Sir Walter Winterbottom was arguably the most influential man in modern English football.
Known as the first England team manager, he was also a sports administrator and innovator of modern coaching. Walter managed them all, from Lawton to Charlton, and Ron Greenwood, Bill Nicholson, Jimmy Hill and Bobby Robson were amongst his disciples.
Born in 1913, Winterbottom started out as a PE instructor, playing amateur football in his spare time. He was signed up by Manchester United, but a spinal ailment curtailed his career. During World War II he served as an officer in the RAF before the FA appointed him as national director of coaching and England team manager in 1946. He remains the only manager to have taken the national side to more than two World Cup finals and was created an OBE in 1963 and a CBE in 1972 before being knighted in 1978.
Walter died in 2002 but his legacy continues to inspire many in football today.
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