Ray Wilkins
England, Man Utd, Chelsea now in management
Profile
Footballer for Chelsea, Manchester United and England.
Now in club management.
Date of birth: 14th September 1956 (Hillingdon).
League appearances: 180 for Chelsea (30 goals);
160 for Manchester United (7 goals); 70 for Rangers - SPL (2 goals); 171 for QPR - two spells (7 goals);
1 for Crystal Palace; 1 for Wycombe Wanderers; 16 for Hibernian - Scottish league; 3 for Milwall; 3 for Leyton Orient.
England internationals: 83 Full Caps.
Other highlights: FA Cup (1983).
Summary
Ray Wilkins deserves to be considered as one of England's greatest ever midfielders having won 83 international caps in a career that spanned a remarkable 24 years.
Born on the outskirts of west London, in Hillingdon, the 17-year old Wilkins started as an apprentice at Chelsea just after the club had won FA Cup. He made his debut for the Blues in the 1973/74 season, playing in seven games.
His form was good enough that year to mean that by the following term, Wilkins had established his place in the side and by the time of his third season at the Bridge, the 1975/76 season, Wilkins was a regular in the side and, though still aged just 19, was named as captain.
England manager Don Revie was impressed and handed Wilkins his debut against Italy in the Bicentennial Tournament in the US in May 1976. The Three Lions won 3-2 and Wilkins' ten-year career with the national side was off to a flying start. However, it would not be until June 1979 and Wilkins' 24th England match, that the midfield maestro scored his first goal for his country, coming against Austria in a 4-3 defeat in Vienna.
After six years at Chelsea, Wilkins left to join Dave Sexton's Manchester United in a deal worth £825,000. In five years at Old Trafford, Wilkins played 160 league matches for the Red Devils but only picked up one major domestic honour - the 1983 FA Cup.
In the Wembley final against Brighton & Hove Albion, Wilkins played superbly and memorably scored a rare goal for United, curling in a 25-yard left-footed effort beyond the outstretched Graham Moseley in the Brighton goal. A year later, United manager Ron Atkinson sold Wilkins to Italian giants AC Milan for the then princely sum of £1.5 million, where he made 73 appearances.
Wilkins' three years in Lombardy coincided with a poor run of success for the rossoneri as Milan struggled in Serie A, failing to finish above fifth. In the 1984/85 season, Wilkins' first in Italy, Milan did reach the final of the Coppa Italia but this time 'Butch' experienced the bitter taste of Cup Final defeat as up-and-coming Genoese club Sampdoria beat Milan in both legs.
His second year at the San Siro saw Wilkins score the only two league goals in his Italian career against minnows Avelino and, just a week later, in a 2-2 draw against Sampdoria. Wilkins gelled well in Milan's midfield, where his link play with players such as Scarnecchia, Battistini and Virdis was appreciated not only by manager Liedholm but also by the Milan tifosi .
When Milan finished in a disappointing fifth place in 1987, Wilkins had played in only 21 of the side's league matches. The problem for the player and his club was that by now, the 31-year-old was beginning to lose a little of his pace - a fact that was highlighted by his exclusion from Bobby Robson's England squad since the match against Yugoslavia in the autumn of 1986.
With that in mind, Wilkins, on a free transfer in July 1987, moved to Paris to join the French capital's pre-eminent club, Paris St. Germain. However, he only spent four months in France before Scottish giants Rangers spent £250,000 to bring the former international to Glasgow.
In his three years at Rangers, Wilkins helped the 'Gers to two championships before a move back to England started to appeal to the 33-year old. Wilkins' return saw him go back to his west London roots as he joined first division side Queens Park Rangers in November 1989.
Except for a brief spell at Crystal Palace, Wilkins spent seven years at Loftus Road, all of which were spent in the top flight of English football. When QPR were relegated from the premier league, Wilkins left and spent the 1996/97 season, his last as a player, at four different clubs - Wycombe Wanderers, Hibernian, and Leyton Orient. After retiring from playing Ray worked as a coach at Chelsea and is now based at with Denis Wise.
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