The Eternal First

On December 18, 1956, Stanley Matthews became the inaugural winner of the Ballon d’Or, just edging out the formidable Alfredo Di Stefano. The Argentine went on to win the award twelve months later.

Aged 41 when collecting the prestigious merit, Matthews remains the oldest Ballon d’Or recipient and remarkably there was still nine more seasons of brilliance left in the tank. Indeed, to illustrate the player’s incredible durability consider this: Across three decades at the summit of English football, the legendary winger had a team-mate who began playing in 1912 and, much later, another team-mate who hung up his boots in 1978.

Yet perhaps, when looking back on the life and times of one of England’s most treasured sons we focus too much on his longevity, at the expense of who he was, and what he achieved.

Matthews was an apt and worthy first winner of the Ballon d’Or because he electrified crowds and, over and above his immense talent, innovated, both in his preparation for matches and the manner in which he excelled in them.

His approach, from diet to training, was lightyears ahead of his peers. Moreover, by dropping deep to collect the ball and trusting in his ability to beat an opponent he revolutionised wing-play forever more.

Data box – Matthews used to wear shoes lined with lead pre-match so that his boots felt like ballerina pumps on the pitch

The Wizard of the Dribble: Technique That Never Aged

Gary James, founder of the International Football History Conference, agrees with the proposition that the great man’s endurance at the highest level of his sport too often distracts from properly recognizing his colossal feats.

“Stanley Matthews is known for his longevity, playing until he was fifty, and that often is the thing people focus on but Matthews was so much more than that.

He was a traditional outside right who dribbled his way down the wing with great skill. He brought great excitement to the game and whenever his team was playing in your town or city fans would flock to see him.

Fans loved to see him darting in and out past opposition defenders. Always learning and developing his own skill-set fans - and opponents - would wonder what trick Matthews would have up his sleeve.”

In this regard, Matthews was a direct predecessor to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, modern-day magicians who won a combined 13 Ballon d’Or awards between them.

And like the esteemed pair, the future knight of the realm also possessed his own signature moves, actions that were anticipated by opponents beforehand, but to no avail.

A multitude of wing-backs were pertinently aware that the Stoke and Blackpool winger would deftly tap the ball one way with his instep before knocking it the other with the same foot. They just couldn’t figure out a way to stop it happening.

Establishing the Legend: 1956 and the Birth of an Icon

The season leading up to Matthews’ Ballon d’Or success saw him orchestrate Blackpool to their highest league placing for 25 years, finishing runner-up to Manchester United’s ‘Busby Babes’.

The Tangerines too had a young side that year, illuminated by emerging talents such as Jimmy Armfield who subsequently played 43 times for England. These teens looked up in awe to Matthews, inspired by one of football’s first superstars, who was as much an icon then as he is now.

Though modest to a fault, the winger later ceded that the 1955/56 season saw him display some of the finest football of his career. The young charges around him followed by example.

In a similar vein, the player’s giant stature had helped influence Blackpool to success three years earlier, beating Bolton Wanderers in arguably the most venerated FA Cup final of them all.

In the lead-up to the game, a nation talked of its strong desire for Matthews to win a cup, after losing in two previous finals.

With millions huddled around the wireless, the veteran wide-man put in a performance for the ages, propelling his side to a thrilling 4-3 victory.

Gary James highlights how unusual this was, to have an individual rooted for, over a team.

“When he won the FA Cup in 1953 the whole nation seemed to support him, desperate for him to find major success. That demonstrated that his support crossed partisan club lines.”

It could be argued that it was this famous act that cemented Matthews as an incomparable legend. His Ballon d’Or honour three years later forged this status in stone, so that the world would never forget.