Paul Reaney made his Leeds United debut on 8 September 1962. He was 17 years old. The game was away to Swansea Town. Sixteen seasons later, he had played 745 first-team matches for the club. Only two men Jack Charlton and Billy Bremner have worn the Leeds shirt more times.
He was born in Fulham, London, on 22 October 1944. His family moved to Leeds when he was only a few weeks old. He grew up in the city, attended Cross Green School, and left at 15. He worked as a motor mechanic before joining the Leeds groundstaff in October 1961. Don Revie gave him his first team chance less than a year later.
Reaney was a right back in Revie’s legendary defence. The back four of Reaney, Jack Charlton, Norman Hunter and Terry Cooper, with Paul Madeley as the versatile cover, became one of the most feared defensive units in English football. Reaney was quick, disciplined and difficult to beat. George Best named him, alongside Sanchis of Real Madrid, as the best defender he ever faced.
Leeds won the Second Division in 1964. They then won the League Cup and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1968. The league title followed in 1969. But on 2 April 1970, Reaney broke his leg in a league match against West Ham United. He had already been selected for England’s 1970 World Cup squad. The injury cost him the World Cup and the run-in to a season in which Leeds lost the league, the FA Cup and the European Cup. It was the first serious injury of his career, and it effectively ended his international prospects.
He fought back and returned to the Leeds side. He won the FA Cup in 1972, the league title again in 1974, and captained the side in the 1973 European Cup Winners’ Cup final against AC Milan. In the 1974-75 season he played in the European Cup final against Bayern Munich in Paris. Leeds lost both finals.
Reaney left Elland Road in 1978 on a free transfer. He played two seasons for Bradford City, then moved to Australia to play for Newcastle KB United. He was named Australian Player of the Year in 1980. When he finished playing, he returned to England and has since run holiday coaching sessions for children at Potters Leisure Resort in Hopton.
In 1993, burglars broke into his home and stole a safe containing his medal collection. His trophies and caps were left behind.
His international career ran from 1968 to 1971, yielding three caps. His debut came on 11th December 1968 as a substitute against Bulgaria. Reaney was of mixed race. This makes him the second non-white footballer after Frank Soo (Chinese English), who played for England in the 1940s to represent the senior England men’s team. It is a fact that was not widely discussed during Reaney’s playing career. He was regarded as white at the time. Modern re-evaluation has recognised his heritage. He made his debut nine full years before Viv Anderson, who is commonly credited as the first Black footballer to play for England.
Three caps was a poor return for a player of his quality. The broken leg in 1970 took away his chance to compete in a World Cup and to build an international reputation. What remains is the club career. 745 appearances. Seven major trophies. A place in Leeds United’s all-time top three for appearances. That is the record. It does not need embellishment.
Sources
Wikipedia, “Paul Reaney”
ozwhitelufc.net.au, Paul Reaney player profile
leeds-fans.org.uk, Paul Reaney player profile
England Football Online, Paul Reaney biography
englandstats.com, Paul Reaney profile
Sporting-Heroes, Paul Reaney league appearances
Daily Mirror, “Untold stories of English football’s black pioneers” (31 October 2021)
FourFourTwo, “George Best: One-on-One”
Baidu Baike, Paul Reaney entry
Transfermarkt, Paul Reaney profile
