Alan Ball Jr., England footballer: Profile, Career, News & Videos

Alan Ball Jr. was an English professional football player and manager. Often regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, he won the 1966 World Cup with England and played for various clubs, scoring more than 180 league goals in a career spanning 22 years. After retiring as a player, he had a 15-year career as a manager which included spells in the top flight of English football with Portsmouth, Southampton and Manchester City. He was inducted in the English Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Ball started his professional career at Blackpool at the age of 17 in 1962, following a brief non–league spell at Ashton United, becoming the club's star player and ensuring Blackpool's First Division status. He signed for Everton in 1966, becoming a fan favourite at Goodison Park, winning the First Division in 1970 and the Charity Shield the same year. After five and a half years and over 250 appearances for the club, he signed with Double winners Arsenal in December 1971 for a record fee of £220,000, becoming a central player in the club's transitional period following the 1971 Double before being sold to Second Division side Southampton in December 1976. Whilst with Southampton, he captained the side to promotion in 1978 and the 1979 League Cup final. He spent time on loan managing Philadelphia Fury in the NASL and was transferred to the Vancouver Whitecaps for two seasons, before returning to Blackpool as player–manager and then Southampton for two years as a First Division outfit. Brief spells at Floreat Athena, Eastern and Bristol Rovers concluded his career in 1983.

Ball played 72 games and scored 8 goals for England between 1965 and 1975. First called up at age 20 by manager Alf Ramsey, he established himself in the national team, becoming a starter at the 1966 FIFA World Cup. England won the competition, with Ball playing in the final and being the team's youngest member at 21 years of age. He also was starter for England at UEFA Euro 1968 and the 1970 FIFA World Cup. Ball briefly captained England in 1975 under Don Revie before retiring from international football the same year.

After retiring as a player, Ball became manager of Second Division side Portsmouth in 1984. Following narrowly missing out on promotion in his first two seasons, he led Portsmouth to promotion in 1987 after a 28–year absence, but was relegated in the club's maiden year in the top flight before resigning in January 1989. Ten months later, he joined Stoke City. After failing to avert the club's relegation to the Third Division for the first time in its history, he was sacked in February 1991. In August of the same year, he joined Exeter City. He managed to retain the club's third tier status in 1992 and 1993, while also becoming Graham Taylor's assistant manager for UEFA Euro 1992, before leaving in January 1994 to join former club Southampton in the Premier League.

After having managed to avoid relegation in 1994 and having finished 10th in 1995, he left the club to controversially join Manchester City. He narrowly failed to save them from relegation and left the club in August 1996. In February 1998, he returned to Division One side Portsmouth, saving the club from relegation in 1998 and 1999 as they entered administration, before being sacked by new owner Milan Mandaric in December 1999. It was his final employment in football before his death in April 2007, aged 61.