Peter Broadbent (footballer)

Peter Broadbent
Personal information
Full name Peter Frank Broadbent[1]
Date of birth (1933-05-15)15 May 1933
Place of birth Elvington, England
Date of death 1 October 2013(2013-10-01) (aged 80)[1]
Place of death Himley, England
Position(s) Inside forward
Youth career
1948–1950 Dover
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1950–1951 Brentford 16 (2)
1951–1965 Wolverhampton Wanderers 452 (127)
1965–1966 Shrewsbury Town 69 (7)
1966–1969 Aston Villa 64 (2)
1969–1970 Stockport County 31 (1)
1970–1971 Bromsgrove Rovers 19 (17)
Total 651 (156)
International career
1954 England U23 1 (0)
1956 England B 1 (0)
1958 Football League XI 1 (1)
1958–1960 England 7 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Peter Frank Broadbent (15 May 1933 – 1 October 2013) was an English footballer. He won major domestic honours with Wolverhampton Wanderers and played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup.

Career

In his autobiography, George Best said he was a Wolves fan and that Broadbent was the player he most admired;[2] the pair became friends in later life.[3] Alex Ferguson also stated that, during his youth, Broadbent had been his favourite player.[4]

Broadbent started his career with non-league Dover FC until he was signed by Brentford. He only spent a short time there before he was snapped up by Wolves, one of the top sides in the English league at the time, in February 1951 for a £10,000 fee.[5] He would remain at the Black Country club for the next 14 years, scoring well over 100 goals and winning three league titles and an FA Cup,[6] as well as being capped seven times at the highest level by England.[7] He played his last Football League game in April 1970 for Stockport County.[8]

Personal life

Broadbent attended school in Deal.[5] After his retirement from football, he ran a babywear shop in Halesowen with his wife Shirley.[5] They later settled in Codsall.[5] In April 2007, it was reported that Broadbent, now in his 74th year, was suffering from Alzheimer's disease, which had become evident in his mid-60s and was living in a care home near Wolverhampton.[9] On 1 October 2013 he died, aged 80, having suffered from Alzheimer's for some 15 years.[10]

Honours

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Individual

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Peter Broadbent". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  2. ^ Best, George (2002). Blessed: The Autobiography. Ebury Press. ISBN 0-09-188470-5.
  3. ^ "Tributes as Peter Broadbent remembered". Shropshire Star. 1 October 2013.
  4. ^ "Former Shrewsbury Town and Wolves star Peter Broadbent dies, aged 80". Shropshire Star. 1 October 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d "Peter Broadbent | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Club | Golden Oldies | Golden Oldies". Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Brentford FC Familiar Faces: Wolverhampton Wanderers". Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  7. ^ a b "England Players – Peter Broadbent". www.englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  8. ^ Watts, Ian. "Peter Broadbent County Record". gogogocounty.org. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  9. ^ "Peter was the Ronaldo of his day... but Alzheimer's has robbed him of every memory". Sunday Mercury. 15 April 2007.
  10. ^ "Peter Broadbent: Ex-Wolves and Aston Villa forward dies aged 80". BBC Sport. 1 October 2013.
  11. ^ Vernon, Leslie; Rollin, Jack (1977). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1977–78. London: Brickfield Publications Ltd. p. 490. ISBN 0354 09018 6.
  12. ^ "| Wolverhampton Wanderers FC". Retrieved 28 August 2017.

Written works

  • Matthews, Tony (2008). Wolverhampton Wanderers: The Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-632-3.