View source for Stanley Matthews

{{short description|English footballer (1915–2000)}}
{{other people}}
{{good article}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name           = {{br entries | {{pre-nominal styles|country=GBR|KB}} | Stanley Matthews | {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE}} }}
| image          = Stanley Matthews(1953 FA Cup Final).jpg
| caption        = Matthews with [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]], lifting his [[1953 FA Cup final]] winner's medal to [[Heaven|the sky]], so that his deceased father could see it.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=433}}</ref>
| fullname       = Stanley Matthews<ref>{{Hugman|13342|access-date=9 March 2017}}</ref>
| birth_date     = {{birth date|1915|2|1|df=y}}<ref name="Intro">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=Introduction}}</ref>
| birth_place    = [[Hanley]], Stoke-on-Trent, England<ref name="page 607">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=607}}</ref>
| death_date     = {{death date and age|2000|2|23|1915|2|1|df=y}}<ref name="Intro"/>
| death_place    = [[Newcastle-under-Lyme]], England
| height         = {{height|ft=5|in=9}}
| position       = [[Forward (association football)#Outside forward|Outside right]]
| youthyears1    = 1930–1932 |youthclubs1 = [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]]
| years1         = 1932–1947 |clubs1=[[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]] |caps1= 259 |goals1 = 51
| years2         = 1947–1961 |clubs2=[[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]]   |caps2= 379 |goals2 = 17
| years3         = 1961      |clubs3=→ [[Toronto City]] (loan)      |caps3= 14  |goals3 = 0
| years4         = 1961–1965 |clubs4=[[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]] |caps4= 59  |goals4 = 3
| years5         = 1965      |clubs5=→ [[Toronto City]] (loan)      |caps5= 6   |goals5 = 0
| totalcaps      = 717       |totalgoals = 71
| nationalyears1 = 1929      |nationalteam1 = [[English Schools' Football Association|England Schoolboys]] |nationalcaps1 = 1  |nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 1934–1956 |nationalteam2 = [[The Football League XI]]                                   |nationalcaps2 = 13 |nationalgoals2 = 2
| nationalyears3 = 1934–1957 |nationalteam3 = [[England national football team|England]]                   |nationalcaps3 = 54 |nationalgoals3 = 11
|nationalyears4 = 1947–1965 |nationalteam4 = [[United Kingdom national football team|United Kingdom]]      
|nationalcaps4 = 3  |nationalgoals4 = 0
| manageryears1  = 1967–1968 |managerclubs1 = [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]]
}}
'''Sir Stanley Matthews''' (1 February 1915 – 23 February 2000) was an English [[Association football|footballer]] who played as an [[Forward (association football)#Outside forward|outside right]]. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the British game and one of the greatest players of all time,<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.90min.com/posts/50-greatest-footballers-all-time-ranked |title= The 50 greatest footballers of all time |access-date= 26 April 2023 |publisher= [[90min]] |date= 13 May 2019 |archive-date= 26 April 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230426181242/https://www.90min.com/posts/50-greatest-footballers-all-time-ranked |url-status= live }}</ref> he is the only player to have been [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] while still playing football, as well as being the first winner of both the [[Ballon d'Or|European Footballer of the Year]] and the [[FWA Footballer of the Year|Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year]] awards. His nicknames included "The Wizard of Dribble" and "The Magician".<ref name="The Wizard of Dribble"/>

Matthews kept fit enough to play at the top level until he was 50. He was also the oldest player to play in England's top football division (50 years and 5 days) and the oldest to represent the country (42 years and 104 days). He was an inaugural inductee to the [[English Football Hall of Fame]] in 2002 to honour his contribution to the English game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/pages/news/latest/Hall%20of%20Fame%202007%20public%20vote.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606014517/http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/pages/news/latest/Hall%20of%20Fame%202007%20public%20vote.htm|archive-date=6 June 2011|title=The Fans Vote Dennis Bergkamp into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame 2007 |work=nationalfootballmuseum.com|access-date=16 June 2009}}</ref>

Matthews spent 19 years with [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]], playing for the Potters from 1932 to 1947 and again from 1961 to 1965. He helped Stoke to the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] title in [[1932–33 in English football|1932–33]] and [[1962–63 in English football|1962–63]]. Between his two spells at Stoke, he spent 14 years with [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]], where, after being on the losing side in the [[1948 FA Cup final|1948]] and [[1951 FA Cup final|1951]] [[FA Cup]] finals, he helped Blackpool to win the cup with a formidable personal performance in the "[[Matthews final]]" of 1953. In 1956, he was named the winner of the inaugural [[Ballon d'Or]], a prize given to the best European footballer each year. Between 1934 and 1957, he won 54 [[Cap (sport)|cap]]s for [[England national football team|England]], playing in the [[FIFA World Cup]] in [[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950]] and [[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]], and winning nine [[British Home Championship]] titles.

Following an unsuccessful stint as [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]]'s general manager between 1965 and 1968, he travelled around the world, coaching enthusiastic amateurs. His experiences included coaching in South Africa, where despite the harsh [[apartheid]] laws of the time he established an all-black team in 1975 in [[Soweto]] known as "Stan's Men".

==Family and early life==

Stanley Matthews was born on 1 February 1915 in a terraced house in Seymour Street, [[Hanley, Staffordshire|Hanley]], [[Stoke-on-Trent]], Staffordshire. He was the third of four sons born to Jack Matthews,<ref name="ODNB">{{cite ODNB |first1=Tony |last1=Mason |title=Matthews, Sir Stanley (1915–2000), footballer |date=23 September 2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/73782 |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/73782 |access-date=1 February 2021 |language=en}}</ref> a local [[Boxing|boxer]] known as the "Fighting Barber of Hanley". In the summer of 1921, Jack Matthews took six-year-old Stanley to the [[Victoria Ground]], home of the local club [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]], for an open race for boys under the age of 14, with a staggered start according to age. His father placed a bet on his son winning, and he did.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=5}}</ref> Matthews attended Hanley's Wellington Road School and later described himself as "in many respects a model pupil".<ref name="page 7">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=7}}</ref> He also said the kickabout games the children played helped to improve his [[dribbling]] and prepared the children for future life by giving them "a focus, a purpose, discipline, and in many respects an escape".<ref name="page 8">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=8}}</ref> At home he also spent "countless hours" practising dribbling around kitchen chairs he placed in his backyard.<ref name="page 8"/>

Though he would later become indelibly associated with Stoke City, Matthews grew up supporting that club's [[Potteries derby|local rivals]] [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]].<ref name="page 7"/> His father wanted him to follow in his footsteps and become a boxer, but Stanley decided at the age of 13 that he wanted to be a footballer.<ref name="page 7"/> After a rigorous training session that made Matthews vomit, his mother, Elizabeth, stood firm and made Jack realise that his son, who had one more year at school, should follow his passion for football.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=6}}</ref> His father conceded that should he be picked for [[English Schools' Football Association|England Schoolboys]] then he could continue his footballing career; around this time his school football master picked Matthews as an [[Forward (association football)#Outside forward|outside-right]], rather than as his then-preferred position of [[Defender (association football)#Centre-back|centre-half]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=10}}</ref> Matthews played for England Schoolboys against Wales in 1929, in front of around 20,000 spectators at [[Dean Court]], [[Bournemouth]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=18}}</ref>

==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 a "Crowd Crush" 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 by an unknown person informing 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> 

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=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/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 |work=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}}

==Style of play==
[[Franz Beckenbauer]] said that the speed and skill Matthews possessed meant that "almost no one in the game could stop him".<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=600}}</ref> [[John Charles]] noted that "he was the best [[Cross (association football)|crosser]] I've ever seen – and he had to contend with the old heavy ball".<ref name="page 601">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=601}}</ref> [[Johnny Giles]] said that "he had everything – good close control, great [[dribbling]] ability. He was lightning quick. He was also an intelligent player, who knew how to [[Passing (association football)|pass]] the ball".<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=602}}</ref> Despite his great talents, he rarely tackled opponents and was not adept at [[Header (association football)|heading]] the ball or using his left foot.<ref name="101 greats">{{cite book|title=Stoke City 101 Golden Greats|year=2002|publisher=Desert Islands Books|pages=90–95|isbn=1-874287-55-4}}</ref>

An outside right, before [[1937–38 Stoke City F.C. season|1937–38]] he had scored 43 goals in four seasons, and full-backs began to mark him more tightly; because of this, he decided to drop deeper to collect the ball and aim to play pinpoint crosses as opposed to going for glory himself.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=101}}</ref> Though he would never again score more than six goals in a season, this made him a more effective team player and a greater threat to the opposition.

His daughter Jean Gough told how Matthews would wear lead in his shoes walking to the ground so that "when he put his football boots on, they felt like ballerina shoes."<ref>{{cite news |title=Fans celebrate birth of football legend Sir Stanley Matthews 100 years on |url=https://staffslive.co.uk/2015/02/fans-celebrate-birth-football-legend-sir-stanley-matthews-100-years/ |access-date=16 June 2020 |work=StaffsLive Journalism |date=6 February 2015 |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415171732/https://staffslive.co.uk/2015/02/fans-celebrate-birth-football-legend-sir-stanley-matthews-100-years/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Having trained to a level of fitness few other players would reach, by the mid-1950s he was able to cut back on his intense training as his level of fitness was by then ingrained in his body.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=477}}</ref> He never [[Smoking|smoked]]; instead, he was very conscious of every item of food and drink he consumed, and he maintained a rigid daily training regime from childhood up until his old age.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=439}}</ref> In an interview with the FA he said, "I had some very good advice and started to eat more salads and fruit, and every Monday I had no food. Just one day, on a Monday, but I felt better."<ref name="The Wizard of Dribble">{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/021e-0f8a84ac44d9-bf9f306f255c-1000--the-wizard-of-dribble-sir-stanley-matthews/|title=The Wizard of Dribble, Sir Stanley Matthews|date=1 February 2015|work=[[UEFA]]|access-date=5 June 2015|archive-date=5 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705084930/https://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/association=eng/news/newsid=2204209.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The only time he knowingly consumed [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] was when drinking champagne out of the [[FA Cup]] in [[1953 FA Cup final|1953]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=434}}</ref>

In addition to his attention to detail in diet and fitness, he also afforded scrutiny to his kit. [[1950–51 Blackpool F.C. season|1950–51]] he struck a boot sponsorship deal with the [[The Co-operative Group|Co-op]], though he instead began wearing a more lightweight pair of boots he had discovered on show at the World Cup – at the time they were not available to buy in England.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=338}}</ref> He would wear the customised boots until his retirement, though they were so delicate that he got through countless pairs every season.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=339}}</ref>

An avid student of the game, in the [[1950 FIFA World Cup]] Matthews stayed on to watch teams such as [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] and [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] compete in the tournament after England's elimination; the English FA, manager and media all returned home to, as Matthews said, "bury their heads in the sand."<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=342}}</ref> Matthews regularly condemned the "blazer brigade" at the FA in his autobiography, slating them as "conservative" and stressing that many of them were [[Eton College|Old Etonians]]; in his view they treated players and supporters poorly, demonstrated arrogance by ignoring competitions they did not control (such as the World Cup and European domestic competitions), and viewed innovations with excessive suspicion (for example the FA sanctioned only the use of [[floodlight]]s in 1952 despite artificial lighting having been experimented with as far back as 1878, and for years insisted on using outdated kit such as heavy "reinforced" boots).<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=373}}</ref> Writing about the FA allocating only 12,000 of the 100,000 available tickets for the 1953 FA Cup final to Blackpool supporters, Matthews wrote: "I couldn't make my mind up whether they were dunderheads or simply didn't care about the genuine supporters who were the lifeblood of the game".<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=411}}</ref>

He was never booked or [[Ejection (sports)|sent off]] throughout his entire career,<ref name="page 596">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=596}}</ref> and teammate [[Jimmy Armfield]] noted that Matthews would never retaliate to the many extremely physical challenges opponents would often make to try and take him out of the game.<ref name="page 599">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=599}}</ref> Indeed, he ran the full gauntlet of emotions that all footballers run, but always retained a level head on the pitch, never losing his temper or allowing his emotions to affect his game.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=290}}</ref>

==Coaching and management career==
Matthews was appointed general manager at Stoke's [[Potteries derby|rivals]] [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]] in July 1965, alongside good friend [[Jackie Mudie]]; Matthews was unpaid, though was given expenses.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=549}}</ref> The pair had a plan of bringing through talented schoolboys and selling one or two off every so often to improve the club's bleak financial picture whilst at the same time advancing through the leagues; in his autobiography he said that what [[Dario Gradi]] later achieved at [[Crewe Alexandra F.C.|Crewe Alexandra]] is what he had in mind for the Vale.<ref name="page 551–53">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|pp=551–53}}</ref> Matthews concentrated his search in [[North East England]] and [[Centre of Scotland|Central Scotland]], where he discovered talented striker [[Mick Cullerton]], though overlooked a teenage [[Ray Kennedy]].<ref name="page 551–53"/>
[[File:Sir Stanley Matthews Port Vale Manager.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Matthews as Port Vale manager with youth players]]

Following Mudie's resignation in May 1967 he was handed complete managerial control, but Matthews could not guide the club to success. Instead, Port Vale were fined £4,000 in February/March 1968 and expelled from the Football League for financial irregularities.<ref name="Kent"/> He was forced to use his name to plead with the other Football League clubs to re-elect the Vale, which they duly did.<ref name="page 555">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=555}}</ref> He stood down as manager in May 1968 and, despite being owed £9,000 in salary and expenses, agreed to stay at [[Vale Park]] to continue his work with the [[Youth system|youth team]]. A "final settlement" was reached in December 1970, and Matthews was given £3,300, with the other £7,000 he was owed to be written off.<ref name="Kent">{{cite book |last=Kent |first=Jeff |title=Port Vale Personalities|publisher=Witan Books|page=187|year=1996|isbn=0-9529152-0-0}}</ref> Player [[Roy Sproson]] later said that "he [Matthews] trusted people who should never have been trusted and people took advantage of him. I am convinced a lot of people sponged off him and, all the while, the club were sliding."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sprosonfund.com/Stories/meetthemanagers.html|title=Meet the Managers|last=Harper|first=Chris|date=17 February 1975 |work=The Sentinel|access-date=23 June 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119233137/http://www.sprosonfund.com/Stories/meetthemanagers.html|archive-date=19 November 2008}}</ref> The experience "left a sour taste" in his mouth, and was enough to convince him never to try his hand as management in English football again.<ref name="page 555"/>

Matthews gave up his summers every year between 1953 and 1978 to coach poor children in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=558}}</ref> In South Africa in 1975, he ignored [[apartheid]] to form a team of black schoolboys in [[Soweto]] called "Stan's Men".<ref name="whiteface">{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/local/stoke/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8775000/8775869.stm|title=Stanley Matthews' football legacy in South Africa|date=30 June 2010|work=BBC|access-date=6 September 2011|archive-date=19 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119163500/http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/stoke/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8775000/8775869.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> The members of his team told him that it was their dream to play in Brazil, so Matthews organised a trip there; they were the first black team ever to tour outside of South Africa.<ref name="page 566–68">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|pp=566–68}}</ref> He did not have the money to fund the trip himself, though used his connections (for the only time other than when he used them to save Port Vale in 1968) to arrange sponsorship from [[Coca-Cola]] and the ''[[Johannesburg Sunday Times]]'' newspaper.<ref name="page 566–68"/> The South African authorities did not want to cause an international incident, so did not prevent Stan's Men from getting on the plane to [[Rio de Janeiro]], where they would meet legendary player [[Zico (footballer)|Zico]].<ref name="page 566–68"/> On the way back from the trip, the Stan's Men captain Gilbert Moiloa called Matthews "black man with the white face".<ref name="page 566–68"/> In a 2017 documentary film on his life, ''[[Matthews (film)|Matthews]]'', the film crew travelled to Soweto to interview Stan's Men about their memories with Matthews.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Broadbent|first=Rick|title=Matthews: The Original No 7 — the story of when Sir Stanley took on apartheid|newspaper=[[The Times]]|language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/matthews-the-original-no-7-the-story-of-when-sir-stanley-took-on-apartheid-zxhrjc00h|access-date=15 March 2021|issn=0140-0460|archive-date=19 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119163458/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/matthews-the-original-no-7-the-story-of-when-sir-stanley-took-on-apartheid-zxhrjc00h|url-status=live}}</ref>

He played his final game of football for an England Veterans XI against a Brazil Veterans XI in Brazil in 1985 at the age of 70; the English lost 6–1 to a team that included [[Amarildo Tavares da Silveira|Amarildo]], [[Tostão]] and [[Jairzinho]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=575}}</ref> He damaged his [[cartilage]] during the match: "a promising career cut tragically short", he wrote in his autobiography.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=2}}</ref>

==Retirement and death==
[[File:Stanley Matthews statue1.jpg|thumb|The statue of Matthews at [[Hanley, Staffordshire|Hanley]] town centre]]
Having toured the world coaching in Australia, the United States, Canada and especially in Africa, Matthews returned to [[Stoke-on-Trent]] with wife Mila in 1989.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=577}}</ref> The couple moved to ''The Views'' in [[Penkhull]], a [[listed building]] which was the birthplace of [[Oliver Lodge]].<ref>[http://www.thepotteries.org/tour/015.htm Website of Neville Malkin's "Grand Tour" of the Potteries] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030154527/http://www.thepotteries.org/tour/015.htm |date=30 October 2021 }} retrieved Mar 2017.</ref> He later served as president of [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]] and honorary vice-president of [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]]

Matthews remained physically fit into his seventies and eighties. He undertook early-morning runs, had never smoked and was a vegetarian for years, fasting for one day a week. He suffered a heart attack in May 1997.<ref>[http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Sir+Stanley+Matthews+1915-2000%3A+A+Potteries+hero%3B+Stanley+stayed...-a060517953 Sir Stanley Matthews 1915–2000: A Potteries hero; Stanley stayed loyal to his beloved] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119163502/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Sir+Stanley+Matthews+1915-2000:+A+Potteries+hero;+Stanley+stayed...-a060517953 |date=19 November 2021 }}. ''The Birmingham Post'' (24 February 2000).</ref> He died in North Staffordshire Nuffield Hospital in [[Newcastle-under-Lyme]] on 23 February 2000, aged 85,<ref name = ODNB/> after suffering a fall at his holiday home in [[Tenerife]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/feb/24/newsstory.sport1|title=Stanley Matthews, English football's mesmerising winger, dies at 85|first1=Vivek|last1=Chaudhary|first2=Colin|last2=Blackstock|date=24 February 2000|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> Mila had died the previous year.<ref name="post"/>

His death was announced on the radio just before starting an [[Argentina–England football rivalry|England v Argentina]] friendly match. He was [[Cremation|cremated]] following a funeral service in Stoke on 3 March 2000. His funeral was attended by many of his fellow footballers, such as [[Bobby Charlton]] and [[Jack Charlton]], [[Gordon Banks]], [[Nat Lofthouse]] and [[Tom Finney]]. His ashes were buried beneath the centre circle of [[Bet365 Stadium|Stoke City's Stadium]], which he had officially opened in August 1997.<ref>[http://www.blackpoolfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10432~2240216,00.html "A Bit of Matthews History"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101211122931/http://www.blackpoolfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10432~2240216,00.html |date=11 December 2010 }} – Blackpool F.C.'s official website, 9 December 2010.</ref> After his death, more than 100,000 people lined the streets of Stoke-on-Trent to pay tribute.<ref>''[[The Sentinel (Staffordshire)|The Sentinel]]'', 19 November 2005.</ref>

After his death, dozens of footballing legends paid tribute to him, and his autobiography's epilogue contains several quotations. [[Pelé]] said he was "the man who taught us the way football should be played",<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=605}}</ref> and [[Brian Clough]] added that "he was a true gentleman and we shall never see his like again".<ref name="page 601"/> Former England goalkeeper [[Gordon Banks]] said: "I don't think anyone since had a name so synonymous with football in England",<ref name="page 599"/> whilst World Cup winning German defender [[Berti Vogts]] commented that "It is not just in England where his name is famous. All over the world he is regarded as a true football genius".<ref name="Matthews 2000 606">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=606}}</ref>

===Legacy===
Stanley Matthews was inducted into the [[Ontario Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1995.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sir Stanley Matthews |url=http://oshof.ca/index.php/honoured-members/item/102-sir-stanley-matthews |website=oshof.ca |publisher=[[Ontario Sports Hall of Fame]] |access-date=23 September 2014 |archive-date=19 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119163501/https://oshof.ca/index.php/honoured-members/item/102-sir-stanley-matthews |url-status=dead }}</ref> Matthews was made an inaugural inductee of the [[English Football Hall of Fame]] in 2002 in recognition of his talents. The [[International Federation of Football History & Statistics]] voted him the 11th greatest footballer of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/iffhs-century.html|title=IFFHS' Century Elections|work=[[RSSSF]]|access-date=11 August 2011|archive-date=12 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112150635/http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/iffhs-century.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Matthews was placed 17th in ''[[World Soccer (magazine)|World Soccer]]'' magazine's "100 Greatest Players of the 20th Century" list, published in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |title=England Player Honours – ''World Soccer'' Players of the Century |url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamHons/HonsWldSocPlyrsCent.html |work=World Soccer |publisher=England Football Online |access-date=11 January 2012 |archive-date=4 April 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210404034430/http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamHons/HonsWldSocPlyrsCent.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

He was inducted into the [[Blackpool F.C.#Hall of Fame|Blackpool F.C. Hall of Fame]] at [[Bloomfield Road]] when it was officially opened by [[Jimmy Armfield]] in April 2006.<ref name="legends-30">{{cite book|title=Legends: The great players of Blackpool FC|editor=Singleton, Steve|work=[[Blackpool Gazette]]|year=2007|pages=30–35|publisher=At Heart |edition=1|isbn=978-1-84547-182-8}}</ref> Organised by the Blackpool Supporters Association, Blackpool fans around the world voted on their all-time heroes. Five players from each decade are inducted; Matthews is in the 1950s.<ref name="bsa50">{{cite web|url=http://www.bsaweb.info/HOF50.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613164507/http://www.bsaweb.info/HOF50.aspx |archive-date=13 June 2010 |title=The Hall Of Fame – 1950s|publisher=Blackpool Supporters Association|access-date=29 November 2009}}</ref> The West Stand at Blackpool's Bloomfield Road is named in his honour. He was also inducted into the Stoke-on-Trent Hall of Fame when it was opened in January 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/darts/8448265.stm|title=Darts champion Phil Taylor honoured by Stoke|date=8 January 2010|work=BBC Sport|access-date=2 March 2011|archive-date=19 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119163451/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/darts/8448265.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> There is a statue of Matthews outside Stoke City's Britannia Stadium and another in the centre of [[Hanley, Staffordshire|Hanley]]. The dedication on the former reads: "His name is symbolic of the beauty of the game, his fame timeless and international, his sportsmanship and modesty universally acclaimed. A magical player, of the people, for the people."

The Stanley Matthews Collection is held by the [[National Football Museum]]. In February 2010, the boots worn by Matthews in the [[1953 FA Cup final]] were auctioned at [[Bonhams]] in [[Chester]] for £38,400 to an undisclosed buyer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stanley Matthews' boots sold for £38,400 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lancashire/8534832.stm |work=BBC News |date=24 February 2010 |access-date=7 August 2011 |archive-date=19 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119163449/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/8534832.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Sierra Leonean football club [[Mighty Blackpool F.C.]], based in the capital city of [[Freetown]], changed their name from Socro United in 1954 because of their admiration for Matthews.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mighty Blackpool F.C. Sierra Leone|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/sport/2010/08/100809_blackpoolsl.shtml|access-date=31 August 2012|newspaper=BBC World Service|date=9 August 2010|archive-date=27 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927030440/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/sport/2010/08/100809_blackpoolsl.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy]] is a secondary school in [[Blurton]], Stoke-on-Trent, named after him.

In 2017 a documentary film was made about Matthews' life entitled ''[[Matthews (film)|Matthews]]'' with son [[Stanley Matthews (tennis)|Stanley Jr.]] as Executive Producer.<ref>{{Cite web|date=20 October 2017|title=Stanley Matthews Jr. launches new film in Stoke-on-Trent|url=https://staffslive.co.uk/2017/10/stanley-matthews-jr-launches-new-film-stoke-trent/|access-date=15 March 2021|website=StaffsLive Journalism|language=en-US|archive-date=15 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415172059/https://staffslive.co.uk/2017/10/stanley-matthews-jr-launches-new-film-stoke-trent/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In November 1985 a [[British Rail Mark 3]] carriage was named ''Sir Stanley Matthews'' by [[British Rail]].<ref>Coach named after player ''[[Rail (magazine)|Rail Enthusiast]]'' issue 52 January 1986 page 27</ref>

==Personal life==

On 19 August 1935<ref>https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/view-image/nrs_stat_marriages/3990735/ {{Dead link|date=August 2022}}</ref> in [[Eaglesham]], Scotland, Matthews married Betty Vallance, daughter of Stoke City trainer Jimmy, whom he first met on his 15th birthday in 1930 on his first day as office boy at the Victoria Ground.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=51}}</ref> The couple had two children together, including [[Stanley Matthews (tennis)|Stanley Jr]].

In 1967, while on a tour of [[Czechoslovakia]] with Port Vale, Matthews met 44-year-old Mila, the group's interpreter.<ref name="page 557–">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=557–}}</ref> Matthews was still married to Betty, but as he was convinced he had found the true love of his life in Mila, he and Betty divorced. He and Mila spent the ensuing years living at various times in [[Marsaxlokk]] in Malta,<ref name="times of malta">[http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100819/sport/stanley-matthews-s-connection-with-malta "Stanley Matthews's connection with Malta"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100826032304/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100819/sport/stanley-matthews-s-connection-with-malta |date=26 August 2010 }} ''Times of Malta'', 19 August 2010</ref> South Africa and [[Burlington, Ontario]], Canada. They also travelled extensively as Matthews's coaching jobs and guest appearances dictated. After Mila died on 5 May 1999 at the age of 76,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ancestry.com/|title=Ancestry® {{!}} Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records|website=www.ancestry.com|access-date=23 September 2019|archive-date=27 November 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991127091334/http://www.ancestry.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> according to Les Scott (who helped Matthews write his autobiography), Matthews "was never the same person".<ref name="page 596"/>

{{Blockquote|"Self-willed, strong-minded, humorous, generous of spirit and, for all his fame, as down to earth as the folk who once adorned the terraces in the hope of seeing him sparkle gold dust onto their harsh working lives."|Les Scott describing Matthews' personality in the epilogue to his autobiography.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=594}}</ref>}}

==Career statistics==
===Club===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition<ref name="enfa">{{ENFA}}</ref><ref name="Matthews 2000 606"/><ref name=":0"/>
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="3"|League
!colspan="2"|[[FA Cup]]
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="12"|[[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]]
|[[1931–32 Stoke City F.C. season|1931–32]]
|[[Football League Second Division|Second Division]]
|2||0||0||0||2||0
|-
|[[1932–33 Stoke City F.C. season|1932–33]]
|Second Division
|15||1||0||0||15||1
|-
|[[1933–34 Stoke City F.C. season|1933–34]]
|[[Football League First Division|First Division]]
|29||11||4||4||33||15
|-
|[[1934–35 Stoke City F.C. season|1934–35]]
|First Division
|36||10||1||1||37||11
|-
|[[1935–36 Stoke City F.C. season|1935–36]]
|First Division
|40||10||5||0||45||10
|-
|[[1936–37 Stoke City F.C. season|1936–37]]
|First Division
|40||7||2||0||42||7
|-
|[[1937–38 Stoke City F.C. season|1937–38]]
|First Division
|38||6||3||0||41||6
|-
|[[1938–39 Stoke City F.C. season|1938–39]]
|First Division
|36||2||2||0||38||2
|-
|[[1939–40 Stoke City F.C. season|1939–40]]
|First Division
|3{{efn|These three matches were played before competitive football was suspended due to the outbreak of the [[Second World War]] and are not included in the total}}||0||colspan="2"|—||3||0
|-
|[[1945–46 Stoke City F.C. season|1945–46]]
|[[Football League North and South|Football League North]]
|colspan="2"|—||8||0||8||0
|-
|[[1946–47 Stoke City F.C. season|1946–47]]
|First Division
|23||4||5||1||28||5
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!259!!51!!30!!6!!289!!57
|-
|rowspan="16"|[[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]]
|[[1947–48 Blackpool F.C. season|1947–48]]
|First Division
|33||1||6||0||39||1
|-
|[[1948–49 Blackpool F.C. season|1948–49]]
|First Division
|25||3||3||0||28||3
|-
|[[1949–50 Blackpool F.C. season|1949–50]]
|First Division
|31||0||3||0||34||0
|-
|[[1950–51 Blackpool F.C. season|1950–51]]
|First Division
|36||0||8||0||44||0
|-
|[[1951–52 Blackpool F.C. season|1951–52]]
|First Division
|18||1||1||0||19||1
|-
|[[1952–53 Blackpool F.C. season|1952–53]]
|First Division
|20||4||7||1||27||5
|-
|[[1953–54 Blackpool F.C. season|1953–54]]
|First Division
|30||2||7||0||37||2
|-
|[[1954–55 Blackpool F.C. season|1954–55]]
|First Division
|34||1||1||0||35||1
|-
|[[1955–56 Blackpool F.C. season|1955–56]]
|First Division
|36||3||1||0||37||3
|-
|[[1956–57 Blackpool F.C. season|1956–57]]
|First Division
|25||2||4||0||29||2
|-
|[[1957–58 Blackpool F.C. season|1957–58]]
|First Division
|28||0||1||0||29||0
|-
|[[1958–59 Blackpool F.C. season|1958–59]]
|First Division
|19||0||6||0||25||0
|-
|[[1959–60 Blackpool F.C. season|1959–60]]
|First Division
|15||0||0||0||15||0
|-
|[[1960–61 Blackpool F.C. season|1960–61]]
|First Division
|27||0||1||0||28||0
|-
|[[1961–62 Blackpool F.C. season|1961–62]]
|First Division
|2||0||colspan="2"|—||2||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!379!!17!!49!!1!!428!!18
|-
|rowspan="5"|Stoke City
|[[1961–62 Stoke City F.C. season|1961–62]]
|Second Division
|18||2||3||1||21||3
|-
|[[1962–63 Stoke City F.C. season|1962–63]]
|Second Division
|31||1||0||0||31||1
|-
|[[1963–64 Stoke City F.C. season|1963–64]]
|First Division
|9||0||4||1||13||1
|-
|[[1964–65 Stoke City F.C. season|1964–65]]
|First Division
|1||0||0||0||1||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!59!!3!!7!!2!!66!!5
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Toronto City]] (loan)
|1961
|[[Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League|Eastern Canada<br />Professional Soccer League]]
|14||0||colspan="2"|—||14||0
|-
|1965
|Eastern Canada<br />Professional Soccer League
|6||0||colspan="2"|—||6||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!20!!0!!0!!0!!20!!0
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!717!!71!!86!!9!!803!!80
|}

{{notelist}}

===International===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year
|-
!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="24"|[[England national football team|England]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/matthews-intl.html|title=Sir Stanley Matthews – International Appearances|work=[[RSSSF]]|access-date=11 August 2011|archive-date=29 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929075054/https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/matthews-intl.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|1934||2||1
|-
|1935||1||0
|-
|1936||0||0
|-
|1937||3||4
|-
|1938||8||3
|-
|1939||3||0
|-
|1940||0||0
|-
|1941||0||0
|-
|1942||0||0
|-
|1943||0||0
|-
|1944||0||0
|-
|1945||0||0
|-
|1946||0||0
|-
|1947||6||1
|-
|1948||6||1
|-
|1949||1||0
|-
|1950||2||0
|-
|1951||1||0
|-
|1952||0||0
|-
|1953||3||0
|-
|1954||5||0
|-
|1955||5||0
|-
|1956||5||1
|-
|1957||3||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total!!54!!11
|}

:''Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Matthews goal.''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Stanley Matthews
|-
!scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Venue
!scope="col"|Opponent
!scope="col"|Score
!scope="col"|Result
!scope="col"|Competition
|-
| align="center"|1 || 29 September 1934 || [[Ninian Park]], [[Cardiff]], Wales || {{fb|WAL|1807}} || || align="center"|4–0 || [[1934–35 British Home Championship]]
|-
| align="center"|2 || 17 November 1937 || [[Ayresome Park]], [[Middlesbrough]], England || {{fb|WAL|1807}} || || align="center"|2–1 || [[1937–38 British Home Championship]]
|-
| align="center"|3 || rowspan="3"|1 December 1937 || rowspan="3"|[[White Hart Lane]], London, England || rowspan="3"|{{fb|TCH}} || || rowspan="3" style="text-align:center"|5–4 || rowspan="3"|[[Friendly (association football)|Friendly]]
|-
| align="center"|4 ||
|-
| align="center"|5 ||
|-
| align="center"|6 || 14 May 1938 || [[Olympiastadion (Berlin)|Olympiastadion]], Berlin, Germany || {{fb|GER|Nazi}} || || align="center"|6–3 || Friendly
|-
| align="center"|7 || 22 October 1938 || [[Ninian Park]], [[Cardiff]], Wales || {{fb|WAL|1807}} || || align="center"|2–4 || [[1938–39 British Home Championship]]
|-
| align="center"|8 || 18 November 1938 || [[Old Trafford]], Manchester, England || {{fb|IRE}} || || align="center"|7–0 || 1938–39 British Home Championship
|-
| align="center"|9 || 25 May 1947 || [[Estádio Nacional]], Lisbon, Portugal || {{fb|POR}} || || align="center"|10–0 || Friendly
|-
| align="center"|10 || 9 October 1948 || [[Windsor Park]], [[Belfast]], Northern Ireland || {{fb|IRE}} || || align="center"|6–2 || [[1948–49 British Home Championship]]
|-
| align="center"|11 || 6 October 1956 || Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland || {{fb|NIR}} || || align="center"|1–1 || [[1956–57 British Home Championship]]
|}

===Managerial statistics===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Managerial record by team and tenure
|-
!rowspan="2"|Team
!rowspan="2"|From
!rowspan="2"|To
!colspan=5|Record
|-
!{{abbr|P|Matches played}}!!{{abbr|W|Matches won}}!!{{abbr|D|Matches drawn}}!!{{abbr|L|Matches lost}}!!{{abbr|Win %|Win percentage}}
|-
|align=left|[[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]]
|align=left|31 May 1967
|align=left|31 May 1968
{{WDL|49|13|15|21|decimals=1}}
|-
!colspan="3"|Total<ref name="enfa"/>
{{WDLtot|49|13|15|21|decimals=1}}
|}

==Honours==

===Player===
'''Stoke City'''
*[[Football League Second Division]]: [[1932–33 Football League Second Division|1932–33]], [[1962–63 Football League Second Division|1962–63]]
*[[Staffordshire Senior Cup]]: [[1933–34 in English football|1933–34]]<ref name = "Rochester"/>

'''Rangers'''
*[[Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup|Glasgow Charity Cup]]: [[1940–41 in Scottish football|1940–41]]<ref name = "post"/>

'''Blackpool'''
*[[FA Cup]]: [[1952–53 FA Cup|1952–53]];<ref>{{cite book |first1=Leslie |first2=Jack |last1=Vernon |last2=Rollin |title=Rothmans Football Yearbook 1977–78 |year=1977 |publisher=Brickfield Publications Ltd |location=London |isbn=0354-09018-6 |page=490}}</ref> runner-up: [[1947–48 FA Cup|1947–48]],<ref name="FACRU">{{cite book |first1=Leslie |first2=Jack |last1=Vernon |last2=Rollin |title=Rothmans Football Yearbook 1977–78 |year=1977 |publisher=Brickfield Publications Ltd |location=London |isbn=0354-09018-6 |page=489}}</ref> [[1950–51 FA Cup|1950–51]]<ref name="FACRU"/>
*[[Football League War Cup]]: [[1942–43 in English football|1942–43]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/may/09/guardianobituaries.football | title=Jock Dodds | newspaper=[[The Guardian]] | date=9 May 2007 | access-date=30 June 2021 | archive-date=19 November 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119163458/https://amp.theguardian.com/news/2007/may/09/guardianobituaries.football | url-status=live }}</ref>

'''England'''
*[[British Home Championship]]: [[1934–35 British Home Championship|1935]]{{Ref label|shared|a|}}, [[1937–38 British Home Championship|1938]], [[1938–39 British Home Championship|1939]]{{Ref label|shared|a|}}, [[1946–47 British Home Championship|1947]], [[1947–48 British Home Championship|1948]], [[1953–54 British Home Championship|1954]], [[1954–55 British Home Championship|1955]], [[1955–56 British Home Championship|1956]]{{Ref label|shared|a|}}, [[1956–57 British Home Championship|1957]]

::a. {{note|shared}} The Championship was shared with Scotland in 1935, with Wales and Scotland in 1939, and with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1956.

===Manager===
'''Hibernians'''
*[[Maltese FA Trophy]]: 1970–71<ref name = "times">{{cite web | url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/stanley-matthews-s-connection-with-malta.323035.amp | title=Stanley Matthews's connection with Malta | newspaper=[[Times of Malta]] | date=19 October 2010 | access-date=11 July 2021 | archive-date=19 November 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119163457/https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/stanley-matthews-s-connection-with-malta.323035.amp | url-status=live }}</ref>
*Independence Cup: 1970–71<ref name = "times"/>
*Sons of Malta Cup: 1970–71<ref name = "times"/>

===Individual===
*[[FWA Footballer of the Year]]: 1948, 1963
*[[Ballon d'Or]]: [[1956 Ballon d'Or|1956]]
*[[Pierre de Coubertin]] World Trophy: 1986<ref>{{cite web | url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/football/654300.stm | title = The first gentleman of soccer | publisher = [[BBC]] | work = [[BBC News]] | date = 23 February 2000 | access-date = 3 February 2023 | archive-date = 12 January 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160112230834/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/654300.stm | url-status = live }}</ref>
*[[PFA Merit Award]]: 1987
* [[FIFA Order of Merit|FIFA Gold Order of Merit]]: 1992<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/feb/23/newsstory.sport15 | title = Football legend Stanley Matthews dies at 85 | newspaper = [[The Guardian]] | date = 23 February 2000 | access-date = 6 December 2023 | archive-date = 11 March 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210311041820/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/feb/23/newsstory.sport15 | url-status = live }}</ref>
*[[FWA Tribute Award]]: 1995<ref>{{cite web | url = https://footballwriters.co.uk/previous-tribute/ | title = Previous Winners - Tribute Award | work = [[Football Writers Association]] | publisher = FWA | access-date = 6 December 2023 | archive-date = 2 December 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231202021303/https://footballwriters.co.uk/previous-tribute/ | url-status = live }}</ref>
*[[Ontario Sports Hall of Fame]]: 1995 (Honorary member)<ref>{{cite web | url = https://ontariosportshalloffame.com/sir-stanley-matthews/ | title = Sir Stanley Matthews - Honored Member | date = 23 March 2011 | publisher = Ontario Sports Hall Of Fame | access-date = 3 February 2023 | archive-date = 10 May 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230510194048/https://ontariosportshalloffame.com/sir-stanley-matthews/ | url-status = live }}</ref>
*[[Football League 100 Legends]]: 1998
*[[English Football Hall of Fame]]: 2002
*[[Professional Footballers' Association|PFA]] Team of the Century (1907–1976): 2007<ref>{{cite news|title=England Boys of '66 dominate your Team of the Century: 1907–1976 |url=http://www.givemefootball.com/pfa-legends/teams-of-the-century/team-of-the-century-1907-1976 |work=GiveMeFootball.com |publisher=Give Me Football |date=28 August 2007 |access-date=18 May 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081022110958/http://www.givemefootball.com/pfa-legends/teams-of-the-century/team-of-the-century-1907-1976 |archive-date=22 October 2008}}</ref>
*[[International Federation of Football History & Statistics|IFFHS]] Legends<ref>{{cite web|url=http://iffhs.de/iffhs-has-announced-the-48-football-legend-players/|title=IFFHS announce the 48 football legend players|publisher=IFFHS|date=25 January 2016|access-date=14 September 2016|archive-date=24 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924082150/https://iffhs.de/iffhs-has-announced-the-48-football-legend-players/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[IFFHS|IFFHS men's All Time England dream team]]<ref>{{cite web|website=iffhs.com|date=5 October 2021
|url=https://iffhs.com/posts/1356|title=IFFHS Post England all time dream team}}</ref>
*[[IFFHS|IFFHS England Player of the Century]]: #2<ref>{{cite web|website=Rsssf.org|date=26 June 2023
|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/iffhs-century.html|title=IFFHS England player of the Century}}</ref>
*[[IFFHS|IFFHS European Player of the Century]]: #8
*[[IFFHS|IFFHS World Player of the Century]]: #11

===Orders===
*[[Order of the British Empire|CBE]]: 1957
*[[Knight Bachelor]]: 1965

==Autobiography==
Matthews' autobiography, ''The Way It Was'', was released by Headline in 2000. The book is dedicated to his wife Mila, who died the year before its publication.<ref name="Intro"/> Matthews, then 84, collaborated with Les Scott, his friend of 10 years, in the writing of the book over an 18-month period on an almost daily basis. "Stan, as he had been all his life, was an early riser", wrote Scott in the [[epilogue]]. "Our collaborations were over by eleven in the morning and, without fail, took place in his [[den (room)|den]]. He loved working on his book and, after I had left him, he would give the morning's session more applied thought — more often than not ringing me at home to provide additional thoughts or anecdotes."<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=592}}</ref>

Matthews had previously written another autobiography. Titled ''Feet First'', it was published by Ewen And Dale in 1948.

== See also ==
* [[Matthews (film)|''Matthews'' (film)]] – a 2017 documentary film about Stanley Matthews
* [[List of men's footballers with the most official appearances]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
*{{citation |last1=Brown |first1=Geoff |last2=Hogsbjerg |first2=Christian |title=Apartheid is not a Game: Remembering the Stop the Seventy Tour campaign |location=London |publisher=Redwords |date=2020 |isbn=9781912926589}}
*{{Citation|last1=Matthews|first1=Stanley|first2=Les |last2=Scott|title=The Way It Was|publisher=[[Headline Publishing Group|Headline]]|year=2000|isbn=0-7472-6427-9|ref={{harvid|Matthews|2000}}}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Stanley Matthews}}
{{Wikiquote}}
*{{FIFA player|id=174743}}
*{{England Football Online}}
*{{Englandstats}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100712012150/http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/football_legends/11900.shtml BBC Archive Collections: Football Legends] – collection of archived material by the BBC
* {{Internet Archive author |sname= Stanley Matthews}}
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{{England squad 1950 FIFA World Cup}}
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{{Navboxes
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| list1 = 
{{Ballon d'Or recipients}}
{{FWA Footballer of the Year}}
{{FWA Tribute Award}}
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{{Football League 100 Legends}}
{{English Football Hall of Fame}}
}}
{{Port Vale F.C. managers}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Stanley}}
[[Category:1915 births]]
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