I'm a big football (soccer) fan and I've often wondered if the great players of the past could equal the ability of the new generation of footballers? Could Sir Stanley Matthews play alongside Lionel Messi or Christiano Ronaldo?
I didn't have the privilege of seeing him play, but from all that I've read and from the footage that I've looked at - I think the answer is yes!
He seems to have been an extraordinary player, fast, agile and incredibly fit. He played until he was 50 - that's right - 50 years old! And he said he probably gave up two years too early!
He was never booked, never dived and never argued with a referee. And he didn't get paid the millions that they get paid now! Believe me, watching England play last week against the Republic of Ireland, we could do with him nowadays!