Duncan Edwards

Two years after becoming the youngest player to appear in a First Division game (when it was the top division), Duncan Edwards became the youngest England debutant of the 20th Century at 18 years and 183 days old, a record that stood until Michael Owen came along.

He settled in well, playing at left half, in a 7-2 victory in a Home Championship game against Scotland in April 1955.
The press reviews of the game considered him a great success who looked destined for a long career as an England player. One reviewer said: “Powerfully built, he showed strength and determination in defence and the ability to open up the game with long, accurate passes.”

In 18 caps for England he scored 5 goals, impressive for someone playing in what would today be a defensive midfield position. His finest is largely considered to be that against West Germany in Berlin, on a tour of a trio of friendlies that also took in Sweden and Finland. Taking the ball close to the England penalty area, he began a forceful run that took him past a total of five West German players, then unleashed a 30 yard pile-driver with his left foot

He went on to play in four matches of the successful 1958 World Cup qualifying campaign, although of course, he would never see the tournament itself, and players of the time considered that his game simply did not have a weakness. Many contemporaries consider that had Edwards survived, he would have been in his prime, at 29, during the 1966 World Cup and he would have been lifting the cup rather than Bobby Moore.

Goals

Games

With thanks to Tom Clare for the above stats