Chris Waddle

Christopher Roland Waddle (born 14 December 1960) is an English former professional football player and manager. Since retiring, he has worked in the media for BBC Radio 5 Live as part of their Premier League and Champions League team. He currently works as a commentator. Nicknamed "Magic Chris", football journalist Luke Ginnell wrote that Waddle was "widely acknowledged as one of the finest attacking midfielders in Europe". During his professional career, which lasted from 1978 to 1998, he played for several clubs, most notably Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Olympique de Marseille and Sheffield Wednesday. In 1989, Waddle's transfer from Tottenham to Marseille for £4.5 million made him the third most valuable player in the world, and he won three successive Ligue 1 titles with the club and played in the 1991 European Cup final. While playing for Wednesday in the Premier League, he was voted FWA Footballer of the Year for his performances in the 1992–93 season. He also played in the Premier League for Sunderland, in the Scottish Premiership with Falkirk, and in the Football League for Bradford City, Burnley and Torquay United. He finished his career in non-League football with Worksop Town, Glapwell and Stocksbridge Park Steels, later whilst in his fifties, he continued to play at semi-professional level for Northern Counties East League side Hallam. At international level, Waddle earned 62 caps for England between 1985 and 1991. He was a member of the teams that reached the quarter-finals of the 1986 FIFA World Cup and the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup, and also played for England at UEFA Euro 1988. Waddle had a brief spell as the manager of Burnley during the 1997–98 season, but has not returned to coaching since.