Laurie Cunningham
Encyclopedia
Laurence Paul "Laurie" Cunningham (8 March 1956 – 15 July 1989) was an England international
footballer. When he joined Real Madrid
, he became the first English player in the club's history.
He was also the first black player to represent England at any level (under 21), and the first to represent the full England side in a competitive match.
before joining Leyton Orient
in 1974. He joined West Bromwich Albion
in 1977, where, under manager Johnny Giles
, he teamed up with another black player, Cyrille Regis
, and the following year (under Ron Atkinson
) with Brendon Batson
. This was the first time an English team simultaneously fielded three black players, and Atkinson collectively referred to Cunningham, Batson and Regis as 'The Three Degrees
' after the legendary U.S. soul singing trio.
West Bromwich Albion became one of the most attractive and exciting English sides in the late 1970s and Cunningham soon attracted attention. He became the first black player to wear an England shirt at any level in England under-21s
' friendly against Scotland
at Bramall Lane
on 27 April 1977, scoring on his debut. He subsequently earned a full England cap, making his debut against Wales
in a Home International on 23 May 1979. Although Viv Anderson
had made his England debut in a friendly six months previously and thus was the first black player to play for the senior England team, Cunningham was the first black player to play in a competitive England match. In June 1979, Cunningham gained his 2nd and 3rd caps, against Sweden and Austria respectively.
In the summer of 1979 he made a historic move as the first British player to transfer to Real Madrid
, for £950,000. According to legend, Real Madrid had first really become aware of Cunningham after his brilliant performance against Valencia in the UEFA Cup in 1979. Knowing this, Cunningham made his way to the Bernabeu in the off season, and asked if they'd like to sign him, thus getting the ball rolling with the negotiations at Ron Atkinson's house.
Playing for Real Madrid in the 1979/80 season, Cunningham started off well, scoring twice on his league debut against Valencia (and setting up the other goal in the 3–1 win), and also scoring against Barcelona
at the Bernabeu. In one of his most memorable performances, he inspired a 2–0 victory for Real in the reverse fixture at Camp Nou
, terrorising the Barcelona back line and even earning a standing ovation from the home fans. As well as his impressive league form, he was scoring important goals and performing well in Europe, as Real Madrid powered their way to the European Cup semi finals, where despite Cunningham's impressive goal in Hamburger SV
, they lost 5–3 on aggregate to Kevin Keegan
's side.
Unfortunately, though he played against Éire in England's last Euro 1980 qualifier in February 1980, his performances often went unnoticed back in England, and he was regularly overlooked by Ron Greenwood – even in a March 1980 prestige friendly against his adopted country, Spain, he was only brought on as a substitute against the hosts in a 2–0 England win – but Cunningham had to shoulder some of the responsibility, as he failed to secure an International Release clause in his lucrative contract, and Real prevented him from joining the England squad on a number of occasions.
At the end of a successful first season with Real Madrid
, winning the double and becoming Real's 3rd highest scorer that season, Cunningham was surprisingly omitted from Greenwood's Euro 1980 squad. He seemed to be a pawn in a power struggle between England and Real Madrid, with Greenwood later explaining that he was unable to call up Cunningham due to the late scheduling of the Spanish Cup Final – although Tony Woodcock
(then of 1. FC Köln
) was also only up for release at the same time due to his own domestic cup final, yet he joined the Euro 1980 squad.
Shrugging off this disappointment and back at Real Madrid, Cunningham began the 1980/1 season well, and was again called up for England (after bitter negotiations with Real Madrid) for the 1982 World Cup Qualifier against Norway
, only to be an unused sub as England won 4–0. In the next qualifier against Romania
, he came off the bench but was unable to help England avoid a 2–1 defeat. This was to be his last England cap. Back with Real Madrid, his early season form was good again scoring goals in the early rounds of the European Cup, but then he succumbed to injury, and required an operation on a broken toe.
This toe saga was to sour his relations with Real, as he was heavily fined and ostracised for celebrating the success of the operation at a disco. His recovery was set back due to aggravating the injury at yet another disco, and also again due to a tough training ground challenge. Cunningham developed a playboy reputation, and was heavily criticised in the Spanish press, together with his long time girlfriend Nicky Brown. Many speculated at this stage in his career, Cunningham was more interested in his hobbies of architecture, fashion, disco dancing and fast cars than he was in playing football for Real Madrid.
Cunningham recovered just in time for the 1981 European Cup Final
against Liverpool
in Paris, and though he was clearly not match fit, played the whole match (with some exciting bursts of play), as Real Madrid lost 1–0. During pre season training for the 1981/2 season, Cunningham's injury jinx continued, as a thigh injury kept him out of the majority of the season (only 3 goalless appearances in the league), his only real noteworthy contribution was in the UEFA Cup
quarter final tie against Kaiserslautern
.
In the first leg, Cunningham showed that he wasn't quite over the hill with a goal and great performance in Real Madrid's 3–1 win. In the 2nd leg, however, he was sent off shortly before half time for retaliation, as Kaiserslatern won 5–0 to inflict Real Madrid's worst ever result in European competition. Prior to this tie, a finally fit Cunningham had been summoned up for England duty again, but this would be the last time he made an England squad. Cunningham won a 2nd Spanish Cup medal as he played in the final when Real Madrid beat Gijon 2–1, but it was a depressing campaign for him. For the next season, with Real Madrid signing Johnny Metgod to join Uli Stielike
as the 2 permitted foreigners, Cunningham spent most of the 1982/3 season on the sidelines, until joining Manchester United on loan in April 1983, reuniting with Ron Atkinson
.
The loan move wasn't a great success (5 appearances, 1 goal), and Cunningham returned to Real Madrid, where he was promptly loaned out to Sporting Gijon for the 1983/4 season. In Gijon (under his old real Madrid manager Vujadin Boškov
), he got to play in the most number of league games since his West Brom days, but was clearly no longer the same player, his pace having deteriorated, as his injuries took their toll. On completion of his loan, Real Madrid decided to write him off and he went to Olympique Marseille in France on a free transfer.
Cunningham was only to remain in France for one (semi impressive) season in 1984/5, before heading back to England to join Leicester City. Like his last sojourn in England, again this was an unimpressive stay, effectively playing only half a season due to yet more injury. At the end of this 1985/6 season, Cunningham went back to Spain to play in the 2nd tier for Rayo Vallecano
, enjoying his best season since his hey day, managing 37 games in this 1986/7 season. Buoyed by this, he managed to secure a financially rewarding move to Charleroi
in Belgium for the 1987/8 campaign, but was yet again struck down by injury, and in the new year was back in England on a short term deal with Wimbledon
, where he managed to help the Dons beat Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup Final, finally avenging his defeat against Liverpool in the European Cup Final 7 years earlier.
After sharing in that glory, Cunningham again headed back to Spain and Rayo Vallecano for the 1988/9 season, enjoying an Indian summer and the season was topped off by scoring the goal that secured their promotion to the Primera Liga.
Laurie Cunningham was killed in a car crash in Madrid
on the morning of 15 July 1989. He was 33. He left behind his Spanish wife and their one child, a son.
In 2004 he was named as one of West Bromwich Albion's 16 greatest players, in a poll organised as part of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations.
|1974–75
||rowspan="3"|Leyton Orient
||rowspan="3"|Second Division
||17||1||||||||||||||||
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|1975–76
||34||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1976–77
||24||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1976–77
||rowspan="3"|West Bromwich Albion
||rowspan="3"|First Division
||13||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1977–78
||33||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1978–79
||40||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1979–80
||rowspan="4"|Real Madrid
||rowspan="4"|La Liga
||29||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1980–81
||12||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1981–82
||3||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982–83
||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982–83
||Manchester United
||First Division
||5||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1983–84
||Sporting Gijón
||La Liga
||30||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1984–85
||Olympique Marseille
||Division 1
||30||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1985–86
||Leicester City
||First Division
||15||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1986–87
||Rayo Vallecano
||Segunda División
||37||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1987–88
||Wimbledon
||First Division
||6||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1987–88
||Charleroi
||First Division||1||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1988–89
||Rayo Vallecano
||Segunda División
||19||1||||||||||||||||
187||39||||||||||||||||
130||20||||||||||||||||
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Wimbledon
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
footballer. When he joined Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, he became the first English player in the club's history.
He was also the first black player to represent England at any level (under 21), and the first to represent the full England side in a competitive match.
Life
Born in Archway, London, Cunningham started in schoolboy football and was turned down by ArsenalArsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
before joining Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
in 1974. He joined West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
in 1977, where, under manager Johnny Giles
Johnny Giles
Michael John "Johnny" Giles is a former association footballer and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s...
, he teamed up with another black player, Cyrille Regis
Cyrille Regis
Cyrille Regis, MBE is a French-born English former footballer. His professional playing career spanned 19 years, where he made 610 league appearances and scored 159 league goals, most prolifically at West Bromwich Albion and Coventry City.-Early life:Regis was born in Maripasoula, French Guiana,...
, and the following year (under Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
) with Brendon Batson
Brendon Batson
Brendon Martin Batson, MBE is an English former association footballer.Born in St. George's, Grenada, Batson's family moved to England when he was nine. Until then he had never even seen a game of football and a teacher at this school, on watching his early efforts and reflecting on his birthplace...
. This was the first time an English team simultaneously fielded three black players, and Atkinson collectively referred to Cunningham, Batson and Regis as 'The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group. Formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,, the group has always been a trio though there have been a number of personnel changes and a total of fourteen women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney,...
' after the legendary U.S. soul singing trio.
West Bromwich Albion became one of the most attractive and exciting English sides in the late 1970s and Cunningham soon attracted attention. He became the first black player to wear an England shirt at any level in England under-21s
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
' friendly against Scotland
Scotland national under-21 football team
The Scotland national under-21 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 21 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team....
at Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...
on 27 April 1977, scoring on his debut. He subsequently earned a full England cap, making his debut against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
in a Home International on 23 May 1979. Although Viv Anderson
Viv Anderson
Vivian Alexander "Viv" Anderson MBE is an English football player and coach, who played for clubs including Nottingham Forest, Arsenal, Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday in the 1970s and 1980s...
had made his England debut in a friendly six months previously and thus was the first black player to play for the senior England team, Cunningham was the first black player to play in a competitive England match. In June 1979, Cunningham gained his 2nd and 3rd caps, against Sweden and Austria respectively.
In the summer of 1979 he made a historic move as the first British player to transfer to Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, for £950,000. According to legend, Real Madrid had first really become aware of Cunningham after his brilliant performance against Valencia in the UEFA Cup in 1979. Knowing this, Cunningham made his way to the Bernabeu in the off season, and asked if they'd like to sign him, thus getting the ball rolling with the negotiations at Ron Atkinson's house.
Playing for Real Madrid in the 1979/80 season, Cunningham started off well, scoring twice on his league debut against Valencia (and setting up the other goal in the 3–1 win), and also scoring against Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
at the Bernabeu. In one of his most memorable performances, he inspired a 2–0 victory for Real in the reverse fixture at Camp Nou
Camp Nou
Camp Nou , sometimes called "the Nou Camp" in English, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium, located in the west of the city, has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957....
, terrorising the Barcelona back line and even earning a standing ovation from the home fans. As well as his impressive league form, he was scoring important goals and performing well in Europe, as Real Madrid powered their way to the European Cup semi finals, where despite Cunningham's impressive goal in Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
, they lost 5–3 on aggregate to Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
's side.
Unfortunately, though he played against Éire in England's last Euro 1980 qualifier in February 1980, his performances often went unnoticed back in England, and he was regularly overlooked by Ron Greenwood – even in a March 1980 prestige friendly against his adopted country, Spain, he was only brought on as a substitute against the hosts in a 2–0 England win – but Cunningham had to shoulder some of the responsibility, as he failed to secure an International Release clause in his lucrative contract, and Real prevented him from joining the England squad on a number of occasions.
At the end of a successful first season with Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, winning the double and becoming Real's 3rd highest scorer that season, Cunningham was surprisingly omitted from Greenwood's Euro 1980 squad. He seemed to be a pawn in a power struggle between England and Real Madrid, with Greenwood later explaining that he was unable to call up Cunningham due to the late scheduling of the Spanish Cup Final – although Tony Woodcock
Tony Woodcock
Anthony Stewart "Tony" Woodcock is a retired English international footballer who played professionally in both England and Germany as a striker. He won the European Cup in 1979 with Nottingham Forest.-Early career:...
(then of 1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....
) was also only up for release at the same time due to his own domestic cup final, yet he joined the Euro 1980 squad.
Shrugging off this disappointment and back at Real Madrid, Cunningham began the 1980/1 season well, and was again called up for England (after bitter negotiations with Real Madrid) for the 1982 World Cup Qualifier against Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, only to be an unused sub as England won 4–0. In the next qualifier against Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, he came off the bench but was unable to help England avoid a 2–1 defeat. This was to be his last England cap. Back with Real Madrid, his early season form was good again scoring goals in the early rounds of the European Cup, but then he succumbed to injury, and required an operation on a broken toe.
This toe saga was to sour his relations with Real, as he was heavily fined and ostracised for celebrating the success of the operation at a disco. His recovery was set back due to aggravating the injury at yet another disco, and also again due to a tough training ground challenge. Cunningham developed a playboy reputation, and was heavily criticised in the Spanish press, together with his long time girlfriend Nicky Brown. Many speculated at this stage in his career, Cunningham was more interested in his hobbies of architecture, fashion, disco dancing and fast cars than he was in playing football for Real Madrid.
Cunningham recovered just in time for the 1981 European Cup Final
1981 European Cup Final
The 1981 European Cup Final was an association football match between Liverpool of England and Real Madrid of Spain on 27 May 1981 at the Parc des Princes, Paris, France. It was the final match of the 1980–81 season of Europe's premier cup competition, the European Cup. Liverpool were appearing in...
against Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in Paris, and though he was clearly not match fit, played the whole match (with some exciting bursts of play), as Real Madrid lost 1–0. During pre season training for the 1981/2 season, Cunningham's injury jinx continued, as a thigh injury kept him out of the majority of the season (only 3 goalless appearances in the league), his only real noteworthy contribution was in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
quarter final tie against Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
.
In the first leg, Cunningham showed that he wasn't quite over the hill with a goal and great performance in Real Madrid's 3–1 win. In the 2nd leg, however, he was sent off shortly before half time for retaliation, as Kaiserslatern won 5–0 to inflict Real Madrid's worst ever result in European competition. Prior to this tie, a finally fit Cunningham had been summoned up for England duty again, but this would be the last time he made an England squad. Cunningham won a 2nd Spanish Cup medal as he played in the final when Real Madrid beat Gijon 2–1, but it was a depressing campaign for him. For the next season, with Real Madrid signing Johnny Metgod to join Uli Stielike
Uli Stielike
Ulrich "Uli" Stielike is a German football manager and former player.-Club career:Stielike was a West Germany youth international for hometown club SpVgg Ketsch when he got signed by UEFA Cup runner-up Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1973, first coming to action as a full back for the then two times...
as the 2 permitted foreigners, Cunningham spent most of the 1982/3 season on the sidelines, until joining Manchester United on loan in April 1983, reuniting with Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
.
The loan move wasn't a great success (5 appearances, 1 goal), and Cunningham returned to Real Madrid, where he was promptly loaned out to Sporting Gijon for the 1983/4 season. In Gijon (under his old real Madrid manager Vujadin Boškov
Vujadin Boškov
Vujadin Boškov is a retired Serbian football player and coach.Boškov was born in the village of Begeč near Novi Sad, Danube Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia). He played with FK Vojvodina for most of his career...
), he got to play in the most number of league games since his West Brom days, but was clearly no longer the same player, his pace having deteriorated, as his injuries took their toll. On completion of his loan, Real Madrid decided to write him off and he went to Olympique Marseille in France on a free transfer.
Cunningham was only to remain in France for one (semi impressive) season in 1984/5, before heading back to England to join Leicester City. Like his last sojourn in England, again this was an unimpressive stay, effectively playing only half a season due to yet more injury. At the end of this 1985/6 season, Cunningham went back to Spain to play in the 2nd tier for Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D., often abbreviated to Rayo, is a Spanish football team based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas...
, enjoying his best season since his hey day, managing 37 games in this 1986/7 season. Buoyed by this, he managed to secure a financially rewarding move to Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
in Belgium for the 1987/8 campaign, but was yet again struck down by injury, and in the new year was back in England on a short term deal with Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
, where he managed to help the Dons beat Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup Final, finally avenging his defeat against Liverpool in the European Cup Final 7 years earlier.
After sharing in that glory, Cunningham again headed back to Spain and Rayo Vallecano for the 1988/9 season, enjoying an Indian summer and the season was topped off by scoring the goal that secured their promotion to the Primera Liga.
Laurie Cunningham was killed in a car crash in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
on the morning of 15 July 1989. He was 33. He left behind his Spanish wife and their one child, a son.
In 2004 he was named as one of West Bromwich Albion's 16 greatest players, in a poll organised as part of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations.
Career statistics
|-|1974–75
The Football League 1974-75
-Overview:The 1974–1975 season was the 75th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:David Mackay guided Derby County to their second league title in four years having overcome strong competition from Liverpool, Ipswich Town, Everton, Stoke City, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough in...
||rowspan="3"|Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
||rowspan="3"|Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||17||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1975–76
The Football League 1975-76
-Overview:The 1975–1976 season was the 76th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Liverpool won their first major trophy under Bob Paisley by narrowly winning the league title after heated competition from Queens Park Rangers. They also lifted the UEFA Cup for the second time in...
||34||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1976–77
The Football League 1976-77
-Overview:The 1976–1977 season was the 77th completed season of The Football League.As of this season, goal difference was used to separate the clubs finishing level on points. The earlier system, used from the season 1894–95 until the 1975–76 had been the so-called goal average , or more properly...
||24||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1976–77
The Football League 1976-77
-Overview:The 1976–1977 season was the 77th completed season of The Football League.As of this season, goal difference was used to separate the clubs finishing level on points. The earlier system, used from the season 1894–95 until the 1975–76 had been the so-called goal average , or more properly...
||rowspan="3"|West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
||rowspan="3"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||13||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1977–78
The Football League 1977-78
-Overview:The 1977–1978 season was the 78th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest side took on the First Division by storm, by winning the League Cup on 22 March and confirming themselves as league champions the following month...
||33||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1978–79
The Football League 1978-79
-Overview:The 1978–1979 season was the 79th completed season of The Football League.-First Division:Bob Paisley won his third league title at Liverpool as his conquering side fought off competition from the likes of Nottingham Forest and West Bromwich Albion to achieve their triumph...
||40||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1979–80
La Liga 1979-80
La Liga 1979-80 season, the 49th since its establishment, started on September 8, 1979 and finished on May 18, 1980.It was composed of the following clubs:-Final table:1 Qualify for Cup Winners' Cup as holders....
||rowspan="4"|Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
||rowspan="4"|La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||29||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1980–81
La Liga 1980-81
La Liga 1980-81 season, the 50th since its establishment, started on September 6, 1980 and finished on April 26, 1981. It was composed of the following clubs:-Final table:-Results table:...
||12||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1981–82
La Liga 1981-82
La Liga 1981-82 season, the 51st since its establishment, started on September 19, 1981 and finished on April 25, 1982. It was composed of the following clubs:-Final table:1 Qualify for Cup Winners' Cup as holders.-Results table:...
||3||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982–83
La Liga 1982-83
La Liga 1982-83 season, the 52nd since its establishment, started on September 4, 1982 and finished on May 1, 1983. It was composed of the following clubs:-Final table:-Results table:...
||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982–83
The Football League 1982-83
-Overview:The 1982–1983 season was the 83rd completed season of The Football League.- First Division:Bob Paisley’s last season as Liverpool manager ended on a high as they topped the First Division with a comfortable lead. Bob Paisley retired as Liverpool manager with a record 21 prizes in nine...
||Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
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|1983–84
La Liga 1983-84
La Liga 1983-84 season, the 53rd since its establishment, started on September 3, 1983 and finished on April 29, 1984. It was composed of the following clubs:-Final table:-Results table:...
||Sporting Gijón
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
||La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
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|1984–85
French football Division 1 1984-85
Girondins de Bordeaux won Division 1 season 1984/1985 of the French Association Football League with 59 points.-Participating teams:-Final table:...
||Olympique Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
||Division 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
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|1985–86
The Football League 1985-86
-Overview:The 1985–1986 season was the 86th completed season of the The Football League.-Final league tables and results :The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at the website, with home and away statistics separated.Re-election: During the first five seasons...
||Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
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|1986–87
Segunda División 1986-87
The 1986–87 Segunda División season saw 18 teams participate in the second flight Spanish league.It was the longest season ever in Spanish football. The league was reduced to 18 teams and had two phases. In the first one all 18 teams played each other twice...
||Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D., often abbreviated to Rayo, is a Spanish football team based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas...
||Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
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|1987–88
The Football League 1987-88
The 1987–1988 season was the 88th completed season of the The Football League.-First Division:Liverpool won the league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season...
||Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
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|1987–88
Belgian First Division 1987-88
-Overview:It was performed in 18 teams, and Club Brugge K.V. won the championship. And demotion of K.A.A. Gent, Racing Jet de Bruxelles was decided.-League standings:-Topscorers:...
||Charleroi
R. Charleroi S.C.
Sporting du Pays de Charleroi is a Belgian football club based in the city of Charleroi, in the province of Hainaut. Charleroi plays in the Belgian Pro League and their current spell at the highest level in Belgian football has started in the 1985–86 season...
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|1988–89
Segunda División 1988-89
The 1988-89 Segunda División season saw 20 teams participate in the second flight Spanish league. CD Castellón, Rayo Vallecano, CD Tenerife and RCD Mallorca were promoted to Primera División...
||Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D., often abbreviated to Rayo, is a Spanish football team based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas...
||Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
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Honours
Real MadridReal Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
- La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
winner – 1980 - Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
winner – 1980 and 1981
Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
- F.A. Cup winner – 1988FA Cup Final 1988The 1988 FA Cup Final took place on 14 May 1988 at Wembley Stadium. It was contested between Wimbledon, unfashionable and unfancied, and Liverpool, one of the dominant teams of the 1980s and newly-crowned league champions....