Luther Blissett facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luther Loide Blissett | ||
| Date of birth | 1 February 1958 | ||
| Place of birth | Falmouth, Jamaica | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1974–1976 | Watford | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1975–1983 | Watford | 246 | (95) |
| 1983–1984 | A.C. Milan | 30 | (5) |
| 1984–1988 | Watford | 127 | (44) |
| 1988–1991 | Bournemouth | 121 | (56) |
| 1991–1993 | Watford | 42 | (9) |
| 1992 | → West Bromwich Albion (loan) | 3 | (1) |
| 1993–1994 | Bury | 10 | (1) |
| 1993 | → Derry City (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 1993–1994 | → Mansfield Town (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| 1994 | → Southport (loan) | 5 | (2) |
| 1994–1995 | Wimborne Town | ||
| 1995–1996 | Fakenham Town | ||
| 2007 | Chesham United | 2 | |
| International career | |||
| 1979 | England U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 1984 | England B | 1 | (0) |
| 1982–1984 | England | 14 | (3) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2006–2007 | Chesham United | ||
| 2016 | Burnham (caretaker) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Luther Loide Blissett (born 1 February 1958) is a famous former footballer and coach. He played as a striker and is best known for his time at Watford. He helped Watford climb from the Fourth Division to the First Division.
Blissett holds Watford's all-time records for most games played (503) and most goals scored (186). He also played for A.C. Milan in Italy and AFC Bournemouth. Blissett played 14 times for the England national team, scoring three goals in his very first game. After retiring from playing, he became a coach.
Since the mid-1990s, the name Luther Blissett has also been used as a pseudonym by many artists and activists.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting at Watford
Luther Blissett was born in Falmouth, Jamaica. He started his football journey at Watford as a young apprentice in 1974. He became a professional player for the 1975–76 season. In his first season, he played three games and scored one goal.
He truly became a key player under new manager Graham Taylor in the 1977–78 season. His six goals helped Watford get promoted to the Third Division. The next year, he scored 21 goals, helping the team get promoted again to the Second Division.
Blissett continued to be one of Watford's top goal scorers. In 1982, his 19 league goals helped Watford reach the First Division for the first time ever.
Top Scorer in the First Division
The 1982–83 season was amazing for Blissett and Watford. They surprised everyone by doing very well in the First Division. Watford even led the league for a short time. They finished second, right behind Liverpool, and qualified for the UEFA Cup. Blissett was the top goal scorer in the First Division that season with 27 goals.
Time in Italy with A.C. Milan
In June 1983, Blissett moved to A.C. Milan in Italy for £1 million. However, he did not have the same success there. He scored only five goals in 30 games.
There was a funny rumor that A.C. Milan thought they were buying his Watford teammate John Barnes. But a football journalist, Gabriele Marcotti, said this was not true. He explained that Blissett and Barnes looked very different. Also, Milan wanted a pure goal scorer, which Barnes was not at that time. Blissett once joked about not being able to find Rice Krispies in Italy. He later said this was just a funny answer to a silly question from a reporter.
Back to Watford
After just one season, Blissett was sold back to Watford for £550,000. While he was away, Watford had reached their first FA Cup final.
When Blissett returned, Watford did not have the same success as before. But they stayed in the First Division for four more seasons. Blissett scored 21 goals in his first season back. He also helped them reach the FA Cup semi-finals in 1986–87. Watford was relegated a year later, and Blissett scored only four league goals that season. He stayed with the club until November 1988.
Playing for Bournemouth
Blissett then joined AFC Bournemouth. He did very well there, scoring 19 goals in 30 league games in 1988–89. Bournemouth finished 10th in the Second Division. He scored 18 goals in 1989–90. However, Bournemouth was relegated to the Third Division that season. Blissett continued his good form, scoring 19 goals in 1990–91.
Later Career and Retirement
Blissett returned to Watford for a third time at the start of the 1991–92 season. He scored 10 goals that season. He later had short spells at other clubs. These included West Bromwich Albion, Bury, and Mansfield Town. He also played for Southport and Derry City. He finally stopped playing in 1995 after a season with Fakenham Town.
International Career
Even though Luther Blissett was born in Jamaica, he could play for England because he moved there when he was young. He played four games for the England under-21 team.
Blissett was one of the first black footballers to play for the senior England team. He made an amazing debut, scoring three goals in a 9–0 win against Luxembourg. This made him the first black player ever to score for England. He played for England 13 more times but did not score any more international goals.
Coaching and Other Work
Coaching Roles
Blissett returned to Watford as a coach in February 1996. He worked with manager Graham Taylor again. He left the club in June 2001 when a new manager, Gianluca Vialli, took over.
In May 2002, he became a coach at York City. On 15 February 2006, he was appointed manager of Chesham United. He even played two games for them as a substitute. He left Chesham in April 2007 to focus on a motorsport project. In 2010, he became a coach at Hemel Hempstead Town. In 2016, Blissett was the Director of Football at Burnham and briefly served as a caretaker manager.
Beyond Football
Blissett has also worked as a television expert for football shows. With fellow footballers John Barnes and Les Ferdinand, he started Team48 Motorsport. This team aimed to help young racing drivers from Afro-Caribbean backgrounds. In 2008, Blissett tried to enter a team into the British Touring Car Championship, but the project did not go ahead.
The football TV show Soccer AM on Sky Sports calls the area where fans sit the 'Luther Blissett Stand'. In 2011, Blissett took part in a celebrity motor race. He had a big crash but was not hurt. Since 2014, he has been racing an Alfa 156 in the BRSCC Alfashop Alfa Romeo Championship.
In June 2022, Blissett was honored with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award. This was for his services to football and charity. He was also given the Freedom of the Borough of Watford in March 2021. In July 2021, he became a Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire.
The "Luther Blissett Project"
Luther Blissett's name has been used by many people as a shared fake name, or nom de plume. This started in 1994 in Italy, likely because of his time playing for A.C. Milan. Artists, writers, and activists across Europe and South America have used the name for unusual performances, media hoaxes, and creating radical ideas.
In 1999, "Luther Blissett" was the author of a historical novel called Q. This book sold hundreds of thousands of copies in over ten languages.
On 30 June 2004, the real Luther Blissett appeared on a British TV sports show. He jokingly said he was part of the Luther Blissett Project himself. He read a sentence from one of their writings: "Anyone can be Luther Blissett simply by adopting the name Luther Blissett."
