Welcome to a new series of articles from Last Word on Football. In this series, we look back and celebrate just some of the greatest footballers of all time. Today, in part one, we look back to those players who delighted crowds before the outbreak of World War One.
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Greatest Footballers of All Time: Part One, Pre World War One
G.O. Smith
Often referred to as the first great centre forward, Smith did not play for a team known to fans today; however, he is still regarded as one of the greatest of his time. Unlike other forwards of his day, Smith was considered an all-round forward who could score and create goals. Today, he would be considered more of a false nine than an out and out striker.
Although he would only ever play at an amateur level, he was still regarded as an exceptional striker, scoring 174 goals in 166 games for Corinthians and Casuals FC.
Despite his amateur status, Smith was still considered good enough to play for and captain England between 1896 and 1901, scoring 11 goals, including a five-minute hat-trick against the Republic of Ireland.
Steve Bloomer
Steve Bloomer is a Derby County legend and there is not only a statue of him at Pride Park but a song is still sung at each game in honour of him. 332 goals over two spells, the first beginning in 1891 for the Rams and another 28 goals in 23 appearances for England makes it little wonder why Bloomer is in the Football Hall of Fame.
Arguably one of the game’s first superstars, Bloomer was top scorer for Derby for 14 consecutive seasons, including 17 hat-tricks. He would play until he was forty before coaching across Europe.
Ned Doig
Doig was popularly referred to as ‘The Prince of Goalkeepers’ in a team known as ‘The Team of All Talents’. At Sunderland, he would play over 400 games and win four league titles between 1890 and 1904. Although the game may not be the same as it is today, these stats are impressive no matter what the era.
He would move to Liverpool at the age of 37 for a fee of £150 and would play until he was 41, helping the Reds win promotion. He was and still is Liverpool’s oldest-ever player. Upon retirement, the Scotsman had played over 1000 games, setting a 19th-century world record in the process by not conceding any goals in 87 of his 290 top-division appearances.
Johnny Campbell
Arguably the greatest and most successful striker of the late 1800’s. Scotsman Campbell was the league’s top scorer for Sunderland in 1891-92, 92-93 and 94-95, won the league title three times and the Football World Championship when they defeated Hearts 5-3 to be crowned Champions of the World. Campbell also won several cups in Scotland and another World Championship.
A quick striker with a bullet of a shot, Campbell was a feared player amongst opposition defenders not only for his goalscoring ability but also due to his ability to give as good as he got in the much more physical game of that era despite his 5ft 9in frame.
He played 215 games for Sunderland, scoring 154 goals and is still regarded as one of their greatest-ever strikers.
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Billy Meredith
A winger known for his skill, trickery, mazy runs, precise crossing and goalscoring makes him one of the greats of the game. The original Welsh Wizard, Meridith, played for both Manchester City and Manchester United and was a star for the Wales national side.
As captain of City, Meredith scored the only goal in the 1904 FA Cup Final, securing the club’s first major honour. Soon after, his first spell at City came to an end when he was banned for attempting to bribe an opposition player.
A move to United followed, where he would win two league titles and his second FA Cup. In 1921 he returned to City and would play to almost 50 years old. He retired as City’s, United’s and Wales’ oldest-ever player.
He made over 700 appearances for both Manchester clubs, scoring over 170 goals plus 11 goals in 48 games for Wales.
Bob Crompton
A one-club player, defender Crompton played 576 times for Blackburn Rovers between 1896 and 1920 and captained them to two league titles. The first name on the Rovers and England team sheet, Crompton was the first player to reach 25 caps for the Three Lions and his total of 41 was a record that lasted until 1952.
Crompton played with a future great Charlie Buchan for England in 1913 and in his autobiography he claimed that “Crompton was undoubtedly the outstanding fullback of his time. A commanding personality, he was the best kicker of a ball I ever ran across.”
Following his retirement from playing, Crompton went on to manage Blackburn, leading them to an FA Cup final win. He was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 2015 and was the first Rovers player and manager to enter their Hall of Fame in 2019
