KEY POINTS:
Alan Ball, international soccer player. Died aged 61.
Alan Ball was a tireless midfielder who operated in the centre or on the right flank.
Ball, son of footballer and manager Alan Ball snr, started his career at Blackpool in 1962 and, despite playing for a struggling side, his stamina and distribution were noticed by England coach Alf Ramsay, who handed him an international debut in May 1965 in a 1-1 draw with Yugoslavia in Belgrade.
The midfielder earned selection for the World Cup squad in 1966, and at 21 he was the youngest of the 22-man team.
He played a key role in England's 4-2 victory over West Germany in the final at Wembley.
After the World Cup, Ball joined Everton and was part of the team's 1970 league championship winning side.
Ball appeared in the 1970 World Cup finals in Mexico, famously hitting the bar in England's 1-0 defeat by Brazil in the group stages.
In 1971, he joined Arsenal and in 1973 became only the second England player to be sent off in a full international when he was dismissed in a World Cup qualifier in Poland.
Ball went on to briefly captain his country but his international career ended abruptly in 1975. He had been capped 72 times for England.
After a spell in North America, Ball played for Blackpool and Southampton in Britain and Eastern Athletic in Hong Kong before ending his career at Bristol Rovers.
He was made an MBE in 2000 for his services to soccer and was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame three years later.
- Reuters