Chris Waddle
Wing wonder who proved a bigger hit in the Top 40 than from 12 yards
| Full name: | Christopher Roland Waddle |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | December 14, 1960 |
| Clubs played for: | Newcastle, Tottenham, Marseille, Sheffield Wednesday, Falkirk, Bradford, Sunderland, Burnley, Torquay |
| Clubs managed: | Burnley |
Club Career
A mercurial winger, Chris Waddle was working in a sausage and meat-pie factory and playing for non-league Tow Law Town when Newcastle signed him for the sum of £1,000 in July 1980. He went on to make 170 league appearances for the Magpies, making his name in a side that also included the likes of Kevin Keegan and Peter Beardsley, but failed to achieve any honours of note.
It was a similar story when he joined Tottenham in 1985 for £590,000. In fact, it wasn't until he made a £4.5million move to Marseille in 1989 that Waddle started enjoying the success his talent warranted: three back-to-back French championships and a European Cup runners-up medal.
He returned to England in the summer of 1992, signing for Trevor Francis' Sheffield Wednesday and picking up both the Football Writers' and PFA awards in an electrifying first season. Domestic silverware still proved elusive, though, and as injuries and age finally took their toll, Waddle spent the twilight of his career passing through a number of different clubs, including Falkirk, Bradford, Sunderland, Burnley and Torquay, before playing out his final years in England's non-league hinterland.
Club Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-85 | Newcastle | 170 | 46 |
| 1985-89 | Tottenham | 138 | 33 |
| 1989-92 | Marseille | 107 | 22 |
| 1992-96 | Sheffield Wednesday | 109 | 10 |
| 1996 | Falkirk | 4 | 1 |
| 1996-97 | Bradford | 25 | 6 |
| 1997 | Sunderland | 7 | 1 |
| 1997-98 | Burnley | 32 | 1 |
| 1998 | Torquay | 7 | 0 |
International Career
Waddle's six-year England career began in March 1985, against the Republic of Ireland, and took in both the lows of Euro 88 and the highs of Italia 90. The wide man was part of a talented squad that reached the semi-finals of the latter tournament, but he will forever be remembered for the penalty shoot-out miss against West Germany that ended England's hopes of a second World Cup win.
International Career Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-91 | England | 62 | 6 |
Managerial Career
The Geordie had a unsuccessful season in charge at Burnley in 1997-98. The Clarets had been among the favourites for promotion, but under Waddle's charge, they only narrowly escaped relegation.
Key Games
QPR 5-5 Newcastle (First Division, September 22, 1984)
Newly-promoted Newcastle proved they could mix it with the big boys, and so did Waddle, who hit a 24-minute hat-trick as the Magpies raced into a 4-0 half-time lead. QPR hit back after the break, though, eventually salvaging an unlikely draw in what was undoubtedly the game of the season.
England 1-1 West Germany (West Germany won 5-4 on penalties, World Cup semi-final, July 4, 1990)
The defining moment of Waddle's England career - albeit one he might prefer to forget. After Gary Lineker cancelled out Andreas Brehme's opener, the match went to a penalty shoot-out. Stuart Pearce was the first Englishman to miss his kick, which left Waddle needing to convert his to keep England in the game. The wide man infamously blazed the ball high over the bar, though, ending his country's World Cup dream.
Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 Sheffield United (FA Cup semi-final, April 3, 1993)
Waddle took just a minute to make his mark on one of the most high-profile Steel City derbies, scoring a spectacular free-kick that flew past stunned United keeper Alan Kelly. The far from spent 32-year-old then turned in a majestic performance that earned Sheffield Wednesday a place in the FA Cup final.
Honours
| Club | Competition | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Marseille | French League Championship 1990, 1991, 1992 | |
| Sheffield Wednesday | Football Writers' Footballer of the Year | 1993 |
| PFA Footballer of the Year | 1993 |
Did You Know...?
Waddle's £4.5 million move to Marseille in 1989 made him the then third most expensive player in the world, after Diego Maradona and Ruud Gullit.
After agreeing to sign for Marseille, Waddle posed for a newspaper picture holding a bicycle and - yes! - wearing a beret and striped shirt, with a string of onions round his neck.
Following on from his infamous 1987 duet with Glenn Hoddle, Waddle tried to crack the French pop market as well while at Marseille, teaming up with another team-mate, Basile Boli, for the single We've Got A Feeling.
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