Wilf Mannion

Wilfred ("Wilf") James Mannion (16 May 1918 - 14 April 2000) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward, making over 350 senior appearances for Middlesbrough. He also played international football for England. With his blond hair, he was nickamed "The Golden Boy".N. Varley (2002) Golden Boy: A Biography of Wilf Mannion, Aurum Press Ltd, ISBN 1854108794

Biography

Mannion was born on 16 May 1918 in South Bank, an industrial community outside Middlesbrough proper, the son of Irish immigrants Tommy and Mary Mannion, and one of 10 children. He joined his local team Middlesbrough F.C. in 1936 and went on to make 341 Football League appearances for them, scoring on 99 occasions.

Mannion fought in France and Italy during World War II, and on his return he wanted to leave Ayresome Park, but the club refused to sell him. In 1948 he went on strike to try and force a move, but this made him ineligible to play for England, and he eventually backed down and started playing for Middlesbrough again.

After initially retiring as a player in 1954, Mannion joined Hull City on 24 December of that year and decided to play on for another season. However, in a series of articles for newspapers...
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