BOLTON Wanderers and Wolverhampton said he was too small to make it as a professional, but for Alan Ball those words of discouragement proved to be the catalyst for a glorious career.

The youngest member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning team, Ball shrugged off those early rejections to become one of the finest midfielders of his era with Blackpool, Everton, Arsenal and Southampton.

Four weeks ago, I was lucky enough to talk with Alan in what proved to be one of his final interviews.

Sitting alongside fellow World Cup hero Jack Charlton and chatting casually to former Wanderers and Everton player Peter Reid, Ball was one of the footballing luminaries present at a gala dinner at the Reebok Stadium to raise money for former professional footballers.

Ball was at his bubbly best, having cheered the large crowd with tales of Sir Alf Ramsey's Wingless Wonders.

"I had nowhere to go at 15 or 16 when they said I was too small to make it as a footballer," Ball explained, in the Lancastrian falsetto tone which became as famous as his flame-coloured hair during his 21-year career.

"I was devastated. But my dad told me that I would have to go and do it myself.

"He told me never to accept second best. And I didn't.

"Bolton rejected me and Ernie Machin and signed Gordon Taylor. They knew a lot didn't they?"

Ball spoke further about the huge impact his father, also called Alan, had on his footballing career.

"Every time I came up against a difficult situation during my career I just remembered what my dad had told me," he said.

"I had to work hard because I didn't have the skills of Bobby Charlton or the physical size of Jack.

"But all along the encouragement of my father spurred me on."

At the time of the interview, England's current side had limped to a 3-0 victory over minnows Andorra.

Ball responded with a wry smile when asked how the team would fare against the 1966 side, but recalled how the 1970 team struggled for form after being beaten by West Germany in Mexico.

"When we came back from that tournament, the whole experience had a massive impact on us," Ball said.

"The way we lost against Germany knocked the stuffing out of us, and it is the same for the team of today - they had Portugal on the ropes only to lose on penalties.

"Most of us suffered for club form after the World Cup and the same thing is happening to the team at the moment."

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