Alan Ball, JR. (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Alan James Ball, Jr., MBE (12 May 1945 - 25 April 2007) was an English professional footballer and football club manager. He was the youngest member of England's 1966 World Cup winning team and was made Man of the Match in the final following his performance. He played for various clubs, scoring more than 180 league goals in a career spanning 22 years. 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 eventually came to prominence at Blackpool after falling foul of his headmaster over missing games for his school team (Farnworth Grammar) due to a youth contract he had acquired with Wolverhampton Wanderers.After he left school, Wolves decided not to take Ball on, and he 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.