Cliff Bastin

Exeter City

Born in Exeter, Bastin started his career at Exeter City, making his début for the first team in 1928, at the age of 16. The match was on 14 April away against Coventry City. A week later Cliff Bastin scored two goals in Exeter's 5–1 home victory over Newport County, and was named man of the match. Despite only playing 17 games and scoring 6 goals in his time at Exeter, he was spotted by Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman in a match against Watford. Chapman was at the game to watch Watford player Tommy Barnett. But the 17-year-old Bastin's ability became so evident to him that he decided to sign him in May 1929.

Arsenal

Bastin made his début against Everton on 5 October 1929 and was immediately a first-team regular, making 21 league and 8 cup appearances that season. He went on to be a near ever-present in the side over the next decade, playing over 35 matches in every season up to and including 1937–38. His youthful appearance earned him the nickname "Boy Bastin", but despite such, Bastin's play was characterised by a remarkable coolness, and deadly precision in front of goal; he also became Arsenal's regular penalty-taker. Bastin's scoring feats are all the more remarkable considering he played on the left wing rather than as forward. At the time, Arsenal's strategy depended heavily on their wingers cutting into the penalty box with a supply of passes from playmaker Alex James being the source of many goals as well. With Arsenal, Bastin won the…

Bastin made his debut at senior level for England against Wales. This game was played at Anfield on 18 November 1931, which England won by a 3–1 margin. His first goal for England occurred in his second match for the national team, away against Italy, on 13 May 1933. A week later, he scored two goals against Switzerland in Bern. A most noteworthy highlight of his England career was the famous "Battle of Highbury", where England defeated 1934 World Cup winners Italy 3–2. Bastin also featured in a notorious match against Germany in Berlin in 1938, when the England team was ordered to give the Nazi salute before the match. England won 6–3, and Cliff Bastin scored his tenth goal for England. Bastin may have won more caps but at the time faced competition from Eric Brook. His last goal for England came via a penalty against France in Paris, on 26 May 1938. This was also Bastin's last international appearance. Hugo Meisl, the coach of Austria, rated Cliff Bastin very highly as a player. Talking before the 1934 World Cup, about Austria's chances of winning the tournament, Meisl was not optimistic, but believed they could do so if they had Cliff Bastin.

After retirement, Bastin returned to his native Exeter and ran a pub. His autobiography Cliff Bastin Remembers, was ghost-written in 1950 by Brian Glanville. He died in 1991 at the age of 79. A stand at St James Park, Exeter's home ground, is named in his honour and in 2009 he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.

Bastin married Joan L. Shaul at Hendon, North London, in 1939. She outlived him by just over 20 years, dying in April 2012 at the age of 96. They had two daughters, Patricia and Barbara.