For a man who failed to earn contracts at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bolton Wanderers because he was deemed ‘too small’, Alan Ball certainly made a big mark on English football.
From humble origins at Blackpool where he became their youngest league debutant, to breaking transfer records at Everton and Arsenal, Ball was never too far from the spotlight.
It was the Tangerines who offered him apprentice forms after his dad had wrangled him a trial under then-boss Ron Suart in September 1961. Ball turned professional the following May and, ironically, made his debut against Liverpool at Anfield.