The Bootiful Game Issue 2 The Bootiful Game Issue 2 | Page 10

INTERVIEW
Ex-Manchester United & Northern Ireland star chats to writer Josh
Kingston about his career...
NORMAN WHITESIDE
Football throws up some
has put the
incredible stories and the
picture
career of Norman Whiteside
writers out of
certainly fits under that
business.”
category.
! The year
! “I was quite young, well I know
before was
I was 18 years and 19 days, and
just as
the reason I know that is because astonishing.
the records are still there.”
As a fresh
Whiteside continued: “I still am the faced 17-
youngest F.A. Cup Final
year old
goalscorer. You don’t do it
Whiteside
everyday of your life do you, or
was selected
every year, but I started my career in the
by doing it so that set the
Northern Irish
benchmark for me.”
national
! The incredible achievement
squad that
must have taken a
while to sink in as
the Northern
Irishman walked
Full Name
up the famous
Norman Whiteside
Wembley steps
and collected his Date of birth
7th May 1965
winner’s medal;
Place of birth
following
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Manchester
United’s 1983 win Position
Midfielder/Striker
over Brighton &
Clubs
Hove Albion. At
Youth: Manchester United,
home those who
Senior: Manchester United (206
had tuned into
Apps, 47 Goals), Everton (29
watch were
probably feeling
Apps, 9 Goals)
the same as they Honours
witnessed John
Manchester United:
Motson exclaim:
FA Cup: 1983, 1985.
“You can throw the FA Charity Shield: 1984-85 Northern
comics away now, Ireland:
because this ‘fella British Home Championship: 1984
FACT FILE
10 @TheBootifulGame Issue 02
went to the
1982 World
Cup in
Spain. He
went onto
to beat
Pele’s
record as
the
youngest
player to
ever appear
at a World
Cup.
When
asked
about
breaking
the great
Pele’s
record the
humble 50-
year-old
still
seemed
like a man
who could
not quite
believe
what he
had done:
“I had just
barely
turned
seventeen
and six
weeks,
and when
I walk
around
now and I see kids and I ask how
old are you and they go I’m
sixteen, I still think to myself well I
was in the Manchester United first
team when I was sixteen and I
was in the World Cup when I