The Wizard of the Dribble: How would Sir Stanley Matthews fair in today’s game?

The winner of the first Ballon D’Or and one of football’s finest players, Sir Stanley Matthews was born on this day in 1915 in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

Nicknamed the ‘Wizard of the Dribble’, Matthews was mesmerising in every way during his career, where he most notoriously played for Blackpool and Stoke City.

He made his first appearances for the Potters aged 17 in 1932 and went on to make 259 appearances, scoring 51 goals in the process before being snapped up by Joe Smith’s Blackpool side for just over £11,000.

It would be at Blackpool where ‘The Magician’ would make 379 appearances and providing one of the greatest FA Cup Final stories told.

In the ‘Matthews Final’ in 1953, the Tangerines trailed 3-1 to Bolton Wanderers at Wembley Stadium with just over half an hour to play. Matthews turned the game on its head as the Seasiders came away with winners medals around their necks after a scintillating 4-3 win.

His homecoming back to Stoke was a sight to behold in 1961 as almost 36,000 spectators packed into the Victoria Ground as their greatest player returned home in a 3-0 triumph against Huddersfield Town in the Second Division, with Matthews making an instant impact walking away with an assist.

He remains the club’s oldest appearance maker as the local star played his 787th and final game, a 3-1 win against Fulham, in February 1965 aged 50 years and five days.

Matthews would also make 54 appearances for England, scoring 11 goals and would have appeared more for the Three Lions had it not been for the outbreak of the Second World War which robbed him of his ‘prime’ years.

The local star is remembered and immortalised around Stoke-on-Trent as his statue proudly stands overlooking the Bet365 Stadium.

How would the wizardry winger fair in today’s game?

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The former outside-right (nowadays a right-winger) had a low centre of gravity, standing at five foot nine, in which he was able to twist and turn leaving defenders disorientated and on the floor.

There was no stopping the dazzling dribbler, who lit up the game for over three decades. When players often passed their way around their opponents, Matthews would use his agility to confuse defenders and beat them in a flash.

Legendary defenders like Franz Beckenbauer say that Matthews’ movement gave defenders a nightmare and made their job of stopping the Stoke-born star almost impossible.

He was ahead of the game, by being the first football ‘athlete’ to introduce a strict diet and fitness training regimes, part of why he played until the age of 51, and he admitted himself following retirement that he could have continued for longer.

Matthews was also behind the invention of the first pair of lightweight football boots which helped him to mesmerise defenders before putting in the most pinpoint of crosses, despite the heavy leather footballs of the 20th century.

With today’s featherweight boots and balls, Matthews would be a real threat and his crosses would leave even the world’s most dominant defenders in the air like Virgil van Dijk and Sergio Ramos purely panic-stricken.

He was also football’s first celebrity superstar who was known worldwide and people abroad would often resonate Stoke City and Blackpool with the great Stanley Matthews.

The superstar of today who comes into mind when describing ‘The Magician’ is Lionel Messi on the pitch for his skill, class and creativity.

Off the pitch, he could be compared to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo for his hard-working and dedicated mentality which sees him still competing and thriving in football’s top competitions aged almost 37-years-old, which is what led to Matthews having a long career of his own.

Unfortunately, football statistics in the 1950s were not as advanced as they are today and Matthews’ dribbling stats would be right up there with the all-time best.

Similarly to today’s greats, Matthews could add up to five figures onto match attendances because people wanted to see him in action. Only a very small number of modern-day players have that pull, possibly only Messi and Ronaldo.

On the international stage, he would fit into Gareth Southgate’s system perfectly by being quick, nimble and having the freedom to express himself to beat defenders and break free in behind. His deadly crossing ability that can pick out strikers like Harry Kane and Dominic Calvert-Lewin would lead to England being incredibly potent in all areas of the final third.

Not many players can pull so many world-renowned stars to their testimonials, but Matthews did that with legendary players including Ferenc Puskas, Lev Yashin and Alfredo Di Stefano to name a few.

The Stoke City and Blackpool great will always be remembered for his shining strengths as well as his ability which was head and shoulders above the rest and his positive impact on the game that he made so beautiful is still felt today.

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