Alan Ball Jr.

Alan James Ball (12 May 1945 – 25 April 2007) was an English professional football player and manager.

Ball was given a trial in September 1961 and was immediately signed up as an apprentice.

He turned professional in May 1962, making his Football League debut on 18 August 1962 against Liverpool at Anfield in a 2–1 victory.

At age 17 years and 98 days, he became Blackpool's youngest League debutant.

On 21 November 1964, Ball scored his first hat-trick as a professional, in a 3–3 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage.

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.

Ball's performances in the 1966 World Cup winning England team attracted the attention of a number of clubs bigger than Blackpool.

He was eventually sold to Everton for a fee of £112,000 in August 1966, at the time a record transfer fee paid to an English club.

At Everton, Ball settled into what became regarded as his generation's best Everton midfield trio, alongside Colin Harvey and Howard Kendall (they are still affectionately referred to as "The Holy Trinity").

Ball's move to Southampton was symmetrical in that he had arrived at clubs, namely Everton, Arsenal and Southampton in 1966, 1971 and 1976, when each were holders of the FA Cup.

Everton reached the 1968 FA Cup Final, but lost to West Bromwich Albion and were knocked out by Manchester City in the semi-finals the following year.

Ball was as instrumental a player in the team as ever, as Everton took the 1970 Football League Championship title, seeing off a late challenge from Leeds United.

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.

Ball was born in Farnworth, Lancashire, the son of (James) Alan Ball, a former professional football player and manager and later a publican, and his wife, Violet, née Duckworth.

Ball started his footballing career whilst still a schoolboy, playing for Ashton United, the team his father managed, amongst the hurly burly of the Lancashire Combination.

He fell out with his headmaster over missing games for his Farnworth Grammar School team due to him signing and playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers.

He left Farnworth Grammar with no qualifications.

After he left school, Wolves decided not to take Ball on.

The midfielder then started training with Bolton Wanderers but they too decided not to give him a professional deal, as manager Bill Ridding said he was too small.

Blackpool signed him after Ball's father called in a favour with the coach, an old friend with whom he used to play.

Back at club level, Everton again capitulated in the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 1971, with Ball's opening goal overhauled by two strikes from Merseyside rivals Liverpool, who went on to lose the final to "double"-chasing Arsenal.

Ball played 259 times for the Toffees, in all scoring 79 goals.

On 22 December 1971, Arsenal paid a record fee of £220,000 to take Ball to Highbury.

He was 26 years of age and at his peak for both form and fitness when he joined Arsenal; he made his debut against Nottingham Forest on 27 December 1971.

However, Arsenal could not defend their League title in 1971–72 and also lost their grasp on the FA Cup when Leeds United beat them 1–0 in the centenary final at Wembley.

Ball had continued to play for Arsenal through all this time, as a near-constant member of the first team at first, including 50 appearances in 1972–73.

However, Arsenal's Double-winning side was soon dismantled and their replacements proved inadequate; Ball remained one of the few quality players in the Arsenal side, and he was made club captain in 1974.

In April 1974 Ball broke his leg, resulting in his missing the start of the 1974–75 season, in which Arsenal finished 16th.

Ball also missed the start of the 1975–76 season after an injury in the pre-season friendly at Crewe Alexandra, Arsenal subsequently finished in 17th place that season.

Bertie Mee resigned as Arsenal manager in the summer of 1976 and it was clear new manager Terry Neill wanted to take the club in a new direction.

Now aged 31, Ball continued to play for Arsenal until December 1976, when he was sold to Southampton for a fee of £60,000.

In total he made 217 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 52 goals.

He helped Southampton earn promotion back to the First Division in 1978 and picked up a League Cup runners-up medal in 1979 after they were beaten 3–2 by Nottingham Forest.

Ball then went to play in the decade-old North American Soccer League, joining the Philadelphia Fury as a player in May 1978.

He was named player-coach after former Newcastle United coach Richard Dinnis was fired in June.

One season later, after he was no longer coaching, he was sold to the Vancouver Whitecaps in June 1979.

Almost instantly he made a huge impact with the Whitecaps and helped lead them to the NASL Soccer Bowl title that September.

He also walked away with the 1979 Playoff MVP award, scoring seven goals in nine games.

He returned to Britain in February 1980 as player-manager of his first professional club, Blackpool, after honouring the remainder of his contract with Vancouver.