{"id":4847,"date":"2018-12-31T09:29:01","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T14:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=4847"},"modified":"2019-01-02T09:30:43","modified_gmt":"2019-01-02T14:30:43","slug":"former-liverpool-winger-peter-thompson-dies-aged-76","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=4847","title":{"rendered":"Former Liverpool Winger Peter Thompson Dies, Aged 76"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Former Liverpool and England winger Peter Thompson has died at the age of 76, the Premier League club have announced.<\/p>\n

Signed by Bill Shankly from Preston in 1963, Thompson went on to become a mainstay on the left flank for the Reds as he racked up more than 400 appearances and two First Division titles during his decade-long stay at Anfield.<\/p>\n

Liverpool wrote on their official Twitter feed: \u201cWe\u2019re deeply saddened by the passing of former winger Peter Thompson. RIP Peter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carlisle-born Thompson, who was capped 16 times by England between 1964 and 1970 but was not part of Sir Alf Ramsey\u2019s 1966 World Cup winning squad, made his Preston debut aged 17 in August 1960.<\/p>\n

He went on to score 20 goals in 121 appearances before his switch to Liverpool, where he was an ever-present in his first campaign as he helped his new side to the league title in 1963-64.<\/p>\n

Thompson was central to Liverpool\u2019s first-ever FA Cup win the following season, scoring the opener in a 2-0 semi-final success over Chelsea before playing every minute of the extra-time victory over Leeds in the Wembley showpiece.<\/p>\n

Thompson was absent for only two games as Liverpool reclaimed the league crown in 1965-66 while, in total, he scored 54 goals in 416 matches for the Merseyside club.<\/p>\n

Shankly once remarked about Thompson in the latter\u2019s testimonial brochure, according to www.lfchistory.net<\/a>: \u201cIf Peter Thompson would not have taken up football he could have competed in the Olympic games. That\u2019s how good an athlete he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe could run forever, but more importantly in football he could run with the ball \u2013 probably the hardest thing to do. He could run every minute of every game, every week, every year better than anybody else.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis work rate was outstanding, his fitness unequaled, his balance like a ballet dancer. I have no hesitation in placing Peter up among the all-time greats \u2013 alongside such players as Tom Finney, Stanley Matthews and George Best.\u201d<\/p>\n

He lost his place in the first team because of a knee injury and, in 1973, he joined Bolton, where he ended his playing career five years later having made 117 appearances.<\/p>\n

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