Albert Scanlon facts for kids
 |
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Albert Joseph Scanlon | ||
| Date of birth | 10 October 1935 | ||
| Place of birth | Hulme, Manchester, England | ||
| Date of death | 22 December 2009 (aged 74) | ||
| Place of death | Pendleton, Salford, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Playing position | Outside left | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Manchester United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1954–1960 | Manchester United | 115 | (34) |
| 1960–1962 | Newcastle United | 22 | (5) |
| 1962–1963 | Lincoln City | 47 | (11) |
| 1963–1966 | Mansfield Town | 108 | (21) |
| 1966 | Belper Town | ||
| Total | 292 | (71) | |
|
|||
Albert Joseph Scanlon (born October 10, 1935 – died December 22, 2009) was a talented English footballer. He started his career playing for Manchester United. Albert was one of the famous "Busby Babes" team. He was also one of the players who survived the terrible Munich air disaster in 1958. Even though he was badly hurt, he got better. He then continued to play professional football for other teams. These included Newcastle United, Lincoln City, and Mansfield Town. After that, he played for non-league teams until he stopped playing football.
Contents
Albert Scanlon's Early Life
Albert Scanlon was born in Hulme, Manchester, England. His uncle, Charlie Mitten, was also a famous winger for Manchester United. Albert went to St Wilfred's School in Hulme. People noticed his football skills very early on. He was chosen to play for the Manchester Boys team. In 1950, he joined the groundstaff at Manchester United. This means he helped out around the club. He then signed a professional contract in December 1952. This made him a full-time football player.
Playing for Manchester United
Albert Scanlon worked his way up through the youth teams at Manchester United. He helped his team win the FA Youth Cup twice. They won in 1953 and again in 1954. His first game for the main team was against Arsenal on November 20, 1954.
Scanlon was part of the team that won the league title in 1956 and 1957. However, he did not play enough games to get a winner's medal himself. During this time, David Pegg was usually the team's main left winger. Albert sometimes played as a right winger. This was normally the position of Johnny Berry.
On February 5, 1958, Albert started a big game. It was a European Cup quarter-final match against Red Star Belgrade. For five of the players in that game, it was their last time playing for the club. The very next day, the team's plane crashed. This happened while they were trying to take off from Munich airport. This sad event is known as the Munich air disaster. The crash killed 23 people on the plane. Albert Scanlon was badly hurt. He suffered a fractured skull, a broken leg, and kidney damage. He could not play football for the rest of that season.
But Albert made a full recovery! He was back playing at the start of the next season, 1958–59. He played in every game that season. He even scored 16 goals, which was a great achievement.
Later Football Career
In November 1960, Albert Scanlon was sold to Newcastle United for £18,000. But his time there was not very successful. So, in February 1962, he moved to a lower-level team, Lincoln City.
Just over a year later, in April 1963, he moved again. He joined Mansfield Town. He arrived just in time to celebrate with the club. They had just been promoted to the Third Division. Two years later, Mansfield almost got promoted to the Second Division. They finished third in Division Three. But the next season, they dropped to 19th place. Albert then stopped playing league football. In 1966, he joined Belper Town. He retired from football soon after that.
Later Years and Passing
After he stopped playing football, Albert Scanlon went back to the Manchester area. He worked in different jobs outside of football. For example, he was a security guard at a Colgate-Palmolive factory. This factory was near Old Trafford, the famous football stadium. He also worked as a docker in Salford, helping to load and unload ships.
In 2006, Albert Scanlon spoke about a TV show called Surviving Disaster. The show was about the Munich air disaster. Albert said there were some "inaccuracies" in the episode. This was even though the people making the show had talked to him.
On May 13, 2007, Albert Scanlon had a special moment. He presented the Premier League trophy to Manchester United. He did this with his former teammate, Bill Foulkes.
In May 2008, he went to Moscow to watch United play in the Champions League final. United won the game. Albert was flown to Russia on a private jet. He went with fellow Munich survivors Bobby Charlton and Harry Gregg. Bill Foulkes, another survivor, was also there.
Albert Scanlon was admitted to the Salford Royal Hospital on October 21, 2009. He had kidney problems and pneumonia. He was in intensive care for over a month. He sadly passed away on December 22, 2009, at the age of 74. His funeral was held on January 13, 2010. More than 300 people came to the service. It was at All Souls' Church in Weaste. Many famous people attended. These included fellow Munich survivors Bobby Charlton, Harry Gregg, and Bill Foulkes. Former Manchester United players Denis Law and Nobby Stiles were also there.
