BBC SPORT | Football | Football League honours Armfield (original) (raw)

Armfield was England captain 15 times and won a total of 43 caps

Former England captain Jimmy Armfield will receive the prestigious Outstanding Contribution honour at the Football League awards ceremony.

The 72-year-old BBC broadcaster won 43 England caps and made a record 568 appearances for Blackpool.

Armfield then managed Bolton and Leeds, who he led to the 1975 European Cup final, and has been a respected BBC analyst since 1978.

He will be given the award in London on Sunday and said: "It's a great honour."

Armfield, who captained England 15 times, has returned to broadcasting with the BBC this season as he continues his recovery from Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a form of throat cancer.

He said: "I have been in football for 54 years and throughout my playing career, of course, I only played in The Football League.

"I look upon this Contribution to League Football Award as a great honour, especially to be recognised for something I've enjoyed doing."

Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney said: "Jimmy Armfield is a truly worthy winner of our Contribution to League Football award.

"He has been a wonderful ambassador for the Football League as a one-club man in his playing days with Blackpool, as a manager with Bolton Wanderers and Leeds United and as a much-admired broadcaster.

"Jimmy is a widely respected and popular figure across the football community. I look forward to presenting him with his award on Sunday evening."

Armfield leads out England at Wembley for a game against a Rest of the World team in January 1963

Armfield made his international debut in May 1959 against Brazil.

He played in the 1962 World Cup in Chile and was voted the best full-back in the tournament.

He was also included in the 1966 World Cup-winning squad but missed out on the tournament because of injury.

He played his final game for Blackpool in May 1971 and moved into management with Bolton, leading them to the Division Three title in 1973.

After moving to Leeds, the club were beaten 2-0 by Bayern Munich in the European Cup final in 1975.

In his time at Elland Road, Leeds never finished outside the top 10 in the League, qualified for the Uefa Cup and reached FA and League Cup semi-finals.

Armfield joined the Daily Express as a journalist after leaving Leeds, working with the paper from 1979-1991 and was awarded an OBE in 2000.

The awards ceremony will take place at London's Hilton Hotel.