Newcastle, Liverpool and England forward, and the thinking man's number ten
FootballPeter Beardsley was the kind of footballer that opposition supporters begrudgingly applauded. Small, quick-witted, and blessed with a footballing intelligence that seemed to see two passes ahead of everyone else, he played as if the game were a conversation and he was always the best listener.
He won 59 caps for England between 1986 and 1996, scoring nine international goals and playing at two World Cups and one European Championship. At club level he is revered on Tyneside, where he came through at Newcastle United, returned twice more in his career, and left as a bona fide club legend. In between he won two First Division titles at Liverpool under Kenny Dalglish, finishing as a key creative force in one of the finest sides the English top flight had produced.
Beardsley's signature move was the feint, the drop of the shoulder, the pass he seemed to dig out from nowhere. Off the pitch he was known as one of the most modest and down-to-earth players of his generation, never comfortable with the spotlight his ability kept pointing at him. A much-loved figure in football's heartlands, especially in the north-east of England.
After retiring he moved into coaching and development work at Newcastle. Today he is in quieter waters, still a recognised face at St James' Park and a welcome presence on the speaking circuit for anyone who lived through the football of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
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