Ipswich Town legend Kevin Beattie celebrates his 60th birthday today.
Legendary Town and England figure, the late Sir Bobby Robson once described Beattie as the best England player he had ever seen, adding: “I can pay Kevin Beattie no greater compliment than to say he could have been as good as Duncan Edwards, the young Manchester United player killed in the Munich air disaster.”
“Nine caps. “He should have won 99 - heck, he should have been the most capped English player of all time,” Robson proclaimed.
Indeed, Beattie, who retired aged just 27, missed out on 1981 UEFA Cup glory against AZ 67 through injury but was a part of the 1978 FA Cup-winning team that defeated Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley.
He signed at Portman Road in 1971, received the 1973–74 PFA Young Player of the Year, and made 228 appearances for Town, scoring 24 goals.
Read Stuart Watson’s exclusive interview with “The Beat” online now.
Relive Beattie and Ipswich demolishing West Brom, 7-0, in November 1976
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