Laurie Cunningham
Lawrence Paul " Laurie " Cunningham ( born March 8, 1956 in St. Mary's Archway, London, † July 15, 1989 in Madrid ) was an English football player and the first black player selection of an English national team.
Sports career
Cunningham joined the teenage second division FC Leyton on, after he had previously played in student teams. Early on he showed for its exceptional speed, that could be imminent as Erstligafußballer him a career and made not later than its second season in the first team as a whole by its versatility both in the game preparation as well as in Torabschluss a name.
In March 1977, he moved to the managed by Johnny Giles Erstligaaufsteiger West Bromwich Albion and stood with Cyrille Regis, and a year later with Brendon Batson - there under manager Ron Atkinson - with other dark-skinned teammates in a team, which had to this time of great scarcity value. For the first time were in an English professional football club three black players together on the court, you henceforth referred to as the " Three Degrees ".
At the end of the 1970s, the team played for West Bromwich Albion a very attractive and attacking style. The Cunningham mostly used as a right winger steered from March until the end of the season in 13 games six Goals, and was instrumental in helping the club finished the season on a good seventh place. Cunningham also drew attention to himself, as he is called in the English U-21 youth team and with his debut on 27 April 1977 against Scotland at Bramall Lane for the first dark-skinned English national football team. There he also achieved his first goal for England and later in his career, he should come to the six countries playing in the national team - his debut there, he announced on May 23, 1979 during the British Home Championship against Wales and was there also the first black English international player in a competitive match ( Viv Anderson had six months before debuting only in a friendly match ).
As the first British player Cunningham moved in the summer of 1979 for 995,000 pounds to the top Spanish club Real Madrid. Although he was able to not repeat the performance shown previously in England all, he was among supporters at a public favorite and there received the nickname "Black Flash" ( German: black flash ). He was able to record his first two major title wins in his first season by winning the " Doubles " from the Championship and the " Copa del Rey ". Disappointing, however, ended ended for Cunningham and junior national champion of European competition, in the semifinals of the Spanish representative for a 2-0 first-leg victory yet surprisingly clear defeated with 1:5 at Hamburger SV. A year later, Cunningham was again in the team, who moved up in the final against Liverpool, but there was defeated 0-1. More trophies should fail for Cunningham in Spain and the late phase of his Madrid- commitment was of a regular series of injury - and probably also the outside of the playing field widening conflicts of interest - overshadowed. In 1983, Real borrowed him briefly off at Manchester United. An additional check was previously for Cunningham that it England coach Ron Greenwood had not taken into account for the final tournament of the World Cup 1982.
Later career stations Cunningham were in Spain Sporting Gijon, the French club Olympique Marseille in England and Leicester City. After a two-year stay at the Belgian Sporting Charleroi he returned late in the season 1987/88 back to England for Wimbledon FC. There he was part of the famous " Crazy Gang ", which could defeat as an outsider the hot favorites Liverpool in the FA Cup final and came even as a substitute for the course. Later, he moved again to the Iberian Peninsula, where for one year acted for the also based in Madrid club Rayo Vallecano.
On July 15, Cunningham, died in Madrid after a car accident at the age of only 33 years.
Achievements
- Spanish Champion: 1980
- Spanish Cup winner: 1980
- FA Cup winner: 1988