He’s the Fred Astaire of football

WE OLD pros like to talk about the magic moments. We like to reminisce about the best we played with and the best we played against. And after reading the stories about Jimmy Greaves from the fans and ex-players in the Daily Mail, I’d like to say something about the greatest goalscorer of my time. I’ve always put players into categories. There were the ‘wisnae-bads’ and I think I made that group. I wisnae bad. Then there were the very goods and the greats — Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, George Best, Jimmy McIlroy, Jimmy Johnstone, Jim Baxter, Dave Mackay, Bobby Moore, Johnny Haynes and many, many more. And then there is the special bracket for the true geniuses — Pele, Maradona, Beckenbauer, Di Stefano, Cruyff, Ronaldo and Messi. Special footballers who were never coached but born with a gift to entertain the public. Jimmy Greaves belongs in that category. He was the Fred Astaire of the football field, quickstepping and foxtrotting his way past any defender and even the goalkeeper. Come to think of it, is there any goalkeeper alive who can say they stopped him scoring? All football supporters are hoping and praying he gets the honour he deserves. He may have missed out on playing in the World Cup final because of injury but Jimmy will always have something better and more important — because fans in pubs all over the country will always talk about football and the greats will never be forgotten. The headline in the Daily Mail said it all. He was the People’s Champion. We like to talk about our heroes and he was one of those, so when you tell a story about Jimmy Greaves you always tell it with a smile on your face. Good luck Jimmy and happy birthday for tomorrow. Thanks for the memories. Even when you were scoring against Leicester.