Nobby Stiles

Nobby Stiles
MBE
	Stiles in 1966
Personal information
Full name	Norbert Peter Stiles
Date of birth	18 May 1942
Place of birth	Collyhurst, Manchester, England
Date of death	30 October 2020 (aged 78)
Place of death	Manchester, England
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1957–1960	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team
1960–1971	Manchester United
1971–1973	Middlesbrough
1973–1975	Preston North End
Total
International career
1965–1968	Football League XI
1965–1970	England
Managerial career
1977–1981	Preston North End
1981–1984	Vancouver Whitecaps
1985–1986	West Bromwich Albion
Medal record
Men's football
Representing England
FIFA World Cup
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Norbert Peter Stiles MBE (18 May 1942 – 30 October 2020)^[2] was an English professional footballer. He played for England for five years, winning 28 caps and scoring one goal. He played every minute of England's victorious 1966 FIFA World Cup campaign. In the semi-final of that tournament against Portugal, he was given the job of marking the prolific Eusébio. His tough performance resulted in Eusébio being practically nullified for the entire game. Stiles also played in the final, which England won 4–2 against West Germany. His post-match dance on the Wembley pitch, holding the World Cup trophy in one hand and his false teeth in the other, was widely broadcast.

Stiles spent the majority of his club career for Manchester United, spending eleven years at Old Trafford, where he became renowned for his tough tackling and ball-winning qualities. Jonathan Wilson, writing for The Guardian in 2013, labelled Stiles as a type of holding midfielder he described as a "destroyer", a player who is primarily tasked with running, winning back possession, and distributing the ball to other players.^[3]

With the Red Devils, he won two League titles and one European Cup. Stiles is one of only three Englishmen, alongside Bobby Charlton and Ian Callaghan, to have won both the World Cup and European Cup.^[4]

Stiles also had short spells with Middlesbrough and Preston North End.

^ "Nobby Stiles: The dancing destroyer who became England's forgotten hero". Press Association. 30 October 2020f. Retrieved 30 October 2020 – via Winsford Guardian.
^ "Manchester United buy Nobby Stiles's medals". BBC News. 27 October 2010. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
^ Wilson, Jonathan (18 December 2013). "The Question: what does the changing role of holding midfielders tell us?". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
^ Cite error: The named reference guardianobit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[DancingDestroyer-1] "Nobby Stiles: The dancing destroyer who became England's forgotten hero". Press Association. 30 October 2020f. Retrieved 30 October 2020 – via Winsford Guardian.

[BBC-2] "Manchester United buy Nobby Stiles's medals". BBC News. 27 October 2010. Retrieved 27 October 2010.

[WilsonHolding13-3] Wilson, Jonathan (18 December 2013). "The Question: what does the changing role of holding midfielders tell us?". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2014.

[guardianobit-4] Cite error: The named reference guardianobit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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