In March 2013, British television channel ITV aired a documentary entitled “The Laurie Cunningham Story” about one of the pioneers of English football.

He was the first black soccer player ever to be capped by England, which opened the door for other black professional footballers to gain international experience for their country (including Viv Anderson who became the first black athlete to play for the England national team, as well as Paul Ince who became England’s first black captain in 1993).

Not only that, but Cunningham was a true legend in so many ways. He was signed by Real Madrid and helped them win a La Liga title long before it was fashionable for David Beckham, Michael Owen or Steve McManaman to play for Los Blancos.

His life was so interesting that it reads like a script for a film.

I urge you to watch this TV documentary. It’s enlightening, and also gives you a good glimpse in what British football was like in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

 

After watching the TV documentary, share your observations about what you saw in the comments section below.