Neil Young

Young was born in Fallowfield, Manchester, where he lived with his parents and older brother Chris. His house was half a mile from Manchester City's Maine Road ground, which was visible from the bedroom window. As a schoolboy he played for Manchester Boys, facing opponents who were two years older. After catching the eye of scout Harry Godwin, Young signed for Manchester City as an apprentice in 1959, turning down the opportunity to join Manchester United. Around this time he was capped by England at youth level. He turned professional in July 1960, and made his first team debut in November 1961, in a 2–1 defeat against Aston Villa at Villa Park. After breaking into the team for the first time, Young played every match in the remainder of the 1961–62 season. He scored his first goal for the club on 23 December 1961, in a 3–0 home win against Ipswich Town. He finished his first season with 11 goals in 26 appearances. Young's first full season was not a successful one for Manchester City; the team struggled to find form throughout. A four match unbeaten run in April, in which Young scored a winning goal against Bolton Wanderers, gave hope, but on the final day of the season Manchester City were relegated to the Second Division. For the following two seasons Young continued to be a regular first team player, though he missed the first two months of the 1964–65 season. Manchester City did not come close to promotion, and their 11th-place finish in 1965 was at that point the…

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Young married his first wife, Margaret, when he was 19. The couple had a son and two daughters, and divorced in 1982. He also had a daughter with his second wife, Susan. Young married his third wife, Carmen, in 2003, having lived with her since 1989. After retiring from football Young had many different jobs, including removals, managing a sports shop, delivering milk, working in a supermarket, and selling insurance. In his spare time he maintained his fitness by playing badminton, and after winning local tournaments, played the sport for Cheshire. During much of this period he struggled financially, to the point where he had to sell the family home and move in with his mother. Deeply depressed at this point in his life, he attempted suicide. From the mid-1990s Young coached school football teams in the area around his Cheshire home. Young was diagnosed with terminal cancer in late 2010. Following a supporter campaign, Manchester City dedicated their FA Cup tie at Leicester on 9 January 2011 to Young. Supporters wore red and black (the colours City wore in the 1969 final against Leicester), with proceeds from specially made scarves being split between Young and Wythenshawe Hospital. He died on 3 February 2011, just two weeks shy of his 67th birthday.

Manchester City

Football League First Division: 1967–68 Football League Second Division: 1965–66 FA Cup: 1968–69 FA Charity Shield: 1968–69 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1969–70