George Eastham 1936-2024 | OneFootball

A midfield master, George came from footballing stock; his father appeared for Bolton and England and his uncle for Liverpool, as well as pulling on Newcastle's colours during wartime football. Born in Blackpool, slightly built and blond-haired, he joined United as a 19-year-old during May 1956 after impressing in Ulster with the Ards club.

Eastham developed rapidly in Newcastle colours during the late Fifties and became a regular for the young England side and certainty for a full cap.

Eastham, though, became embroiled in a major dispute over the basic right of a footballer to ply his trade wheresoever he chose. George stood up for his principles and, backed by the Players' Union, took football's antiquated authorities and rule-book, as well as Newcastle United, to the High Court and won a famous litigation battle to free, as the media then called footballers, the 'soccer slaves'. Before that important outcome, Eastham had joined Arsenal, in 1960, for a club record fee after 129 games for the Magpies.

George was included in both the 1962 and 1966 England World Cup squads, but was more often than not a deputy for England. He played on until aged over 37 years old, inspiring Stoke City to Wembley success in 1972 and afterwards emigrated to South Africa. For his services to the game he was awarded the OBE.