Stanley Matthews Stanley Matthews Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE (1 February 1915 – 23 February 2000) was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the British game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing football, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year awards. Matthews' nicknames included "The Wizard of the Dribble" and "The Magician". Matthews kept fit enough to play at the top level until he was 50 years old. Matthews was also the oldest player
James Lang (footballer) due to the rise of professionalism. At that time Sheffield Wednesday were still an "amateur" club and he moved across the Pennines to the openly professional Burnley. He won two international caps for Scotland, the first on 25 March 1876 in a 4-0 win over Wales (the first international between the two countries) and the second in 1878, scoring two goals. James Lang (footballer) James J. "Reddie" Lang (born March 1851) was a Scottish footballer who is generally considered to be the first professional player. Jimmy Lang's playing career started with Glasgow Eastern, from where he moved to Clydesdale and