke finished fourth under [[Bob McGrory]] – the club's best finish. He played 42 games in [[1936–37 Stoke City F.C. season|1936–37]], including the [[List of Stoke City F.C. records and statistics|club's record]] 10–3 win over West Brom at the [[Victoria Ground]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=88}}</ref> At the end of the season, he was paid a loyalty bonus of £650, though the Stoke board initially insisted he was only due £500 as he had spent his first two years at the club as an amateur – this attitude left a sour taste in Matthews' mouth.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=99}}</ref>

Stoke slipped down the league in an extremely tight [[1937–38 Stoke City F.C. season|1937–38]] season, and, annoyed by rumours circulating the city of resentment in the dressing room against him for his England success, Matthews requested a [[Transfer (association football)|transfer]] in February; his request was denied.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=108}}</ref> His request became public knowledge, and, disturbed by the attention and harassment he was receiving from Stoke supporters urging him to stay, Matthews decided to take a few days off from the club to relax in [[Blackpool]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=109}}</ref> Finding no peace there either, Stoke chairman Albert Booth told Matthews he would not be allowed to leave the club, and 3,000 City supporters organised a meeting to make their feelings known – they too demanded that he stay.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=112}}</ref> Touched by their strength of feeling and worn out by the attention he was receiving, Matthews agreed to stay.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=113}}</ref> Despite playing regularly for the national side, Matthews put in 38 games for Stoke in [[1938–39 Stoke City F.C. season|1938–39]], helping them to a seventh-place finish – there would not be another full season of Football League action until 1946.

===Wartime career===
The war cost Matthews his professional career from the age of 24 to the age of 30. He instead joined the [[Royal Air Force]] and was based just outside Blackpool, with [[Ivor Powell]] his [[Non-commissioned officer|NCO]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=188}}</ref> He rose to the rank of [[Corporal#United Kingdom|corporal]], though he admitted to being one of the most lenient and easy-going NCOs in the forces.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=201}}</ref> He played 69 [[Wartime League]] and [[Football League War Cup|Cup]] games for Stoke and also made 87 guest appearances for [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]].<ref name="page 607"/> In addition to these, he also played a handful of games for Scottish sides [[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]], [[Greenock Morton F.C.|Morton]] and [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. Adam Little remembers (in part) Stanley Matthews|url=https://www.followfollow.com/dr-adam-little/|website=Follow Follow Fanzine|date=10 November 2017|access-date=10 December 2017|archive-date=19 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119163526/https://www.followfollow.com/dr-adam-little/|url-status=live}}</ref> where he collected a [[Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup|Charity Cup]] winners' medal,<ref name = "post">{{ cite web | url = https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/19410602/064/0002 | title = STANLEY MATTHEWS IN RANGERS TEAM | newspaper = [[The Scotsman]] | date = 2 June 1941 | access-date = 3 February 2023 | url-access=subscription | via = [[British Newspaper Archive]] }}</ref> and also played for an unofficial [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] XI,<ref>{{ cite web | url = https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000578/19410421/038/0004 | title = SCOTS BEAT ARMY XI | newspaper = [[Press and Journal]] | date = 21 April 1941 | access-date = 3 February 2023 | url-access=subscription | via = British Newspaper Archive }}</ref> [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] against Millwall on 13 January 1945 plus [[FC Dynamo Moscow]] on 21 November 1945 in extremely thick fog.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=213}}</ref> He also played 29 times for [[Association football during World War II#England 2|England]], though no [[Cap (sport)|cap]]s were awarded as these were unofficial games.<ref name="page 607"/>

One of the last games of the period was an [[FA Cup]] Sixth Round second-leg tie clash between Stoke and [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]]; the match ended in tragedy in what would be known as the [[Burnden Park disaster]] – 33 people died and 500 were injured.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=222}}</ref> Matthews sent £30 to the disaster fund and could not bring himself to train for several days afterwards.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=223}}</ref> Matthews' father died in 1945. From his deathbed, he made his son promise him two things: to look after his mother and to win an [[FA Cup final]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=418}}</ref>

===Post-war resumption with Stoke===
The regular Football League returned in time for the [[1946–47 Stoke City F.C. season|1946–47]] season, during which Matthews played 23 league games and contributed to 30 of the club's 41 league goals.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=251}}</ref> Stoke matched their record finish of fourth in the league, finishing just two points shy of champions [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] after losing to [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]] on the final day of the season. However, in February, Matthews was returning from a knee injury when manager McGrory told him he was not in the first XI for the game against Arsenal; the press reported this as a bust-up.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=226}}</ref> Relations between McGrory, the Stoke City board, and Matthews had indeed always been sour – though once again a story that the players sided against Matthews were untrue.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=238}}</ref> Recalled against [[Brentford F.C.|Brentford]], only after the game did he find out that this was only because he was a last-minute replacement for an injured [[Bert Mitchell]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=247}}</ref> Matthews put in a second transfer request, which the Stoke board eventually accepted.<ref name="page 248">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=248}}</ref> He selected Blackpool as his next club as he still lived in the area following his service in the RAF; the Stoke board sanctioned the move on the condition that the deal was to remain a secret until the end of the season, not to disrupt the club's title bid.<ref name="page 248"/> The secret was revealed in a matter of hours, as an unknown person informed the press.<ref name="page 248"/>

===Blackpool===

[[File:StanMatthewsJersey.jpg|thumb|Matthews's jersey for [[FA Cup]] final 1953]]

On 10 May 1947, immediately after a [[United Kingdom national football team|Great Britain]] versus [[Europe XI|Rest of Europe]] match in [[Glasgow]] (Britain won 6–1),<ref name=Gillatt>{{cite book|last=Gillatt|first=Peter|title=Blackpool FC on This Day: History, Facts and Figures from Every Day of the Year |publisher=Pitch Publishing Ltd|date=30 November 2009|isbn=978-1-905411-50-4}}</ref> he made the move for £11,500, at the age of 32.<ref>Calley, Roy (1992). ''Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992''. Breedon Books Sport.</ref> The match raised £30,000 for the four Home Nations Football Associations, and since the eleven British players received £14 each, Matthews questioned where exactly this money ended up – he doubted that much of it ended up as funding for grass-roots football.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=253}}</ref>

:"You're 32, do you think you can make it for another couple of years?" – Blackpool manager [[Joe Smith (football forward, born 1889)|Joe Smith]] in 1947.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=250}}</ref>

Smith told Matthews, "There are no shackles here&nbsp;... express yourself&nbsp;... play your own game and whatever you do on the [[Football pitch|pitch]], do it in the knowledge that you have my full support."<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=269}}</ref> He assembled a talented frontline in Matthews, [[Stan Mortensen]], [[Jimmy McIntosh]], and [[Alex Munro (footballer, born 1912)|Alex Munro]]; with an emphasis on entertaining football.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=271}}</ref> The Seasiders finished in ninth place and reached the [[1948 FA Cup final]]. On 23 April 1948, the eve of the [[FA Cup final|final]],<ref name="Gillatt"/> Matthews won the inaugural [[FWA Footballer of the Year|Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award]]. Despite taking the lead twice in the match, Blackpool lost out 4–2 to [[Matt Busby]]'s [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] in the final, with Matthews assisting Mortensen for Blackpool's second.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=287}}</ref>

Injury limited him to only 28 appearances in [[1948–49 Blackpool F.C. season|1948–49]], as Blackpool struggled to a 16th-place finish. He spent the summer touring theatres in a variety act with his brother Ronnie, though he was troubled by an ankle injury he picked up in a charity game.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=327}}</ref> Blackpool finished seventh in [[1949–50 Blackpool F.C. season|1949–50]], and though they were never title contenders, vast crowds still turned out home and away to witness the entertaining football they displayed.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=328}}</ref> At this time he received the [[maximum wage]] allowed for a professional player – £12 a week.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=1}}</ref>

In [[1950–51 Blackpool F.C. season|1950–51]] Blackpool stormed to a third-place finish, and Matthews played 44 games in league and cup. He cited his highlights of the season as a 2–0 win at [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]], a 4–4 draw at [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], and a 4–2 defeat at [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=359}}</ref> They also reached the [[1951 FA Cup final]], where they were favourites to beat opponents Newcastle; However, Matthews ended up with a second runners-up medal thanks to a brace from [[Jackie Milburn]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=363}}</ref>

After picking up an ankle injury in November, he missed most of the [[1951–52 Blackpool F.C. season|1951–52]] campaign and was forced to spend most of his time instead working at the hotel he and his wife ran.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=369}}</ref> It was during this time that he cut red meat from his diet to begin his new near-vegetarian diet.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=377}}</ref> At this point new Stoke manager [[Frank Taylor (footballer, born 1916)|Frank Taylor]] enquired as to whether he might bring Matthews back to the club; all parties agreed to the idea in principle until Joe Smith put his foot down to ensure he stayed, with an inspirational speech he promised Matthews that an FA Cup winners medal was still possible, telling him that "a lot of people think I'm mad, but even though you're 37, I believe your best football is still to come."<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=378}}</ref>

Despite spending some three months of the season out with a muscle injury,<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=382}}</ref> the [[1952–53 Blackpool F.C. season|1952–53]] campaign proved Smith's words to be accurate, as a 38-year-old Matthews won an FA Cup winners medal in a match which was, despite Mortensen's [[hat-trick]], subsequently dubbed the "[[1953 FA Cup final|Matthews final]]".<ref name="pages 417-40">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|pp=417–40}}</ref> Bolton were leading 3–1 with 35 minutes to go, but Matthews had "the game of his life" in "the greatest ever FA Cup final" and spurred his team on to a last gasp 4–3 victory.<ref name="pages 417-40"/> He always credited the team and especially Mortensen for the victory and never accepted the nickname of the "Matthews final".<ref name="pages 417-40"/>

He helped the Tangerines to record a sixth-place finish in [[1953–54 Blackpool F.C. season|1953–54]], though hopes of retaining their FA Cup title were ended with a defeat to [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]] at [[Vale Park]] in the Fifth Round.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=448}}</ref> Matthews missed just eight league games in [[1954–55 Blackpool F.C. season|1954–55]], though journalists were keen to write him off with every occasional off-performance and missed game – "it was all balderdash", he replied.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=453}}</ref> Despite his age, and more pertinently the media's constant references to his age, Arsenal manager [[Tom Whittaker (footballer)|Tom Whittaker]] tried, unsuccessfully, to lure Matthews to [[Arsenal Stadium|Highbury]] with a lucrative, if somewhat illegal approach.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=454}}</ref>

As Smith began to establish a new side with talents such as [[Jackie Mudie]] and [[Jimmy Armfield]], Blackpool posted a second-place finish in [[1955–56 Blackpool F.C. season|1955–56]]. However, they ended up some 11 points behind champions Manchester United. Matthews believed that the performance he gave in a 3–1 win over Arsenal on the season's opening day was the finest he ever gave.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=467}}</ref> At the end of the campaign, Matthews was named the winner of the [[1956 Ballon d'Or|inaugural European Footballer of the Year award]], having narrowly defeated [[Alfredo Di Stéfano]] 47 to 44 in the poll.

Remaining a key first-team member in [[1956–57 Blackpool F.C. season|1956–57]], injury restricted him to 25 league appearances, though Blackpool claimed a creditable fourth-place finish.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=478}}</ref> Matthews scored his 18th and final goal for Blackpool in a 4–1 league victory over [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] at [[Bloomfield Road]] on 3 September 1956.<ref name=Gillatt/> Blackpool finished seventh in [[1957–58 Blackpool F.C. season|1957–58]], after which Joe Smith left the club.

In 1957, at the age of 42, Matthews travelled to Ghana to play some [[exhibition game]]s for Ghanaian club [[Accra Hearts of Oak S.C.|Hearts of Oak]]. On 26 May 1957, Matthews made his 'debut' for Hearts of Oak at [[Accra Sports Stadium]] against [[Asante Kotoko S.C.|Asante Kotoko]] in front of 20,000 spectators. Similar attendances were recorded for Matthews' next two games against [[Sekondi Hasaacas F.C.|Sekondi Hasaacas]] and [[Cornerstones F.C.|Kumasi Cornerstone]]. As a result of Matthews' visit to the country, he was installed as a "soccerhene" (soccer chief). Matthews' visit to Ghana also convinced Ghana's first prime minister [[Kwame Nkrumah]] that sport could help the development of Ghanaian football, as well as push the ideals of [[Pan-Africanism]]. Ghana won their first [[Africa Cup of Nations]] six years later in [[1963 African Cup of Nations|1963]] under the management of [[Charles Gyamfi]].<ref>{{cite news|title=The Stanley Matthews football revolution made in Ghana|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-40030710|access-date=28 March 2021|publisher=BBC|date=26 May 2017|archive-date=19 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119163458/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-40030710|url-status=live}}</ref>

Back in England, Smith's replacement was [[Ron Suart]], who wanted Matthews to stay out wide and did not value his contribution as Smith did.<ref name="page 486">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=486}}</ref> Suart limited Matthews to 19 league appearances in [[1958–59 Blackpool F.C. season|1958–59]].<ref name="page 486"/> Matthews was then used just 15 times in [[1959–60 Blackpool F.C. season|1959–60]], as Suart signed [[Arthur Kaye]] to take his place. Local lad [[Steve Hill (footballer)|Steve Hill]] also vied for the outside-right position.<ref name="page 486"/> He enjoyed more games in [[1960–61 Blackpool F.C. season|1960–61]], playing 27 league games as the club narrowly avoided [[promotion and relegation|relegation]] by the odd point.

In 1961, during the English off-season, he played abroad in the [[Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League]] with [[Toronto City]], appearing in 14 matches.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Jose|first=Colin|title=On-Side – 125 Years of Soccer in Ontario|publisher=Ontario Soccer Association and Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum|year=2001|location=Vaughan, Ontario|pages=220}}</ref> He returned for the 1965 season, playing in another five matches for Toronto City.<ref name=":0" />

He started the [[1961–62 Blackpool F.C. season|1961–62]] season behind Hill in the pecking order, only getting his place back in time for a 4–0 win over [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] after Hill picked up an injury.<ref name="page 505">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=505}}</ref> He made his 440th and final appearance in a Blackpool shirt in a 3–0 defeat at Arsenal on 7 October 1961.<ref name=Gillatt/> It was a fitting final bow as he always enjoyed playing against Arsenal. He had "so many wonderful memories" at Highbury.<ref name="page 505"/> With former teammate and close friend Jackie Mudie at Stoke City, and with [[Tony Waddington]] keen to welcome Matthews back to the [[Victoria Ground]], his return to his home-town club was sealed.<ref name="page 506–08">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|pp=506–08}}</ref> However, Matthews was not impressed when the Blackpool board demanded a £3,500 transfer fee, with one director being so bold as to tell him "You forget. As a player, we made you."<ref name="page 506–08"/> Having kept secret from Stoke a niggling knee injury Matthews had been carrying, Blackpool got their £3,500 for the player.<ref name="page 506–08"/>

===Return to Stoke===
[[File:Stanley Matthews 1962 (crop).jpg|thumb|Matthews in 1962]]
At Stoke, Matthews played [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] football for the first time in 28 years. Despite Stoke being strapped for cash, [[Tony Waddington]] gave him a two-year [[Association football contracts|contract]] at £50-a-week – this was double the wages he received at Blackpool.<ref name="page 506–08"/> The signing was broadcast live on ''[[Sportsview]]'', as Waddington whispered in his ear "Welcome home, Stan. For years this club has been going nowhere. Now we're on our way".<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=509}}</ref> Waddington delayed his return debut until 24 October 1961, when Stoke played [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]] at the [[Victoria Ground]], the attendance was 35,974 – more than treble the previous home game – and Matthews set up one of City's goals in a 3–0 win.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=511}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Matthews-return-home-thousands-crowd/story-13304263-detail/story.html|title=Matthews' return home put thousands on crowd|date=10 September 2011|work=The Sentinel|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-date=1 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001215215/http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Matthews-return-home-thousands-crowd/story-13304263-detail/story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> He went on to score three goals in 21 games in the rest of the [[1961–62 Stoke City F.C. season|1961–62]] campaign.

Waddington signed hardman [[Eddie Clamp]] to protect Matthews in the [[1962–63 Stoke City F.C. season|1962–63]] season, and the two would also become close friends off the pitch.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=519}}</ref> Along with veteran teammates [[Jackie Mudie]], [[Jimmy O'Neill (footballer, born 1931)|Jimmy O'Neill]], [[Eddie Stuart]], [[Don Ratcliffe]], [[Dennis Viollet]], and [[Jimmy McIlroy]], Stoke had the oldest team in [[the Football League]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=521}}</ref> Matthews scored his only goal of the season in the final home game of the campaign, as [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]] were beaten 2–0, the result ensured Stoke gained [[Promotion and relegation|promotion]] to the top flight.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=532}}</ref> Stoke went up as Second Division champions. Matthews was voted FWA Footballer of the Year for the second time in his career, 15 years after he was made the award's inaugural winner. When he was 48, he picked up this award, and he became the oldest award winner by a wide margin, which remains so more than half a century later.

After picking up an injury, he missed January onwards of the [[1963–64 Stoke City F.C. season|1963–64]] campaign and thereby missed the [[1964 Football League Cup final]] defeat to [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]], playing in just nine of Stoke's 42 First Division matches that season. Discovering that niggling injuries, which would have cost him one day out of action, now required more than two weeks' worth of rest to recover from, Matthews decided to retire after one more season, taking his playing career into his 50th year.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=536}}</ref>

He spent the [[1964–65 Stoke City F.C. season|1964–65]] season playing for the reserve side. On 1 January 1965, he became the only footballer to ever be [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] (for services to football) whilst still an active professional player. However, he never thought himself worthy of such an honour.<ref name="page 537">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=537}}</ref> His only first-team appearance of the season was also the last Football League game of his career; it came on 6 February 1965, just after his 50th birthday, and was necessitated by injuries to both [[Peter Dobing]] and [[Gerry Bridgwood]].<ref name="page 537"/> The opponents that day were [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]], and Stoke won the game 3–1.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=538}}</ref> Though he felt he had retired too early and could have carried on playing for another two years, this brought an end to his 35-year professional career.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=539}}</ref>

Stoke City arranged a [[testimonial match]] in honour of Matthews; it was much needed as he had spent most of his career constricted to the tight [[maximum wage]] that had been enforced upon the English game and only abolished a few years before his retirement.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=543}}</ref> The game was played at the Victoria Ground on 28 April 1965. By that time, Matthews had decided to retire as a player,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/days/1950-75/1965.html|title=Those were the days|work=expressandstar.com|access-date=21 March 2018|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303201056/http://www.expressandstar.com/days/1950-75/1965.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and the pre-match entertainment consisted of another match of two veteran teams featuring many legends of the game. [[Harry Johnston (footballer, born 1919)|Harry Johnston]] led out a team consisting of [[Bert Trautmann]], [[Tim Ward (footballer)|Tim Ward]], [[George Hardwick]], [[Jimmy Hill]], [[Neil Franklin]], [[Don Revie]], [[Stan Mortensen]], [[Nat Lofthouse]], [[Jimmy Hagan]], [[Tom Finney]] and [[Frank Bowyer]] (reserve). [[Walley Barnes]] led out an opposing team consisting of Jimmy O'Neill, [[Jimmy Scoular]], [[Danny Blanchflower]], [[Jimmy Dickinson]], [[Hughie Kelly]], [[Bill McGarry]], Jackie Mudie, [[Jackie Milburn]], [[Jock Dodds]], [[Ken Barnes (English footballer)|Ken Barnes]], and [[Arthur Rowley]] (reserve).<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=545}}</ref>

In the main game itself, two teams of legends were formed, a Stan's XI (consisting of Football League players) and an International XI (including [[Ferenc Puskás]], [[Alfredo Di Stefano]], [[Josef Masopust]] and [[Lev Yashin]]). The International side won 6–4, and Matthews was carried shoulder-high from the field at full time by Puskás and Yashin.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2006/04/24/sir_stanley_matthews_testimonial_feature.shtml |work=BBC News |access-date=9 August 2007 |year=2005 |title=Sir Stanley Matthews's Testimonial remembered |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225232807/http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2006/04/24/sir_stanley_matthews_testimonial_feature.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

===England international career===
After playing for [[English Schools' Football Association|England Schoolboys]], playing in a trial at [[Roker Park]] in front of the England selectors, and representing [[The Football League]], Matthews was given his [[England national football team|England]] debut at [[Ninian Park]] in 1934.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=55}}</ref> Matthews scored the third goal as England beat [[Wales national football team|the Welsh]] 4–0.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=56}}</ref> His second game would be the infamous [[Battle of Highbury]], where he set up [[Eric Brook]] for the first goal of a 3–2 win over world champions [[Italy national football team|Italy]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=66}}</ref> The Italians turned the match into a "bloodbath", and it ended up as the most violent match that Matthews would ever be involved in.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2007/01/ufwc-classic-england-vs-italy-1934/|title=England vs Italy 1934|work=ufwc.co.uk|access-date=11 August 2011|archive-date=19 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119163501/https://www.ufwc.co.uk/2007/01/ufwc-classic-england-vs-italy-1934/|url-status=live}}</ref>

His third cap came in a 3–0 over [[Germany national football team|Germany]] at [[White Hart Lane]] on 4 December 1935, after [[Ralph Birkett]] was unable to play due to injury; Matthews was outplayed by his opposite number [[Reinhold Münzenberg]] in both attack and defence.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=77}}</ref> Matthews was jeered by England supporters and condemned by the press.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=80}}</ref>

He would have to wait until 17 April 1937 for another chance in an England shirt, when he was selected to play in front of 149,000 spectators against the [[England–Scotland football rivalry|auld enemy]] at [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]]'s [[Hampden Park]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=92}}</ref> He was physically sick before the match, as he would be before any big game.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=93}}</ref> The "Hampden Roar" a big factor; the Scots won 3–1 despite a good English performance.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=97}}</ref> After another game against Wales, Matthews scored a hat-trick in a 5–4 win against [[Czechoslovakia national football team|Czechoslovakia]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=107}}</ref>

In 1938 he played eight games for England, starting with defeat to a Scotland team containing a young [[Bill Shankly]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=114}}</ref> He then travelled to Berlin for another encounter with Münzenberg, where pre-match he witnessed first hand the foreboding devotion the people showed the [[Führer]] when his motorcade drove past a café the England team were dining in.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=117}}</ref> The game became infamous as [[The Football Association|The FA]], themselves under instruction from the British government, informed the England team that they had to perform the [[Nazi salute]] as part of the strategy of [[appeasement]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=118}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3128202.stm|title=Football, fascism and England's Nazi salute|last=Duffy|first=Jonathan|date=22 September 2003|work=BBC News|access-date=7 September 2011|archive-date=19 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119163453/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3128202.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> England won 6–3 with Matthews himself getting on the scoreboard having got the better of Münzenberg this time.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=123}}</ref> The next game was a shock 2–1 defeat to [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]],<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=127}}</ref> which in turn was followed by a 4–2 win over [[France national football team|France]] in Paris.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=129}}</ref> Following the conclusion of this summer tour of the continent, Matthews scored in a 4–2 defeat to Wales in [[Cardiff]], and then played in England's 3–0 win over a [[Europe XI]] at [[Arsenal Stadium|Highbury]], their 4–0 win over [[Norway national football team|Norway]] in [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]], and their 7–0 win over [[Ireland national football team (1882–1950)|Ireland]] at [[Old Trafford]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|pp=132–36}}</ref>

On 15 April 1939, he returned to a muddy Hampden Park with England to claim a 2–1 victory in front of 142,000 rain-soaked supporters; he set up [[Tommy Lawton]] for the winner with seconds to spare.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=145}}</ref> That summer was the last time England would tour Europe before [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]]'s Nazis were defeated. The first game was against Italy, who gave the English a warm reception despite [[Benito Mussolini]]'s breast-beating and the bad blood of five years previous.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=148}}</ref> Again the World Champions, the Italians managed to salvage a 2–2 draw at the [[San Siro]] after scoring with a clear handball; this time Matthews left the field with a chipped hip bone for his efforts.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=153}}</ref> The next game was a 2–1 loss to [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]], with Matthews and [[Captain (association football)|captain]] [[Eddie Hapgood]] passengers in the game after picking up early injuries; this injury forced him to sit out the following encounter with [[Romania national football team|Romania]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=158}}</ref>

Following the [[World War II|war]], his return for England came against Scotland on 12 April 1947 at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley]], in a match which finished as a 1–1 draw.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=244}}</ref> In the summer he took part in England's tour of Switzerland and [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]]. Following a surprise defeat to the Swiss, England cantered to a 10–0 win over the Portuguese, with Matthews scoring the 10th.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=268}}</ref> In September, he put in one of his finest performances in an England shirt as he set up all of England's five goals in a 5–2 victory over [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]].<ref name="Matthews 2000 295">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=295}}</ref>

In April 1948, he once again travelled with England to Hampden Park, helping his country to a 2–0 victory. However, after the match, he was the subject of an FA inquiry after he claimed tea and scones on his expenses (at the cost of sixpence).<ref name="Matthews 2000 295"/> Regardless of this treatment by the FA, the next month he helped England record a 4–0 victory over Italy in [[Turin]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=309}}</ref> Folklore said that he beat [[Alberto Eliani]] only to have the audacity to then pull a comb from his [[Kit (association football)|shorts]] pocket and comb his hair; the reality was that he used his hand to wipe his sweating brow in the beating Italian sun.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=311}}</ref> However, the legend would follow him around the world in later life, and spectators in the crowd were convinced that they had witnessed it.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=313}}</ref> Later in the year, he played in a goalless draw with [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]], a 6–2 win over [[Northern Ireland national football team|Northern Ireland]], a 1–0 win over [[Wales national football team|Wales]], and a 6–0 triumph over Switzerland.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|pp=320–21}}</ref>

Manager [[Walter Winterbottom]] began to look for a more defensive winger, and so used Matthews just once in 1949 – a 3–1 defeat to Scotland in the [[British Home Championship]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=322}}</ref> Only after impressing in an FA tour of Canada was he named as a last-minute inclusion in the England squad for the [[1950 FIFA World Cup]] in Brazil.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=332}}</ref> He did not play in the win over [[Chile national football team|Chile]] or in the [[United States v England (1950 FIFA World Cup)|infamous defeat]] to the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]], but played just once, in the 1–0 defeat to [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]] at the [[Maracanã Stadium]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=323}}</ref> The preparation was not ideal as the FA did not take the competition seriously, and the hotel had "unpalatable" food and no training facilities.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=334}}</ref>

After playing only in two further games, a 4–4 draw with a Europe XI and a 3–1 win over Northern Ireland, he found himself back on the international scene following his heroics in the [[1953 FA Cup final]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|pp=440–41}}</ref> He was selected to play [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]]'s [[Golden Team]] on 25 November 1953, in a 6–3 defeat that became known as the "[[Match of the Century (1953 England v Hungary football match)|Match of the Century]]".<ref name="page 443-47">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|pp=443–47}}</ref> He blamed the FA and the selectors for the heavy loss, though he had great admiration for the Hungarians, particularly [[Ferenc Puskás]].<ref name="page 443-47"/>

He did not play in England's [[Hungary 7–1 England (1954 association football friendly)|7–1 defeat]] to Hungary in [[Budapest]] in May 1954. However, he was in the squad for the [[1954 FIFA World Cup]] in Switzerland. Matthews helped England to a 4–4 draw with [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]],<ref name="page 450-53">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|pp=450–53}}</ref> though was left out of a win over Switzerland before he returned to the first XI as England crashed out of the competition with a 4–2 defeat to [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] at the [[St. Jakob Stadium]] after mistakes from goalkeeper [[Gil Merrick]].<ref name="page 450-53"/> His third match of the year was a 2–0 win over Northern Ireland at [[Windsor Park]] in the [[1954–55 British Home Championship]], though on the pitch he did not gel well with [[Don Revie]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=457}}</ref> Matthews then put in a superb performance in a 2–0 win over the Welsh before he helped England to record a 3–1 victory over World Champions West Germany, though only three of the Germans used at Wembley had been in the first XI in the [[1954 FIFA World Cup final|World Cup final]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=458}}</ref>

England beat Scotland 7–2 in April 1955, and this time, Matthews linked up much better with Revie and 40-year-old Matthews was largely credited for the outstanding margin of victory.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=463}}</ref> In this game, [[Duncan Edwards]] was making his England debut; when Matthews made his, Edwards had not even been born. Matthews went on England's unsuccessful tour of the continent in 1955, as the selectors erratic choices helped to ensure a 1–0 defeat to France, a 1–1 draw with [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]], and a 3–1 defeat to [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=466}}</ref> Left out against Denmark, he was back in the team in October for a 1–1 draw with Wales.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=469}}</ref>

Having been awarded the inaugural [[Ballon d'Or]] in [[1956 Ballon d'Or|1956]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 March 2023 |title=How Stanley Matthews Won The First Ever Ballon d'Or Award {{!}} Football Stories |url=http://footballstories.co.uk/stanley-matthews-ballon-dor/ |access-date=11 March 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> that May he was recalled to the England front line for an encounter against [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] in a crowded Wembley in what was the first [[Exhibition game|friendly]] match played by both teams.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/287620-brazil-vs-england-the-history |title=Brazil Vs. England: The History |publisher=Bleacher report |access-date=18 April 2021 |archive-date=19 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119163458/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/287620-brazil-vs-england-the-history |url-status=live }}</ref> England won the match 4–2, though the Brazilians would later become world champions in [[1958 FIFA World Cup final|1958]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=475}}</ref> He then refused to take part in that summer's European tour, having already committed himself to his second summer of coaching in South Africa.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=476}}</ref> In his next international game, against Northern Ireland on 6 October 1956, aged 41 years and 248 days, he became the oldest England player ever to score an international goal.<ref name=Gillatt/>

He played three of England's four [[1958 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA – Group 1)|qualification]] games for the [[1958 FIFA World Cup]]: a 5–1 victory over the [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]], and the 5–2 and 4–1 wins over Denmark. On 15 May 1957, Matthews became the [[England national football team records and statistics|oldest player ever to represent England]], when at 42 years and 104 days old he turned out for the victory over the Danes in [[Copenhagen]].<ref name="Gillatt"/> Despite calls by the press for him to be included in the 1958 World Cup squad, this time the selectors did not bow to the pressure.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=479}}</ref> Yet after 23 years, nobody would ever enjoy a longer career with the England team.

He was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1956 when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] at the BBC Television Theatre.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

He was one of many signatories in a letter to ''The Times'' on 17 July 1958 opposing "the policy of apartheid" in international sport and defending "the principle of racial equality which is embodied in the Declaration of the Olympic Games".{{sfn|Brown|Hogsbjerg|2020|p=16}}