Who were United’s best man-markers?
NOBBY STILES
The World Cup winner, who turned 78 this week, was a manager’s dream – give him an instruction and he would follow it to the letter. A selfless midfielder who had grit and tenacity in abundance, he could always be relied upon to carry out a job for the sake of the team.
One of his most famous marking jobs was on Eusebio, as he shackled the Portugal international in the 1966 World Cup semi-final at Wembley before getting the chance to do so again, two years later, in the European Cup final against Benfica at the same venue.
“I think Eusebio is scared stiff of Nobby’s reputation,”
claimed Paddy Crerand. “We played Benfica in Los Angeles in a friendly and Eusebio faked injury almost every time Nobby went near him.”
It is also worth remembering Stiles’s excellent handling of Real Madrid’s Amancio in the semi-finals of that competition.
