The Anonymous Widower

Mel Hopkins

The Independent also had the obituary of Mel Hopkins.  He was not a lucky footballer, as he suffered a broken jaw in a rather freak accident which kept him out of the Spurs double side of 1960-61.

He was incidentally one of my father’s favourite footballers and I can remember seeing him battle with Stanley Matthews, when Stoke were the visitors at White Hart Lane.  I think this match must have been between 1962 and 1964, as Stoke weren’t in the First Division until 1962 and Hopkins left Spurs in October 1964.

With Pele turning seventy today, it is interesting to note this from Stanley Matthews entry in Wikipedia.

He played his final competitive match in Brazil in 1985 at the age of 70. He damaged his cartilage during the match. “A promising career cut tragically short,” he wrote in his autobiography. During his career he gained respect not only as a great player but also as a gentleman. This is exemplified by the fact that despite playing in nearly seven hundred league games, he was never booked or sent off.

Is there a player currently playing in the Premiership, who hasn’t been booked? Let alone in say a hundred games!

October 23, 2010 - Posted by AnonW | Sport | Football, Obituary