Debut:
18/08/1979 v Southampton (A) 1-1 (League Division One)
Farewell:
Transferred to A.C. Milan, 05/1984, £1.5m
Passed Away:
04/04/2018 (age 61)
Biography
Ray Wilkins was an elegant and highly intelligent midfielder who represented Manchester United between 1979 and 1984. Nicknamed “Butch,” Wilkins was admired for his composure, passing and professionalism. He made 194 competitive appearances for United, scored ten goals and helped the club win the 1983 FA Cup.
Raymond Colin Wilkins was born in Hillingdon, Middlesex, on 14 September 1956. Football ran throughout the Wilkins family: his father, George, had played professionally, while his brothers Graham, Dean and Stephen also pursued careers in the game.
Wilkins joined Chelsea as a youngster and made his senior debut against Norwich City in October 1973, aged 17. Despite his youth, his maturity and understanding of the game were immediately apparent. Chelsea appointed him captain at only 18, making him the youngest player to hold the position in the club’s history. He became the central figure in a developing team and helped Chelsea earn promotion to the First Division in 1976/1977. Wilkins was named Chelsea’s Player of the Year in consecutive seasons and remained one of the club’s outstanding performers despite their relegation in 1979. His performances had already established him as a regular England international.
Manchester United manager Dave Sexton, who had previously worked with Wilkins at Chelsea, signed him in August 1979. The precise fee has been reported differently, but MUFCInfo records it as £777,777, while other sources place it at approximately £800,000. Wilkins made his United debut on 18 August 1979 in a 1–1 First Division draw against Southampton at The Dell. He immediately became a regular in central midfield. His first United goal arrived on 29 September 1979 in a 4–0 victory over Stoke City at Old Trafford. Wilkins opened the scoring before Gordon McQueen struck twice and Sammy McIlroy completed the victory.
Wilkins was a technically accomplished midfielder who rarely surrendered possession. He could receive the ball under pressure, dictate the rhythm of matches and accurately distribute it across the pitch. His preference for retaining possession sometimes led to criticism that his passing was overly cautious, and Ron Atkinson later gave him the nickname “The Crab.” However, that description underestimated his positional intelligence and ability to control matches.
During his first season, Wilkins made 42 appearances as United challenged Liverpool for the First Division championship. Sexton’s team eventually finished second, only two points behind the champions. Wilkins scored twice during the campaign, including a goal in a 4–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. His consistency and composure made him an increasingly important member of the side. An injury-disrupted 1980/1981 season restricted him to 15 appearances, but he returned to full fitness the following campaign. Wilkins appeared in all 42 First Division matches during 1981/1982 as United finished third under their new manager, Ron Atkinson.
The arrival of Bryan Robson in October 1981 created one of the strongest central-midfield partnerships in English football. Robson supplied powerful forward running and goals, while Wilkins provided positional discipline and controlled distribution. United reached the finals of both domestic cup competitions during the 1982/1983 season. Wilkins played in the League Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley, where Norman Whiteside gave United the lead before Liverpool recovered to win 2–1 after extra time.
Two months later, United returned to Wembley to face Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup final. Brighton took the lead through Gordon Smith before Frank Stapleton equalised early in the second half. In the 72nd minute, Wilkins collected the ball outside the penalty area, moved across the edge of the box and struck a superb curling left-footed shot beyond goalkeeper Graham Moseley. It was one of the finest goals ever scored in an FA Cup final and gave United a 2–1 lead. Brighton equalised late in the match through Gary Stevens, and the contest finished 2–2 after extra time. United dominated the replay five days later, winning 4–0 through two goals from Robson and further strikes from Whiteside and Arnold Mühren. The victory provided Wilkins with his first major honour at club level. His spectacular goal in the original final remains the defining image of his Manchester United career.
United began the 1983/1984 season by defeating league champions Liverpool 2–0 in the FA Charity Shield. Wilkins played in midfield as two Robson goals secured the trophy.
Wilkins subsequently helped United produce a memorable European Cup Winners’ Cup campaign. He appeared in the remarkable quarter-final victory over Barcelona, who arrived at Old Trafford holding a 2–0 first-leg advantage. Inspired by an extraordinary atmosphere, United won the return match 3–0 through two goals from Robson and another from Stapleton. The comeback remains one of Old Trafford’s greatest European nights.
United reached the semi-finals before losing to Juventus, while Wilkins continued to produce consistently accomplished performances throughout the season. He made 56 appearances in all competitions—more than in any other campaign of his career at the club.
His final United goal came on 21 April 1984 in a 4–1 victory over Coventry City at Old Trafford. His last appearance followed on 16 May, when United were beaten 2–0 away to Nottingham Forest.
Wilkins was voted United’s Player of the Year by the club’s supporters at the conclusion of the 1983/1984 season. However, AC Milan offered £1.5 million for him, and United accepted the substantial bid.
He left Old Trafford after five seasons, having made 194 competitive appearances and scored ten goals. His record included 160 First Division appearances and seven league goals.
Wilkins adapted impressively to Italian football and spent three seasons at AC Milan. His professionalism, tactical intelligence and accurate passing earned considerable respect in Serie A, where he appeared alongside fellow England international Mark Hateley. Following a brief spell with Paris Saint-Germain, Wilkins joined Rangers in 1987. He helped the Glasgow club win the Scottish League championship and League Cup and scored a memorable long-range goal against Celtic in an Old Firm victory.
He returned to London with Queens Park Rangers in 1989 and remained an influential top-flight player well into his thirties. Wilkins later became player-manager at QPR and continued playing for several clubs, including Crystal Palace, Wycombe Wanderers, Hibernian, Millwall and Leyton Orient. At international level, Wilkins won 84 England caps between 1976 and 1986 and scored three goals. He captained his country on ten occasions and represented England at the 1980 European Championship and the 1982 and 1986 World Cups. His finest England goal came against Belgium at Euro 1980. Wilkins lifted the ball over the defensive line, ran through to collect it and then lobbed the goalkeeper with exceptional composure.
After retiring from playing, Wilkins built a substantial coaching career. He managed Queens Park Rangers and Fulham and worked as an assistant or coach with clubs including Chelsea, Watford, Aston Villa and the Jordanian national team.
He enjoyed particular success as Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant at Chelsea, helping the club win the Premier League and FA Cup Double in 2009/2010. His ability to communicate with players and connect the coaching staff with the dressing room made him widely respected. Wilkins also became a familiar television and radio analyst. His courteous manner, knowledge of the game and habit of addressing colleagues as “my word” or “young man” made him one of football broadcasting’s most popular figures.
In 1993, he was appointed an MBE for his services to football. He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
Ray Wilkins died on 4 April 2018, aged 61, after suffering a cardiac arrest. Tributes from across football reflected the affection and respect he had earned throughout his life.
At Manchester United, Wilkins is remembered as a composed, intelligent midfielder who brought control and reliability to the side. His ten goals were relatively few, but several were outstanding—and none was more important or memorable than his curling strike in the 1983 FA Cup final.
His record of 194 appearances, an FA Cup winner’s medal and the club’s 1983/1984 Player of the Year award secured his place as one of United’s leading midfielders of the early 1980s.
