Introducing the 82-year-old grandpa who skipped Arsenal trial sessions when he was 14 because he lacked boots: Britain’s oldest international football player.
While Steve Marriott had participated frequently in amateur teams for decades, he believed his chances of ever representing his nation were long gone. Especially after receiving a stage three skin cancer diagnosis in 2018.
Yet after seven surgeries, the midfielder started playing walking football.
After excelling for his hometown team in Clevedon, North Somerset, he was offered the chance to play for the South West regional team. From there, he played for England over 75s in a 1-1 tie with Wales in 2022, earning his first international cap.
The former magistrate is still a member of the England national team and has no immediate plans to do so. He competes twice weekly for the neighbourhood team Clevedon Town Walking Football Club.
I recently acquired a new pair of Adidas boots, so I won’t be putting them up just yet, Portishead resident Steve stated. I’ll continue to play as long as I can.
Steve said the bar is still high despite the team’s experience.
They assume it’s just a bunch of old fogeys, but it’s really more harder and more skillful than they realize, he added. One young man has dementia, but when he has the ball, he is entertaining to watch because of his amazing talents.
Matches are played with six or seven man teams squaring off for up to 20 minutes per half while training sessions last an hour and a half. Despite being the team’s oldest player, Steve isn’t afraid to showcase his own abilities when he has the ball in his hands.
“When I’m in practice, I get made fun of for doing stepovers even though I did them before Ronaldo. He does have somewhat better looks than I do, mind you.
Yet despite their years of expertise, Steve said that someone was “sent off last week for providing back-chat to the ref.” The competition is still as strong as ever.
Steve has played football for about 70 years and was born in Hackney, north-east London. He believes that he has played more than 1,000 games in his career and has scored more than 400 goals, all coming from midfield. The Londoner claims that when he first began playing, the beautiful game was quite different.
He stated, “When I was young, you didn’t warm up for football.” “During halftime, I recall my friends smoking and drinking a little whiskey.
He recalled one of his first recollections as heading a vintage leather football on the half-way line and receiving a wave of applause from the spectators. That was a courageous but unwise move at the time since the balls were so heavy.
When Steve was invited to Arsenal’s tryouts at the age of 14, he was too ashamed to accept since he lacked a pair of contemporary boots.
Steve still enjoys watching the game (Image: DannyWard SWNS)
He recalled having some vintage football boots in which the studs had to be hammered into the soles. I refused to attend to my trial when invited since I felt so embarrassed of them.
However, Steve recalls the game being considerably harder when he was younger.
“Our squad has always included a rough guy. If anybody managed to get you, he did. He stated, “It felt like a struggle. “We used to plot who we were going to receive all week. We would emulate the Italians and take turns fouling them if there were three of us in the middle of the field.
The problem was that occasionally I was the target of the adage, “You never get booked with the first challenge of the game. We used to wrap up a comic book and tuck it down our shins since we lacked shin guards. You just accepted the suffering, which I don’t believe did anything to alleviate it.
“Someone usually threatens to break your legs, but that gave me the additional yard of speed I needed,” the speaker said.
Steve’s children have inherited his passion for football as well. His 50- and 55-year-old sons assist in managing amateur teams. Eva, his granddaughter, age 11, also plays. Eva is quick as lightning, so I never get a chance to demonstrate my abilities to her, he stated.
The 57-year-old couple’s grandpa of two says his wife Jan is extremely supportive of his pastime. He said, “All her life, she has always asserted that although I can compete with his drinking and gambling, I cannot compete with football.
“My key to a long and healthy life is playing football. I received the news that I had stage three cancer a few years ago. Oh right, the moment has come, I did think. The following year, I learned about walking football.
“This happened all of a sudden; it was like a rebirth. After my diagnosis, walking football truly helped me both physically and psychologically. After a game, we all have a cup of tea and a cookie together; the comradery is wonderful.
Steve wants to be cancer-free by the end of his one remaining cancer surgery in April.
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