He was just 33. Detectives had made arrests and interviewed suspects, but no one else had ever been charged with the killings. "The next second we'd hit a barrier and rolled over two or three times before skidding . Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The following season, Cunningham suffered a broken toe, a knee injury and several unsuccessful surgeries, but somehow still managed to start against Liverpool in the 1981 European Cup final. But injuries began to take their toll on Cunningham and without an agent or anyone to look after him the psychological knocks seemed to have as much of an affect as the physical ones. On the way home at 2am Laurie, who was driving a Renault 5 GTI, momentarily fell asleep at the wheel. He was 33. He also tells how a night out with best pal Laurie Cunningham almost ended in tragedy when the wizard winger took the wheel after boozing. Thirty years ago, in the early hours of 15 July 1989, England winger Laurie Cunningham died after a car accident on the northern outskirts of Madrid. Two years later, he became the first black player fielded by the English senior side in a competitive match (Viv Anderson had played earlier for England, but in a friendly). But what he did on the pitch, and the changes he helped bring about off it, left a lasting impact on the English game. Laurie had that mindset to be the very best in the world so we don't know what he could have achieved. At the end of the 198586 season, Cunningham went back to Spain to play for Rayo Vallecano in the second tier. Thats a football match, Moores father told him. [7], In the summer of 1979, he made a historic move as the first British player to transfer to Real Madrid, who paid West Bromwich Albion a fee of 950,000. Two weeks later, he scored again on his second appearance at the Bernabu, this time in a 3-1 defeat of eternal rivals, Barcelona. More than four years in the making by brothers Ben and Gabe Turner of production company Fulwell 73, it features contributions from Cunningham's family members, former team-mates including best friend Cyrille Regis and Brendan Batson and Spain manager Vicente del Bosque, a generation of black players including Ian Wright, John Barnes and Paul Ince, who remember him as their hero and, of course, Ron Atkinson, his manager at West Bromwich and United. People should be talking about what a fantastic football manager he was and the immense contribution he made to English football. Laurie was an fantastic player, a man with elegance and grace on the football pitch, Moore recalls. All Rights Reserved. Cunningham began the 198081 season with Real Madrid well, and was again called up for England for the 1982 World Cup Qualifier against Norway, only to be an unused sub as England won 40. His career became nomadic. "If you are used to producing 10/10 performances, it's hard to keep up those levels," conceded Regis. players, in a poll organised as part of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations. Cunningham's pace and exciting style of play drew favorable attention and he became the first black player to represent England at any level when he played for the under-21s in a 1977 friendly. Laurie Cunningham, (born March 8, 1956, London, Englanddied July 15, 1989, Madrid, Spain), professional football (soccer) player. A trailblazer, on and off the pitch. But few handled it better than Laurie did. Initially, life in Spain was good, with Madrid winning the League and Cup double, and reaching the 1981 European Cup final, where they lost to Liverpool. He had been discharged by the clubs doctor and didnt expect to be punished for spending his own time as he wished. Laurie Cunningham: 1956 1989 33 years English footballer car Renault 5 GTI Madrid, Spain Car collided with barrier and overturned. . He scored the goal that secured their promotion to the Primera Division.[4]. His wife, Ann, survived the crash. She helps clients develop business articles, blog posts, white papers, research reports, and books that establish them as thought leaders in their fields. The talented winger is fondly . Am I supposed to lock away the memories of all those good times because of that? But it was his 100,000 move to West Bromwich Albion in 1977 and subsequent England Under-21 debut that catapulted Cunningham into the national spotlight. Laurie Cunningham death. "He was saying how he was going to light up the Bernabeu next season and show Madrid what they had missed out on. Where Birmingham celebrities went to school - from Alison Hammond to Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Ozzy Osbourne, Cat Deeley - all schooled here, ITV Coronation Street star announces full-time return to soap - leaving fans delighted. 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 . ", Cunningham is remembered as one of West Brom's greatest players, The 1981 European Cup final was one of Cunningham's career highlights, Cunningham's style was in contrast to Wimbledon's approach, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. Laurie Cunningham achieved great things in his career under the most trying of circumstances. Earlier this year, on the 40th anniversary of that game, Spanish sport newspaper Diario AS ran an article on his performance. "It was a fantastic thing for him to achieve, to play for Real Madrid, but it was sad too because West Brom had a fantastic chemistry," added Regis. It was a period when there weren't many international signings and the club made a special effort financially to sign Laurie, to sign a star, because almost all the rest of us were from the youth team.". Collections; . Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment. "But talk to the second generation black players who came after us, people like Ian Wright, and they will say when they saw people like Laurie on the pitch, they thought 'if he can do that, then so can I'. Today, he is remembered as one of the finest players that England has ever . He was to win a total of six caps for England. Though he may never have reached the heights many predicted after those scintillating seasons at West Brom, Cunninghams true legacy came off the pitch with how he inspired and led a generation of Black footballers. ", Clubs Leyton Orient (1974-77), West Bromwich (1977-79), Real Madrid (1979-1984), Manchester United (1983, loan), Sporting Gijon (1983-84, loan), Marseilles (1984-85), Leicester City (1985-86), Rayo Vallecano (1986-87 and 1988-89), Charleroi (1987), Wimbledon (1988), Honours La Liga (1980), Copa del Rey (1980, 1981), FA Cup (1988), Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. [6], He subsequently earned a full England cap, making his debut against Wales in a Home International in 1979. Death of a Real pioneer. One or other of the young girls Samantha, nine and Syretta, seven is thought to have been woken by the noise. They became known as 'the Three Degrees' - a term coined by Atkinson in reference to the American soul group of the same name.[1]. Luckily for him, Spanish public television broadcast the UEFA Cup tie live. Get Albion manager latest, team news, match updates and analysis delivered straight to your inbox. Albion featured two other players of African descent, Brendan Batson and Cyrille Regis, and the three of them were known as the "Three Degrees." The presence of three black players on one . Laurie Cunningham former footballer from England Left Winger * Mar 8, 1956 in London, . [12] Another statue by Ibbeson was unveiled in West Bromwich town centre in May 2019. After four years at the Bernabeu, in 1983 Cunningham was reunited with Atkinson, now manager of Manchester United, when he went to Old Trafford on loan. Although he won trophies, received ovations and broke down barriers, nagging injuries and media pressure prevented him from becoming the superstar that his incredible talent deserved. And although a paltry six England caps would suggest Cunningham did not entirely fulfil his own promise, he left a legacy more enduring than only a list of statistics and memories. On the morning of July 15, 1989, Laurie Cunningham was killed in a car crash on the outskirts of Madrid. [1], In 1974 he was picked up by second tier side Orient where he remained for 3 years. Born in London, Cunningham signed his first professional contract with Leyton Orient. "When I was four, I found my mum and my sisters dead in our flat," she told the judge in a victim impact statement. British IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon died from injuries sustained in an horrific crash at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, race organizers said. Lauries time at Real Madrid was bittersweet. I looked at the football match as the pitch being a stage, where the 22 players were playing, Moore told CNN Sport. Regis, who had survived a similar car crash with Cunningham a few years earlier, was shaken to the core by his death. Graceful, balletic, smooth, he was everything the purist would want in a footballer. I used to go out there in the summer every year to spend a bit of time with him. After all, it was only about 20 years ago that all this was going on and if you look at countries like Italy it still is going on. He is known for 1988 Fa Cup Final - Wimbledon V Liverpool (1988) and First Among Equals: The Laurie Cunningham Story (2013). By then his legacy was already secure and, as Regis confirmed, his was a life and career that will never be forgotten. They were drowned and stabbed to prevent them from identifying the intruder. "That was the start of their demise. "Madrid viewed him as one of the most distinguished footballers in Europe. Darren Moore vividly recalls sitting at home as an eight-year-old, staring at the television in wide-eyed amazement. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Laurie Cunningham, the first man to play for both Manchester United and Real Madrid, had an incredible impact in Spain. Long-term partner Nicky Brown, who met Cunningham as a teenager on the dancefloors of north London, confesses that she ended up leaving Spain to escape the "goldfish bowl" his life became afterwards. For the next few years, Cunningham bounced from club to club, never spending more than a season with the same team. After leaving Madrid at the end of the 1982-83 season, the thoroughbred Cunningham began a spell as journeyman player, having short-term spells with a variety of teams around Europe before finally getting his chance in the FA Cup final - with, of all teams, the Crazy Gang of Wimbledon in 1988. Eventually a fee of 950,000 was agreed and, aged 22, Cunningham left the Hawthorns for Madrid. George Petchey, the manager who gave him his debut at 16, recalls telling his young protg to respond to having bananas hurled at him by supporters by simply handing them to the linesman, while former Orient team-mate Bobby Fisher remembers their Black Power salute to 10,000 Millwall supporters baying for blood after Cunningham scored the winner in the last minute at the Den.
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