Early Days
Stiles grew up in Collyhurst, a working class neighbourhood of north Manchester. He supported Manchester United and his talent was swiftly recognised when he played for England Schoolboys at the age of 15. He achieved a childhood ambition when, in the same year, the club he supported gave him an apprenticeship in September 1959.
He was an unlikely-looking footballer in many ways – he was very small, at a time when teenagers were being rejected by clubs purely because of their lack of height; he was also a wearer of dentures (the removal of which prior to matches gave him a gap-toothed expression which had the potential to scare). Despite claims that Stiles had his real teeth forcibly ripped out during a match, he has stated that he lost his teeth due to poor dental hygiene. He became significantly bald at a young age and sported a dramatic comb-over; and he suffered from severe shortsightedness, meaning he needed strong contact lenses when playing and wore thick spectacles off the field.
Nevertheless, Manchester United manager Matt Busby saw something in the tenacious youngster. Stiles was given his debut as a full back in October 1960 against Bolton Wanderers.
Read more about this topic: Nobby Stiles
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