Who Is Stanley Matthews? Age, Biography, and Wiki
Born on February 1, 1915, in Stoke-on-Trent, England, Stanley Matthews is celebrated as one of the greatest footballers in history. Known for his extraordinary dribbling skills and sportsmanship, Matthews had a career spanning over three decades, leading him to become the first player to receive a knighthood for services to football. He passed away on February 23, 2000, at the age of 85, leaving behind a significant legacy in the world of sports.
| Occupation | Autobiographer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | February 1, 1915 |
| Age | 85 Years |
| Birth Place | Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, England |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Country | England |
| Date of death | 23 February, 2000 |
| Died Place | Newcastle-under-Lyme, England |
Popularity
Stanley Matthews's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
Stanley Matthews was known for his athletic build which contributed to his agility on the field. Although exact measurements may not be well-documented, football records suggest that he stood at approximately 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall and weighed around 150 pounds (68 kg) at his peak. His impressive fitness and physique were integral to his performance throughout his storied career.
In the main game itself, two teams of legends were formed, a Stan's XI (consisting of Football League players) and an International XI (including Ferenc Puskás, Alfredo Di Stefano, Josef Masopust and Lev Yashin). The International side won 6–4, and Matthews was carried shoulder-high from the field at full time by Puskás and Yashin.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
Stanley Matthews was married twice. His first marriage was to a woman named Kay, and after their divorce, he married his second wife, who supported him throughout his life. Although he was notoriously private about his personal life, he dedicated a significant portion of his time to his family, instilling the values of discipline and integrity into his children.
He was the third of four sons born to Jack Matthews, a local boxer known as the "Fighting Barber of Hanley". In the summer of 1921, Jack Matthews took six-year-old Stanley to the Victoria Ground, home of the local club Stoke City, for an open race for boys under the age of 14, with a staggered start according to age.
His father placed a bet on his son winning, and he did. Matthews attended Hanley's Wellington Road School and later described himself as "in many respects a model pupil".
He also said the kickabout games the children played helped to improve his dribbling and prepared the children for future life by giving them "a focus, a purpose, discipline, and in many respects an escape". At home he also spent "countless hours" practising dribbling around kitchen chairs he placed in his backyard.
Net Worth and Salary
At the time of his passing in 2000, Stanley Matthews had amassed a substantial net worth, estimated to be around $10 million, due to his successful football career and various endorsements. In 2025, had he been alive, his net worth would likely have continued to grow due to his immortal status in the sport and ongoing recognition through memorial events, documentaries, and merchandise.
In 1935–36 Matthews continued to improve, adding the double body swerve technique to his increasing arsenal of tricks. Largely out of the international picture, he put in 45 games for the "Potters" as Stoke finished fourth under Bob McGrory – the club's best finish.
He played 42 games in 1936–37, including the club's record 10–3 win over West Brom at the Victoria Ground.
At the end of the season, he was paid a loyalty bonus of £650, though the Stoke board initially insisted he was only due £500 as he had spent his first two years at the club as an amateur – this attitude left a sour taste in Matthews' mouth.
Career, Business, and Investments
Stanley Matthews’s professional career began at an early age, debuting with Stoke City at 17. His most notable stints were with Blackpool and the England national team, where he earned acclaim for his performances in the 1953 FA Cup Final, also known as the "Matthews Final." Beyond football, Matthews was involved in various business ventures, including sports promotions and coaching, ensuring his legacy continued even after retirement.
The war cost Matthews his professional career from the age of 24 to the age of 30. He instead joined the Royal Air Force and was based just outside Blackpool, with Ivor Powell his NCO. He rose to the rank of corporal, though he admitted to being one of the most lenient and easy-going NCOs in the forces.
He played 69 Wartime League and Cup games for Stoke and also made 87 guest appearances for Blackpool.
In addition to these, he also played a handful of games for Scottish sides Airdrieonians, Morton and Rangers, where he collected a Charity Cup winners' medal, and also played for an unofficial Scotland XI, Arsenal against Millwall on 13 January 1945 plus FC Dynamo Moscow on 21 November 1945 in extremely thick fog.
He also played 29 times for England, though no caps were awarded as these were unofficial games.
Social Network
While Stanley Matthews was not part of the modern social media landscape, as he lived in a different era, his impact on the game has created a multitude of fan pages and profiles dedicated to his life and achievements. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter continue to honor his legacy, with dedicated accounts sharing historical highlights, quotes, and photographs.
The regular Football League returned in time for the 1946–47 season, during which Matthews played 23 league games and contributed to 30 of the club's 41 league goals. Stoke matched their record finish of fourth in the league, finishing just two points shy of champions Liverpool after losing to Sheffield United on the final day of the season.
However, in February, Matthews was returning from a knee injury when manager McGrory told him he was not in the first XI for the game against Arsenal; the press reported this as a bust-up.
Relations between McGrory, the Stoke City board, and Matthews had indeed always been sour – though once again a story that the players sided against Matthews were untrue. Recalled against Brentford, only after the game did he find out that this was only because he was a last-minute replacement for an injured Bert Mitchell.
Matthews put in a second transfer request, which the Stoke board eventually accepted. He selected Blackpool as his next club as he still lived in the area following his service in the RAF; the Stoke board sanctioned the move on the condition that the deal was to remain a secret until the end of the season, not to disrupt the club's title bid.
The secret was revealed in a matter of hours, as an unknown person informed the press.
Education
Stanley Matthews's education primarily occurred in Stoke-on-Trent, where he attended a local school. Although he did not pursue higher education due to his commitment to football at a young age, Matthews was known for his intelligence and strategic thinking on the field, attributes likely aided by his formative experiences in education.
In summary, while Stanley Matthews may not be with us today, his legacy as one of England’s finest footballers endures. His influence on the sport and the lives he touched will remain in the hearts of fans and future generations of players.
An avid student of the game, in the 1950 FIFA World Cup Matthews stayed on to watch teams such as Brazil and Uruguay compete in the tournament after England's elimination – the English FA, manager and media all returned home to, as Matthews said, "bury their heads in the sand." Matthews regularly condemned the "blazer brigade" at the FA in his au
tobiography, slating them as "conservative" and stressing that many of them were Old Etonians; in his view they treated players and supporters poorly, demonstrated arrogance by ignoring competitions they did not control (the World Cup and European domestic competitions), and viewed innovations with excessive suspicion (for example the FA sanctioned
only the use of floodlights in 1952 despite artificial lighting having been experimented with as far back as 1878, and for years insisted on using outdated kit such as heavy "reinforced" boots).
Writing about the fact that the FA allocated only 12,000 of the 100,000 available tickets for the 1953 FA Cup final to Blackpool supporters, Matthews wrote: "I couldn't make my mind up whether they were dunderheads or simply didn't care about the genuine supporters who were the lifeblood of the game".
