Today (8 September) would have been the 56th birthday of legendary Welsh footballer, Gary Speed. Here’s a post I wrote a few months ago to remember the great man.
Who Was Gary Speed?
Gary Speed, who was (and still is) affectionately dubbed “Speedo” by fans and teammates alike, was born on 8 September, 1959, in Mancot, Flintshire.
Between 1988 and 1996, Speed was a part of a Leeds United team (managed by Howard Wilkinson) that won the last ever English Football League First Division (1991-92) before it was replaced by the Premier League. He played 41 games for the team in that season and was a pivotal part of their title charge alongside captain Gordon Strachan and footballing icon, Eric Cantona.
Following his time at Leeds, Speed would play for Everton, Newcastle United, Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield United before hanging up his boots at the end of the 2008-09 season.
Despite having began his playing career before the formation of the Premier League, he still ranks sixth in all-time highest number of appearances in the division, with only David James (5th), Frank Lampard (4th), compatriot Ryan Giggs (3rd), James Milner (2nd) and Gareth Barry (1st) lying ahead of him.
Following his playing career, Speed would have a 4-month managerial stint at former club Sheffield United before becoming manager of the Welsh national team in December of 2010.
Speed had a monumental task, as he was joining as manager when the team ranked as 116th in the world. Though he initially got off to a bad start with a 2-0 loss to England, he got the team (which included youngsters such as Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen and so forth) playing its best football in years and turned things around. There was optimism surrounding the Welsh team for the first time in over a decade.
By the end of his run as manager, which tragically ended with his death by suicide on 27 November 2011, Wales were 48th in the world rankings.
He laid the foundations for a Welsh national side which would qualify for the Euros in 2016 and 2020 and the 2022 World Cup – the team’s first appearance at a World Cup since 1958.
Speedo is forever a legend of the game.
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Niklas is the founder, owner, manager, editor, writer, video creator, voice over artist, and so forth, of Welsh Histories. He is passionate about the preservation of Welsh culture; the rejuvenation of the Welsh language and the promotion of Welsh history. Niklas currently resides in Pune, Maharashtra, with his beloved wife.