 Statue outside the Riverside Stadium of Middlesbrough F.C. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wilfred James Mannion | ||
| Date of birth | (1918-05-16)16 May 1918 | ||
| Place of birth | South Bank, Middlesbrough, England | ||
| Date of death | 14 April 2000(2000-04-14) (aged 81) | ||
| Place of death | Teesside, England | ||
| Position | Inside forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1936–1954 | Middlesbrough | 341 | (99) |
| 1954–1956 | Hull City | 16 | (1) |
| 1956 | Poole Town | ||
| 1956–1958 | Cambridge United | ||
| 1960–62 | Earlestown (player/manager) | ||
| International career | |||
| 1939–1946 | → England wartime team | 4 | (0) |
| 1948 | England B | 1 | (0) |
| 1946–1951 | England | 26 | (11) |
| 1947 | United Kingdom | 1 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Wilfrid James Mannion (16 May 1918 – 14 April 2000) was an English professionalfootballer who played as aninside forward,[1] making over 350 senior appearances forMiddlesbrough. He also played international football forEngland. With his blonde hair, he was nicknamed "The Golden Boy".[2][3]
Mannion was born on 16 May 1918 inSouth Bank, the son of Irish immigrants Tommy and Mary Mannion, and one of ten children.[3]
Mannion joined his local teamMiddlesbrough F.C. in 1936 and went on to make 341Football League appearances for them, scoring 99 goals in the First and Second Divisions, over the next 18 years. However, his career was disrupted byWorld War II.[4] He scored 110 goals in all competitions for Middlesbrough.[5]
Mannion fought in France and Italy duringWorld War II,[6][1] and in Italy his commanding officer was the England cricketerHedley Verity.[6]
At the end of the 1947–48 season he wanted a transfer, but Middlesbrough refused. In protest he did not play for them for much of the following season but he eventually backed down and started playing for Middlesbrough again.[7]
After initially retiring as a player in 1954, Mannion subsequently joinedHull City. However, the Football League suspended him for articles he had written,[8] He then playednon-league football withPoole Town andCambridge United and Finished his playing career atHaverhill Rovers.[9]
Mannion was capped on 26 occasions by theEngland national team between 1946 and 1951, and his final appearance came on 3 October 1951.[10] He was a member of the England squad for the1950 FIFA World Cup.[8] Along with Middlesbrough and England teammateGeorge Hardwick, he was also part of the Great Britain football team that beat the Rest of Europe 6–1 in 1947.[11]
He remains the only Middlesbrough player to score for England at theWorld Cup.
Mannion was eventually awarded atestimonial match by Middlesbrough in 1983, alongside former Boro and England colleagueGeorge Hardwick.[3]
Mannion died on 14 April 2000 at the age of 81.[7] After his death, Middlesbrough FC erected a statue of Mannion outside theRiverside Stadium.[3]
In 2004, he was inducted into theEnglish Football Hall of Fame at theNational Football Museum.[12]
 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |