Colin Bell (footballer, born 1946)
Colin Bell MBE (26 February 1946 – 5 January 2021) was an English professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Bell, known for his thirteen-year spell at Manchester City, is regarded as one of the club's greatest-ever players, and was part of the Bell–Lee–Summerbee trio in the late 1960s and 1970s. Bell made 48 appearances for the England national football team; he was an unused squad member at UEFA Euro 1968 and played in three matches at the 1970 FIFA World Cup.
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Bell in 1969 | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 26 February 1946 | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Hesleden, England | |||||||||||||
| Date of death | 5 January 2021 (aged 74) | |||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | |||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| Horden Colliery Welfare Juniors | ||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 1963–1966 | Bury | 82 | (25) | |||||||||||
| 1966–1979 | Manchester City | 394 | (117) | |||||||||||
| 1980 | San Jose Earthquakes | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||
| Total | 481 | (142) | ||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||
| 1968 | England U23 | 2 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 1968–1975 | England | 48 | (9) | |||||||||||
| 1970–1974 | The Football League XI | 4 | (1) | |||||||||||
Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||
During his playing career, he was nicknamed "The King of the Kippax" (after Maine Road's Kippax Street terraced stand renowned for its singing) and Nijinsky (after the famous racehorse, due to his renowned stamina). In 2004, the West Stand of City of Manchester Stadium was later named in his honour.