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Ray Wilkins

Ray Wilkins

Raymond Colin Wilkins, born London, England, September 14, 1956. Ray “Butch” Wilkins started his career as an apprentice at Chelsea under Dave Sexton and was handed his First Division debut in a convincing 3–0 win against Norwich City at Stamford Bridge on the 26th of October 1973. He rapidly established himself as a regular first teamer and went on to become the club´s youngest ever captain when he replaced Ron Harris at the age of 18.

Consistently possessing the necessary competitive imperative, Ray Wilkins was an admired and respected leader among his peers who led his Chelsea teammates to promotion to the First Division in 1976-77. But when The Blues were relegated to the Second Division in 1979, former Stamford Bridge boss Dave Sexton finally succeeded in bringing sought after midfield ace to Manchester United. Following several months of speculation in the press, Wilkins agreed to join United for a transfer fee of around £875,000 at the beginning of the 1979-80 season and the twenty-two-year-old player quickly established himself in the first team. A composed and intelligent playmaker, he made his competitive debut for Manchester United in a 1–1 First Division draw against Southampton at The Dell on the opening day of the 1979–80 campaign and went on to net his first goal for The Reds in a comprehensive 4–0 First Division triumph over Stoke City at Old Trafford on the 29th of September 1979. The defensive midfielder soon developed into a key player and managed to make 42 first team appearances for United during his inaugural season where the Old Trafford side were genuine title contenders for most of the campaign, but had to settle for the runners-up spot behind North West rivals Liverpool. And despite the fact that Sexton´s Manchester United team did manage to qualify for the 1980–81 UEFA Cup, neither the club´s board of directors nor the supporters were content with the lack of trophies.

After Dave Sexton eventually was replaced by former West Bromwich Albion manager Ron Atkinson in 1981, Ray Wilkins would play three seasons under “Big Ron” and he was a member of the Manchester United side that won the FA Cup in 1983 and the FA Charity Shield the same year. The Londoner managed to score one of his rare goals for United when he put his team 2–1 up during their 2–2 draw against Jimmy Melia´s Brighton and Hove Albion in the 1983 FA Cup Final and he received an FA Cup winners’ medal after a 4–0 trashing of The Seagulls in the replay. At the end of the 1983-84 campaign, however, Wilkins joined Italian Serie A team AC Milan for an estimated transfer fee of around £1.5 million, but he found it hard to adapt to the Italian game and eventually moved on to French League One outfit Paris Saint-Germain at the start of the 1987-88 season. Then, following a comparatively short stay at Parc des Princes, he decided to sign on for Glasgow Rangers with whom he won the Scottish Football League title in 1988-89 and 1989-90 and the Scottish Football League Cup in 1989. The workaholic performer would later appear for Queens Park Rangers, Crystal Palace, Wycombe Wanderers, Hibernian, Millwall, and finally Leyton Orient where he finished his active playing career in 1997. On the international stage, he was picked for his England debut in a 3–2 US Bicentennial Tournament triumph over Italy at Yankee Stadium in New York on the 28th of May 1976 and the much respected footballer went on to win an impressive total of 84 international full caps for his native country. A deep thinker on and off the field, he was also widely known for his excellent reading of the game as well as his unique leadership abilities. Ray Wilkins Playing Career: Chelsea, Manchester United, Milan, Paris Saint-Germaine, Glasgow Rangers, Queens Park Rangers, Crystal Palace, Queens Park, Wycombe Wanderers, Hibernian, Millwall, Leyton Orient. Managing Career: Queens Park Rangers, Fulham, Chelsea , Watford, Chelsea, Fulham.