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Duncan Edwards: The world's first total footballer

Related Topics: Duncan Edwards, Matt Busby

It was 66 years ago today when Duncan Edwards played his last match on English soil, a remarkable 5-4 thriller against Arsenal. Here we pay tribute to a player, team-mate and timeless Reds icon…

What made Duncan Edwards great was not the power of his shooting or the accuracy of his passing. Nor was it his strength in the tackle, ability to win the ball in the air, or even the extraordinary speed that enabled his 13-and-a-half-stone frame to glide from one end of the field to the other, seemingly without leaving a footprint.

What made Edwards great was his ability to string all these skills together, often in a single passage of play, minute after minute, week after week, game after game.