How many league games did Stanley Matthews play before he retired from football aged 50?

gtho4

there may be two answers to this question, some records show appearances excluding those games in which he came on a substitute, other records show both as one figure .. that may explain the differences between these sites:- The greatest English football player of all time, Sir Stanley Matthews was the idol of the British game throughout the late 1940s and 50s. The speedy winger was renowned for his pace, dribbling, and his magnificent crosses. Perhaps his most famous match was the FA Cup Final in 1953. Blackpool, Matthews' team, were 3 - 1 down to arch-rivals, Bolton, with only 20 minutes to go. In what many now recognise as the greatest piece of footballing skill ever, he created all the chances for Stan Mortenson to score a hat-trick, resulting in a final score of 4 - 3 to Blackpool. Stanley Matthews racked up 710 league and 54 England appearances in his 33-year career, without ever being booked or sent off. He finally retired from professional football at the hearty age of fifty. www.rte.ie/news/archive/review2000/stanleymatthews.html Knighted in 1965, a month before his 50th birthday, Matthews altogether made 698 appearances in the Football League for 71 goals, and played 54 full internationals for England for 11 goals. In 1963, he had the great satisfaction of helping Stoke City regain the First Division. http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,140057,00.html Stanley Matthews career 54 England caps 710 Football League appearances Twice European Footballer of the Year Played top-flight football aged 50 years and five days http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/657880.stm 698+12 as substitute? Oct 27 02, 1:28 PM