5 Famous footballers who served in the armed forces

A professional footballer's life is a strenuous one. It requires a lot of preparation, patience, talent and a little bit of luck. A lot of a player’s efforts go into maintaining the high level of performance required to make it at the club level, for which he is handsomely rewarded. While football at the club level is the mainstay of football, representing one's country at the international level is the ultimate aim of any player. Serving their country gives them a purpose to fight for wins and titles, even more so than with clubs due to the emotional attachment to the country.Many people argue that players who represent their national team are serving their country well and are inspiring the hopes of their fellow people, although it doesn’t even compare to the service provided by the armed forces. Apart from defending the honour of their country from other foreign powers, they help the government in settling internal issues and also extend help to their neighbouring countries during crises. There have been plenty of football players who have served their countries in different ways during times of war and have also managed to have highly successful professional careers. Their passion, dedication and professionalism have made them a source of huge pride for their countries and has also established them as role models for generations to come.Here are five of the most famous footballers who served the army, picked from an extensive list of players.

#1 Sir Bobby Charlton

Bobby Charlton scores for Manchester United in the 1958 European Cup

Sir Robert Charlton is considered by many to be one of the greatest midfielders of all time, and possibly one of the best to have ever played for England. The long retired midfielder is well known for winning the World Cup with his national side in 1966 and his long illustrious career with Manchester United, which established him as a legend of the game.

After joining the United academy as a 15-year-old in 1953, Bobby was pushed by his mother to pursue electrical engineering, but he decided against it by signing a professional contract in the following year. He made his official debut against Charlton Athletic in 1956 and went on to become one of the main members of Matt Busby’s bunch of footballers who were famously named Busby Babes. These talented players were trained through the Manchester United youth system from the 1940’s to the 1960’s, with a view to rebuilding the club in the aftermath of the Second World War.

Bobby joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps in the year of his debut after receiving the suggestion from his manager. He served the corps along with United team-mate Duncan Edwards in Shrewsbury while simultaneously building his football career, often playing on the weekend for his club after working on the other days. The Manchester United great spent 17 seasons at Old Trafford where he made 758 appearances and scored 249 goals overall, which makes him the club’s highest goalscorer of all time. Three first division titles, an FA Cup and a European Cup makes for an impressive trophy haul for the Englishman during his spell at the club. He also won the Ballon D’or award in 1966, which is the same year he won the World Cup with England.

#2 Sir Stanley Matthews

Stan Matthews played on the right and enjoyed running at defenders

Sir Stanley Matthews was one of the best players to have ever graced the English game. The former Stoke City wide-forward enjoyed a glittering 33-year playing career for both club and country, which saw him gather plenty of praise from football enthusiasts and got him nicknames such as “The Wizard of the Dribble” and “The Magician”.

A Stoke City youth product, Stan made his debut for the club in 1932. He established himself as a first-team starter from the 1933-34 season onwards, although things changed for him from 1939 onwards. For six years, his professional career was disrupted by his service to the Royal Air Force in Blackpool. He rose up the ladder at the air force to become a corporal despite being a lenient character and left in 1945 after the war ended. During this time, the Englishman made 69 appearances in Wartime League and Cup games for Stoke and played a handful of games for many other sides.

Matthews has 697 career appearances to his name and 71 goals and is the first player to have won both Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year and European Footballer of the Year awards. He is also the oldest player to have represented the England National Team and the oldest to have ever played in England’s top divison, playing his final game for Stoke in 1965 at the age of 50. He attributes his longevity to a vegetarian diet he adopted after consistently picking up injuries during the latter half of his career.

#3 Ted Drake

Ted Drake is definition of the classic English ‘number 9’

Edward Joseph Drake or Ted Drake was a legendary Arsenal striker who symbolised the English view of a classic number 9. He began his career at Southampton in 1931, but only made a name for himself after his move to London three years later.

The brave centre forward won two league titles and an FA Cup during his time with the Gunners, scoring 139 goals in 184 games in all competitions. He was always Arsenal’s first choice forward during his decade at the club despite his regular injuries, although his career did get curtailed in 1939 due to the Second World War.

During his time in the Royal Air Force, Ted regularly turned out for Arsenal in wartime games. He resumed his career after the war came to an end but an unfortunate spinal injury he picked up against Reading in 1945 forced him to retire from the game.

#4 Raymond Kopa

Raymond Kopa won three consecutive European Cups with Real Madrid

Raymond Kopa is a retired French international of Polish descent, who was an integral part of the French national side and Real Madrid in the 1950s. Often regarded by many as one of the leading footballers of his time, Kopa was known for his outstanding playmaking skills and prolific goal scoring.

The legendary attacking midfielder began his career with SCO Angers in France’s second division in 1949, following which he moved to Stade de Reims at the age of 19. His five-year spell generated two French Championships in 1953 and 1955 and also the club’s first final appearance in the European Cup final in the next year, in which they got beaten by Real Madrid. He also gained his French citizenship during the spell, which allowed him to enlist for the country’s military service.

The patriotism Kopa displayed for his adopted country made him a favourite among the fans and the media, as it confirmed his happiness at being accepted into the country. The Frenchman earned a move to Real Madrid after his impressive performance in the European Cup final defeat, and he didn’t disappoint there either. He was heavily influential during his time at the Los Blancos, winning two Spanish League titles and three European Cups before going back to Stade Reims till his retirement from the sport in 1967.

#5 Stan Mortensen

Stan Mortensen was the first player to score for England in the World Cup

Stanley Harding Mortensen was a former English centre-forward who is remembered for being the first player to score for England in FIFA World Cup qualifying and the first England player to score in the World Cup finals tournament.

Stan began his career with Blackpool in 1941 and established himself as one of the club’s greats during his 14 years at Bloomfield Road. He won the FA Cup final in 1953, famously scoring the only hat-trick to ever be scored in an Wembley FA Cup final as he and Stanley Matthews helped inspire a 4-3 win for their side after going 1-3 down.

The forward went on to play for a host of other clubs in England including the likes of Arsenal, Hull City and Bath City, consistently scoring goals till his retirement in 1962. His England career on the other hand lasted only six years and in that time he made 25 appearances and scored 23 goals.

Stan’s experience with war came before he started playing for Blackpool. He had to overcome a serious injury he sustained while working as a wireless operator during World War II, which was caused when his RAF bomber aircraft crashed. After the accident in war, he went on to become one of England’s best post-war players.