Ray Wilkins

Early career

Born in Hillingdon, Middlesex, Wilkins started his career with the Sunday League team Senrab that play in Wanstead Flats, East London.

Chelsea

Wilkins made his name in the 1970s with boyhood club Chelsea, which he joined as an apprentice, progressing to his first team debut against Norwich City at the age of 17 on 26 October 1973 as a substitute in a 3–0 home league win. In 1975, following the club's relegation and the departure of many established players, an 18-year-old Wilkins was handed the captaincy of Chelsea by new manager Eddie McCreadie, taking it from long-time Blues captain John Hollins. He took to the role well, keeping it for four years. He emerged as Chelsea's key player of that period, leading a team of mainly young players to promotion again in 1976–1977 and, in the next season, consolidation of their place in the First Division. His elder brother, Graham Wilkins also played for Chelsea.

Manchester United

In 1979, after Chelsea were relegated, Wilkins signed for Manchester United for a fee of £825,000, the highest fee received for a Chelsea player at the time. He scored ten goals in his five years with the Red Devils, including a long-range strike in the 2–2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion in the 1983 FA Cup Final (United won the replay). He was voted player of the year by the team's supporters at the end of the 1983–1984 season. His midfield performances drew the attention of Milan, who made United a £1.5 million…

Wilkins scored three goals in 84 games for England, captained the team on ten occasions, and played at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups. Wilkins was called up to play for England for the first time in 1976 by coach Don Revie, then made his debut on 28 May in a 3–2 win over Italy at the U.S.A. Bicentennial Cup Tournament in New York. He achieved one of his career highs after helping England qualify for the 1980 European Championships in Italy — the first tournament England had reached for a decade. During a group game against Belgium, Wilkins scored a memorable goal when he lobbed the whole Belgian defence (thereby breaching the Belgians' obvious offside trap) and delivered a second lob, this time over the head of the goalkeeper and into the net to put England ahead. The Belgians swiftly equalised, however, and England failed to progress beyond the group stage. Wilkins was a fixture in the England squad through a successful campaign to qualify for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, which England exited at the second group stage. During the 1983–84 season, Wilkins continued to play for England under new coach Bobby Robson but the team failed to qualify for the 1984 European Championships. Wilkins remained an England regular during his spell at Milan and he was chosen for the squad which qualified for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. He played in the opening defeat against Portugal. Wilkins became the first Englishman to be sent off at the World Cup in a goalless draw with Morocco in 1986,…

Wilkins played primarily as a deep-lying playmaker, using his vision and passing range to dictate the tempo of the game from central midfield. Highly regarded for his elegance, composure, and extraordinary tactical intelligence on the pitch, he possessed a superlative range of skills and was particularly noted for his long-range, accurate passing. Wilkins picked up the nickname "Butch" in his early career. He was also known by the nickname "Razor" (Rasoio in Italian), a moniker coined to reflect the precise, driven, and "sharp" nature of his passes. He possessed a rare ability to calibrate these passes using the instep of his foot, a technique that was particularly uncommon in that era. Although not a prolific goalscorer, he was capable of scoring memorable and spectacular goals, such as his curling left-footed strike in the 1983 FA Cup Final and a well-timed volley for Rangers in 1988. Wilkins began his career as a classical inside-forward, demonstrating strong leadership qualities early on. After being appointed Chelsea captain at the age of 18, he led the team back into the First Division, and was widely regarded as one of the most promising young talents in English football. Operating in midfield, he frequently sat deep to hold his position and play simple passes, encouraging his teammates to take on more creative roles. While renowned for his distribution, he was also highly effective in regaining possession, possessing an enviable positional sense and a remarkable…

Early coaching career

Wilkins was QPR manager from 1994 to 1996, and managed fellow West London club Fulham in 1997–1998. In March 1999, Wilkins was appointed Chelsea's first-team coach after Graham Rix was jailed for child sex offences. Wilkins and Rix were Chelsea's interim managers after the sacking of Gianluca Vialli at the start of the 2000–01 FA Premier League season, but both were sacked from the club on the orders of new manager Claudio Ranieri in November 2000. When Vialli was hired by First Division club Watford, Wilkins again assisted him until their dismissal in June 2002. From 2003 to 2005, Wilkins assisted former Chelsea player Dennis Wise in his managing of Millwall, but announced his exit when he took exception at Dave Bassett being hired in the coaching staff.

England U-21

From 2004 on Wilkins was assistant coach to Peter Taylor with the England under-21s until Taylor left in early 2007. Wilkins was not retained by incoming head coach Stuart Pearce.

Return to Chelsea

In September 2008, Wilkins was appointed assistant first team coach to Luiz Felipe Scolari at Chelsea, following Steve Clarke's departure to West Ham United. In February 2009, following Scolari's dismissal, Wilkins was appointed as Chelsea's caretaker manager for the Fifth round FA Cup tie with Watford. Chelsea won the game 3–1, through a Nicolas Anelka hat-trick, with the club's new manager Guus Hiddink watching from the stands. On 11 November 2010, it was announced…