Biography: sport

Don Whillans has an iconic significance for generations of climbers.

In 2006, Liverpool fans voted Ian Rush among the top three all-time greatest players in the history of the club.

In February 1973, the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland were at their very worst and following Bloody Sunday the previous year neither the Scotland nor Wales rugby teams would dare to travel to Ireland to play.

As one of the first Jewish sporting superstars, Daniel Mendoza, boxing champion of England 1792-1795, challenged perceptions and stereotypes - he demanded respect.

William John 'Billy' Bremner is one of the true greats of British football.

John Terry is known as Chelsea's 'captain, leader, legend' for good reason.

21 March 1935 was an important day in the history of Nottingham Forest Football Club.

Patrick O'Connell is not a name usually associated with the likes of Lionel Messi, Pep Guardiola or Johan Cruyff, yet this is the man who saved FC Barcelona from financial ruin.

This is the incredible story of Brian 'Stack' Stevens, born in a remote former mining area of Cornwall with no sporting background, yet found he had an exceptional talent for rugby.

Today Bill Richmond is largely unknown to the wider public, but he was one of the most significant sportsmen in history and one of the most prominent celebrities of Georgian times.

Steven George Gerrard MBE (born 30 May 1980) is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool.

Controversial, outspoken and a football genius, Brian Clough is often described as the best manager England never had.

Don Kenyon was a 'leader of champions and a champion of leaders' for good reason: he was his own man.

Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE (born 29 November 1973) is a former Welsh football player who played most notably for Manchester United and the Welsh national team.

Hour after hour of practice in the park close to his East London home set David Beckham on the road to becoming one of the world's best-known sportsmen.

Alan Shearer OBE (born 13 August 1970) is an English footballer whose prowess saw him score a hat-trick in his professional debut in 1988 while playing for Southhampton.

Fifty matches that shaped the career of one of football's greatest managers.

Fifty matches that shaped the career of one of football's greatest entertainers.

ARSENE WENGER, French football manager and former player, has managed Arsenal since 1996, and has become the club's longest-serving and most successful manager.

Welsh football legend Trevor Ford was not your typical football player from the forties and fifties.

Few, if any, who have pulled on the red jersey of Manchester United can have made a greater impact to the club's glorious history than the boy from the Cregagh estate in East Belfast.

SIR ALEX FERGUSON is one of the most admired and respected managers in the history of the beautiful game.

'Your time will come'This is the story of former Norwich City footballer Jeremy Goss.

The achievements of the great Victorian cricketer continue to fascinate.

Davie Gibson, universally known as 'Gibbo', was a shy wee lad from Winchburgh, a mining village in West Lothian.

This is the fascinating tale of a young lad from Lurgan, a bit of a rebel, who excelled both at soccer and Gaelic football.

In his time working for the Daily Sketch and Daily Mail, Brian Scovell probably reported on more Test matches and more international football matches than any other English sports writer.

Passion for football in England shifted in the second half of the twentieth century.

Jack Kyle was the rugby giant of his time, but he was also so much more than a sporting legend.

Phil 'The Power' Taylor is the uncontested king of darts, his sixteen world championship titles between 1990 and 2013 far outclassing anything else the game has seen.

This is the life story of the legendary Liverpool and Scotland 1960s footballer known as 'The Saint'.

HIGHLIGHTS OF A CAREER IN CRICKET FROM BRITAIN'S BEST-LOVED UMPIRE, THE LATE DICKIE BIRD.

On 4 August 2012 Jessica Ennis kicked off what some described as the greatest night in British sporting history.

A golfer loved for his courage and charisma, Darren Clarke has the crowds behind him.

THE LATE CRICKET LEGEND DICKIE BIRD, IN HIS OWN WORDS.

Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff is one of the most exciting cricketers in the world and has improved out of all recognition during the last two years.

'Freddie' Flintoff is perhaps the best-known cricketer in the world, and definitely the most loved in the UK.

Bryan Robson is widely remembered as a fearless and inspirational player and captain, both for club and country, whose presence lifted team-mates and intimidated opponents.

On 20 October 2007 Mike Catt MBE made history by becoming the oldest player to appear in a World Cup Final.

'Gay.

Irish rugby as you've never seen it before -- from the man who got the job every rugby lover would love to have.

In November 2010, Andrew Strauss faced the ultimate challenge for an England cricket captain: winning the Ashes on Australian soil, a feat that had not been achieved for 24 years.

Lewis 'Mad Dog' Moody has been a familiar face in English rugby for fifteen successful and, at times, painful years.

At the cutting edge of sport, where winners go one way and losers the other, Ian Wooldridge made his living as a journalist.

One second in time may separate the great athlete from the merely good.

Graeme Swann's transformation from international outsider to England's primary match-winner and undisputed best spin bowler in the world has been remarkably rapid.

Andrew Strauss, one of the most successful and respected England cricket captains of the modern era, announced his retirement from professional cricket at the end of 2012.

It's hard to believe MONTY PANESAR only arrived on the international cricketing scene in March 2006.

Jason Robinson began playing full-time rugby at the age of 16 with Wigan Warriors, the most successful club in Rugby League at the time.

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