Ray Wilkins dead: The former England captain’s five most memorable matches
Wilkins had a club career spanning nearly 700 matches and won 84 England caps
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Your support makes all the difference.Ray Wilkins, who has died aged 61 following a cardiac arrest, had a club career spanning nearly 700 matches and also won 84 England caps.
Wilkins suffered a fall last Wednesday after a cardiac arrest and was rushed to St George’s Hospital in Tooting Broadway, south-west London, and his family announced that he passed away on Wednesday morning after being treated for six days.
Here, we take a look back at some memorable games involving the tough-tackling midfielder.
Brighton 2 Manchester United 2, FA Cup final, May 1983
The gifted midfielder arrived at Old Trafford in an £825,000 deal and represented United for five years from 1979. The highlight of Wilkins' time there came in May 1983 at the end of a season in which he missed several games through injury.
The midfielder netted a stunning curling effort in the 2-2 FA Cup final draw against Brighton in 1983 and produced a sturdy display to help United win the replay 4-0.
England 0 Morocco 0, World Cup, June 1986
The midfielder was an impressive performer for his country, making 84 appearances of which he was captain for 10. Wilkins netted three goals and went to three World Cup finals, including the 1986 edition in Mexico when he was sent off against Morocco.
The midfielder became the first England player to be sent off at the World Cup after taking badly to an innocuous offside call and throwing the ball at referee Gabriel Gonzalez.
Rangers 5 Celtic 1, Scottish Premiership, August 1988
Wilkins is remembered fondly at Ibrox after a two-year stint in which he won the League Championship title and League Cup. The midfielder's match to remember for Rangers came 30 years ago as he helped humiliate bitter rivals Celtic.
Behind to an early goal, the Gers responded manfully as Wilkins sent in a cross that was eventually turned in before putting his side ahead in style with a stunning 20-yard volley. It is still cherished in the blue half of Glasgow.
Belgium 1 England 1, European Championships, June 1980
Before the red mist descended on Wilkins in Mexico, he grabbed the headlines on the back pages for a fine goal. England had qualified for the European Championships for the first time since 1968, after missing out on both the 1974 and 1978 World Cup finals, and faced Belgium in their opening match in Turin.
After 26 minutes Wilkins broke the deadlock with a moment of brilliance. From the edge of the penalty area, the midfielder chipped the ball over the static Belgian back line before coolly lobbing the keeper. Belgium, though, soon equalised and England went on to lose to hosts Italy and then Spain as they failed to progress beyond the group stage.
Manchester United 1 QPR 4, First Division, January 1992
While the hair may now have been thinning, Wilkins was still going strong as English football geared up for the new Premier League era. Despite QPR being unbeaten in six matches, little other than a comfortable home win for Sir Alex Ferguson, who had just celebrated turning 50, and his side was expected on New Year's Day.
The west London side, though, had other ideas, racing into a 2-0 lead. Dennis Bailey went on to score a hat-trick as United were booed off at full-time, while Wilkins celebrated a famous win for the Hoops in a match shown live on TV, with commentator Brian Moore hailing it "the most astonishing result of the season".
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